I spotted Kotare (Maori = Kingfisher) last week on the grid at Rocky Bay, Waiheke Island. Her owner Don Fraser, was giving the bottom a scrub & a coat of anti-fouling.
Don commented that the yacht had spent most of her life at Waiheke, excluding a few stints on the mainland.
Don knows a little about her past owners e.g. she was owned & kept atRocky Bay in the 1970’s by retired merchant seaman Richard Powell. However Don is very light on intel re her provenance – any woodys able to help Don out?
This weekend we have been enjoying the CYA Classic Yacht Regatta – a weather bomb meant the 2014 event was canceled so as they say ‘it did had been a long time between drinks’.
The event was moved to late Feb to give skippers a break between some of the other classic events & to also link in with the Volvo Round the World race festivities. As they say timing is everything & no one was watching the on-line race track more than Tony Stevenson – an early arrival might have meant we did not get to enjoy the swanky surrounding of the VIP hospitality area as our race HQ.
Friday was Race 1 & the fleet to quote most “experienced 4 seasons in one day” – but there was not a face without a smile on it as the boats returned to dockside.
Friday nights ‘de-brief’ & prize giving was a hoot & most walked away with booty.
Saturday normally sees 2 races held but huey had not got the message & after 4 1/2 hrs of floating around in the sun – the race committee pulled the pin & the crews retired to Race HQ. Just in time to witness some spectacular one day cricket on TV.
Fingers crossed today sees some more puff 🙂 If your at a loose end, get down to the Race HQ later today. Food & drinks available + the legendary prize-giving.
So far there have been over 2,000 classic wooden boat stories featured on waitematawoodys & the viewing numbers (3,300,000) have grown from a dozen people to over 80,000, I have had some loyalists from day one but the big numbers have happened in the last 2 years – so not everyone will have been exposed to all the stories. Over the Christmas / NY period I have decided to take a peek back in time & feature some of the gems from the early days. Enjoy.
Have a great holiday & remember to take the camera / phone with you & snap a photo of any woodys you see. Email them to waitematawoodys@gmail.com
Rawhiti – A Once In Your Life Time Opportunity photos ex Classic Boat, Chris Miller, Alan H & owner
Firstly – a challenge – can anyone dispute that Rawhiti is New Zealand’s finest classic yacht afloat? From all angles she is simply beautiful, a true classic from the drawing board of Arch Logan & built by Logan Bros.
Rawhiti was completely rebuilt by Peter Brookes at Brookes Boatbuilders in 2011. For her owner Greg Lee, it was a pure labour of love, he extensively researched every aspect of the project & worked alongside Peter on a daily basis, the end result being a Logan that is better than launch day in October 1906 & thats pretty bold statement to make about a Logan.
Yachts like Rawhiti only come along once in a life time, to get the chance to buy one is even rarer. That opportunity now exists, to do that – to own this beautiful piece of New Zealand’s maritime heritage, a floating work of art.
So my 2nd challenge today is to all classic boating aficionados – gather your friends or business associates & form a syndicate, sell that bloody ugly Colin McCahn, sell a few shares, sub-divide that section – do what ever you have to do, to put the money together to acquire Rawhiti.
Interested? – read on
Without boring you with details, Rawhiti’s owner is serious about selling her & now via another business transaction has the opportunity to offer Rawhiti for sale to the right owner for a fractional of the restoration cost i.e. in the $400k range.
The time window in which the business transaction is available is short and therefore there is a limit to how long Rawhiti will be marketed in this price range. If you are interested in discussing the sale, please initially, contact the owner Greg Lee on the email address below.
For anyone with an interest in acquiring Rawhiti who is unsure what they might be doing with her in the short term (but wishing to secure the opportunity to acquire her now), her owner has had provisional discussions with Peter Brookes about storing her under cover at his yard at favourable rates.
Owner email contact: greg-lee@xtra.co.nz
Update 29-09-2019 Below is a sneak peek at Rawhiti when she was in Australia – the photo appeared in the Sept 1925 edition of the ‘Australian Motor Boating and Yachting Monthly. Sent in by Andrew Christie.
The above 32’ x 9’ beam ketch is named Leisure Hour & was reportedly built by Jimmy Reid in 1936 in his family yard at Sulphur Beach Road Birkenhead, close to the Auckland Harbour Bridge location.
The Reid family being reputable boat builder of vessels in early 1900 in Mechanics Bay area Auckland, had two sons who produced sail and power vessel for notable New Zealanders of that era.
Leisure Hour has been on the harbour for approx. 81 years and is in need of a tender loving owner to take on as a project vessel to keep Auckland boating history alive.
She has had work completed with a tidy up and new paint. Her engine is a two-cylinder Arona diesel, with mechanical transmission and shaft drive.
