Category Archives: Non Waitemata

2015 Mahurangi Regatta Weekend – 70+ Photos

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2015 Mahurangi Regatta Weekend – 70+ Photo Parade

The photos tell the story of the weekend – perfect weather, stunning boats & nice people having a great time. Todays post is just a slice of the 3 days of classic wooden boating. I have 100’s of photos that will filter thru into ww over time. Not all are ‘picture perfect’ – its hard to helm the boat (solo) & take photos in a very congested waterway.
As always you’ll see a mix of motor-boats & yachts because even though some people seem blind to the world of classic launches – the weekend is in fact the biggest collection of classic wooden boats afloat in one place in NZ. Remember people – its all about wooden boats 🙂
Saturday nights prize giving & dance ashore at Scotts Landing was one of those evenings out of the bag – a perfect sunset to cap the day off, the panoramic photo above was sent to me by Mark Lever (owner of the very smart 1926, B.J.L. Juke designed launch – Nereides) & portrays the scene perfectly.
I counted 30+ classic CYA launches around the bays – I’m sure there were more, just didn’t see them all. The launches had a wee parade around the bays on the Saturday to fly the flag for the CYA launch fleet. There was a ‘names in the hat’ draw at the prize giving & one of our newest members – Bill Mitchinson owner of MV Gay Dawn, who traveled up from Tauranga for the weekend, won the ‘Motor Launch Log Trophy’. Now all we need is for last years winner (a non CYA member) to play the game & return the trophy 😦
The trip north for me had one big objective – to see Pauline & Harold Kidd’s just re-launched classic launch – Romance II afloat. Harold & boat builder Marco Scuderi have rebuilt R2’s dog-house & tram-top to pretty dam close to the day in 1919 she slipped down the Bailey & Lowe ramp. In my eyes her lines & proportions are spot-on. There is a photo of her in todays post but I will feature her in more detail on ww tomorrow.
Winners Are Grinners – the CYA boats, skippers & crew cleaned up all the major sailing races at the regatta – photos from the prize giving at the end of the post.
Enjoy & remember you can enlarge any photo by clicking on it 😉
Romance II
Weena
Wenna
Tuna
John Dory
John Dory and Ferro
Gay Dawn
Manapouri
Una
Duetto
Kiwitea
Orari II
Orari II
Tiromoana
Strathalan and Allergy
Mahanui
Mahanui
Kailua
Darleen
Tawera and Darleen
Lillian
CYA Launch Parade
CYA Launch Parade
Karros II
Korama (Thetis)
Shuh-Shuh-Gah
?
Lady Adelaide
Akarana
Raiona
Allergy
Kayla Rose
Zeltic
Ballerina
Kairanga
Matanui
Raindance
John Dory
Rainbow
Ngatira and Breeze
Ngatira
How you win – its all in the detail
Tawera and Peg
Scot
Thelma
Frances
Jessie Logan and ?
Jessie Logan
Frances
Frances
Rainbird
Breeze
Wairiki
Tawera (L) Thelma (R)

 

This is what makes the regatta racing so special – where else do you get sailing like this?

Yes, there were life jackets on-board for everyone

Saturday Night Prize Giving & Dance

 

Grinners Are Winners

Hamish Ross – Rainbow
Steve Horsley – Ngatira
Mike Mahoney – Tawera
Chad Thompson – Prize

Mahurangi / Warkworth c.1961

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Photo 1

 

Mahurangi / Warkworth c.1961

photos ex Ken Ricketts

Todays post show 2 photos taken c1961, most likely at Xmas & show a collection of launches tied up at the wharf at Warkworth. The really neat thing is hat most of these craft are still a float today & in as good, if not better condition.
It would be nice to see some of those varnished coaming again 😉

Several of these launches will be at todays Mahurangi Regatta & weather & numbers interested – maybe making the trip up the river to Warkworth for lunch.

Ken has attempted to ID the launches – see below.

PHOTO 1
Front row Gay Dawn, Ken can’t identify outer 2 boats.

Top left row, tiny bit of bow too small to indentify next to wharf next is
Cherokee & next is Menai. Ken can’t identify outer boat of that group

PHOTO 2

Bottom left Gay Dawn, Ken can’t identify the other 2 boats.
Next row to right is Faye at wharf, next to her is Royal Falcon & next is
Cherokee & then Menai. Ken can’t identify the outer boat.

