Category Archives: Tales & Yarns

Fritha

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FRITHA

Chatting with Chris McMullen and he mentioned that he had been recently contacted by Morgan Dawicki, the captain of the 74’ Brigantine – Fritha that Chris built back in 1986 for Jack R Butland. Chris commented that Jack Butland came to him with a modern design of what some one imagined a old time sailing vessel should look like. Chris was horrified and found him a nice design depicted in a 1940’s Rudder Magazine he had. They tracked down the designers son and bought the plans. The result  was ‘The Fritha’ and a very happy owner. Chris said he owed a great deal to the Butland family. McMullen and Wing built them three significant wooden boats. The first order placed was when Chris was under thirty years old.

These days Fritha is owned by the Northeast Maritime Institute, USA, who have recently dedicated a room to Jack Butland at the Institute, check out the opening here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5L13LucfDQ

Her captain – Morgan told Chris that they are doing their best to share the lovely lady with our Kiwi friends and to share in her memories. His words were “She truly is the most beautiful boat on the water (in my opinion!) The craftsmanship is impeccable and it is nice to make the acquaintance of one of her builders”.

As of late, she has been spending the winters in North Carolina and summers in Buzzards Bay as a sail training ship for local high school age students. We mostly sail around Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

The Butland’s are a very old New Zealand boating family and their name has been alongside some of our best  examples of NZ boat building e.g.

J R Butland • an H28 then a Sailar 40 then the Fritha.

Ken Butland • Triton then Sirdar.

J M Butland • Thetis built by Lane Motor Boat Co. Panmure.

• Dufesne built by Max Carter.

• Durville built by Steel Yachts and Launches (McMullen and Wing)

• Inverness built by McMullen and Wing

Pleasant Surprise – while mooching around Mahurangi during the recent regatta weekend, a gent by the name of Tony McNeight unbeknown to me did a sketch of my Raindance, and it popped up on facebook. If you ever want a sketch / drawing of your boat, give Tony a call  021 925 031

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Eileen Patricia Restoration Update

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EILEEN PATRICIA RESTORATION UPDATE

Last Sunday we went for a drive out west, well more nor-west, to Helensville. The destination being Marco Scuderi’s classic boat yard to view the almost complete 1933 Arnold Couldrey designed and built motor launch Eileen Patricia.
EP first appeared on WW back in November 2014 as Linden  https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/11/11/9603/  and then she was desperately crying out for a new owner. With the help of Nathan Herbert we identified that she was previously named Eileen Patricia and in her as launched style was a very pretty woody. I encouraged any Woodys looking for a project to step-up.
Peter Mence did just that and quickly purchased her and trucked her off to Marco’s shed. Fast forward 4+years and a launch date is looking imminent. As you would expect from Marco, Peter and Jenny the standard of work is just faultless – some would say OTT but not me – EP is perfect in every way.
So today we have a sneak peek at her as she nears completion. I didn’t take a lot of photos as we will save that for the launching.
Also got to catch up with the other projects Marco has underway – an almost total rebuild of a Riva Super Aquarama (the varnish work on her is amazing) + a new build of a Rozinate day sailer (photos below) and the next cab off the rank – the 1906 Logan 38′ A-Class Keeler – Victory A8.

HELP WANTED – Does anyone have one of the below in their shed?

Woody Baden Pascoe is looking for one to fit a 16′ dinghy.

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Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade – 2019 Photo Gallery

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Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade – 2019 Photo Gallery

For the first time in yonks I missed this years Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade, but thanks to the Jason Prew and Rod Prosser we get to see a cool collection of photos from the day ( 9th February 2019) . As always it is a huge day with a diverse collection of craft fronting up for the parade and most event picnic. It would have to be one of the most fun woody events on the calendar.
As always – click photos to enlarge – Enjoy 🙂
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Auckland Is So Close To Having a World Class Working Traditional Boatyard – But Also So Close To Stuffing It Up

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Auckland Is So Close To Having a World Class Working Traditional Boatyard – But We Are Also So Close To Stuffing It Up
The hottest topic around the waterfront & has been for way too long is – what’s happening with the Percy Vos yard. Everyone has a different story & reckons their version is fact.
All I can tell you is that we are dangerously close to mucking it up. It is almost a joke, the issue has been around for over 15+ years, I have reproduced below a submission that was produced back in Feb 2005……… thats exactly 14 years ago. It shows what the yard could look like & examples of successful working wooden boat yards.
So woodys the question today is – whats wrong with Auckland Council and its many public facing departments? They do some wonderful work across the city & at times move fast e.g. they decided what the America’s Cup bases will look like & approved them in a few years – so why is this project dragging on?
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Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2019 – Photo Parade – Part 3 – 90 photos + video