The current owner on trademe says he has one too many boats and is motivated to sell – so with an asking price of $19,500 Leisure could a perfect entry into the classic wooden boating world J
I was recently contacted by Drew Thompson, who is trying to track down details on his grandfathers yacht – Telstar. Telstar was designed and built the grandfather, Ivan Vitali, in 1970 from solid kauri, then glassed over. She was based on an Alan Buchanan bermudan sloop and was 33’ 6” in length.
Ivan registered Telstar with NZ Yachting so he could race and was given the sail number 1263. NZ Yachting told Drew the name was changed to Goldline – Drew tracked that lead but the owner (Murray Smith) said the yacht was never called Goldline, but Kishmul.
The history that Drew is aware of it that she was sold in 1974 when Ivan died to Chris Smith (who owns Moana at Devonport YC) who sailed her around the world before selling her in 1985. Chris believes she ran around in Noumea around 1989, but was recovered and brought back to Westhaven and repaired and that’s where the trail goes cold. Any info, insights that we can give Drew, would be much appreciated
Drew commented that the photos, from the 1970’s are not good. The writing on one picture is from Drew’s 90-year-old uncle, Lolly Vitali – the picture has been on his wall about 40 years 🙂
10-10-2023 UPDATE ex Drew Thompson – Telstar is still sailing and still extremely well looked after (photos below) by the now-former Commodore of the Dar es Salaam yacht club, Mark Hart. Mark and I converse regularly – and I’d even planned a trip to sail her on her 50th birthday but Covid stepped in. We caught up via skype on the day – December 16th, 2021 to celebrate. Mark has since mounted a photograph of my grandfather and Telstar designer/builder, Ivan Vitali, below deck. I hope to one get there one day to sail her myself.
I was recently contacted by Harold Kidd in regard to Swiftsure the 1921 centreboarder that needs major restoration and to the right person – is free for collection.
Harold supplied some history on the yacht below.
SWIFTSURE was built by George McLean of Birkenhead in 1920 a bit under 16ft and a bit over 14ft (about 4 inches) because of the available lengths of timber.
Her first race appears to have been in November 1921 with the Ponsonby Cruising Club in their “14ft handicap class” i.e. not square-bilge and not Jellicoe Class 14s, owned by G. McLean. She was on scratch which indicates a first race. She raced consistently much of her life. She was registered with the 14ft T Class when the AYMBA introduced its alpha-numeric system in 1922. She was allotted T38.
By the 1923 Anniversary Regatta her oversize had apparently been picked up and she was moved to the 16ft S Class as S62. She was then owned by George’s nephew Ted Fitzgerald. After a protest she had the offending bit sawn off her stern and was reregistered as T6 in 1934. Later he put the 4 inches back on and she raced with the 16 footers as S62.
After he retired her from racing as an open boat post WW2 Ted built on a raised foredeck and a bigger cuddy.He took her on an annual cruise to Great Barrier with his two little girls. Amazing!
Swiftsure is now stored under cover at Beachhaven and stabilized but needs a total restoration. The above photo shows her racing as an S Class. Harold commented that it was hard to photograph her under her current shelter (see below bottom). The 1st group of photos below were taken some years ago before she deteriorated but give a good idea of her final, “cruising” configuration under Ted Fitzgerald’s ownership.
Interested parties can contact Harold via WW or Grant Firth at gfirth1955@gmail.com
The above photos ex Dean Wright were taken during the 2012 Bay of Islands Tall Ships Race & show Spray sailing in a rather big swell. Love the rigging only one, Dean is a professional photographer & his talent shows in these photos.
On a sadder note, below is a selection of photos that Dean took during the same race, that show the magnificent American yacht – Nina, that was later to disappear in the Tasman on route to Australia without a trace.
Below is a link to Stuff website, that has a tragic story on the 19-year-old American teenager – Danielle Wright who was crewing on Nina when the yacht varnished.
Shanty was built by Jim Cottier on Motuarohia (Roberton) Island pretty recently (in the last 10 years). Jim has been the caretaker there for a long time, as far back as 1980.
The above photos of Shanty sailing off the Purerua Peninsula in Nov 2016, are from Dean Wright, who commented that he thinks that Jim used to own the beautiful double ender Skagen that featured last week on WW. Dean remembers her living on a mooring out there.
Click on this link to view a short video on Jim, he’s a bit of a master mariner / living sailing legend
Well known on the waterfront as a skipper of square riggers, including the Breeze (which he took to Mururoa with the N-test protest fleet) and more recently the Soren Larsen.
Great photo above of the 1929, Riley 9 twin cam that Baden Pascoe recently finished restoring. The Riley is parked in front of Aumoe, the 1913 Tom Le Huguet built classic launch owned by Andrew Pollard.
Streaming Planks
The above link to the very cool youtube clip on steaming Huon Pine planks onto Ian Smith’s (new build) 24’ Ranger class gaff rigged sloop, was sent to me by Robin Elliott
Looking for Scorpio – Sail # 1025
I was recently contacted by John McIntosh who is endeavoring to locate the current owner of ‘Scorpio’, a Californian Bear design about 23’ loa. Built in Milford about the 1950s by a professional boat builder (Gladden?) I’ll let John tell the story – read below.
