Back in Dec 2021 we advised that the 1939 Colin Wild launch – Rehia had a new owner and that she was hauled out at the Slipway Milford for some pressing systems work before her summer cruise. Link here to that story. https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/12/18/rehia-finds-a-new-home/
In the last month Rehia has been out again for a Jason Prew Paint Job (JPPJ) at the Slipway Milford, at the same time the ‘rolling’ maintenance programme continued – lots of bits added and removed to make family boating easier and more enjoyable.
When she slipped back in, she had quite a thirst and the mobile big sucker pump had to be brought on-board. Owner Joe spent a restless first night aboard, but the old girl settled down in the next 24 hours.
Woodys Classic Launch Easter River Cruise To Paeroa
The Easter weekend cruise was always going to be a biggie – with most launches having to travel upwards of 10 hours to reach the final destination – the ‘waterfront’ Historical Maritime Museum & Park in Paeroa. Most of the woody fleet gathered Thursday evening in Chamberlain Bay, Ponui Island in anticipation of an early start across the Firth of Thames, to rendezvous with the launches arriving from Thames and to collect our guide / navigator for the trip up the Waihou River. I’d have to say that the straight line trip across the Firth of Thames was 4 hours of my life I’ll never get back 🙂
We meet just off the old Kopu Swing Bridge which was opened specially for us to pass thru – and the welcome / turn out on the old bridge was outstanding. Must have been a quiet day in Thames, maybe it was that it was Good Friday and most things (pubs etc) were closed 😉
We shot thru the gap and 10 minutes later our lead boat, with navigator on board, found a mud bank and were ‘stationary’ for over an hour. Once moving again the remainder of the 4+ hour journey was fun to travel together in close proximity, but the scenery got very repetitive and at 5 knots max – the going was slow. The skippers were kept awake by lots of locals who had gathered at wharfs and in paddocks to wave as we went past. The dodging of the occasional ‘grassberg’ (floating mid-stream) also kept skippers on their toes.
The final short leg from the main river to the Museum dock again saw the lead boat aground and a wait for more tide.
We sneaked in just before dusk, a very long 10 hour day.
Jason Prew and Peter Vandersloot oversaw the shoehorning of the 10 woodys into the docking area. Then it was ashore to stretch the legs and a BBQ dinner/ catch up. The Museum had set up an impressive and most appreciated dining / BBQ area for the crews to enjoy. Post dinner most returned to the boats for an early night.
Observation- it’s bloody cold up a creek in the middle of the Waikato, thank god for hot water bottles.
Saturday was another cracker autumn day. The crews enjoyed a trip on the classic launch – Ariana (skippered by Peter Vandersloot) to the Paeroa township for morning tea at the local RSA – hot scones and pastries – always a winner. To balance out the catering, the river trip was split in two – with 1/2 the crew travelling by bus and boating back and same same in reverse for the other 1/2.
The day saw a great turn-out of locals visiting the Museum and walking the docks. I would encourage you to search the following words Kopu Bridge / Waihou River / Maritime Museum & Park on Facebook – the weekend was covered by so many people – lots more photos and videos to see.
Special mention must be made to Peter Vandersloot who masterminded the weekend and was on hand to provide so many insights into the heritage of the area, vessels and personalities. The Museum’s Chairperson Colin James and partner Gloria (a trustee) who were everywhere when needed and helped the weekend run smoothly.
Lastly none of this would have happened without woodys Jason Prew from The Slipway Milford, and Kerry Lilley for pulling everything together – well done guys.
The return trip back down the river had its challenges, very complicated tide table – but to the best of my knowledge no one is still there 🙂
The Museum and their boat trips are a must do if you are passing thru or around Paeroa. And big ups to the local council and business association – Paeroa is a healthy, well presented town, and a credit to everyone living there.
Over the next week I’ll do additional WW stories on the Museum, the river trip to Paeroa on board Ariana and a few of the launches that made the trip.
