Click the link below to view the magnificent restoration of the Logan designed & built – Rawhiti, . Article is as it appeared in the UK Classic Boat magazine. Click bottom left or right side of ‘pages’ to turn. Also clicking on the page will enlarge it (to read text).
http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1vnw3/ClassicBoatFebruary2/resources/30.htm
POLARIS
Story & photos supplied by Russell Ward
Here is a very interesting little boat that has been out of circulation for a while. I have been looking after her since 2005 and she is a shadow of her former self, but in a stable state.
Polaris, a 25’ pilchard trawler was built for a local fisherman by the name of Pearce by H Pearn & Sons Looe Cornwall 1935. The main engine 2 cyl Kelvin with similar engine as port wing engine. Construction is larch and pitch pine on oak frames. As an economy, the planking was not caulked –just fitted well. Pearce employed crews for both his boats and Polaris fished out of Polperro Cornwall until 1947 when she moved to Penarth Wales –I have one of her life rings with homeport Penrath still visible painted on it. She suffered a bilge fire from wing engine exhaust which was dealt with by sinking the vessel.
She was taken over by a boat builder who converted her into a pleasure boat with a strange cabin. In 1950 she was bought by the coroner Col Kenneth Treasure of Tenby Wales. We think the good Colonel had her rebuilt with a rather more aesthetic cabin and I have a copy of a post card of her in Brixham
1954 found her in the ownership of one Griff Board with a Lister diesel installed. Board took the ship to Brixham where, in 1956-7 she was spotted by Wally Sharples who had seen her when he went to Brixham to see the Mayflower replica. The vessel had an extensive overhaul.
1958 Sharples, his family and apprentice John Penney emigrated to Adelaide and Polaris was shipped as deck cargo on “Queensland Star” 1960 found Sharples and family with Penney in Auckland along with Polaris which was rigged with a gaff mainsail and moored at Bucklands beach. Sharples cruised extensively in the Hauraki Gulf, Bay of Islands and Whangaraoa. I can remember seeing her round the bottom end in the ‘60s looking as pretty as a picture.
In 1970 Sharples and his wife moved to Opua, Bay of Islands and Polaris was moored there. Sharples died onboard after a fishing trip and the boat passed to his apprentice Penney. 1993 Jack Barber and Faye Christian bought Polaris from Penney. They used her extensively but the years were catching up with the ship and she was brought ashore for extensive hull work. This was well under weigh with the hull timbers almost all replaced when Jack Barber died 30 September 2002.
The son of the first owner was in touch and emailed a picture of her in her original form. Some part of me says she should be finished off like that.
Not often a boat travels so many miles on other boats’ keels. Even more fun is the knowledge of a boat’s travels halfway round the world leaving a lot of people who fell in love with her.
Now I have a bit of thing for what the English call ‘pond yachts’. The one on the mantlepiece above, my wife rescued from a Devonport junk shop as a bare hull & in the halcyon days of the 1980’s, I paid a man to make the rig & sails for it, thank god I did not re-paint the hull, that would have halved its value. These days they sell on e-bay for really silly money but mines not for sale.
Scamp Sailing on the Manukau – April 1946, when owned by Jim Jenkin.
photo & words ex Robin Elliott
Built by Roy Parris while working at Shipbuilders during the war from off-cuts from the Fairmiles c.1943/44
The yacht registrations were a bit of a shambles during the War and no record has yet shown up stating that Scamp was ever issued with V-28, but I have no doubt that she was. In 1945 with the Auckland register in a shambles, a serious attempt was made to clean it up but no official list was published until the winter of 1946, by which time Scamp was on the Manukau (carrying sail V-28).
V-28 was issued to Stormbird in 1927, Memutu in 1932, Witch in 1944. Macushla in 1946, Coronet in 1950 and Raven in 1958.
The Manukau yachting administration kept its own register, so the sail number of an Auckland yacht sold over there (or further outside Auckland) became vacant and was available for re-issue. The smaller fleets on the Manukau usually meant that an ex-Auckland boat could keep its existing sail number, e.g. V-28 for Scamp, V-90 for Jeanette rather that be given a totally new number. Later on, if the boat returned to the Waitemata, it was re-registered with Auckland, and if its original number had since been re-issued, then it was issued with a new number e.g. Scamp to V-45 in 1947.
BANDIT
Bandit was built by a young 18 year old Peter Blake in the family’s Bayswater backyard & just recently been discovered in a shed at Warkworth. The Classic Yacht Charitable Trust have purchased her & post restoration she will be on permanent display at a suitable Auckland’s waterfront location. Click for more details on Bandit & to view the CYCT’s fleet of classic vessels.
NGATIRA
Designed & built by Chas Bailey Jnr. 1904
One of the many things I like about Steve Horsley (Ngatira)is he does not hold back on putting his pride & joy into the nasty stuff, but when you have rebuilt her with your own two hands, you can back the workmanship. To view the story of Ngatira’s restoration click on this link, its a great tale.
A little late posting this is a short movie from this years Lake Rotoiti (Sth Island) Classic & Wooden Boat Show.
The link was sent by Gary Drummond, Nelson , whose yacht ‘Spangalang’ won best new build in the 2012 show. Not the Waitemata & a lot of non wood but its too good to not view. Enjoy
Moana
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