Category Archives: Working Boats

2015 Mahurangi Regatta Weekend – 70+ Photos

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2015 Mahurangi Regatta Weekend – 70+ Photo Parade

The photos tell the story of the weekend – perfect weather, stunning boats & nice people having a great time. Todays post is just a slice of the 3 days of classic wooden boating. I have 100’s of photos that will filter thru into ww over time. Not all are ‘picture perfect’ – its hard to helm the boat (solo) & take photos in a very congested waterway.
As always you’ll see a mix of motor-boats & yachts because even though some people seem blind to the world of classic launches – the weekend is in fact the biggest collection of classic wooden boats afloat in one place in NZ. Remember people – its all about wooden boats 🙂
Saturday nights prize giving & dance ashore at Scotts Landing was one of those evenings out of the bag – a perfect sunset to cap the day off, the panoramic photo above was sent to me by Mark Lever (owner of the very smart 1926, B.J.L. Juke designed launch – Nereides) & portrays the scene perfectly.
I counted 30+ classic CYA launches around the bays – I’m sure there were more, just didn’t see them all. The launches had a wee parade around the bays on the Saturday to fly the flag for the CYA launch fleet. There was a ‘names in the hat’ draw at the prize giving & one of our newest members – Bill Mitchinson owner of MV Gay Dawn, who traveled up from Tauranga for the weekend, won the ‘Motor Launch Log Trophy’. Now all we need is for last years winner (a non CYA member) to play the game & return the trophy 😦
The trip north for me had one big objective – to see Pauline & Harold Kidd’s just re-launched classic launch – Romance II afloat. Harold & boat builder Marco Scuderi have rebuilt R2’s dog-house & tram-top to pretty dam close to the day in 1919 she slipped down the Bailey & Lowe ramp. In my eyes her lines & proportions are spot-on. There is a photo of her in todays post but I will feature her in more detail on ww tomorrow.
Winners Are Grinners – the CYA boats, skippers & crew cleaned up all the major sailing races at the regatta – photos from the prize giving at the end of the post.
Enjoy & remember you can enlarge any photo by clicking on it 😉
Romance II
Weena
Wenna
Tuna
John Dory
John Dory and Ferro
Gay Dawn
Manapouri
Una
Duetto
Kiwitea
Orari II
Orari II
Tiromoana
Strathalan and Allergy
Mahanui
Mahanui
Kailua
Darleen
Tawera and Darleen
Lillian
CYA Launch Parade
CYA Launch Parade
Karros II
Korama (Thetis)
Shuh-Shuh-Gah
?
Lady Adelaide
Akarana
Raiona
Allergy
Kayla Rose
Zeltic
Ballerina
Kairanga
Matanui
Raindance
John Dory
Rainbow
Ngatira and Breeze
Ngatira
How you win – its all in the detail
Tawera and Peg
Scot
Thelma
Frances
Jessie Logan and ?
Jessie Logan
Frances
Frances
Rainbird
Breeze
Wairiki
Tawera (L) Thelma (R)

 

This is what makes the regatta racing so special – where else do you get sailing like this?

Yes, there were life jackets on-board for everyone

Saturday Night Prize Giving & Dance

 

Grinners Are Winners

Hamish Ross – Rainbow
Steve Horsley – Ngatira
Mike Mahoney – Tawera
Chad Thompson – Prize

Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta

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Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta

photo ex Heather & John Lidgard

Today is the 175th Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta, for a young country like NZ that is a significant milestone. Out on the water today will be boats of all sizes & ages, from radio controlled pond yachts to the giants of the classic fleet – the A-Class keelers. Now even if you are boat-less today, I encourage you to head down to the harbour & grab a good vantage point.

For classic wooden boat lovers – the key times are:
10.00am for the Tug Boat Race. New inner harbour course this year with the start off Princess Wharf
12.00pm for the A-Class classic fleet start, again off Princes Wharf

Full details on today’s events here  http://www.regatta.org.nz/the spectators

Today’s photo from 1946 shows spectators cramming every vantage point they can at Westhaven. The large concrete building looks a ‘little’ more impressive today as the home of the RNZYS. The large launch on the right was Claude Atherton’s Manuwai.

If you do get out, take the camera & send me some photos 🙂

It would be amiss of me if I did not mention some of the people behind today’s regatta – I’ll upset somebody by saying this (but that’s ok) but without the support & effort of this core group of people from the classic boating movement the regatta just would not happen – (in no order) – Bruce Tantrum, John Street, Baden Pascoe, Joyce Talbot, Eric Mahoney & others I’m sure.

