Category Archives: Non Waitemata

1940’s Pacific Island Tender

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1940’s Pacific Island Tender

The above photo ex Lew Redwood’s fb is dated 1940’s and shows a tender a speed, interesting mix of attire (confirming the PI link) and the USA flag would suggest it is a tender to / off an American war ship.
There appears to be woman on-board so maybe it was post the war years? (Yes I know woman were in the service during the war, but not I think on ships?)
The bow fender is are impressive, a lot of work would have gone into that.
Anyone able to ID the location of the photo and the tender + mother ship?

Aheahea

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AHEAHEA

Today’s woody is Aheahea – a 26’, c.1960 kauri carvel launch. She is powered by a BMC 1500cc marinised diesel that puts out 35hp.

Her current home is Motouapa marina, 10 minutes north of Turangi. (North Island). The trademe listing states that she has had some serious TLC in the last few years.

No details on designer / builder but I’m sure someone will be able to enlighten us on her past. Could be low cost floating man-bach for someone looking for a lakes bolthole 🙂

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RECORD VIEWING DAY FOR WAITEMATAWOODYS

Yesterday waitemata woodys was featured on the hugely popular USA based, international wooden boating website offcenterharbor.com , this resulted in the number of people viewing on a single day increasing x10. For the 1st time, NZ was in second place behind the USA, with Canada (and surprisingly) Finland 3rd and 4th. USA views were nearly 2>1 against NZ.
If you have not checked out the OCH website, I encourage you to have a peek. Now if you like it, you’ll have to subscribe – its only US$34 for a year & there are 100’s of videos featured – everything from boat reviews, ‘how to’ tutorials on repairs / maintenance / boat building / boat handling etc + thousands of photos of cool wooden boats worldwide.
There will be a lot of kiwi content appearing on OCH very soon, so sign up 😉
Click the link below to take you to a very cool OCH video of Steve Horsley’s classic woody Ngatira – filmed at the 2017 regatta +  10 video’s from OCH you can watch, its a chance to preview the site before you sign up 😉
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Lady Gazelle + Woody Event This Weekend

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Lady Gazelle

LADY GAZELLE

Today’s launch was spotted by John Wicks, moored at Te Kouma Village, Coromandel Harbour, last month. John commented that she has obviously had a fair bit of work done and was looking quite smart.

While the name on the bow is Lady Gazelle, John said he would bet his pension that’s not what she was christened. Any one able to enlighten us on her background?

Input from Nathan Herbert –Yep built for Wally Stockley, I presume named ‘Moehau’?? Her original lines are available online as is this description:

“In 1958-9 we had built two displacement launches. For Wally Stockley, building contractor of Northcote, and ‘Swampy’ Walker, a towboat skipper. Though I had designed them you could have said they were a Couldrey design. They were identical in style to Bill’s 30 ft Cleone. They were to be the last that we would build in a conventional single skinned kauri with steam bent ribs, riveted, caulked and puttied and the last hulls that were built upright.”

 

08-02-2019 Input from Harold Kidd
We’ve been through the provenance of these sweet launches several times already on WW. Bill Couldrey designed CLEONE for Bert Follas in 1948 and Jim Young built her in 1950. As far as Bill was concerned, he had no part in the design of her subsequent near-clones except for KOTARE which he designed for Frank Wilkins in 1960 and which Frank built himself.
MOEHAU for Walker and GAZELLE for Stockley were Jim Young designed and built. Jim generously tips his hat to Bill though.
Some Woolley thinking going on here on Ken’s part, or just a reluctance to abandon 70 year old wrong anecdotal data?
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BIG WOODY WEEKEND –  This Weekend at Lake Rotoiti, Nth Island
Yes Woodys – another year slides by and its time to hit the shores of Lake Rotoiti for the 2019 Classic & Wooden Boat Parade weekend – sadly I won’t be there this year, but I’m sure someone will have the box brownie out and we will get to enjoy the weekend vicariously 🙂
If you are anywhere around the middle of the island, I encourage you to check it out – around 100 classic woodys is an impressive sight. To view previous years – search classic wooden boat parade in the WW search box.

Jo Marli + Robert Brooke mnzm

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Jo Marli

The photos of the above boat – Jo Marli, were sent to me by Nathan Herbert, and were taken during the recent Mahurangi Regatta weekend.
Nathan also sent in the b/w photo (most likely taken somewhere along Beaumont Street, Auckland City) and commented that the boat on the hard left is the same boat.
Can anyone tell us more about Jo Marli?
Input from Harold Kidd
Robert well deserves his MNZOM. It’s just so nice that his life’s work is recognised as having national value.
JO MARLI first appears in 1962 owned by R.R. Miller of 346 Dominion Road and he continues as owner for many years after that. She’s been on the Mahurangi for 10 years or so.