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TAMARIKI – Peter Mortimer

Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2019 – Photo Parade – Part 3 – 90 photos + video

For the few of you that have seen enough beautiful boats in the last few days, I promise today will be the last AWBF photo gallery. But for the record Tuesdays AWBF WW story out performed Mondays story and had in fact the highest number of views of any story on WW in the last 12 months 🙂
Today our gallery comes to us from the camera of CYA NZ Chairperson – James  Mortimer. On top of capturing some great photos, James was in a very unique position at the festival – his father Peter was exhibiting the 1979, Gary Wheeler built yacht – Tamariki (photo above), which was the only NZ flagged boat in attendance, and they briefly had the past two NZ CYA chairs and the current one on board for a beer at the same time, nice.
Again, different person = different perspective – enjoy and remember , click on photos to enlarge.
And as a bonus we also have a video of the James Craig leaving her dock – would be nice to have a vessel of her presence based on the Waitemata. Filmed by Andrew Christie.

Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2019 – Photo Parade – Part 2 – 337 photos

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Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2019 – Photo Parade – Part 2 – 337 photos

One of the interesting things reviewing all the photos that have been sent in from the festival is that each person ’sees’ the festival through different eyes – so what they end up photographing is very different from someone else.
Todays collection from Fiona Driver and Rod Marler is a perfect example, it is a very different view from yesterdays and also shows the scale of the event. Worthy of its own WW story.
I could have edited the collection down, but the photographer/s are very passionate woodys so if the image appealed to them, I’m confident it will to you. Enjoy 🙂
Scroll down after todays photo gallery to view more of the festival in Part 1 of the coverage.
And remember , click on photos to enlarge.

Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2019 – Photo Parade – 200 Classic Wooden Boat Photos – Part 1

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AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL 2019 – HOBART, TASMANIA – PHOTO PARADE 200 CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT PHOTOS

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Well woodys while I was gutted that I had to cancel my trip to the festival, I honestly believe that we have ended up with a better view of the festival. I have been inundated with photos from woodys from both sides of the Tasman. The coolest thing is that the show is so big and the exhibitions so broad, that there have hardly been any duplications – my new best Aussie woody friend – Andrew Christie has excelled with photos from the air (drone) and on the water (he borrowed a clinker dinghy from the ‘Living Boat Trust’ and rowed around the docks). My kiwi woody friends –  Colin and Sheryl Pawson + Fiona Driver and Rod Marler + James Mortimer  have supplemented Andrew’s photos with more stunning photos from their camera’s. As an aside Andrew won the AWBF 2019 short film festival, with his entry ‘Wooden Boat Lunacy’ featuring a Billy Holmes built motorboat – Folly III. This short film has been featured on WW – link here    https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/11/08/folly-iii/
Rather than mix them all up – I thought it would cool to group them by photographer. There will be more to share with you over the next few days, seems like everyone has maxed out the mobile data packages 🙂
Remember you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them – Enjoy
Andrew Christie

 

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James Mortimer
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A Very Big Woody Weekend Down Under

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A Very Big Woody Weekend Down Under
This weekend is a very big woody weekend DOWNUNDER, we have the Lake Rotoiti Classic& Wooden Boat Parade in NZ and over in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia – it’s the bi-annual Australian Wooden Boat Festival.
Both events are huge and will be covered by waitematawoodys. Starting with the AWBF tomorrow (Monday). I have Woodys at both events sending in photos, including drone video footage, which brings a whole new perspective to our coverage.
The photos above come to us from Colin Pawson & Andrew Christie
Below is a short drone video of the fleet in what they call the Parade of Sail on the River Derwent. Many thanks to Australian woody, Andrew Christie for this video and tomorrows photo gallery.
P-CLASS P500 DAFFY DUCK
We cover everything on woodys – from mega events to a guy trying to track down the P-Class yacht his father built for him 55 years ago 🙂 Does anyone know the where-about of P500 (Duffy Duck) ? Paul Silva would love to know that she is still around and if possible have a look at her. He’s also keen to buy her – so woodys can anyone help Paul out?

