TOO OLD TO GO BOATING – Think Again
Recently on the subscription only weblog – Off Center Harbor there was an amazing short film titled ‘Conversations with The Lobster Lady’. The lady is Virginia Oliver and when the film was made in 2019 Virginia was aged 100, and woodys today Virginia is103 and still working the pots.
Angus Rogers came across the film on YouTube so we all get to view it – you’ll enjoy it – she is a hoot 🙂
MYSTERY YACHT 23-07-23 – VECTIS
Recently woody Simon Smith commented that all the mystery launches were a struggle for the stick & rag brigade that follow WW. Simon sent in the above photo , so today can we ID the yacht and possibly the design.
INPUT ex Jim Lott – Hull looks like an early Bert Woollacott. Could well be Vectis, but only if she was later rerigged. When I had Vectis in 1972-6 she had two sets of spreaders and the boom was a bit shorter.
INPUT ex Robin Elliott – Although the boat is Vectis, that “23/7/23” date is a bit dodgy. Vectis was not launched until 1930.
NZ Herald 15/11/30: Mr. Wollacott’s new cruiser Vectis, which, is ready for launching at Devonport during this week-end was registered in the C class, although her waterline length of 27 feet would qualify her for the B class if length alone was the deciding factor. Vectis is 31ft overall and a wholesome type of cruiser.
I can’t just leave you with one photo of a yacht so check out the short film below of Auckland’s North Shore in the 1920’s. It was filmed an advertisement for the Devonport Ferry Company showcasing what the shore offered.
For the time poor just fast forward to the 4:14 mark – some great footage of the Devonport waterfront and craft hauled out at the Devonport Yacht Club + Bayswater in its heyday , how did we ever let that gem of a location slide into the condition it is today?.
Further on there is some excellent sailing footage and I love the pond yachts. ENJOY (ex Ngatira Tronga Sound & Vision) – CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW
https://www.facebook.com/100022491815652/videos/377063966386661/
NGA KIWA (Ngakiwa)
While Bay of Islands woody, Dean Wright was working on his own launch – Arethusa at Opua Marina, he spotted the 1956 Percy Vos built 28’ launch – Nga Kiwa being relaunched after what appears to be so annual maintenance e.g. a bum clean and new anti-fouling.
The video is ex DW and the still photos are screen grabs from the video.
Nga Kiwa is new to me so would love to learn more about her.
INPUT ex Russell Ward – previously spelt Ngakiwa – 2013 WW story below https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/06/16/ngakiwa/
MORTEON BAY CLASSIC
The classic boating community in Brisbane / Queensland Australia have just celebrated the second running if the Moreton Bay Classic – a 10.9 nautical mile drag race for all shapes and sizes of classic craft. Last year was the inaugural event – link here to details on the event and how ir came about https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/07/04/the-race-social-event-that-stops-the-bay-the-moreton-bay-classic-part-one/
First video – the start from onboard the vessel – Adagio
https://www.facebook.com/adagioalaskan/videos/1900175600355472
A woody friend, Andrew Christie also sent me a link to a 3 minute birds-eye video of the fleet filmed by Saxton Thomas – what an impressive gig. I can see Jason Prew salivating over this 🙂
Enjoy.
https://www.facebook.com/100023439100358/videos/204917255845751/
Triton V – A Peek Down Below
It always amazes me when people trying to sell a vessel go to great lengths to tell you about how many it sleeps, how comfortable it is and I quote “features an actor winch” but tell you nothing about the age , who built it etc. Its a little like advertising on trademe – Car For Sale, 4 tyres and comfortable seats.
Putting this to one side – Triton V is 45’ in length, powered by twin Ford 120hp diesel engines, giving her a cruising speed of 8.5 knots.
There is even a nice video, but no audio https://youtu.be/Ykx_U95a0Bo
Can any of the Motueka woodys enlighten us more on Triton V.
INPUT EX RUSSELL WARD – photo below was given to RW by Layne Stephens of Triton in her original form. Russell commented she would be much more liveable with that top but he would rebuild the original.
Original owner Ken Butland used to take sea scouts out to teach navigation. She had a folding chart table and the orders would come down an ex Navy voice pipe from up top.
Triton slipped along quite well with her original petrol engines – quite a slippery wee hull.
Joe Tatham had her in the 1960s and his kids reckoned she was a real roller.
And more ex RW – Colin Wild built her but refused to do the open bridge that Ken Butland wanted. Lanes finished that off. She was a little MTB and rather tasty. Layne Stephens did the closed in wheelhouse up top in later years. More habitable but I preferred her original config. An early owner was quite tall and had the wheelhouse top raised -you can see the line. Dunno where the V came from.
AND THE WINNER OF SATURDAYS QUIZ RE THE LOCATION OF THE AUCKLAND MOTOR YACHT CLUB LOGO IS – Russel Ward . The answer was on the front door of what is now the RNZYS Training Building in Westhaven.
CENTAURUS ON THE MOVE
Yesterday was a sad day and a good day.