MNZM for Robert Brooke

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In case you missed the news, Robert Brooke was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in the New Years Honours.(story ex CYA Sheerlines newsletter)

Mr Robert Brooke has helped preserve New Zealand’s wooden boatbuilding heritage and continues to contribute to and advise pro bono on boatbuilding and restoration to this day. Brooke pioneered and was pivotal in the integration of the ‘Design-and-Build’ mode of teaching and learning into the national curriculum of Workshop Technology. Where previously students copied existing designs or components, under Design-and-Build students conceive the design and see it through to completion. This principle has become the mainstay of technology education and is flourishing under the NCEA environment. He was an advisor in technical subjects for the then Department of Education from 1987 to 1990 and was the National Moderator of the Northern Region appointed to assess National Standards. He has been National Examiner for Ship, Yacht and Boatbuilding and has been a member of the Ship, Yacht and Boatbuilding Advisory Committee for Unitec. He has moderated Ship, Yacht and Boatbuilding Trade and Advanced Trade examinations. He has been General Manager of the Boating Industry Training Organisation. He was commissioned from 2003 to 2005 to design and set up the Boatbuilding Training and Apprenticeship Scheme for the Nova Scotia Boatbuilders’ Association in Canada. Mr Brooke was a leading figure in the establishment of the Auckland Traditional Boatbuilding School.

Message from Robert Brook

A very sincere thank you for all the congratulatory messages.

Education, the Marine industry and Classic boats have been a large part of my life and it has been a great.

Thank you again.

Robert

Athena

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Athena

ATHENA

The above motor-sailer, Athena, was spotted by John Wicks at Te Kouma Village, Coromandel.
John commented that she was a sturdy looking old girl and wondered if the woodys could shed some light on per background?
Input from Cameron Pollard – ATHENA was built by Des Donovan (Andy’s brother).
Des bulit her at his devonport property and had her craned into the tide off devonport wharf.
Originally had an AEC but that was replaced by her next owners the Johnson family.
They fitted a new 6lx gardner which is still in her.
She is currently hauled out at kopu for a paint.
Her present new owners completed a 9 year rebuld/ transformation on her and is a absolute credit to them.
The stories on Athena over the years have more up and downs than a busy hotel elevator some good and others not.
It’s very good to know she finally made it back to the water.

Update 2 from Cameron P

She ran over a bit of nz. ( like many still do). There was a photo album on board with pictures of her on the rock that Des took while sitting in the dinghy.

Sadly when the tide dropped so did Athena.
She filled up and skidded off the rock.
Story has it she was lost for quite a few days as the tide took her for a underwater voyage.
When she was later found and salvaged the mud and foul inside her was quite unreal.
Des,s photos showed her tied alongside the harbourboard slipway getting repaired.
I think the Johnsons purchased her not long after.
A. Johnson snr owned Lady Margaret (col wild one) before Athena.
Photo below ex Cameron of her at Kopu, looking vert smart
Athena @ Kopu

Update 23-02-2020 –  The top photo of Athena is dated January 1962 and shows her about to be launched at Devonport. She was built by Des Donovan.

The 2nd and 3rd photos are dated 12 March 1967 and Athena is ‘wrecked’ north of Elephant Cove.
Athena Launching Day
Ken Ricketts Input – ATHENA replaced the 32 foot ADARA Des D had built himself c1948/50 which was an identical sister ship to building contractor Fred Steele’s FAYE, & they both built those 2 boats together, at the same time, alongside each other, on the North Shore.
Big story tomorrow – Achilles re-launched + the end of a era – boatyard closes + 90th birthday party – 60+ photos
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Madison Rose + SOS

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MADISON ROSE
Madison Rose is a 32’ carvel planked woody with a 10’6” beam, her trade listing makes no mention of the designer / builder, but states she was built in 1910.
She has had a rolling refit over the last few years that has seen new planking & wheelhouse.
The zoom zoom comes from a Ford D series 80hp diesel, that pushes her along at 7>8 knots.
Those davits look a little OTT but I’m sure they are not too permanent.
Current home is Motueka in the South Island – can anyone tell us more about her?

URGENT SOS

I have been contacted by Murray White with the advice that the yacht Gem is due to broken up in the next day or so , she was salvaged from Omokoroa and only the mast was visible.

