Category Archives: Non Waitemata

Woodys On Tour – Hobart – Australian Wooden Boat Festival – Day 1

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Dockside Mooch 09-02-2023

Woodys On Tour – Hobart – Australian Wooden Boat Festival – Day 1

Hello Woodys – As they same ‘I’m In Country’ and a little in awe for the scene here in Hobart. The festival doesn’t start till Friday, so the docks are only starting to fill up but already I’m gobsmacked by the woody craft tied up.

Went for an early evening mooch around the water front and today you get a wee tease – a ‘roughly’ filmed dock-side walk video of just one pier and my boats of the day pick – being Saona and a smaller woody, that I’ll have to get the name of – and yes Neil Chalmers – surprise surprise – both yachts 🙂

Today (Friday) I’m up at 6.30am heading to Woodbridge (36k south of Hobart) to meet / board – ‘WINDEWARD BOUND’ (see below) a 110’, brigantine rigged Tall Ship for the ‘Parade Of Sail’ into Hobart Harbour. The Parade of Sail marks the offical opening of the festival.

And it would be Australian without a serving of calamari and an ice cold IPA and a flat white.

Enjoy

Te Tui + Australian Wooden Boat Festival

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TE TUI

Todays woody an ex Auckland Harbour Board (AHB) work boat named TeTui. There is some issue arounf the above photo of her in Tryphena, Gt Barrier Island – as the ‘owner’ of the photo – Maurie Ogden, believes it was taken c.1978/79 but the photo has a dated tag of 2015 – so firstly can we confirm the date? Maurie recalls TeTui was engaged by the AHB in the 1960’s to service the harbour bouys and beacons.

Gordon Land has commented that Ken Morris positively identified her as a AHB boat belonging to his neighbour Dr Fergus. When he died his son John took it to Tauranga, repaired and sold it. She is / was about 26′ LOA and had a 4 cylinder Ford diesel.

Can any of the Work Boat Group help confirm the above and fill in some of the blanks + update us on what became of her.

INPUT ex NIGEL DRAKE A of photo below of Te Tui on her mooring in Pilot Bay in Nov 2018.

I’M OUT OF HERE – As you are reading this I’m on the big silver bird on-route to Hobart, Tasmania, Australia for the 2023 Australian Wood Boat Festival – I have been trying to get there for 6 years – people dying and a wee thing called Covid has got in the way. To quote that great Aussie saying – I’m as excited as a dog with two tails. It is my plan to post from the festival each day, so check in each morning for a trip report.

LAKE ROTOITI 2023 PARADE OF CLASSIC & WOODEN BOATS – 150+ PHOTOS

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LAKE ROTOITI 2023 PARADE OF CLASSIC & WOODEN BOATS – 150+ PHOTOS

As has become my norm for Waitangi holiday weekend early on Saturday morning I pointed the car south and made my way to Lake Rotoiti in the middle of NZ’s North Island. 

2023 marked the 26th anniversary of the event and after a horror week of ‘once in a 100 years’ rain storms I had concerns that the parade might be postponed or cancelled. Well woodys as you’ll see from the above photo gallery, my fears were redundant.

The day started overcast with some light drizzle but this passed thru before the parade kicked off at 11am. Numbers were down a little from last year but conditions were perfect on the lake. 

Enjoy the gallery above – if you’re craft is featured above and you want a high res copy of the photo, drop me an email at the address below. Apologise if I missed your boat or if the odd photo is a little out of focus – just me in a run-about jiggling the throttle, looking out for other boats and holding the camera 🙂

waitematawoodys@gmail.com

My pick of the boat I’d most like tied up at my imaginary lake jetty is – ELLEN (#14), 26’ in length, built in 2004 in strip planked cedar from a plug taken off an old abandoned hull found in Kopu. Thought to be a ‘Milkmaid’ design by Bailey & Lowe. Powered by a 29hp diesel.  In my eyes just perfect. Photo below

Special thanks again to Dave and Glenys Wilson for the loan of a boat to get me out on the lake.

As always – click on photos to enlarge.

Lastly I never tire of the sound of big V8 (5.7L)  water exhausts. Shawn Vennell, the owner of Judy H, was lining me up for a prop shower – a few words of warning as to what my reaction would be, made him change his mind 😉

TURN THE SOUND UP

Belfast

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BELFAST

Todays woody – the 32’ Belfast was built by Jack Guard in 1940 and has spent time in survey, based on her presentation that would have to have been a while ago. Thanks to Ian McDonald for the tme heads up.

The owners are pushing a sale with the suggestion that she be hauled out and re-purposed as a ’tiny home’.

Can we expand on her past life.

THE 136th PAHI REGATTA 

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THE 136th PAHI REGATTA 

Saturday saw the running of the annual Pahi Regatta. Thanks to Colin Brown, who did a quick ‘drive-by’ we get to see a couple of photos (top 2) from the day.

As I commented to Colin, him sending in the photos was perfect timing as I was planning a Pahi Regatta Flashback. The regatta has been running since 1887.

The 2nd collection of photos comes to us from The Kauri Museum collection via their fb post. My favourite would have to be the 1984 photo of Merv & Darcy Sterlings runabout – Brenda K, what a cool looking craft, love the front windscreen. 

The b/w photos are as below

• 1936 – Esme – skippered by Merv Sterling (possibly the same skipper as in the runabout photo?)

