One of the many photos on display over the weekend at the Milford Cruising Clubs 100th birthday celebrations is the one shown above of the stunning yacht. The photo is captioned ‘Yacht at Milford Estuary 192?’ So that doesn’t really help us much 🙂
The photo caught the eye of both Harold Kidd and myself, but drew a blank. Our best was 22>24’ in length .
So woodys can we ID the yacht? WW burgee to the first woody that puts a correct name / builder to her – subject to HDK giving his ‘could be – sign off 🙂
AND WOODYS THE MCC PHOTO EXHIBITION IS STILL ON TODAY – 10AM > 4PM AT 24 CRAIG ROAD , MILFORD
Back in June 2022 WW was contacted by the owner of the 1949 36’ yacht – Gale C4
Her story goes something like this – Gale was designed by Charles Bailey Jnr., but not built till 40>50 years later, possibly in Titirangi West Auckland, builder unknown. Construction is two skin kauri on Oregon stringer.
At the time WW was contacted her owner was going thru the ‘do I – dont I’ stage in regard to either a restoration or selling Gale as-is-where-is.
Do we know what happened – hopefully it was a ‘I Do’ decision and Gale is tucked away in a shed somewhere.
FANTASY SOS – Sailing Sunday On Friday I received a heads up about the 30’ yacht – Fantasy, lofted by a Bill Spence, a Sheltans Islander and built in the Pattersons yard, St Aspeh Street, Christchurch c.1948. Her planked hull is Oregon and post launching her keel was moulded in the sand at Brighton Beach, try and get away with that today 🙂 Fantasy’s owners have had her for 40 years and sadly have made the decision to pass the yacht onto a new owner who will undertake the work required.Fantasy was accidentally sunk in Port of Terakoe and an exhausting legal battle followed, her owners do not have what it takes to begin the refit.
Her solid rimu interior is still in excellent condition and beautiful. As shown in the above photos, Fantasy is now in a cradle at the owners property in Golden Bay, Nelson and they would like her to go to someone who is able to restore her.
Fantasy has a great back story, having sailed in the Centennial race which resulted in New Zealand’s greatest yachting disaster, the owners have a lot of information and records relating to this, including Fantsy’s log of that race. The asking price on tme is $1 so there must be a woody out there looking for a project.
Recently woody Simon Smith commented that all the mystery launches were a struggle for the stick & rag brigade that follow WW. Simon sent in the above photo , so today can we ID the yacht and possibly the design.
INPUT ex Jim Lott – Hull looks like an early Bert Woollacott. Could well be Vectis, but only if she was later rerigged. When I had Vectis in 1972-6 she had two sets of spreaders and the boom was a bit shorter.
INPUT ex Robin Elliott – Although the boat is Vectis, that “23/7/23” date is a bit dodgy. Vectis was not launched until 1930. NZ Herald 15/11/30: Mr. Wollacott’s new cruiser Vectis, which, is ready for launching at Devonport during this week-end was registered in the C class, although her waterline length of 27 feet would qualify her for the B class if length alone was the deciding factor. Vectis is 31ft overall and a wholesome type of cruiser.
I can’t just leave you with one photo of a yacht so check out the short film below of Auckland’s North Shore in the 1920’s. It was filmed an advertisement for the Devonport Ferry Company showcasing what the shore offered.
For the time poor just fast forward to the 4:14 mark – some great footage of the Devonport waterfront and craft hauled out at the Devonport Yacht Club + Bayswater in its heyday , how did we ever let that gem of a location slide into the condition it is today?.
Further on there is some excellent sailing footage and I love the pond yachts. ENJOY (ex Ngatira Tronga Sound & Vision) – CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW
Another great photo shared with us by Dean Wright from the Tauranga Library archives.
We see the yacht – Manutere alongside a wharf, dated April 1964 and given the bridge in the background – has to be Tauranga.
Can anyone enlighten us more on the yacht (motorsailer?).
Short story today, waking up in the Waikato after a highly esteemed woodys 80th birthday party last night – great party, topped off with an All Black win 🙂
Chatting online last week with Laurie Jury from Blair Boats and he commented that currently had at the yard a yacht named – Taioma that was built by the Lidgard Bros. in 1948, Laurie understands she was probably designed by Fred Lidgard.
Taioma ended up on the rocks in the Bay of Islands and was rescued from being scrapped.
The original plans were for Blair Boats to spline and fiberglass her (she is also carvel planked kauri) for the gent that ’saved’ her. So far the yard have removed the interior and repaired most of the broken ribs (about 20 of them) , scraped off all the paint and started to clean out the joins in the planks ready to spline. Laurie advised that unfortunately her owner now has other commitments and the boat is now looking for a new custodian to take on the project.
The 36’ Fraulien Maree would probably just just slip into the CYA criteria as a classic, designed and built by Jim Ashby in 1967. Her tme listing states that she is a Mullet design, someone from the yotting fraternity will have to explain that. Built with kauri planks on Kowhai frames and matte decks. Rather a sexy stern.
Her interior is very salty with that classic Herreshoff look – white panels with varnished trim.
When the wind dies there is a 30hp Vetus diesel to push her along.
I was poking around some old WW files and came across the above photo of the 1894 Logan built gaffer Waitangi, the photo is dated 1897 and shows her hauled out near the Logan yard in Devonport, Auckland.
The image was originally sent in by Keith Humphreys.
The colour photo I took back in Sept 2018, that is 121 year apart – most impressive.
In the WW story link below there is a video filmed by Roger Miles back in 2016, gives us a good insight into sailing Waitangi.
Well if you believe the NZ Classic Yacht Association constitution – steel construction gets the tick as being eligible to fly the CYA burgee.
So today we feature the 70’ steel schooner – Haparanda, designed and built by John Lundmark in 1960. She under went a refit in 2008. Haparanda is in charter, based in the Viaduct in Auckland so could be a nice retirement business for an old salt. The asking price ($1.3million) might narrow the list of buyers.
With a beam of nearly 15’ she is a fulsome lass and can sleep >12 people. When the sails are all stowed away a 95hp Gardner gets her along at 9+ knots.
Haparanda is a boat that I have walked past many times berthed in the city, now we get to see below decks. Buy a Lotto ticket 😉
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