Category Archives: Sailing Sunday

Valdora – E Class – E19 – Sailing Sunday

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Valdora – E Class – E19

photo ex Roger Guthrie ex Sue Robertson

Roger spoted this photo while visiting Sue & Iain Robertson. The owner of E19 at the time the photo was taken was Eric Paton, father of Sue. Like most of the yachties from the older days Eric was a bit of an adventurer – he took flying lessons from the Walsh Bros.

Anyone able to shed some light on E19 & what happening to her.

ps -sorry about the photo it was taken of a framed print (thru glass)

Update from Robin Elliott

That’s the much-travelled Valdora, owned by Eric Paton 1922 through to 1924.

Built by Charlie Gouk in 1904 as a centre boarder, probably a Rudder design, for Charles Palmer. She often raced in the open centreboard ‘patiki-type’ divisions because she was excluded  from racing against keelers and could not conform to the new mullet boat restrictions that were being formulated around the same time.

She took E-19 when the new numbering system was introduced in 1921. Billy Rogers bought her in 1925 and a season later, sold her to the Manukau.  

She returned from the Manukau in 1930, purchased by R. Curry who had Joe Slattery convert her to a keel yacht – a very big deadwood. Her E-19 sail number had been re-issued and she took number E-29 (in those days a boat lost its sail number if it left the Waitemata – tedious long story, too long for sunday) .

She went through a number of owners, probably more than I have recorded and disappears after 1950. Probably just cruising, but may have surfaced in Wellington in the 1960’s. There was a Valdora registered with Port Nick in 1964, and later with Mana Cruising club in 1973. Possible but seems unlikely though.

Offered for sale in Traditional boat Magazine in May 1989 in Auckland.
She was still sailing and I saw her in 1991 on the hard at Okahu Bay having repaint. During the 1990’s she was a regular on the Okahu Bay slipway. She does not appear to have ever been registered with NZYF/YNZ.

I last saw her 5/1/2009, Tied up alongside Fullers workshop at Opua in a fairly messy, un-loved state and later on a mooring across the other side. She wasn’t there last time I went in to Opua.

Photos below from Jason Prew (c.2003)

Ethel – Sailing Sunday

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ETHEL
I took the above photos of Keith Munro’s 1896 yacht Ethel at the CYA Patio Bay Weekend. The close ups where when she was rafted up to Dave Gidden’s Allergy.
Hopefully Harold will chip in with details on Ethel.

Harold Kidd Update

ETHEL was built by Logan Bros for Herbert Dawson who owned Mercury Island. He used her for carrying supplies to the island and wool and stock to the coast, usually Whangapoua. She was therefore more generous in beam than most yachts of her time which proved useful when she was later used for racing on the Waitemata by W.J. Quelch and W.R. Ingram after Dawson sold her in 1912.

Who’s The Lad On The boom? – Sailing Sunday

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Who’s The Lad On The boom?
I cant say where this early 1940’s photo came from as that would give the game away.
Who can ID the very young boat builder, sitting on the boom of a Mullet boat counting the fish he has just caught?

A hint – he is still building boats 🙂

(I’m posting this from aboard ‘Trinidad’ in Patio Bay – @ the CYA Race Weekend / Xmas Party – check ww tomorrow – lots of photos)

A Day At One Of My Favorite Boating Spots – Whangateau – Sailing Sunday

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RETALIATION RELAUNCHED

START THEM YOUNG

And a visit to Whangateau would not be completer without a Laughing Lady work-in-process photo

A Day At One Of My Favorite Boating Spots – Whangateau

Yesterday (Saturday 29/11/2014) saw an informal (is there ever a formal one) gathering of young & old salts at the Whangateau Traditional Boat Yard. The objective being to launch as many of the classic yachts as possible & hold a race. Unfortunately Hughie had other plans & the wind was just too much for the old bodies & boats. Saying that, the brave did go out & had a blast, our hostess had a wee swim & a tow back……….., relax Pam the photos are safe with me 😉

One of my reasons for rocking up today was to see Harold Kidd’s just restored ‘Retaliation’, fresh from a Pam & George restoration. Retaliation was built by Rex Rix in 1933 to beat the Idle Alongs in Wellingtron, but didn’t. She carrys the same rig. Today she looked stunning & Pauline and Harold Kidd + Hugh Gladwell braved the conditions & had a very quick blast up & down the harbour.

To quote Russell Ward – you know it is blowing when a Zeddie takes a reef in! refer photo of Hugh Gladwell  in Olive (Z9).
Russell took the youngest woody boaters out for a lap of the harbour, things started a little ‘loud’ but the arrival of mum helped & as you’ll see from the photos from in the creek, bliss and happiness was achieved on board.

As always it was a great family day & to a foodie like me , the lunch was a big bonus –  the fresh hot smoked snapper just perfect.

The day had a sad element – we were buzzed by the Westpac Rescue chopper & advised that they were searching for a missing fisherman. It a appears he & a friend were fishing in a small RIB in the entrance to the harbour (actually tied off the channel marker) when an oar was lost overboard & one of the fisherman dived in (fully clothed & sans a life jacket) to attempt to retrieve the oar. The current can be very savage in the area & he disappeared below the surface.
Not long after, I left the boat yard to visit Shane Anderson & the chopper was doing repeat sweeps of the coastline in front of his place. It appears the fisherman has drowned, so lets not let this life be wasted i.e. lets use this incident to remind us to wear our vests, particularly when we are in small boats.

As always a special thank you to Pam & George 🙂

 

Sailing Sunday – Mystery Yacht

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Sailing Sunday – Mystery Yacht
photo ex Keith Ottaway

Keith was having a clean out & found the photo below, he presumes it’s a contact print from one of the glass plates he has from his wife’s great grandfather Collins collection.

Not sure of the date – but the collection starts around 1895, looking at that ship that is dressed in the background – this looks later than that  – possibly up
to  1920.

So todays mystery is – name the boat and the date. The name most likely starts with a T or a W 😉