Category Archives: Tales & Yarns

WORLDWIDE CLASSIC BOAT SHOW- FREE ACCESS TICKET

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WORLDWIDE CLASSIC BOAT SHOW- FREE ACCESS TICKET FOR WW READERS

As you read this I’ll be winging my way to Hobart for the 2025 Australian Wooden Boat Festival. There will be daily posts of the best thats on display so check in each day.

Readers of WW will be familiar with my addiction to the USA based v-blog OFF CENTER HARBOR, one of the super cool gigs these guys pull together is the annual WORLDWIDE CLASS BOAT SHOW, which waitematawoodys is co-sponsoring this year. The online show kicks off on February 14th – and as a WW reader you get a Free Ticket to the Worldwide Classic Boat Show

See over 1,200 of the world’s best wooden boats at the show. The show is 100% online/virtual, February 14 to March 2nd, so you’ll get free access to everything from your favorite lounge chair at home.
You can CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE TICKET/PASS.

WHAT’S AT THE SHOW? 

  • World Map – Everything related to classic boats on one interactive world map
  • Boats – Beautiful photos and details of 1,200+ of the world’s best classic boats
  • Organizations – Explore festivals, boatbuilders, clubs, museums, schools, etc.
  • Live Presentations – Inspiring presentations featuring experts on a variety of topics
  • People – Connect with other attendees anywhere in the world (right on the map)

Your free ticket will get you into all of these presentations:

  • Arctic Solo Sailor Veronica Skotnes
  • Yacht Restoration w/ Dave Snediker
  • Indigenous and African Maritime Legacies w/ Akeia de Barros Gomes
  • Why Are These the Best Boat Festivals? w/ Port Townsend, France, and Australia
  • Two-Tim Race to Alaska Winner Jeanne Goussev
  • Marine Systems w/ Kevin Ritz from NWSWB
  • Small Boat Design w/ John Welsford, Clint Chase, and Ross Lillistone

+ SUBMIT YOUR OWN BOAT:
They’re still accepting boat submissions too, so you can CLICK HERE to submit your own boat to be in the show.
Enjoy the show

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ATHENA

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ATHENA

The 1962 Des Donovan designed and  built launch – ATHENA has made several appearances on WW and has had a very colourful life.

She is 48’ in length, has a beam of 12’11” and draws 5’5”. Forward motion is from a 127hp Gardner 6LX.

When I arrived last Friday night at Scotts Landing, Mahurangi I dropped anchor alongside ATHENA and was greeted by an old friend Dave Holmes who had just purchased her.

A great back story – owned by a Coromandel farmer who undertook a 10 year refit on her. All the interior wood was felled and milled on his property. Dave had been aware the ATHENA had been on/off the market for over a year and approached the owner and made an offer – sold.

So the Mahurangi Regatta weekend was really the shake down cruise.

I was invited aboard for a sun-downer and took the photos above. A few exterior items that need addressing but Dave is the man for that, having once owner the launch – WAIMIGA. 

One of the things that makes ATHENA so special is she is a member of the sub-mariners club – Cameron Pollard told us the story a few years ago – “ATHENA ran over a bit of NZ ( like many still do) and sadly when the tide dropped so did the boat and she filled up and skidded off the rock. Story has it she was lost for quite a few days as the tide took her for a underwater voyage. When she was later found and salvaged the mud and foul inside her was quite unreal.” Photo below (ex K Ricketts) of the opps

So to see her on Friday living her best life was very special and testament to the skills of the tradespeople that have worked on her in recent years.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ROSELLA 

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ROSELLA 

Todays woody is the launch – ROSELLA.  I was sent the above photo by John Dawson who saw it in a classic yachting newsletter. Accompanying the photo was an update on the craft from her current owner – Danvers Devereux.

“We rescued ROSELLA a few years ago due to our connection with Great Barrier Island, producing the Great Barrier Island Bee Co range of body care products. We were fascinated with the island’s history as well as classic boats.

