Category Archives: Working Boats

The Rudder Cup From Up High

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The Rudder Cup From Up High

It is only been a week since the Rudder Cup Launch race but it was such a cool woody event that when the above photos arrived from Sally Teesdale I couldn’t help doing another WW post.

Sally was up North Head, Devonport with the camera & captured the fleet rounding North Head heading north.
As always – click the photos to enlarge. (I have cropped / colour enhanced the photos – the weather was a tad bleak?)

2018 Rudder Cup – Motor Boat Race – 60 + Classic Wooden Boat Photos

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My Girl

Meola
Meola
Trinidad
My Girl
My Girl
Well Wishers

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Korara
Lady Margaret (DL)
Meola
Waitangi
Baden & Richard – Safety Officers
Baden & Richard – Safety Officers
Meola
Ronaki
Matanui
Cowboy
Taree
My Girl
Rorqual
Kumi
Rorqual
Sterling
Lady Margaret (CW)
Waitangi
Waitangi & Trinidad
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Waitangi

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Trinidad
Ronaki & Trinidad
Trinidad
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Rorqual

Sterling
Kumi (r) & My Girl
Sterling
Taree
Lady Crossley
Lady Crossley
Nana
Matanui
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Lady Crossley

Juanita
Juanita

2018 Rudder Cup – Motor Boat Race – 60 + Classic Wooden Boat Photos

Friday 14th December , was only the third time in one hundred & ten years that the Rudder Cup race has been run – previous dates were 1908. 2008 & now 2018. Always in December, always the same course to Sail Rock & back, always overnight & always 108 nm in distance.
The background to the race has been well documented on WW so I will not re-hash the details – WW search Rudder Cup for more details.
2018 saw 15 classic Woodys assembling on the start line in front of the RNZYS for the 7pm start. The fleet were joined by almost as many fellow woodys who gathered to see the fleet off. John Street fired a magnificent cannon (details of which will appear on WW at a later date) to start the race.
Conditions were overcast & a little damp but that did not stop the skippers & crew from putting on a stunning sight for the crowd assembled on the foreshore.
By North Head the fleet had established itself in terms of boat speed & positioning – the race is a sealed handicap event, with skippers not knowing their handicap until the prize giving. This year, technology via the PredictWind race tracker app, allowed skippers & shore based woodys the opportunity to view the position & speed of the boats in ‘real-time’. Helped make the hours slide by quicker.
I had a very comfortable race aboard Barbara & David Cooke’s sensational Salthouse motor-yacht Trinidad. The mix of vessel, company, catering & banter was perfect – a good time was had by all. Not a lot of sleep (zero for myself & the skipper), but when dawn came around we all had found our second wind, or maybe it was Brian Fulton’s scones topped with brandy butter 🙂
We ran a sweep onboard Trinidad as to our finish time & I won – only 10 seconds off my prediction of 12 hours / 40 minutes.
Results below – you will see that Trinny won her divisional prize, which made Captain Cooke a happy chap 🙂
VETERN DIVISION (pre 1918) – STERLING 
VINTAGE DIVISION (1919-1949) – WAITANGI (note: no photos below of skipper Ian Cooke – as RNZYS commodore, Ian was attending another function)
CLASSIC DIVISION (1950-1978) – TRINIDAD
OVERALL RUDDER CUP WINNER – STERLING 
 
Todays photo gallery of the race, comes to you via the camera’s of numerous woodys – thanks go out to Graeme Finch, Rod Marler, yours truely – Alan Houghton. Some are not any where near perfect – boat speed, sea conditions & a very long tele-lens are not a good mix if you are aiming for great photos.
I’m sure I’ll get sent more in the next few days, so will update when & if we get more. If any of the skippers want a copy of a photo – drop me an email at waitematawoodys@gmail.com
I would like to thank the Rudder Cup Race Committee for pulling the event together, a huge amount of time & co-ordination goes into one of these events & with out the folks below, it would never have happened:
Jason Prew (Chair), Nathan Herbert, Barbara Cooke, David Cooke, Alan Houghton, Joyce Talbot (Wonder Woman), Chris Collins & Baden Pascoe.
I would also like to mention the support we received from the Classic Yacht Association committee in stepping forward & underwriting the event – a progressive move from the then new CYA Chairman, James Mortimer. Thank you James.
 
