The classic launch Aumoe, builtin 1913 by Tom Le Huguet is now calling the Milford Marina home. Could this mine we will see her out and about more? Or maybe an upcoming haul out at The Milford Slipway……
Type Aumoe in the WW Search box to see more on Aumoe 🙂
Help Needed – Anyone have a Whitianga Mooring For Rental This Xmas > Jan – see below
Helped Needed – The txt message you dont need / want – see below. I did sort of help, turns out it was electrical. Now looking for a Bayswater Marina friendly sparky.
And Proof That Its Worth While Dropping A Line or Getting Wet – Not mine But A Mates Catch Yesterday – And Don’t Ask, Lets Just Say Spot X
Very chuffed to advise that the 1939 Colin Wild designed and built launch – Rehia has found new owners after an extend spell on tme. Bought by a young family that have the desire and commitment to return her to her former glory. Which she deserves, being woody royalty i.e. ex the Colin Wild stable. When a boat survives 80+ years in almost original configuration, it tells you that the designer got it right.
WW will follow this one closely, being ‘nice people’ the first project was fitting a holding tank – had to cash a few credits in at The Slipway Milford to get the work done at short notice – thank you Mr Prew 🙂 Lots of past Rehia stories on WW, search her name in the WW Search Panel – for lots of photos.
24-02-2022 Input ex Scott Taylor – Scott sent in the sketch and photo below of his fathers (Mac Taylor) time spent on Rehia on boom patrol during the WWII, Mac drew the pencil sketch of which Scott has the original.
HOW MANY MORE SUMMERS WILL YOU LET SLIP BY WITHOUT A BOAT………
Waitematawoodys has a sister – its called the Wooden Boat Bureau and we sell classic wooden boats – launches, yachts, big and small. We like to fly under the radar, as do most of our clients. Someone asked me what I did the other day – below sums it up (sounds a bit fluffy, in reality I just sell boats.
Inform and enthuse interest in the joys of owning and sailing traditional and classic wooden boats. And we do this by promoting partnerships between the boats, the sellers and the buyers, for the benefit of all. At the end of the day – its all about the boats, as most will out live their current owners.
Myself and David Cooke (MV Trinidad) are almost always available to offer advice to sellers and buyers – in the interests of marital harmony – in the first instance email to the below
Keith and Heather Nicholson sent in the above photo of an old post card of the Whangarei Town Basin. The photo first appeared on a Mitchell Hutchings fb post.
In the photo, lower right, we can see a launch hauled out – so todays question is – can we put a name to the boat?
Heather mentioned that their beloved woody – Paea (photo below) was for sale on tme. An amazing classic, the 72’, 1942 ex Harbour Defence Motor Launch (P3552) offers so many boating opportunities.
29-09-2023 UPDATE – photo below of Paea about to be relaunched after some TLC – TLC doesnt really fit a vessel the size of Paea 🙂
05-10-2023 UPDATE – Back in the water. we understand that six months ago the boat was put inside a shed and dried out, the seams were splined and the hull was fiber-glassed. The Fodens were removed and replaced with Cummins. (details & photos ex Ken West)
Judith Gardiner sent in the stunning photo above of Te Rauparaha when owned by Mr Harry James Mills of Upland Road in Remura, Auckland. Harry had 4 sons – Adrian, John, Douglas & Robert.
Judith commented that her father Walter (Keith) Young was friends with Robert Mills. Keith, born in 1925 and a builder, also built boats in his spare time. Later on, he went farming in Silverdale, just north of Auckland. One such sailing boat was called the Iona.
Judith recalls that Keith would often talk about the Baileys, through his family line, his father’s side he / we are related. The Baileys, Scotts (From Scotts Landing in the Mahurangi) and Archibald Young ( Judith’s 2nd great grandfather) were all involved in the ship building and related activities. Archibald was apprenticed to George Darroch and Archibald was at one time the master of the ‘Sovereign of the Seas.’ When he retired from the sea, he worked for George T. Nicol who was also a boat builder.Judith also sent in the 1914 photo of the Bailey family.
I have also posted below photos of Te Rauparaha (named Samara) from her current tme listing, I understand home port is Noumea, New Caledonia. I won’t comment………..
The 36’ launch Tuatea was built by Millers in Port Chalmers Dunedin in c.1930. Dock-side chat has it that she was built for the Hudson family of Cadbury Hudson chocolate fame and during WWII she was used by the NZ Navy Auxiliary Patrol Service, in Lyttleton Harbour from May 1942 > February 1944. Her pennant number was Z124 and is documented in the book NZ Navy Vessels by R J McDougall.