SAD – Angus Roger’s 1967/8 Baileys & Sons built launch – Centaurus left The Landing at Okahu Bay hardstand on Aucklands waterfront on a transporter – why sad?, because she was the last boat left hauled out at the Orakei Hardstand, looks like Scott Milne and his Auckland Council cronies have done a clandestine stocktake i.e. the haul out facility has been closed down and the area no longer available to rate paying Auckland boaties.
(“A section (term) in the above post has been edited on request. The use of the term was not intended to offend any particular ethnic group or religious advocate. No malicious was intended.
WW thanks Mr. Adam Ross for drawing the NZ Human Rights Commission to the matter and going forward the WW site will tighten the filter on its comments”)
GOOD – Centaurus is off to a new temporary home for the final act of her refit – the installation of a John Deere 6.8L 175 hp diesel. The JD replaces her original engine, which was a monster – a Cumins V6 215hp – photo below. The Cumins had to partially dismantled to get her out.
First refit photos https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/09/17/centaurus-has-a-birthday/
Engine out photo gallery https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/02/02/centaurus-under-goes-open-heart-surgery/
Centaurus is a very big woody – 42’ long with a 13’ beam and built like a brick outhouse – 1.25” kauri carvel planked.
Lots of chat and head scratching going on during the unloading > cradle 🙂
Full details on all the refit work in a later WW story.
UPDATE 06-07-2023 NEW ENGINE INSTALLED (video ex Tim Strange)
SKY TV ADDICT – the owner of this (name withheld) launch must like his Sky Sports 🙂
UPDATE FOR THE RECORD – after input from numerious parties re the launch date of Centaurus we can advise the following – BUILT 1967/8 – LAUNCHED EARLY 1969
Waitangi at Devonport 1897
I was poking around some old WW files and came across the above photo of the 1894 Logan built gaffer Waitangi, the photo is dated 1897 and shows her hauled out near the Logan yard in Devonport, Auckland.
The image was originally sent in by Keith Humphreys.
The colour photo I took back in Sept 2018, that is 121 year apart – most impressive.
In the WW story link below there is a video filmed by Roger Miles back in 2016, gives us a good insight into sailing Waitangi.
Margaret Pearl – Cray Boat > Cruising Boat
During the week I stumbled on a YouTube video on the Southern Woodenboat Sailing channel – this 11 minute video showcase the ex Tasmanian crayboat – Margaret Pearl.
Built in 1958, 60’ in length she was about to be dispatched to the landfill in Portland, located on the southwest coast of Victoria, Australia, when up stepped Jim and Sam Woods, who were brave enough to take on the restoration / conversion project. Whilst she sports a Tim Phillips designed rig, most of her use is under power at a steady 9 > 10 knots. The canvas does come out but I suspect its more for aesthetics 🙂
Have a watch and listen to Tim tells us about why he choose a wooden boat, where he found her and the work that went into her to get to the condition we see her in.
As a bonus Tim shares some sage advice for when considering taking on the restoration of any woody.
Enjoy – I did 🙂
Someone tell me this is a p_ss take. Spotted during the week at Half Moon Bay Marina. My 1st thought was it was a ‘mule’ for an electric propulsion experiment.
Winter Woody Yard Report #2
Several coming and goings mid-week – Raindance slid down the railway at the Slipway Milford. And then she passed Castaway being ‘assisted’ to the Slipway to take Raindance’s vacated spot. Probably the fastest Castaway has moved in a while 🙂 Video of Raindance ex WW cadet reporter Luca Beachman. Now if some of you are thinking – “didn’t Raindance have a paint job less than two years ago” – yes you are correct. I could say that Jason Prew and myself were never 100% happy with the colour – Snow White’ on a classic woody and that the new ‘ Mediterranean White’ is a better look, while there some truth in that, the old girl suffered some hull damage on the marina in one of the many storms Auckland has had, so that is the real reason 🙂
The last photo is of the 1934, Cox & Filmer built launch – Robyn Gae, getting ready for re-launching at the Te Atatu Boating Club. Very happy to see that she is being cared for – at one stage a ‘beehive’ restoration was on the cards, see WW SOS story link below. Big ups to the new owner of the choice of blue for the coamimgs – big call but it really works and would get the Cameron Pollard tick of approval I’m sure 🙂 https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/06/21/robyn-gae-sos/
Feel Good Friday
Sometimes even an old woody like myself is moved by music – this video titled – ‘Dip and Sway’ appeared on the Off Center Harbor v-blog and I dived into a google search to find a ‘free-to-air’ copy of it.
Visually and sonically it ticks all my boxes – Turn your sound up and have a listen / watch – you will enjoy it. The BBQ grill seen towards the end is a doozy 🙂
WW Caps – the new low profile, canvas cloth caps have been a winner – the new understated colour topped with the dark brown WW embroidered logo has a dash of understated style. I have reorder 3 times and stocks are getting low – order today – just click the email link here and tell me your name, postal address and number of caps required ( best order was x5) I’ll come back to you with payment details – $38 + $6 p&p. waitematawoodys@gmail.com
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