Jo Marli + Robert Brooke mnzm

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Jo Marli

The photos of the above boat – Jo Marli, were sent to me by Nathan Herbert, and were taken during the recent Mahurangi Regatta weekend.
Nathan also sent in the b/w photo (most likely taken somewhere along Beaumont Street, Auckland City) and commented that the boat on the hard left is the same boat.
Can anyone tell us more about Jo Marli?
Input from Harold Kidd
Robert well deserves his MNZOM. It’s just so nice that his life’s work is recognised as having national value.
JO MARLI first appears in 1962 owned by R.R. Miller of 346 Dominion Road and he continues as owner for many years after that. She’s been on the Mahurangi for 10 years or so.

MNZM for Robert Brooke

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In case you missed the news, Robert Brooke was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in the New Years Honours.(story ex CYA Sheerlines newsletter)

Mr Robert Brooke has helped preserve New Zealand’s wooden boatbuilding heritage and continues to contribute to and advise pro bono on boatbuilding and restoration to this day. Brooke pioneered and was pivotal in the integration of the ‘Design-and-Build’ mode of teaching and learning into the national curriculum of Workshop Technology. Where previously students copied existing designs or components, under Design-and-Build students conceive the design and see it through to completion. This principle has become the mainstay of technology education and is flourishing under the NCEA environment. He was an advisor in technical subjects for the then Department of Education from 1987 to 1990 and was the National Moderator of the Northern Region appointed to assess National Standards. He has been National Examiner for Ship, Yacht and Boatbuilding and has been a member of the Ship, Yacht and Boatbuilding Advisory Committee for Unitec. He has moderated Ship, Yacht and Boatbuilding Trade and Advanced Trade examinations. He has been General Manager of the Boating Industry Training Organisation. He was commissioned from 2003 to 2005 to design and set up the Boatbuilding Training and Apprenticeship Scheme for the Nova Scotia Boatbuilders’ Association in Canada. Mr Brooke was a leading figure in the establishment of the Auckland Traditional Boatbuilding School.

Message from Robert Brook

A very sincere thank you for all the congratulatory messages.

Education, the Marine industry and Classic boats have been a large part of my life and it has been a great.

Thank you again.

Robert

Geoff & Warrick Bagnall’s Achilles Relaunched

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GEOFF & WARRICK BAGNALL’s ACHILLES RELAUNCHED
Saturday was a very special day for the Auckland woody community – we got to celebrate with Milford boatbuilder Geoff Bagnall as he re-launched the 31’ 1973 Roy Parris designed and built launch – Achilles.
Geoff has built and restored a lot of very fine craft in his 19 years at the Milford yard, but the refit of Achilles is extra special because she used to be his fathers boat. Amazingly Warrick was there to witness the launching and he looked very happy, on two fronts – seeing Achilles back family ownership and it was also his 90th birthday, a cake appeared and a bloke’ish version of happy birthday was sung 🙂
Geoff also served his apprenticeship under Roy Parris so the bond with the launch is deep.
Achilles will most likely be Geoff’s last big project – in a few days he will close the shed for the last time – that is a very sad day for us woody owners but this story is all about Warrick, Geoff and Achilles, more on the future of the shed later. Today we had 4 generations of the Bagnall family coming together for the party.
Over the last 18 months I have watched Geoff crafting over the refit and the standard of workmanship and design smarts is second to none, the man has a very good eye for size, proportion and just what looks right when it comes to boats. I have had the pleasure to have Geoff work on Raindance for over 10 years and she is now twice the boat she was when I bought her in terms of practicality and looks, as a result of Geoff’s input and craft.
Some details on the ’new’ Achilles – she now measures 31’ in length, is powered by a new Yanmar 200hp turbo that will she her dancing along very nicely. That stunning finish comes from being glassed (I quote Geoff- “I don’t want to be bloody working on her again in my life-time”) and she has all the latest features to make life aboard very comfortable. There are still a few wee jobs to complete but I think you’ll agree from the photos above and video below, Achilles is an impressive sight and a wonderful example of Geoff’s skills.

 

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Below is a selection of photos taken ‘in-the-shed’ during the refit.
As always – click on photos to enlarge 😉

To view a selection of launches built by Roy Parris – click this link https://waitematawoodys.com/tag/roy-parris/page/1/