(Woodys who attended – My Girl, Raindance, Awariki, Lucille, Summer Wine, Ngarimu, Lucinda, Maroro, Cindy Jane, Kaikoura, and guest appearance by Ariana – refer photos below)
(Photo credits to – Jason Prew, Linus Fleming, Andre Thomas, Andrew & Mechaela Dobbs and yours truly)
THE FLEET
AWARIKI – 1967 – Owen WoolleyMARORO – c.1905 – tbaNGARIMU – 1945 – Fred GoldboroKAIKOURA – 1951 – Percy VosSUMMER WINE- Noel May – 1992CINDY JANE – 1975 – Pelin EmpressMY GIRL – 1925- W H Hand JrRAINDANCE – 1928 – Lane Motor Boat CompanyLUCILLE – Logan 33LUCINDA – 1930 – L Coulthard
At the recent CYA round Rangitoto race > cake day > BBQ one of the participating launches was the c.1953 Bill Waters built 34′ bridge decker – Gay Dawn. Gay Dawn has made several appearances on WW, links below, but today we get to also see her underway. Gay Dawn is built like a brick outhouse – carvel planked kauri, hardwood ribs and a pohutukawa stem.
Forward motion comes via a Ford 120hp diesel engine, that delivers an impressive turn of speed.
After a spell in the Bay of Plenty (Tauranga) GD is back home in Auckland.
Update 11-04-2022 Please to see that Gay Dawn has lost the bow rail (ex a Haines Hunter?) – looks very cool nude. Fingers crossed its a permanent thing 🙂
WOODYS RIVERHEAD TAVERN LAUNCH CRUISE – THIS SATURDAY (26th)
Having spent a bit of time at the NZ Traditional Boat Building School, numerous times I bumped into one of the schools trustees – Kere Kemp and was fascinated to learn the Kere was having a yacht built in the USA, which would end up in NZ waters.
The yacht is a ‘Dark Harbor 17.5 – gaff rigged sloop. Full specs below:
LOA 7.6M (25’), LWL 5.3M (17’ 6”), Beam 1.9M (6’ 3”), Max Draft 1.3M (4’ 3”), Sail Area 28.9 sq M (311 sq ft), Displacement 1,588 kg (3,500 lb)
I’ll hand over to Kere to tell the story –
“Designed in 1908 by American naval architect B.B. Crowninshield she was built by the classes of 2017-18 (under supervision) at the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building (Port Hadlock, WA, USA). She was launched at Port Townsend, WA, USA in August 2018 and arrived, to Auckland New Zealand by container in November 2018.
Dark Harbour 17 ½’s often, are described as “pure racing machines of great beauty.” They were originally intended primarily for racing but have become increasingly popular for day sailing as well as overnight coastal cruising.
Construction is of traditional Western Red Cedar planking over White Oak frames with a Mahogany backbone, Teak deck and Spruce Spars.
She has a large self-bailing cockpit plus a small cuddy cabin with 1.1M (3’ 6”) head room and dual berths. A low freeboard, slender hull lines, long ends, a deep draft and a large gaff rig makes her a powerful, fast and responsive boat.
Sails are from Northwest Sails (Port Hadlock, WA, USA) and include a full main with double reefs, a working jib and a storm jib. Both jibs are club footed.
For added propulsion she is fitted with a Torqeedo through hull Cruise 4.0 pod drive. This is a 9.9HP equivalent, electric (dual lithium-Ion battery) system. This includes all shore charging systems, a morse key for forward / reverse and power control plus a computer which provides for a variety of informational outputs including Speed (GPS-based, over ground), range, power consumption and battery charge state. In addition, hydrogeneration is possible via a fitted folding prop.
The Torqeedo system makes for easy “in and out” marina access and, also provides more than ample power when needed to go head-to-wind when reefing sail. The onboard computer is further supplemented with a Raymarine Micro-Net 100-2 that provides digital read outs of true boat speed and depth. All deck and rig fittings are in bronze.”