Built from kauri she was extensively rebuilt 15 years ago – with a new kauri full head room cabin, hull fully restored, fibre glassed over ply deck. Forward motion comes from a BMC Commodore 3.8 ltr., 62hp Nufield diesel engine. From her tme listing (thanks Ian McDonald) she looks to be a project boat i.e. some finishing work, but the big jobs appear to have been done.
First Tuesday of the month tomorrow – so there must be a Classic Yacht Association committee meeting happening (via Zoom) – so the banner below is a reminder to elected members to be kind and support inclusion not segregation on the topic of the new Heritage Basin marina 🙂
Melodeon was built in 1934 by Chas Bailey & Sons in Auckland. She has spent most of her life fishing all around NZ, except when she saw service in the Pacific during WWII with the US Navy.
When Dick bought Melodeon she was powered by a T8 Kelvin that is only her 2nd engine, which has seen 100,000 hours. The engine was in remarkable condition and is also getting a ‘holiday’.The ship measures – 57’ length x 15’6” beam x 7’ draft. The scale of the project is immense but that is what spins Dick’s wheels. The photos above are from June 2021, so no doubt things have moved along even further – Enjoy 🙂
Input Below From Robert Nola
"I have often wondered what became of the Melodeon on which I spent much of my boyhood. It was owned by my father Bob (Boze) Nola and his partner was Jack Raos (who did not fish) from 1950s to early 1970s…In those years they fished for Pearl Fisheries in Auckland. Now I see that it has been fully renovated. But then It used to be very different when we owned it. The wheelhouse was much narrower and the bunk area was in the bow. It was very stylish then. It anyone would like to get in touch with me I would be glad to hear. The Melodeon was very much part of my youth. Glad it still survives. And is being looked after. It cannot be the same Kelvin engine my father installed?"
Today’s photo is of the magnificent Royal Australian Navy sloop Una. HMAS Una was built in 1911 at the Bremen Vulkan shipyard (Germany), named Komat. On October 9, 1914 she and her 57 crew were captured by an Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force. She was then sailed to Sydney as a war prize. I have to say a very impressive score 🙂
During the time in which the Una was in service under Australia, the sloop was used as a Patrol and General Purpose Vessel. The sloop was used to patrol the areas of New Guinea, New Britain, New Hebrides and Malayan waters. After World War I, Una was decommissioned and taken to Port Phillip Bay, renamed Akuna and used as a pilot vessel. She was finally broken up in Melbourne in 1955.The small launch in the foreground was named Rex.
SOS at Scotts Landing
I received an email from James Groenhart giving me a heads up re a very smart double ender named Sentosa that is currently on the piles at Scotts Landing, & is at imminent risk of having an outboard well cut into her lovely hull. James commented that he had been told she was a slightly smaller sister ship of “Tuna”, possibly built on the Kaipara circa 1906.
She is for sale, for probably not much money. No engine or prop. Shaft is still in place but has been cut to remove the engine. Interior is basically stripped out. She needs a lot of work, but the hull looks pretty good, & she has some nice original features eg the original D front cabin has a nice profile. Someone save her – Owner is Paul 021 182 8135
MOVARIE Movarie the 1938, W & G Lowe built bridge decker has just popped up on tme, she is a very well built woody with an amazing pedigree.
One of the better woodys around – Russel Ward, once owned her – RW has a good eye and nose for great boats – BUT, she will sit on tme for a long time, because the seller hasn’t posted any photos and the only details are as below.
Photo below ex Greg Philpott, of Pirate next to the Deeming’s boat shed at Tapu Point across the water from Opua.
PIRATE – A Peek Down Below
Unless you are a Warkworth river rat, mooching around the upper reaches of the Mahurangi Harbour you wouldn’t have seen much of the stunning 1939 46’ launch – Pirate. Launched in 1939 at Matauwhi Bay in Russell, Bay of Islands, designed and built by Leon Warne. She has spent a large chunk of the last 18 years berthed alongside the old Cement Works. She always makes an appearance over the Mahurangi Regatta weekend and is one of those boats that just look right from any angle.
Pirate is constructed in full length kauri carvel plank and has twin Ford 6 cylinder 100HP diesel engines.
Pirate has an interesting provenance having been built for a German wool buyer (Otto Sommer), commissioned by the NZ Navy in World War II and used in degaussing operations, and subsequently in 1944, became Auckland’s second Police launch, replacing Tirimoana. Later she was a well known big-game fishing boat in the North, hosting among others Lord Mountbatten, who signed the Log Book.
She is a fine example of a classic launch restored and cared for by passionate owners (18 yrs), these owners have just made the hard decision that it is time to pass Pirate onto her next custodian – so woodys, this is a unique opportunity to own a classic wooden boat of the caliber of Pirate. Expressions of interest should be directed to waitematawoodys@gmail.com BUT – do not hang back, boats of Pirates size, presentation and provenance find new owners very quickly
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