ENJOY – As always, click on photos to enlarge + I have been extra nice today & captioned most of the photos 😉
 
Photos below from the prize giving at the RNZYS on Saturday night – weather was perfect & the food VERY good- well done RNZYS team.
A few ‘tired’ eyes – most of these guys had been awake for 24+hrs 🙂
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CYA Chairman James Mortimer + Brett Evans – Sterling – Winner 2018 Rudder Cup

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Sterling Skipper & Winning Crew

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CYA Chairman James Mortimer + David Cooke – Trinidad – Winner Classic Division

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CYA Chairman James Mortimer + Iain Forsyth – Meola – Spot prize winner

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Peter Boardman Skipper – Lady Margaret (D. Lang) Spot prize winner

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Ferro Skipper – Dick Coughlan – Spot prize winner

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Ronaki Skipper – Daniel Thomas – Spot prize winner

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Korara Skipper – Anatole Perry – Spot prize winner

The Extraction of Daring

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The Extraction of Daring
 
Yesterday was a special day in the kiwi wooden boating world. The 1863 schooner Daring was extracted from my resting place at Muriwai Beach. She has been buried there for 153 years,

Daring is a 100% New Zealand built ship. Crafted in Mangawhai from kauri and pohutukawa. Since coming ashore she has been protected beneath the sand dunes of the Kaipara Heads, but up until yesterday she lie exposed to the elements and scavengers.

The above photos have been sourced from numerous sources – primarily – Whangateau Traditional Boats, David Waddingham, & T Foh.

I’m a little light on the history of Daring & how the rescue was funded etc – I suspect John Street had a very large hand in this, to use one of HDK’s favourite saying – “the mans blood needs bottling” Hopefully someone will chip in with more details. In the mean time well done to everyone involved – magic effort.
Input from Steve Horsley – Yes, it’s an enormous achievement to all those involved and hats off to John Street for the funding. I hope he gets some form of compensation from the historic trusts or government at the very least. Now that she is out the interest will build. Don’t worry everything has been well recorded and measured. As you can imagine there are numerous experts all putting in their 2 cents worth of what should and shouldn’t be done now. The core group has to take stock and make the right decisions. At this point, it is heading to YDL to be placed under cover and kept moist and a process of slowly drying her out. I believe Daring’s final resting place back on land will be at the Mangawhai Museum which is fitting as that is where she was built.
All credit to go to Baden Pascoe, Larry Paul and John Street, the movers and shakers of this awesome outcome. Also to all the others who have made this possible. Murry and his crew who has been sleeping in his Land Rover in the sand dunes for weeks on end protecting her and stopping fossickers flogging bits off her, also in gaining knowledge of who was flogging stuff and retrieving it. And to the crew that lifted her out of that sandy grave. Fantastic.
There is a ‘Daring rescue’ facebook page which you need to ‘like’ and support that has photos and history of her.
Just found this online 
AND WOODYS DO NOT FORGET TONIGHTS THE START OF THE RUDDER CUP MOTOR BOAT RACE – 7PM OFF THE RNZYS – more details below
Read more here –         https://classicyacht.org.nz/rudder-cup-rerun/
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Shame On You – Auckland Council and Auckland Maritime Museum

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Shame On You – Auckland Council and Auckland Maritime Museum

 
 The management vandals at the Maritime Museum and Auckland Council  are scrapping the 1926 Steam Crane Ship Rapaki.  Chris McMullen advises that she will be towed to Titan Slipway today. This is very sad as John Street and Chris arranged to procure her from the Lyttleton Port Company.
She has been neglected for years. Rodney Wilson had great plans for her then sadly left. 
It’s been commented to me in the past that most museums are run by academics often as a career not an interest. They don’t encourage volunteers fearing their ignorance and lack of experience will be exposed.  
 
You have to ask the question – has this been brought ahead by the Americas cup fever? 
 
Whats next? boat registration before the next Cup? Boating is the last Bastion of freedom. We have lived through the best times. 
 
Rapaki’s  demise has been kept from the press. But this was posted on the Net in November. 
There has been no public consultation, No Public Notices or call for expressions of interest.

Myrtle

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MYRTLE 
Myrtle (White Heather) was launched in 1914 as a fishing trawler. Her original engine was a 10hp ‘Oil Motor’ so her main power was via a ketch rig.
In the late 1960’s she was re-powered with a freshwater cooled Fordson D92 , her ketch rig was discarded at this time.
Her trademe listing (thanks Ian McDonald) states she is approx. 46’ in length & designed/built? by Miller. Over the years a larger wheelhouse & saloon have been added.
Myrtle’s 65hp engine sees her cruising at 5.8knots.
Given her age, there must a lot of history around Myrtle – can anyone enlighten us more on her past?
Harold Kidd Input – MYRTLE appears to have been built as WHITE HEATHER in October/November 1913. She was 39ft loa, 9ft beam, 10hp engine. That’s 10 rated hp not 10 bhp so it was her main propulsion.She was for sale in Port Chalmers in April 1914. As for builder, the choice is between Knewstubb Bros, William MacDougall, Miller & Tunnage or Miller Bros. From then on there are so many MYRTLES and WHITE HEATHERS that it’s hard to pick her out.

Naiad & Nifity – Woodys From Across The Ditch

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Naiad & Nifity – Woodys From Across The Ditch

On recent work travels Adrian Pawson came across the very salty wee ship Naiad. Adrian was able to uncover that she is currently being restored by Pete Messenger  in a shed at Woolwich Dock in Sydney. She was apparently built locally in approximately 1949 by W.L Holmes at the McMahons Point boatyard in Sydney. She is planked in Oregon timber with a spotted gum keel. LOA is 28ft.