To view the A>Z building of Kotimana at the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building click on the image / link below to view an amazing gallery of photos.
I bumped into Kere the other day at Half Moon Bay marina, while he was doing the annual maintenance – and he advised that due to health issues, sadly he had made the decision to sell Kotimana – so woodys, if you are looking for a very manageable (1>2 crew), low maintenance, gaffer in immaculate condition, that sails like a witch, Kotimana is worthy an inspection. Perfect classic for a couple of woodys wanting to continue their classic sailing interest without all the downsides of a 50’gaffer that needs a crew of 10 to take out 🙂
Regular visitors to this site will be familiar with my enthusiasm for the uber cool website – offcenterharbor.com (screen grab above), last year the crew behind OCH during CV-19 lock down pulled together a world first, an online virtual woody boat show and today I can advise that its on again in 2022. With a slight twist – this year access is complimentary thanks to the generosity of the OCH founders. Details below
And because I couldn’t not give you a woody treat today – check out this link to a great OCH video, it is one of my favorite videos, I’d be a little embarrassed if I told you how many times I’ve watched it 🙂 Its titled ‘Live Well: The Cruising Smack STORM BAY with Tim Phillips‘
The Show is a completely online event from February 18th-27th, which means you can enjoy this gathering of the world’s best classic boats from wherever you are (without leaving the comfort of your favorite chair).
Our friends at Off Center Harbor have used the power of the internet to put nearly everything in the world related to classic/wooden boats on one big interactive Google map…
WHAT’S “ON THE MAP” AT THE SHOW?
The Map – Everything related to classic boats is on one interactive Google map
Boats – Over 1,000 of the world’s best classic boats (with photos and details)
Organizations – Explore festivals, boatbuilders, clubs, museums, schools, etc.
Live Presentations – Inspiring presentations featuring experts on a variety of topics
People – Connect with other attendees anywhere in the world (right on the map)
YOUR BOAT COULD BE IN THE SHOW:
You can submit your own classic/wooden boat to be in the Show! Again, the Show is entirely virtual/online and will be open February 18th to 27th at ClassicBoatShow.com, and…
Calliope was built in 1951 and is a rare breed – the Chris Craft company introduced the 19’ RR (Racing Runabout) model in 1948. They were powered by a big block M series engine, as is Calliope with her Hercules 336 cubic inch (5.5L) straight 6, 158hp MGL engine. They were and still are today highly desirable craft, the production ‘hotrods’ of the day. And in their day they were the fastest Chris Craft built. Calliope these days exceeds 70 kph.
Calliope, a two owner boat, was restored in 2006 having spent most of her life on Lake Weston, Connecticut, USA. In 2008 she was judged 2nd in her class at the prestigious Lake Tahoe Wooden Boat Festival.Calliope sits on a brand new alloy tandem trailer. Imported into NZ by a serious collector who is running out of space so has made the call to pass Calliope onto a new owner.Interested parties, initially to contact waitematawoodys@gmail.com
What Would You Do If You Owned Calliope
You would attend events like this weekends classic and wooden boat parade at Lake Rotoiti (Nth Island) and I’m sure be judged best woody there. So woodys if you are anywhere near Lake Rotoiti this Saturday at 11am, park the car and take in the annual parade – over 75 classic boats will be mooching around the lake. Best viewing spot is the reserve (good parking and grass bank) just down from the Okere Falls Store, State Highway 33. Movie below from the 2021 Parade
Auckland Anniversary Day Classic Regatta – Launch Drag Race
