TAMURE
The photo above of the launch – Tamure comes to us via Mitchell Hutchings family boating album. The photo was tagged 30-01-1978, and that woodys is all we know about her. Safe to assume its ex Navy, but I’m often wrong.
Do we know more about her and what became of Tamure?
Hopefully lots of boating photos tomorrow from my Labour weekend sortie in / a around Kawau Island.
MYSTERY LAUNCH OFF DEVONPORT YACHT CLUB – Raumati II > Moeraki
Todays mystery launch photo comes to us via Mitchell Hutchings fb from the Parsonson Family collection.
There appears to be a working-bee underway at the Devonport Yacht Club on what must be the western slipway.
The Mason Clipper in the photo must help date the photo.
19-10-2022 INPUT FROM FRANK WARNOCK – I am almost certain that the launch in Mondays report moored off the Devonport Yacht Club was Happy Wanderer owned by John Senior. The working bee was replacing a rail on the Western slipway or cementing an existing one back after a storm. The date would be the 1960s.
30-10-2022 INPUT ex Nathan Herbert – the vessel is Raumati II > Moeraki
2023 TALL SHIPS REGATTA – DETAILS BELOW
RATA
The launch Rata recently made an appearance on Lew Redwoods fb, a WW search comes up with several craft of the same name but not this woody. The location looks ’southern’ to my eyes.
Can we expand of her past and current location?
19-10-2022 Input ex Ray Morey – After Whangarei Towboats folded up, (Jack Fisher, Kay Fisher and Ivan Rolfe) Ivan bought Rata from a ship broker in Auckland where she was lying. We brought her up to Whangarei where we put a heavy panting beam across behind the engine and mounted a towpost bridge behind the wheelhouse, after the style of the Alert, where the load was transfered to the deck, not the cabins.She had a 4-71 with 2:1 red box so swung a decent prop.I spent a lot of time towing one of the W.H.B. bottom dump suction dredge barges, mostly “Rua” with her mainly on the main channel before Westminster came in and deepened the place. We also did provisioning of the oil tankers at Marsden Point and bunkering oils for the ships. I knew she had come from the sounds area origionally. When “A.A. Tankcleaning” sold her I believe she went “up to the islands” as a village supply boat but was lost soon after. I was driving her about 1964-65.
Photo Below – by again ex Ray Morey of Rata off Onerahi about 1965 when owned by Ivan Rolfe.
Something From Left Field
Like most classic woody boating enthusiasts I’m not a fan of jet skis / personal water craft etc – they have a habit of shattering the peace and quiet in a bay. The ones used for fishing are all good. The one below is almost starting to look ok, lose the white on white paint scheme and it would be very cool.
TASSIE
Todays WW story is short and sweet – spent most of yesterday driving back from up north, the road works are so bad – the Brynderwyn Hills were reduced to single lane, so traffic was backed up for miles, and each ‘pass’ took 20+ minutes. And that was just one of numerous minor projects that looked like they had been turned into major projects given the number of orange cones 🙂
Above we have a photo of a launch named Tassie that was sent in by Mike Mulligan and comes from the family collection. The photos tagged ‘H.M.S. Tassie – Mr & Mrs Gilmore & tart at the back’, one can only assume the ’T’ was well known to the photographer, hopefully or else a strong legal letter might be coming my way 🙂
Do we know anything about Tassie?
Input from Nathan Herbert – Certainly a Coulthard. Coulthard’s daughter told me a story about an issue of non-payment involving Tassie or Tassie II in which he refused to let the boat leave at the railway/wharf(was she being shipped down country?) until accounts had been settled.Photo below ex Rosemary Robinson’s grandfather Coulthard collection.
ROSELLA
Todays woody launch – Rosella recently popped up on Lew Redwoods fb, and comes to us from the Auckland Libraries Heritage collection, and was originally taken by Frank Morris.
The photo is tagged 1930>39 and the location is Falls Park, Henderson, West Auckland.
To me a very pretty boat, the proportions are spot on. Little features make a big difference to the look of a boat – the ‘eye-brow’ on both the tram top and doghouse is an example of this.
Are we able to cast some light on her provenance ?
MYSTERY THAMES LAUNCH – 30-09-22 – Georgella > Kakariki
Earlier in the week I was visiting Thames and popped into the Thames Sailing Club marina, as mentioned the other day, first time when the tides been in – certainly has a different feel when all the woodys are floating 🙂
I went for a wander around the docks and spied the above bridge-decker – no name and crying out for some serious TLC, you could land a helicopter on the duck board.
One feature stood out – no windows on the port-side aft cabin, intentional? Or just never got around to fitting them?
I get back to Auckland and I’m showing the Thames photos to a woody mate and they tell me it may have changed hands and be joining its new owner’s armada in Auckland …………..
Can we put a name and some history to the craft?
INPUT ex Mark McLaughlin – This is KAKARIKI (launched as GEORGELLA). She is one of the three remaining Norm Beetson designed “four sisters” which have all featured previously on WW.