Tug Boat Tuesday

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TUGBOAT TUESDAY

Now folks if you are in/around Auckland next Monday, you must check out the Tug Boat Race that is part of the Anniversary Day Regatta – some would say its the best part 🙂 its certainly the most spectacular & it all happens in the inner harbour (refer chart below). Just make your way to a vantage point (pack the binoculars) & I can guarantee you will be entertained.
The race starts at 10.00am. off Princes Wharf.

If you are a float, give them plenty of room – they are deceptively fast & rather large 🙂

Mahurangi Weekend 2015

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If you are even remotely interested in classic wooden boats – Mahurangi is where you want to be this coming long weekend 23>26th Jan.

Details below.

 

Ronomor

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RONOMOR

photo ex Baden Pascoe, details ex Geoff Brebner, Harold Kidd & Baden Pascoe

Geoff Brebner has been sniffing around for info on a launch by the name of Ronomor (row-no-more) which he had last seen a number of years back on the hard at Half Moon Bay. The small  amount he has been able to glean was that she was built at Stanley Bay by D M Darroch & Sons probably in the 1920’s. The story he heard was she was built to save them the frequent trips to the city side in the yard rowboat, hence the name Ro no mor.

Now in consultation (that sounds very posh for an email) with Harold Kidd, Harold agrees that Ronomor was built by Darroch  but originally as Albatross and renamed Ronomor after she was lengthened about 1919. She was used to commute to and from Omaha/Mahurangi rather than across the harbour and did at least two pleasure trips to the Bay of Plenty, probably why she finished up in Whitianga.
Harold advised that there were several Ronomors or variants of that name, which doesn’t help.

Now Baden Pascoe adds that his father fitted a Lees  Marine 90 hp Trader & that she did a good 10 knots. More photos to more ex Baden.

Anyone else able to add to the story of her past / present?

Avalon – the game fisher

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AVALON

photos & details ex Harold Kidd

The above 3 photos of Avalon are from the Tudor Collins Bay of Islands game fishing collection*.

Avalon 36′ x 8’6″ x 3’6′ was built by Collings & Bell in December 1927 for Peter Williams of Russell for use as a game fishing boat in the Bay of Islands. She was one of Collings’ typical concave-convex square bilge designs like Alma G, Manaaki, Lorna Doone and Zane Grey also built for the Zane Grey game fishing circus. She had a 85-100hp Redwing engine and was designed for 16 knots. She was often chartered by Zane Grey who took her to Bermagui, NSW in 1936 for game fishing (sharks) there,  she came back to NZ after the expedition. Some few years ago she was exported to the US to the Zane Grey Museum, somehow avoiding the then Antiquities Act.

*the images in the collection were bought at a flea-market by Sharon Knight who has made them available via Harold for all of ww followers to relish.

Photo below from classicgameboatsnz

More photos from the Tudor Collins collection – this time taken during the 1930’s visit of the Duke of Glouster. Mailed in by Ken Ricketts

avalon-14

avalon-15

Launches at Waipu Landing 1953

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Waipu Boats

photo & details ex Colin McKenzie ex New Zealand Herald Jan 1953.

A flotilla of launches & the scow Rahiri seen here at the Waipu Landing at the start of the celebrations to mark the arrival of the Nova Scotian settlers there 100 years previously.
From the left:
#1 Bridge decker on left (was owned by Mac Kelly, Beachlands) Colin has forgotten the name of the launch.

#2 Highland Lass (Jim Somner, Waipu)

#3 Bluebird, (John Munroe, Papakura)

#4 Spindrift, (Gordon McKenzie, Clevedon – Gordon was Colin’s father & Commodore of the Clevedon Cruising Club)

#5 Rahiri (Jock McKinnon, skipper). The remains of Rahiri are now to be seen in the sands/beach at Blackpool, Waiheke Island.

Moerangi

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MOERANGI

Moerangi is a 1901 Logan Bros 55’ 9” trawler style classic launch that spent most of her life as a fishing boat and ferry before undergoing 2 separate restorations the last in Whangarei costing I understand over $300,000.