Monday saw 10 classic launches brave the inner harbour conditions to contest the annual round the bouys, jandal to the floor romp, to see who has the most slippery haul or deepest pockets (big engine and fuel). There is a handicap system but let’s not kid ourselves – its first across the line that gets the glory. This year Kaikoura claimed the honours. Photos from Nick Davidson onboard his woody – Juanita, parked off the harbour port rounding mark close to Orakei Wharf. LINE: 1. Kaikoura 2. Fleetwing 3. My Girl HANDICAP: Fleetwing > Kaikoura > Paika > My Girl > Cindy Jane > Callisto > Waikaro > Kumi > Laughing Lady > Shearwater (Full details below)
Some people take this race very seriously, earlier in the week I witnessed Fleetwing’s keel getting the Jenny Craig treatment (LARGE sections removed) and a new prop added 🙂
Video Footage of the 2022 Mahurangi Regatta A Division Yacht Start
Two Questions
1. What is sail #3445 doing in that stunning line up of classics. Two points (a) its not a classic (b) it pollutes the image
2. Who was calling starting tactics on sail #A11 (Ida) No room at the inn for them. Maybe they also thought 3445 shouldn’t be there and could squeeze them out 🙂
MAHURANGI REGATTA 2019 – The biggest & best classic wooden boat regatta in NZ – 90+ photos
FRIDAY NIGHT
SATURDAY – REGATTA DAY
SATURDAY NIGHT AT SCOTTS LANDING
SUNDAY MORNING
MAHURANGI REGATTA 2019 – The biggest & best classic wooden boat regatta in NZ – 90+ photos
WoW what a woody weekend – simply stunning on all fronts – sun > wind > location > people & of course the boats. On my estimate, the biggest turnout of classic wooden craft ever. Record numbers for Saturday mornings launch parade.
I’ll go out on a limb & repeat a comment made to me on the deck of Lidgard House, Kawau Island on Sunday night by one of our most prominent & influential classic wooden boat people – “Mahurangi is the real Auckland Anniversary Weekend Regatta” & after cruising back into Auckland today, & not seeing a lot of yachts, I would have to agree.
On Saturday between Jason Prew on My Girl & myself with Raindance we hosted three of the wooden boating world’s superstars – if you read or follow the WoodenBoat magazine, Classic Boat & the hottest property on the block – the vblog, https://www.offcenterharbor.com
then the names Maynard Bray, Benjamin Mendlowitz & Steve Stone will be very familiar to you. These gents were motored around the harbour & very selectively photographed / filmed our beautiful woodys. When I mentioned that I had cancelled my trip to next months Hobart Wooden Boat Festival, one commented “why would you go – it’s all here” & woodys – it was.
I have never attempted to understand the ‘politics’ / issues between the Mahurangi Cruising Club & The Friends of Mahurangi people – but between them they turn on a wonderful day, that equals anything on the world classic wooden boat calendar. As with anything, a few wee niggles e.g. crap PA sound system at the beach prize giving meant most people didn’t know the results – but I can tell you that Tony Blake & the crew on Thelma gave all the other A division skippers as master class in regatta sailing. It was wonderful to see the big 5 Arch Logan yachts – Thelma (1897), Rainbow (1898), Ariki (1904), Rawhiti (1905) & Rawene (1908) all on the same race track together, for the first time ever (I think I’m right – Harold?) The results were:
Thelma, followed by Rawhiti, followed by Ariki, then Rainbow & Rawene.
As a result of playing driver for the overseas crew – I’m a little light on sailing photos, but you can see from the gallery above that it was a special day.
Well done MCC and F. of M. for another magic weekend.
If anyone else had the camera out & captured some goodies, email them to waitematawoodys@gmail.com
We bailed out of Mahurangi on Sunday morning & headed to Kawau Island for some family R&R – photos below.
Question – what do you do when there is no shotgun to signal sunset & the lowering of the burgee? – well a few lads decided to bang some pots together, then drop the flags at Lidgard House – me thinks there might be a letter in the mail to certain members 🙂
A WEE BIT OF PR GOING ON HERE – WW T’s & OFF CENTER HARBOUR CAPS 🙂
THERE ALWAYS HAS TO BE A FOOD SHOT – KAWAU BOATING LUB, DINNER SUNDAY NIGHT.