ROSELLA was built in 1928 by the Voss boat builders at Westhaven for the Blackwell family. She became well known for carrying the Barrier Island honey and produce back to the wharfs in Auckland to be traded. Because of this she became known as “the honey boat”

She also made many mercy missions with Adam Blackwell to help the sick or injured off the “Barrier”. She was like the Westpac helicopter back in her day!

We found her by chance and luck, high in the Coromandel ranges, ironically next to some beehives! No trucking company could assist due to 4WD access, so it was down to some Kiwi DIY, a long trailer and a Land Rover, followed by a 7-hour drive back to Matakana. She is now parked outside our Great Barrier Island honey gallery/museum.We hope to explore opportunities this year on how we can go about possibly restoring her.”

Back in Oct 2022 W ran a story on a launch also named ROSELLA,, as seen in the photo below. At the time we were trying to learn more about her – ex a Lew Redwood fb story we learnt that the photo was from the Auckland Library Heritage collection and was tagged 1930>1939. The location was Falls Park, Henderson, West Auckland. Sadly we learnt no more.
So woodys – todays question is – are these two craft the same or just share the same name.

24-01-2025 input EX HAROLD KIDD – I think that the Falls Park launch is the 24 footer ROSELLE (not ROSELLA) built in May 1914 by/for Peter A Smith of St Mary’s Bay for Reeves Currie with an Alpha engine.

CROSSING THE BAR

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CROSSING THE BAR

Pretty short post today – lacking a bit in motivation. 

Yesterday afternoon we celebrated the life of David Cooke, one of the classic boating communities seriously good guys.  

I had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with David on and off the water and any conversation with the man always made me smile.

The photo above of David aboard his motor launch – TRINIDAD was taken in the Marlborough Sounds in February 2018 , the Cookes had invited myself and Jamie Hudson to share the Whangaroa > Picton leg with them on their circumnavigation of New Zealand. Probably the best time afloat I have had. This photo is David in his happy place – peeling the spuds for dinner, a glass of chardonnay nearby and tray of snacks.

Link to the cruise here – so many memories https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/02/26/my-big-woody-adventure/

David and Barbara were one of the tightest couples I know and there is a quote that I think goes like this – “Death ends a life, not a relationship”, so woodys to those that had the pleasure of knowing David and Barbara,  going forward don’t be a stranger, make the effort to keep Barbara in the communication / invite loop.

RIP David Cooke 04-12-2024

CLASSIC 1948 WOODEN LAUNCH – MAKURA

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Ex Sea Spray Magazine

CLASSIC 1948 WOODEN LAUNCH – MAKURA

In late November 2024 WW attended the relaunch of the very salty 24’, 100 year old ex workboat named  – MARISSA at the Te Atatu Boating club. While there her owners, the Monaghan family, very generously shared an old photo album. One the woody craft included in the album was the Collings & Bell built bridge-decker – MAKURA. Seen in the first two photos above.

MAKURA last made a cameo appearance on WW back in 2013 when Harold Kidd and Russell Ward contributed to a WW story titled ’The Collings & Bell Bridge-deckers’ – link below https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/07/09/the-collings-and-bell-bridgedeckers/

In the story we learnt that MAKURA was built in 1949 for W D C  & C H Leighton and fitted with a 6 cylinder Chrysler Crown. They sold her to Phil Seabrook of Seabrook & Fowlds in 1957. He fitted the Nordberg a year or so later. Phil Seabrook had Billy Rogers design and build LADY DIANA for him in 1950 and fitted her with the Austin Skipper from new, replacing it with a 155hp Nordberg sleeve-valve engine in 1956 shortly before he sold LADY DIANA to Monte Winter and bought MAKURA. 

Later owners were V F Adams (1966) and W G Boughtwood (1973). Back in 2013 she was in Picton.The photo of MAKURA above was taken by Russell in 1961. Russell commented at the time that she was a fine looking ship. Also shown is a photo of MAKURA as built from the July 1951 edition of Sea Spray magazine.

MYSTERY CLASSIC LAUNCH + COASTGUARD TO THE RESCUE

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MYSTERY CLASSIC LAUNCH + COASTGUARD TO THE RESCUE

The b/w photos above were sent in by Mark Sorrenson (MV ), Mark spotted the framed photo in a 2nd and shop in Thames last week. The sale sticker said ‘Auckland Pre WW2.’