Being royalty i.e. a genuine Logan, she has a wonderfully documented pedigree of ownership and escapades detailing her life over the last 113 years, which makes my life very easy when doing a ww post. Click the (blue) links below to view/read. Built in the Logan style triple skin heart kauri she has been restored by the expert shipwrights of The Wood Shed in Whangarei who obtained suitable heart kauri and replaced in the traditional manner all that was required, its interesting reading & you can see where the $300k went.

Powered by a 1950 Gardner 5L3 reconditioned in 1986 she has traveled approx 500 hours since and cruises 7-8kts at 750 rpm using approx 8 liters per hour. Accommodation is in 2 double staterooms forward with ensuite and aft plus 2 single berths. The wheelhouse has a large saloon and dining area, aft galley with 2 burner stove grill & oven, 3 way electric fridge, pressure H&C water, 1 heads and a separate full size shower. Electronics VHF, autopilot, GPS radar, depth-sounder & TV/DVD.

Moerangi is for sale (sales brochure below) & this really is one of those situations where someone can ‘profit’ at the expense of someone else e.g. all the money has been spent & the work done to sympathetically modernize this unique classic motor launch while retaining her graceful lines. Her next owner gets to enjoy the vessel without all the hard work & I’m sure at a discount to what was actually invested in her restoration.
Older photos

Akaroa Mail article 15/1/1988 click to enlarge

October 2014 ‘The Wood Shed’ shipwright work summary / report link Shipwright report October 2014 (2 pages)

Boating NZ Oct 2007 feature link Boating NZ Oct 2007 Article (5 pages)

Ownership history link Some Ownership history

Resolution

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RESOLUTION (Rio Rita)

1. Want to go cruising on a classic launch this Christmas?

2. Don’t have a spare $1,500,000 for a beach front holiday home.

If the answer was yes to either of the above then the phone call I received last week could make today your lucky day 🙂 Read on

NZ Kauri Carvel construction traditionally built 12.8m launch, from Collings & Bell shipyard in St Mary’s Bay, Auckland. Launched in 1929 and originally named “MV Rio Rita” this Ex survey vessel was tasked for 40 years as a tourist passenger ferry and royal mail vessel in the Marlborough Sounds.

Loads of history associated with this traditional timber launch. See waitematawoodys.com/2014/05/20/a-mystery-boat-200514/  . There’s further discussion regarding “MV Rio Rita” serving in 1942 for a period as a Battery Artificer for a gun crew in the Sounds out from Picton.

Renamed “Resolution” in 1971 when she relocated to Resolution Bay, Marlborough Sounds. For approximately the last 15 years she has been owned and maintained by a former boat builder in Omokoroa, Tauranga. Resolution has spent these long summers engaged in extended cruising up the coast between Tauranga and the Bay of Islands. This owner maintained her well and installed beautiful cabinetry throughout the interior, with materials in keeping with the vessels vintage and pedigree.

“Resolution” was recently acquired from this estate, as part of a “boat & berth” package in Tauranga’s Sulphur Point Marina. As traditional and beautiful as she is – Resolution is now surplus to requirements and seriously on the market following a significant price reduction. While Resolution requires a small degree of ongoing maintenance, nothing is urgent & work can wait until after the coming summer boating season.

Her new owner (boat & berth purchaser) has had a pre-purchase condition survey (dated Nov 2014) completed by Pacific Rim Marine Survey’s Limited, which will be made available to any prospective purchaser. Owner needs to sell her to make space for his existing boat so the price reflects this, I understand offers around $58,000 will buy her. Click the blue link below to view the extensive inventory & read more.

MV Resolution

Contact details – Warwick Bray Mob  021 288 6643 – Tel Hm  07 579 4043   Email : w.bray@aucgroup.co.nz

Tasman Star

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TASMAN STAR
photo ex Bill Belton

Tasman Star was anchored in Little Shoal Bay just off Bill’s house a few weeks ago.  From the photo she looks like a great an ex-fishing boat conversion.  Thats a serious dry stack on the starboard side, still it most likely works a treat.
I’m sure one of the woodys thats in the  ‘Work Boat’ group will be able to supply more details.

Update ex Baden Pascoe
Nice to see a work boat come up on Woodys. I’m not 100% sure who built her but Dick Lang rings a bell?.
She was built for the ‘dallies’ out west in the 1930’s. Her owner in the early days was Steve Mihaljevich, he fished for the Auckland Seine Boat Ass. Later
on she was owned by the one and only Ginger Gibbs.