Murray knows nothing re condition ,but , she has bronze etc worthy of saving .
It was salvaged on behalf of the Harbou Master , but the person salvaging didn’t cover costs so may be an option to salvage something.
Photos are of her at the Bridge Marina , she is about 28 ft .
Will be gone by the weekend – if anyone is interested in saving her or after ‘parts’ – in the first instance contact on 021 227 6242

Theresa May

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Theresa May
 
Relax woodys todays story is not political  – the 42’ woody above was called Theresa May when she was taken over by the RNZAF and used at Lauthala Bay, Fiji during WW2 as W78.
She first pops up as Theresa May in Whangarei in late 1938 and was at Whakatane fishing in 1940 before being taken to Fiji for towing etc.
The photo & details we sent in by Harold Kidd who commented that it is said she was originally from Auckland (under another name).
 
Apparently she wasn’t repatriated to NZ and ended her days in a Fiji landfill in the 1960s, but that may be apocryphal too.
She’s quite a handsome vessel & Harold is interested in what her origins were pre 1938.
She was obviously a grand boat in her time so hopefully someone will be able to help us uncover more on her.
AUCKLAND ANNIVERSARY DAY REGATTA – LAUNCH RACE RESULTS

Seven woodys lined up on Monday for the launch race – offical results below.
Snap Shot – LAUGHING LADY was 1st across the line and MY GIRL was 1st on Handicap
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Nomad + Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta Details

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NOMAD – Sailing Sunday
Today’s photo is very different from the woodys I was drooling over yesterday at the Mahurangi Regatta , but at WW they come in all shapes, sizes & condition.
Nomad certainly looks like that in her day she would not have been afraid of some blue water. Nomad was photographed by John Burland, in Nelson.
Do we know more about her?
28-01-2019 Input from Gavin Pascoe – 

Nomad started life as a catboat.
Builder:Edwin Bailey
Place built:Wellington
Year built:1914
Construction:2-skin diagonal
LOA:22,6
Beam:11,6
Class:Catboat centreboarder
Owners:E. W. Barnard (Wellington, 1947); W. Taylor (Petone, Lower Hutt, 1914-??)

Notes:Converted to yawl in 1929. Centreboard replaced by deadwood keel 1947, and changed to gaff rigged sloop/motorsailer.

some early pictures: https://tinyurl.com/yckh7udu

And here

http://www.wcyt.org.nz/abode/getCategoryProducts.do/_siteId__708/method__getCategoryProducts/_categoryId__4778

19-02-2024 UPDATE ex John Burland – photo below of Nomad at the Western Entrance, Mapua, Nelson. Rumour has it a restoration is on the horizon for Nomad.

AND A BIG REMINDER THAT TOMORROW IS AUCKLAND ANNIVERSARY REGATTA DAY

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If you are in & around Auckland, a float or on land – make the effort to check out the regatta, its an amazing sight & our woodys are a very big part of the event. Link below for details on what, when & where.
Two events with big appeal to WW motorboat followers – The Work / Tug boat race and the Classic Launch Race, again full details on the above link.
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A couple of weeks ago as part of my xmas/ny cruise story, I posted a photo of a yacht a ground at Man o War Bay, we had not luck ID’ing her, so the skipper escaped being named 🙂 Another photo from John Wicks has surfaced – see below, anyone recognise her?
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MAHURANGI REGATTA – What you are missing

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MAHURANGI REGATTA – What you are missing

If you are reading WW today, chances are you are not at Mahurangi, so to make up for it today we have a totally stunning 16minute video filmed & edited by Roger Mills of the 2018 event. Roger filmed the footage using a drone.
It truly is breathtaking & what makes it even cooler is the coverage of the Classic Launch Parade. I recommend to watch the video in it entirety, but if you are time poor, skip to the 1:50 mark.
This footage could easily be re-branded as a tourism NZ movie.
Enjoy the film, link below – 2019 regatta photos will be on WW on Tuesday.

Mahi

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MAHI 

The photos above of Mahi were sent in by Jeff Norris, whose friend owns her. She is kept on a ‘mooring’ at the Northern Wairoa Boat Club.
She is a very salty looking craft, with I suspect a work boat past.
Can anyone tell us more about Mahi?
And I have to give the owner a 10/10 for the paint job, big call when looking at the paint charts but she looks perfect – well done you. In fact if the skipper is size 2XL or above I’ll give him a WW t-shirt (did a few too many bigger ones in the last print run – but woodies – after size XL , the 2nd most popular size ordered was 3XL)
With good luck – I should be heading up to Mahurangi today for the weekends classic wooden boating event of the year 🙂
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