Mark bought the photo with the thought that someone following WW may own this boat and would like the photo. Mark commented that he was happy to hand it on. So woodys – can we ID the boat. My guess is – LINDA or WIRIHANA

INPUT ex NATHAN HERBERT – the vessel is ALCESTIS refer HAROLD KIDD input below.

INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – Nathan is right, it’s MOLLIE, built by Joe Slattery in 1919 for Percy Colebrook, heavily modified by Colin Wild for the Guthries in 1928 and renamed ALCESTIS. Alf Seccombe of Lion Breweries bought her in 1936 and renamed her RAIONA (Maori version of LION). The image from the book came from Richmond. My memory is that it was miscaptioned “MARION D” at Richmond. MOLLIE, as originally built in 1919 looked nothing like this image. It’s not the first time people have been confused about the boat. Even at the time she was confused with GLADYS II / RONGO as well as IMANOTA (I) / MARION D which were also extensively altered out of recognition.

COASTGUARD MEMBERSHIP CAN BE GOOD VALUE

The owners of the launch – WAIKARO got their monies worth from their CG membership over the weekend. WAIKARO was off Leigh on route to Whangreai when they had a mechanical issue (the two joined sections of the water pump pulley decided they no longer liked each other and parted company). Kawau Volunteer Coastguard towed WAIKARO to Tiri where they handed WAIKARO over to theHibiscu CG to continued the tow back to her Auckland marina berth. The Kawau CG commented that conditions weren’t pleasant – “20 knots+ from west-southwest with gusts over 30 knots + a confused 1m sea” Check out the video below. I think the skipper of WAIKARO was very fortunate that Mrs WAIKARO wasn’t on-board 🙂

The boys at the Slipway Milford came to the rescue with a replacement pulley harvested off CONNIE V.

HAPPY NEW YEAR WOODYS + A Peek Into Why WW Is NZ’s #1 Boating Media Hub

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HAPPY NEW YEAR WOODYS + A Peek Into Why WAITEMATA WOODYS Is NZ’s #1 Boating Media Hub

As the first day of the new year I thought I’d give you a peek into the big black box that stores all the data behind the waitematawoodys weblog. Only a peek because some of the intel is very revealing in terms of what and when the classic boating community consume online, and I’m not interested in helping other marine media that struggle to maintain their existing channels and grow online.

SOME STATS: 

• 2024 site visits and viewing numbers – highest ever. To date the site has received in excess of 13 million views.

• Followers / subscribers – grew in 2024 by 73%. A reflection that at last people have accepted the tech and now receive daily updates on new and updated stories.

• Biggest Single Viewed 2024 Story – 36,384 views in a 24hr period.

• Most referenced stories – still Chris McMullen’s learnings on electro-chemical damage in wooden boats – links below. https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/03/18/loving-your-boat-to-death-electro-chemical-destruction-underwater-rot/ https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/04/28/electro-chemical-damage-in-wooden-boats

• Most popular viewing day and time – after 10 years its changed – quite a surprise, possibly reflection on the ageing database.

• Lowest viewing month – October.

• Viewing Numbers by country – NZ > AUST > USA > UK > CANADA – Its taken a long time but the UK numbers have finally hit the 4 digits.

• Most clicked on (enlarged) single photo 2024 – MY GIRL in the anniversary day launch drag race – photo above.

• Most viewed single photo ever – Classic Launch Parma Sinks Under Harbour Bridge – photo above.

• And if there was an award for the WTF is that boat & why we need to protect our classic fleet – the last photo above that I received a couple of days ago from a woody hunkered down at Kawau Island would be the winner. They commented “Attached is a photo of an alien craft that has landed in Bon Accord Harbour today. A small group of well weathered boaties here on the KBC deck tonight have declared this to be an unqualified failure in boat design and who ever was responsible was on some really bad stuff at the time. The owner has no right to position it amongst the fleet of Kiwi designed and built vessels anchored here in such a beautiful location.”