• c.1940 – Koheroa – owned by Archie Newitt

• 1987 – Takaro – owned by Gary & Marek Weber

Why No Wooden Boat Regatta Today

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WHY NO WOODEN BOAT REGATTA TODAY 

Today we should have been floating around the Mahurangi Harbour enjoying what has become the biggest one day, on-the-water boating event in New Zealand – the annual Mahurangi Regatta. I have posted a link below to a previous regatta to remind us all how good it can be.

Sadly the weather gods dealt us a crap hand and we all get to stay at home. I understand and support not going ahead with the event this weekend (Auckland’s 3 day Anniversary Day holiday weekend) BUT what I can not understand is why wasn’t there a back up plan in place to run the regatta the following weekend, which is also a 3 day holiday weekend. The organisers of the regatta should have just made the call to run with next weekend. 

This lack of forward thinking means the wooden boating movement misses out on the fun, friendship and fraternity that is acquired rubbing up against like minded woody enthusiasts. We need this to maintain our passion for another 12 months.

As I type this I can imagine the team of volunteers at the Mahurangi Cruising Club and other groups involved – thinking “bloody smart ass, why doesn’t he put his hand up to help” – short answer – ‘already too busy with WW’ BUT at your next committee meeting how about adding to the agenda – How Do We Future Proof The Regatta’ and ‘Is It Time To Appoint A Paid Event Organiser’. If the regatta isn’t already as big as the Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta it must be very close – be brave and pull on the big boys pants.

ENJOY THE FLASH BACK   https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/01/29/mahurangi-regatta-2019-the-biggest-best-classic-wooden-boat-regatta-in-nz-90-photos/

Great early morning video of some of the fleet at anchor in Sullivan Bay. Cameraman/’pilot’ is Neil Lawton

Mystery Motueka Launch – Awarere

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MYSTERY MOTUEKA LAUNCH – Awarere

This ones going to be a long shot – the photo above of a newly built launch being transported to Port Motueka comes to us from the Transport (Nelson) Holdings fb site via Brian Mchaffe via Maurice Sharp.

Brian commented that it was from back in the days when the job just got done i.e. no pilot vehicle, no flags. No flashing lights and certainly no cones or a certified trailer.

So woodys anyone able to put a name to the launch and its builder?

UPDATE ex JOHN BURLAND – the boats named Awatere and was built by Keith Calder. Photo below of the launching – the photo comes to us from the Motueka Historical Association via Colin Starnes via Brian McHaffie.

UPDATE EX COLIN STARNES – Awarere built by Keith Calder to his own design. Launched early 1960s originally powered by a Perkins which was swapped out for a 4 cylinder Ford not long after launching. Awarere last noted on Picton Waikawa area. Keith was brother of Don whose launch Graham John recently featured on WW after her fine makeover in Napier – link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/11/10/william-steer-graham-john-william-steer/

WEATHER NOT LOOKING GOOD FOR THE MAHURANGI REGATTA

Below as of last night – I understand MCC will be making a decision tonight (Thursday). Dockside chat is that the shore based activities have already been cancelled – TBC

UPDATE 26-01-2023 9.30AM

Nelson Marina Mooching

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Nelson Marina Mooching

Shamus Fairhead, owner of the very smart woody – Sequoia, sent in a photo report from a recent sortie to Nelson.

Above we see the launches – Lady Dorothy > Rarangi > Kanona. Shamus commented that Lady Dorothy had Oliver & Gilpin written all over her. Rarangi has made several appearances on WW – link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/12/12/rarangi-a-peek-down-below/

The other two are WW virgins i.e. have not appeared on the site before, so keen to learn more about these wooden craft.

26-01-2023 INPUT EX MARK MCLAUGHLIN – KANONA was built in Havelock by Sonny Johnson in the early 1960’s and was used until the early 1970’s by the Johnson family for the mail run there. She was then used as a commercial passenger boat out of Havelock under different owners (Eric Huddleston was one, there may have been more) until the mid 1990’s when she was sold to Nelson. The flying bridge and cockpit dodger roof and covers are additions since her time in Nelson. I travelled on her once on the way home from a high school camp in the Sounds and she is quite fast.

Eye Candy

One of my Waiheke spies sent in the photo below of Lady Crossley and LC’s owners daughters launch at anchor – we like woody families 🙂

Ethel Big Game Fishing

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Ethel Big Game Fishing

The passage of life sometimes is a tad scary – recently I have been doing several stories based around Whangaroa Harbour in the Far North and  yesterday the phone rings and one of the last standing relatives has passed on – and where is the funeral – Whangaroa, so tomorrow the car will be pointing north. These events are never good but in her mid 90’s, it will be a celebration of life.

Anyway moving on to todays story – thanks to a Lew Redwood fb post we get to see a c.1931 photo gallery of the launch – Ethel in / around Whangaroa Harbour, in her big game fishing heyday. Regular WW readers will known my personal views on this heinous practice – one photo is tagged ‘Mako shark being killed with a spade’. Ok its not a spade, but seriously how barbaric is that.

(Photos ex The British Museum collection)

Get a Wee Bit Excited About The Upcoming Mahurangi Regatta – next weekend – Jan 28th.

Tandarra

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TANDARRA

Todays launch is named Tandarra and was spotted by Barbara Cooke in the Bay of Islands. A total mystery to me, and I hope its not a Vindex and has slipped under my classic radar 🙂

WOODY QUIZ (NO) WINNER

The answer to yesterdays quiz re naming the mystery boat yard and location is Ashton’s Boatyard, Ewing Road, Whangarei (c.1950>60)

Lots of people suggesting the Salthouse Greenhithe yard or Robertson’s on the Mahurangi River. 

So no winner for the WW t-shirt and Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Calendar – will put them up again in the weekend with another quiz question.