The story is that she was built for Rush Clark snr who was the Auckland Pan Am representative, and as a young boy I went out for a picnic sail on her. I was calibrating new Raymarine instruments on Monday 30th Oct. on my boat, when I noticed a small keeler doing leads off Princess wharf. Later we past close by her transom and I noticed the word Scorpio carved on her stern. I immediately looked up at the mainsail and noticed a black bear on all four paws was near the peak, together with the registration number 1025. Because we were out “on business” I couldn’t go back and check on anything. Needless to say she was much smaller than I recalled.
When I got home I checked my old 1977 NZYF register, and the name and number were in there, but no owner. I got in touch with a friend who remained in touch with Rush Clark jnr in Atlanta Georgia. What must have amounted to reply the same day, I got an enthusiastic reply from Rush jnr, telling me “Scorpio” was only 23’ long and had been built in Milford. He went on to say that it was a testament to NZ Kauri and the skill of Kiwi boat builders that “Scorpio” was still sailing.
Rush is intending to come out to NZ early in the New Year and says he would love to see her again and would I please do my best to track “Scorpio” down.
I have rung all the marinas, most recognised yacht clubs, & Yachting New Zealand, but none could help me. The Harbour Master’s office promised to ring back, but haven’t done so. I have been to Gladden’s workshop, but John has been gone for decades, and workmen having a beer after work suggested that I contact your site.
There is a nice story about the name “Scorpio”. Rush snr and his wife Anne were captured by the Japs in the Philippines and in the prison camp they would look at the stars and think that somewhere in the world people were still free and one day, if they survived, they would also be free.
My father occasionally raced on “Scorpio” with the Squadron and said it was the slowest boat in the fleet. Sometimes when they crossed the finish line at Orakei wharf, they could see that the tower was all closed up and the race management had gone home.
So woodys hopefully we can locate the where abouts of Scorpio for John.
Once again WW delivers
Just received an email from Neil Chalmers, with the below photo of Scorpio. Neil was sent the photo by Dan Ranall back in June 2016. Dan had been mooching around Okahu Bay & snapped the photo, then sent it to Neil to see if Neil could ID the yacht. Boom connection made 🙂
Neil commented that he thought there was another Bear Class in Auckland (sail #577), called Little Bear. Anyone able to confirm?
I recently received a note from Andrew Hewitt from Ashburton, concerning his 22’ yacht Merlin. Andrew became custodian of her three years ago, when she was put up for sale by a broker on behalf of her former owner’s widow (Peter Beaven, a notable Christchurch architect and heritage advocate).
Peter had had her hull restored professionally in Christchurch some time previously, but the earthquakes and his ultimate death intervened. Andrew completed the job, rigged her and commissioned a trailer for her locally. So she’s now, home from the sea in her retirement – converted for use as a ‘trailer-sailor’ and lives protected from the elements in a boat shed at Lake Hood (just east of Ashburton) – where Andrew sails her when time allows.
Andrew commented that Harold Kidd kindly supplied a little history on her and Les McBean (Dunedin) also did a quite an extensive one (link here Les McBean Merlin), but unfortunately they contradict each other J According to Les, it seems she dates from around 1902 by Mr Derwent Aitcheson of Waikouaiti, where she was originally a fishing boat fitted with an engine. She appears to have been based there and Moeraki, moving about in the general Otago area. At some time mid-century she was converted to a yacht, and was well known in Otago Harbour for some decades, prior to becoming derelict and ultimate salvation by Peter Beaven.
The registration number seems original (V9) – it is on an old cotton sail that came with her.
Like all woodys, Merlin’s restoration is an ongoing thing….. the photos above ange from the fitting out/rigging stage at Andrew’s home to an early pic of Andrew under sail at Lake Hood.
Andrew is keen to discover more on Merlin past, to date he has made one or two connections through the Canterbury Classic Boat meets and tried both the Port Chalmers Maritime Museum and the two yacht clubs down there for info, but nothing forthcoming. The Museum at Waikouaiti knew of the builder, but didn’t supply any info when requested.
2017 Centreboard Cup – Herne Bay Yacht Club – Sat 9th Dec – Sloanes Beach, Herne Bay
Pencil midday on Saturday the 9th of December into the diary, the Herne Bay Crusing Club are hosting their legendary Centreboard Cup Regatta. Its one of the coolest sailing events in town & the venue is rather special.
Details here http://hbcc.net.nz/centreboardcup2017/
And check out my photos from a previous regatta. https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/12/20/whats-the-coolest-yacht-club-10-minutes-from-queen-st/
Anyone Looking For a Wooden Mast?
The Herne Bay Cruising Club have a 31’6″ laminated, hollow wooden mast that needs a home, the price will be very attractive if its for a classic yacht, if you want it as a flag pole expect to pay more 🙂 email Andrew Mason at a.mason@auckland.ac.nz
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