Recently she was sold in derelict condition as part of a deceased estate. Her new owner has commissioned a full refit including splining and sheathing in glass fibre. She currently has no engine.
The timing of the email from Adrian was a little scary as I had just received an email from Australian woody, Andrew Christie, who owns the stunning launch Folly III that recent appeared on WW via a youtube video. Andrew sent me details on the 21’ ex woodys work boat – Nifity, she was built in 1962 by Norman Wright & Sons. 
Andrew commented that Nifity was an ex ‘line boat’. Line boats had the job of collecting the ‘lines’ from incoming ships & bringing the lines ashore, at the same time as the bigger tugs were manoeuvring the ship. 
Check Nifity out on the video below.
UPDATE ON WAITEMATAWOODY T-SHIRT ORDERS – RESPONSE HAS BEEN HUGE, SO HUGE I WILL BE CLOSING THE ORDER BOOK EARLY – LAST DAY WAS NOV 30TH BUT I HAVE AMENDED THAT TO TUESDAY 27TH. IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT ORDERING, DO IT NOW. DETAILS HERE 
WW T's - Sky Blue:Denim

Mystery Work Boat

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Mystery Work Boat

Today’s photo comes to us from Lew Redwood’s fb, & show a very nice work boat towing a barge – the boat & location are unknown.
The barge has quite a crowd aboard, both females & males, so it must have been an outing / picnic.
Anyone able to ID the vessel for us, I wonder if she is still afloat?
Angus Rogers sent in the video below of a barrel cooper/hopper at work. Almost as such skill required as building a clinker dinghy.

Helene

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HELENE

Today’s woody is Helene, a 33’8”, 1918 Miller & Tunnage ex workboat. Helene has a 9’10” beam & draws 3’3” & is built from solid kauri.

In her trademe listing (thanks Ian McDonald) there is no mention of an engine, I assume there is one………..?

In her past life as a commercial fishing boat she worked out of Akaroa. At some stage someone has done a smart conversation for pleasure use.

Can anyone fill in the gaps as to past & what engine she has?

Harold Kidd Input – The last time she was on Trade Me was in 2010 in Picton. She then had a 80hp Toyota diesel. No comment. 1918 is wrong as she was built in December 1913 for George Currie as a private launch (in fact as an “auxiliary yacht”). I’m not sure Miller & Tunnage were the builders but it’s possible. Miller Bros launched the big Sundstrum launch NORANA the same month (probably the same tide) so it wasn’t them. She was later in Lyttelton around the late 1920s.

Waitematawoodys T-shirts – Now On Sale

LR2016 ww shirts CM

In case you missed yesterdays story, scroll down to read how to ensure you will not be mistaken for a plastic boat person 😊

 

Cruise To The Riverhead Hotel

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CRUISE TO THE RIVERHEAD HOTEL
If you have not visited the Riverhead Hotel by water, its time you did. The Classic Yacht Association (CYA) has an afternoon cruise to the pub next Sunday (18th). These events are a lot of fun – we head up the river / creek on mass & anchor / raft-up before going ashore for a drink & a catch-up. If you have concerns about the route, just follow the boat in front of you & anchor with the others. There will be plenty of ‘old-hands’ to show you the ropes.
High tide is 16:24pm & so we aim to be heading up the ‘creek’ 2hrs b4 HW, its a small tide at 2.8m so I would imagine we will be meeting up in the Herald Island / Lucus Creek area around 2.00pm, so leaving Westhaven area around 1pm. ETA at pub is 2.30pm & departure from the pub approx 5.30pm.
If you are not a CYA member (yet) come along & see what you have been missing out on.
The photo gallery above is a snap shot of past trips – enjoy.
Ps – Wear your WW shirt 🙂
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Pioneer – Work Boat Wednesday

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PIONEER – Work Boat Wednesday

Photo above ex Lew Redwood’s fb, is of Pioneer – the photo is dated 1941 & the venue is Akaroa, in the South Island.
Harold Kidd has commented that it was George Brasell’s boat.
Can any of the Work Boat group, tell us more about Pioneer.
Input from John Bullivant – Possibly designed by Joe Juke (Wellington ) as she looks very similar to Wild Duck (ex Wellington flying boat refueling vessel built by Juke Boat Builders (wellington 1937) and now restored and re modeled by the Tino Rawa Trust. Refer photo from Evans bay Wellington with Wild Duck and what looks like a sister ship along side. Quite a distinctive design. Wild Duck is 42ftx 12ft x 4ft 6″draught, Kauri carvel build.
Melbourne Cup Class Yacht Regatta – This Had To Be Ugly
The photo below was sent in by David Glen, who commented that the double-ender must have lost her rig & sustained serious damage in this incident. Anyone able to supply more details. Hopefully none of the listing kiwi contingent were aboard.
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