Far row to right –  boat at wharf is Southern Belle, may have been owned by Stan
Blundell, the outer boat next to her is Lady Karita.

Boat at anchor Reelemin II

Photo 2

Eric Price’s Motorsailer Awanui – Sailing Sunday

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  Awanui – Sailing Sunday

photo ex Ken Ricketts

Today’s boat lives at Gulf Harbour & could be Awanui. If it is then its owned by Eric Price. Eric is 90+ years & uses the boat regularly. The impressive thing is by use I mean extended cruises for weeks at a time. My wife knows Eric & some of the tales from the cruises would make great reading.

Anyone able to confirm the vessels & also supply any details on her past – she has a Lidgard look to her.

18/01/2015 – Input from Garth Broadhead

On first glancing at the photo and without reading the text, it struck me like she looked like Eric’s boat which I was aboard several times as a teenager – so I’m guessing she is! Delighted to know Eric’s still alive and well!! Someone should ask him to post his tale of having his apendix removed underneath a coconut tree in Fiji – it’s a doozy!

Mahurangi Weekend 2015

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If you are even remotely interested in classic wooden boats – Mahurangi is where you want to be this coming long weekend 23>26th Jan.

Details below.

 

Woodys In The Bay of Islands Xmas/NY 2014-15

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Woodys In The Bay of Islands Xmas/NY 2014-15

photos ex Dean Wright

Dean Wright – professional photographer & owner of the classic 1927 Bob Brown built launch ‘Arethusa’ had his camera out over the break & snapped a few of our fleet at rest in the BOI’s. Greg, like most of us, has a bit of a crush on Wirihana 🙂

Can anyone name for me the tram-topper?

To view more of Deans work & see/read about Arethusa – click the link below
http://www.deanwright.co.nz/

Click this link to view my all time favourite classic boating photo. Rings all my bells.
http://www.deanwright.co.nz/prints/marine-photography-dean-wright/product/54-kopikopiko.html

 

Wirihana

Wirihana

Shalom

?

Tamaroa

Thetis

The Rescue of Tiarri – Ken’s Big Road Trip – 4 SALE > RIP

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The Rescue of Tiarri – Ken’s Big Road Trip – 4 Sale

photos ex Ken Ricketts

There have been numerous stories on ww around the demise  – grounding, sinking, recovery, abandonment & discovery of Tiarri. The discovery via trademe of her on a farm in a very sorry state sparked an SOS shout out on ww for an angel to wave their wand & find a good bastard out there prepared to take the rebuild project on. Well it worked & Garth Broadhead stepped up to the mark – today’s post records the start of the journey. There will be more & you’ll see it here 🙂

 26/01/2015 – A water blasting cleans her up & uncovers a few ‘blemishes’

UPDATE 03-09-2016

ww has had advice that is 4sale ‘as-is-where-is’ – all offers will be seriously considered.
Enquiries should be directed to the Marina Manager   enquiries@mahurangimarinas.co.nz

11-05-2019 UPDATE – Sadly Tiarri’s final ‘voyage’ was as a fire brigade training drill and the black scorched earth is all that remains 🙂 (photo ex Russell Ward)

IMG_1219

13-05-2019 Input and photos* / video* from Ken Ricketts –  Sadly in the end no one stepped forward to save Tiarri so the hard stand owners gifted her to the Warkworth Volunteer Fire Service for use as a fire fighting exercise.
I would just like to say a  huge thank you to you Alan and all the other woodys, who have written of her, inspected her, & tried to help to save her, in the various ways we all have, & put her back together, albeit in vain in the end. 
We all tried, & we could do no more than that, but to you Alan, most of all, if you had not published her plight, we would never even have been able to try. Thank you very much, I will be forever grateful. Ken R
(*Images & video, courtesy of the Warkworth Volunteer Fire Service)

Lake Taupo Classic’s – Part 2

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Lake Taupo Classic’s – Part 2
photos ex Jason Prew
More photos below from Jason’s Lake Taupo travels on the picinic boat Otira.  Click photos to enlarge.