Link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/02/26/4-norm-beetson-sisters/
MYSTERY BAYSWATER LAUNCH
Mooching around Bayswater Marina last week I spotted a new addition, she had slotted into the berth previously occupied by the unlucky Parma https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/08/04/classic-launch-parma-sinks-under-harbour-bridge/
No name but looks either recently done up or very well cared for. Owner must like the colour white 🙂
Can anyone put a name to the launch and ideally more details?
Thanks to input from a ‘Steve’ in the comments section – he reminded me it has been on WW before – link below – but we still do not have confirmation of name. https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/06/07/1953-jorgensenmystery-launch/
Input ex Murray Deeble – Was in the South Island and featured as the detectives launch in a NZ made TV series lay in Milford called Sea Princess for a while getting worse and worse.
WOODYS CLASSIC WEEKEND HAPPENING NOW + MYSTERY LAUNCH (Maitai)
As you are reading todays WW story, weather permitting 15 woody classic craft will be weaving their way up the Wairoa River headed for the Clevedon Cruising Club for an overnight trip.
As always the CCC crew turn on a great gig for the waitematawoody trip. The day starts with the flotilla being berthed at the CCC dock, in front of the clubhouse, then we ‘open’ the boats for club member to inspect. Happy hour tends to start early up the river 😉 Then we all meet at the club room for a BBQ dinner, raffles, outdoor fires are lit and then the live music kicks off at 8.30pm (almost my bed time) – should be a hoot.
Now there’s always a boat story – today its a mystery launch that popped up on Lew Redwood’s fb, the photo below is dated 1933 and the location is off Hen Island – looks very familiar so hopefully we can put a name to the craft.
19-09-2022 Input ex Nathan Herbert – The launch is Maitai.
And A Not Great Example Of How to Promote Your Woody Event The word ‘TIMBER’ doesn’t really have the same gusto as ‘WOODEN’
DO NOT MISS OUT ON THE NEXT WOODYS WEEKEND – DETAILS BELOW
MYSTERY LAKE TE ANAU LAUNCH
I was recently contacted by Richard Hockey who resides in Brisbane in regard to the above launch. Richard is very keen to find out anything about the launch.The top photo (must be by a professional – stunning quality) is dated 1947 and the location is Brods Bay, on Lake Te Anau (see info on the area below). The photo is ex Archives NZ, a Tourist and Publicity image, photographer unknown.
The second photo is dated c.1950, again Lake Te Anau and was by a VC Browne uncovered in a collection of photos put up for sale by Webb’s the auction house.
Can anyone tell us more about this rather fine launch? Side note – she appears quite bow down in both photos.
Info for readers outside of NZ – Lake Te Anau is in the southwestern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The lake covers an area of 344 km 2 (133 sq mi), making it the second-largest lake by surface area in New Zealand (after LakeTaupō, North Island) and the largest in the South Island. It is the largest lake in Australasia by fresh water volume.
SOMETIMES YOU’RE ALLOWED TO SKITE
WW readers will be familiar with the name Benjamin Mendlowitz, one of the worlds top marine photo journalists. For the last 40 years Benjamin and his buddy Maynard Bray have been publishing the mega selling calendar – ‘Calendar Of Wooden Boats’. If you have a copy, when you flip the page today for September, bang – there you’ll see the interior of my pride & joy – Raindance. Needless to say I bought a few copies 🙂
Benjamin and Maynard are also co-founders of the wonderful video-blog – Off Center Harbor that we plug often on WW. And to even further confirm Benjamin’s woody credentials – the man co-owns one of the fastest and prettiest woodys on the Waitemata – the 1919 Bailey & Lowe built launch – Romance II – we like that 🙂
The 2023 edition has just rolled of the press – details below https://woodenboatscalendar.com
Opua, Bay of Islands – Kaiora
Todays woody might not be a woody, there has been speculation it could be a swimming pool i.e. built from ferro cement , but if you enlarge the photo there appears to be planking visible. I’m sure a northern woody came advise on this. There is an ‘interesting’ mix of styles on show, might be the camera angle but the pilot house appears a tad out of proportion (in my humble opinion)
The photo was taken by Jimmy Ginger and comes to us via Lew Redwood. Its dated June 2022, so recent, sadly looking very neglected.
Can we ID the boat and dig out any more on her history?
01-09-2022 INPUT ex Cameron Pollard – Cameron advised that the vessel is named Kiaora or Kia Ora – which then jogged my brain – WW did a story on her back in Nov 2016, link below – sadly in the last 6 years she has gone backwards. Quite a salty looking woody back then. In the WW article Harold Kidd commented that she had sunk and been salvaged 3 times in her life, so a very lucky boat. Cameron Pollard supplied the b/w photos below from one of the sinkings. https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/11/19/kiaroa/
waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news - updated daily - 15+ million views 