Check out the video below of Rawhiti – sent in from Benjamin Mendlowitz from Off Center Harbour
Update – due to not all launches completing 2 laps of the launch parade – I missed photographing a few boats – photos below ex Justine Ricketts (edited by myself)
AND MORE – link below to the Off Center Harbour video of the 2017 regatta, featuring Steve Horsley’s stunning 1904 Chas Bailey Jnr – Ngatira
UPDATE ex Graeme Finch of the A Class fleet racing Saturday + one of Raindance showing myself & Steve Stone from Off Center Harbour filming / clicking away 🙂
As always – click photos to enlarge 😉
Also from Graeme – one of Bruce Tantrum’s pride & joy – Paramour + Graemes stunning ship – Te Arahi 🙂
UPDATE – An early Saturday morning drone fly-by over Sullivans Bay, Mahurangi. Filmed by Neil Lawton, heads up on the movie from Ian Gavin.
30-01-2019 Update – photos of Laughing Lady ex Jason Prew
Following on from yesterdays story, I’m just back from sliding up the coast to Russell in the Bay of Islands, delivering the 37’ Owen Woolley built launch – Korawai, to her new owners BOI home. After a few unexpected hiccups we eventually departed Gulf Harbour marina late Thursday afternoon, first stop Kawau Island. Had to sprint to hit the Kawau Boating Club before the kitchen / bar closed. Awoke to perfect conditions so dropped the RNZYS mooring at 6.30am and pointed the bow North – 11 hours later we rounded Cape Brett and eventually dropped anchor in Otaio Bay for the night. Saturday we picked up a friends mooring at Russell and hit the cafe for a coffee. The owner / skipper immediately re-fuelled, collected his better half and was off for a few days cruising. Sad to see the boat head north but, her new owners are a cool creative couple that will spend the time and $ to return Korawai to the condition she deserves. The new owners first thing when he stepped aboard was remove the ‘rocket-launcher’ fishing rod holder from the cabin top and toss it in the marina dump bin – so that bodes well for the future of this woody 🙂 We will follow the boat as the rolling restoration happens. As we rounded Cape Brett I got a great view of the lighthouse and ex lighthouse keepers house – 24 hours later my daughter and friends were doing the 32 km walk to the same spot – the sign says 8 hours in and 8 back, they did it in 4 hrs (each way) but split with an overnight in the now Dept. of Conservation controlled house. The report was its a stunning but tough walk, included a few photos.
Spotted a few woodys once we had made it into the bay – • Mike & Robbie Quilter’s Salthouse designed – Tapui • Wild Duck, the 1932 JB Jules built ex flying boat tender • Marline, the Warne family 35’, 1950 launch, designed and built by Leone Warne. Video below of the family heading out for the day, on Saturday – love the jetski being towed 🙂
SCROLL DOWN TO YESTERDAYS STORY FOR INTERIOR PHOTOS OF KORAWAI
Rather a special afternoon yesterday, got to have a sneak peek at Rogue, the 1892 Chas Bailey Jnr. built gaffer. She slipped out of Wayne Olsen’s shed and headed to the Pier 21 yard at Westhaven, with the intention being to step the mast and do a quick waterline sighting before hauling out for the final coats of paint and commissioning.
As seems to always be the case with woodys – things took a little longer than expected and she missed her launch slot – that will now be today. Rogue was last in the water 15 years ago and is without equal in terms of the total restoration – every object aboard Rogue is 100% fit for purpose and of the highest spec. As an admirer of attention to detail I was blown away. The day was about stepping back and seeing her outside of the shed after all those years, we will be back to showcase the finished project.
This link to the yachts blog page will stun you – pour a coffee, find a comfortable chair and click then keep scrolling down https://rogue1892.com/rogues-restoration/
And just because you’re 130 years old doesn’t mean you can not have a few toys – check out the wind vane below, solar powered, wireless connection to your iPhone 🙂
18-03-2022 UPDATE – On 15-03-22 Rogue was popped back in the water with 750kgs more ballast added. Floating perfectly to her lines – owner very happy. A few last chores and she will be out there chasing down a few of the A-Class fleet 🙂
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