Fingers crossed Paul Drake drops in again & ID’s a few of them for us 😉

 

Lake Rotoiti Wooden Boat Parade 2015 Calendar

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Lake Rotoiti Wooden Boat Parade 2015 Calendar


Now I suspect numbers might be getting tight, but if there is enough interest, I’m sure they will reprint.
The price is $10 for 1 or $7.50 each for 5 or more. Postage is $2.40 for up to 8 calendars, $5 for more than 8 or courier ($5.50 North Island $6.50 South Island  –  RD extra).
Pay via direct to the account.  If you pay direct please use your surname as reference and let me know when you make the payment.
The bank account number is:    12 3155 0140546 00

However before doing anything – I suggest you email (address below) Rachel Jamieson & check on supplies 🙂

zea.rachel@gmail.com

ps I even make a cameo appearance in the month of June 🙂

Ronomor

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RONOMOR

photo ex Baden Pascoe, details ex Geoff Brebner, Harold Kidd & Baden Pascoe

Geoff Brebner has been sniffing around for info on a launch by the name of Ronomor (row-no-more) which he had last seen a number of years back on the hard at Half Moon Bay. The small  amount he has been able to glean was that she was built at Stanley Bay by D M Darroch & Sons probably in the 1920’s. The story he heard was she was built to save them the frequent trips to the city side in the yard rowboat, hence the name Ro no mor.

Now in consultation (that sounds very posh for an email) with Harold Kidd, Harold agrees that Ronomor was built by Darroch  but originally as Albatross and renamed Ronomor after she was lengthened about 1919. She was used to commute to and from Omaha/Mahurangi rather than across the harbour and did at least two pleasure trips to the Bay of Plenty, probably why she finished up in Whitianga.
Harold advised that there were several Ronomors or variants of that name, which doesn’t help.

Now Baden Pascoe adds that his father fitted a Lees  Marine 90 hp Trader & that she did a good 10 knots. More photos to more ex Baden.

Anyone else able to add to the story of her past / present?

Lake Taupo Classic’s

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Lake Taupo Classic’s
photos ex Jason Prew
Over the xmas break Jason had the day boat Otira at Lake Taupo & sent in the collection of photos below. Jason commented that his photography was not 100%, as steering Otira and taking pix in a narrow river was a little challenging 🙂 They look pretty good to me Jas.
There is an impressive collection of old wood on the lake. Click photos to enlarge 😉

Maybe one of the Taupo ww followers can ID a few on the boats? They have see below

Update from Paul Drake. Check out the comments section for lots more info. AH

The vessel with the torpedo stern is MAXIE (Logan Bros,1903), ex Paremata,Wellington, where she received her Bruce Askew designed make-over in the early 1990’s. She has a Logan Bros builder’s plate. Has been at Taupo for 20 years. She is 36 feet by 7 feet. She is double skinned, the outer being fore and aft. This info from Wooden Boat Magazine, number 125, of July/August 1995, p.88. Article written by the then owner who did the make-over, which kept him occupied for 5000 hours over four and a half years.  She is neglected and hasn’t been seen at sea for many years. About 5 years ago she almost sank at her then Acacia Bay mooring. She deserves much better.
Other vessels in Jason’s photos, starting from the top: SEVERN (Logan Bros) featuring raised bow (good) and extension aft (bad). Then ADELAIDE, ex ADELAIDE V, (Collings and Bell, 1924),   built for Capt Charles Palmer. Twin screw – unusual for such a vessel. Then GYPSY, a fairly ordinary hard chine job, then an unknown small hard chine boat, then MAXIE, then MOERANGI (Logan Bros 1906). Then a Mason Marine Clipper, name unknown, then REGORDETTE (not sure of spelling), ex VENTURE, an ex Air Force launch. Then RUAHINE ex WHIZZBANG, and next to her to the left, BELL BIRD. Then ROMANCE (Bailey and Lowe 1914) then ALICE ex WATER WITCH (Charles Peers Simcock1879, Kaukapakapa, rebuilt at Taupo 1990 – 2000, wood fired steamer, currently for sale by overseas owner), then SIR FRANCIS, ex FAIRY (Collings and Bell 1916), then IRENE, locally built but wait, she’s steel, so what is she doing on a woody’s site! Then MOANA ROA ex MAUREEN M (Owen Woolley,1962), then OCEAN MIST (the middle one) but she is concrete! Finally SIMBA (Hartley). Featuring twin V8 petrol engines.
Quite a collection. Well done Jason.