Category Archives: Non Waitemata

St Ayles Skiff’s In The Bay of Islands

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St Ayles Skiff’s In The Bay of Islands
 
Time for a break from the miles of Australian varnished wood on display at the recent Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart 🙂
Today we are looking at some very smart St Alyes skiffs that made an appearance at last months Millennium Cup in the Bay of Islands. Woody Dean Wright snapped the above photos at Russell. It appeared that the crews from several of the super yachts ran their own mini regatta – a rowing race around the bay. Dean captured this on video (below) and commented that given the speed they hit the beach obviously the racing crews weren’t the guys in charge of the paint job.
 
I assume that Mike Mahoney was behind the rowing race as one of the skiffs – Wee Tawera, would have been aboard his magnificent super-yacht – Tawera. Mike was one of the people, including Baden Pascoe and Steve Cranch and others that introduced St Ayles skiffs and the concept of coastal rowing to New Zealand. Wee Tawera was built at the NZ Traditional Boat Building School. View more on her here. https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/03/29/wee-tawera/
 
 
 

Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2019 – Photo Parade – Part 3 – 90 photos + video

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TAMARIKI – Peter Mortimer

Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2019 – Photo Parade – Part 3 – 90 photos + video

For the few of you that have seen enough beautiful boats in the last few days, I promise today will be the last AWBF photo gallery. But for the record Tuesdays AWBF WW story out performed Mondays story and had in fact the highest number of views of any story on WW in the last 12 months 🙂
Today our gallery comes to us from the camera of CYA NZ Chairperson – James  Mortimer. On top of capturing some great photos, James was in a very unique position at the festival – his father Peter was exhibiting the 1979, Gary Wheeler built yacht – Tamariki (photo above), which was the only NZ flagged boat in attendance, and they briefly had the past two NZ CYA chairs and the current one on board for a beer at the same time, nice.
Again, different person = different perspective – enjoy and remember , click on photos to enlarge.
And as a bonus we also have a video of the James Craig leaving her dock – would be nice to have a vessel of her presence based on the Waitemata. Filmed by Andrew Christie.

Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2019 – Photo Parade – Part 2 – 337 photos

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Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2019 – Photo Parade – Part 2 – 337 photos

One of the interesting things reviewing all the photos that have been sent in from the festival is that each person ’sees’ the festival through different eyes – so what they end up photographing is very different from someone else.
Todays collection from Fiona Driver and Rod Marler is a perfect example, it is a very different view from yesterdays and also shows the scale of the event. Worthy of its own WW story.
I could have edited the collection down, but the photographer/s are very passionate woodys so if the image appealed to them, I’m confident it will to you. Enjoy 🙂
Scroll down after todays photo gallery to view more of the festival in Part 1 of the coverage.
And remember , click on photos to enlarge.

Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2019 – Photo Parade – 200 Classic Wooden Boat Photos – Part 1

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AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL 2019 – HOBART, TASMANIA – PHOTO PARADE 200 CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT PHOTOS

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Well woodys while I was gutted that I had to cancel my trip to the festival, I honestly believe that we have ended up with a better view of the festival. I have been inundated with photos from woodys from both sides of the Tasman. The coolest thing is that the show is so big and the exhibitions so broad, that there have hardly been any duplications – my new best Aussie woody friend – Andrew Christie has excelled with photos from the air (drone) and on the water (he borrowed a clinker dinghy from the ‘Living Boat Trust’ and rowed around the docks). My kiwi woody friends –  Colin and Sheryl Pawson + Fiona Driver and Rod Marler + James Mortimer  have supplemented Andrew’s photos with more stunning photos from their camera’s. As an aside Andrew won the AWBF 2019 short film festival, with his entry ‘Wooden Boat Lunacy’ featuring a Billy Holmes built motorboat – Folly III. This short film has been featured on WW – link here    https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/11/08/folly-iii/
Rather than mix them all up – I thought it would cool to group them by photographer. There will be more to share with you over the next few days, seems like everyone has maxed out the mobile data packages 🙂
Remember you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them – Enjoy
Andrew Christie

 

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James Mortimer
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Colin Pawson
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A Very Big Woody Weekend Down Under

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A Very Big Woody Weekend Down Under
This weekend is a very big woody weekend DOWNUNDER, we have the Lake Rotoiti Classic& Wooden Boat Parade in NZ and over in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia – it’s the bi-annual Australian Wooden Boat Festival.
Both events are huge and will be covered by waitematawoodys. Starting with the AWBF tomorrow (Monday). I have Woodys at both events sending in photos, including drone video footage, which brings a whole new perspective to our coverage.
The photos above come to us from Colin Pawson & Andrew Christie
Below is a short drone video of the fleet in what they call the Parade of Sail on the River Derwent. Many thanks to Australian woody, Andrew Christie for this video and tomorrows photo gallery.
P-CLASS P500 DAFFY DUCK
We cover everything on woodys – from mega events to a guy trying to track down the P-Class yacht his father built for him 55 years ago 🙂 Does anyone know the where-about of P500 (Duffy Duck) ? Paul Silva would love to know that she is still around and if possible have a look at her. He’s also keen to buy her – so woodys can anyone help Paul out?

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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