In 2024 I was interviewed for a feature story in my local newspaper, as part of the process I supplied the brief below.

Whats the waitematawoodys website all about Dedicated to the study and appreciation of classic kiwi wooden boats. WW was founded upon a desire to tell the stories and a need to archive history of our classic wooden boats, the craftsman who built them & characters that owned and crewed on them. Visiting the weblog is like a bunch of people in the boat club bar, there will be stuff discussed you know, stuff you know nothing about and stuff you want to know more about. That’s what waitematawoodys is about – gathering stories, photos, history, reminiscences.

Never in a blue moon when I started the waitematawoodys.com weblog could I have seen it becoming as popular as it has. Along the way the site has morphed to also become an awesome information source for just about anything connected to wooden boating.

Some facts:
• 13,000,000+ views • 20,000+ people visiting the site per day, 7 days a week • 3700+ stories available online • 46,000+ photos published online • A photo library of over 80,000 photos.

The site is search-able by style of vessel, size, age, designer, builder, method of construction, location, method of propulsion e.g. sail / power. These days in excess of 50% of the site visitation is research based, as compared to reading the story of the day. If it is wooden boat related everyone ends up at waitematawoodys

None of this would have happened without in the early days input from people way more worldly in the wooden boating community than myself. The list of people that have shared their family photo albums, stories and knowledge with waitematawoodys is huge and  the site just wouldn’t be what it is today without these people.  I’ve made so many friends, and been fortunate to rub shoulders with a lot in person. 

Here’s To An Even Bigger 2025

CLASSIC YACHT – ROSEMARY F6 – Looking for intel on this yacht & past owner

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CLASSIC YACHT – ROSEMARY F6 – Looking for intel on this yacht & past owner

Recently WW was connected by Phil Doyle asking for help expanding on his knowledge of the yacht ROSEMARY. I’ll let Phil tell the story.

“Going back to the 1960’s and 1970’s my father knew a group of then young architects who sailed with Major Johnson and I remember outrageous stories involving various misadventures involving the colourful Major including serving his crew porridge only discover he had used soap powder as the main ingredient. 
I had not given the ROSEMARY a thought until recently when Mr Paul Chevis who has an old Woollacot yacht said his father sailed on the ROSEMARY (he is seen in the above photo) and that the Major made a number of trips to the Three Kings taking scientists and that a number of plants were named after him in-recognition .  Wondering if any one can flesh out his story as he is part of a lost breed of adventurer.”

2025 AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL – The Perfect Xmas Present

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2025 AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL – The Perfect Xmas Present

Starting to get a little excited about heading over the ditch in early 2025 (Feb7>10th) for the 2025 AWBF. Have confirmed by support crew, booked flights and accommodation = so its locked and loaded.  NZ is getting its day in the sun this festival with a focus on the pacific region. But 95% of the show content will be beautiful varnished wooden craft, which WW will be reporting on.

If you’re at a loose end in early Feb and have a few pennies to spare – consider treating yourself this Christmas and get over to Hobart. Air NZ fly direct these days, and I can assure you as a woody lover you won’t regret it.
Link here to the offical 2025 Festival https://www.australianwoodenboatfestival.com.au

CLASSIC 1916 WOODEN CRAFT – MAKORA

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CLASSIC 1916 WOODEN CRAFT – MAKORA

The 35’’ woody – MAKORA was supposedly built by Baillie Bros in 1916 and started life as a yacht. To my eye she has a very fetching rear end, when it comes to lookouts hard to fault as canoe stern.

What we know about her is that she is 35’x9’6″x4′ and powered by a 40hp, 3 cyl. Fordson Dexter engine that gets her along nicely at 7 knots at 1600rpm. This we know thanks to Ian McDonald and tme.

Anyone know more about her past.

19-12-2024 HAROLD KIDD INPUT – MAKORA was built by Chas Bailey Jr in 1914 for Fred Alison of the Devonport Steam Ferry Co as a launch not a yacht. Her original power was twin 9hp Andersons (Christchurch built) for which Bailey was the Auckland agent.