Category Archives: Yachts

Milford Cruising Club – A Peek Back In Time

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Pirate Ship c.1930
Swimming Pool c.1928

Milford Cruising Club – A Peek Back In Time

Following on from Saturdays WW story on the MCC 100th Anniversary weekend, today thanks to the photo gallery the club hosted. We get to see what the area surrounding the MCC looked like in the late 1920’ > early 1930’s. Sadly most of the infrastructure we see in the photos is long gone, but the club and marina have never been in better shape.

We also get a look at a few of the clubs on-the-water outings.

Some of the local businesses in the area took the opportunity to join in on the festivities – well done The Slipway Milford for dressing the yard, special thanks to the ‘gent’ that lent me the navy signal flags and pennants 😉

On the Saturday, despite the weather the MCC held a parade of club craft out of the estuary and along Milford Beach – as always the quicks couldn’t help themselves – video below filmed from Jason Prew’s classic launch – ‘My Girl’, the motorboat attempting to kept up is – ‘Waikiore’,owned by Murray Deeble .

Another view 🙂

MYSTERY MILFORD CREEK YACHT

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MYSTERY MILFORD CREEK YACHT

One of the many photos on display over the weekend at the Milford Cruising Clubs 100th birthday celebrations is the one shown above of the stunning yacht. The photo is captioned ‘Yacht at Milford Estuary 192?’ So that doesn’t really help us much 🙂

The photo caught the eye of both Harold Kidd and myself, but drew a blank. Our best was 22>24’ in length .

So woodys can we ID the yacht? WW burgee to the first woody that puts a correct name / builder to her – subject to HDK giving his ‘could be – sign off 🙂

AND WOODYS THE MCC PHOTO EXHIBITION IS STILL ON TODAY – 10AM > 4PM AT 24 CRAIG ROAD , MILFORD

MILFORD CRUISING CLUB 100TH BIRTHDAY 1923 > 2023

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MILFORD CRUISING CLUB 100TH BIRTHDAY 1923 > 2023

Rather a big weekend in and around the Milford Creek – the Milford Cruising Club is celebrating its 100th anniversary this weekend. I would have lost money on that – for some reason I wasn’t aware there had been woodys sliding in and out of the creek for that many years.

Yesterday I joined a group of past commodores, life members, patrons and quests for afternoon tea – so many familiar faces . Clubs need to do more of this, the collective age in the room would have been seriously high, and sadly the numbers are dropping.

Todays photos are to give you a snap shot of the amazing photo gallery that has been pulled together recording the clubs history – the club rooms are open Sat & Sunday from 10am > 4pm for anyone and everyone to visit and experience the exhibition.

Also today at 2pm there will be parade of vessels out of the marina , down the creek and along Milford Beach.

Clubroom address is 24 Craig Rd. Milford 

MYSTERY QUIZ – A WW CAP AND BURGEE TO BE WON

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MYSTERY QUIZ – A WW CAP AND BURGEE TO BE WON

Overdue a quiz and its a tough one, but maybe not…………. Maybe an adventurous, fit woody might know the answer 😉

So woodys, what are we looking at and what’s the location. 

All correct answers go into the draw to win a WW cap and the new WW burgee. Entry closes at 3pm 02-10-2023.

ENTRY BY EMAIL ONLY – TO waitematawoodys@gmail.com

How This For Drop Dead Gorgeous 

This magnificent piece of art is – Reliance, the Nat Herreshoff design for the 1903 Americas Cup defence.

Gale

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GALE

Back in June 2022 WW was contacted by the owner of the 1949 36’ yacht – Gale C4

Her story goes something like this – Gale was designed by Charles Bailey Jnr., but not built till 40>50 years later, possibly in Titirangi West Auckland, builder unknown. Construction is two skin kauri on Oregon stringer.

At the time WW was contacted her owner was going thru the ‘do I – dont I’ stage in regard to either a restoration or selling Gale as-is-where-is.

Do we know what happened – hopefully it was a ‘I Do’ decision and Gale is tucked away in a shed somewhere.

HEADS UP – OCT 7TH – STILLWATER WATERFRONT WOODY PICNIC – ASAP TO waitematawoodys@gmail.com

WHANGAREI MARITIME FESTIVAL

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R Tucker Thompson

WHANGAREI MARITIME FESTIVAL

Today I wanted give you a heads up about an upcoming woody event – the 2023 Whangarei Maritime Festival , October 14>15th, at the Town Basin.

The venue is already a very cool destination for anything maritime based, but over the weekend it will buzz with non stop activities – 30+ boats on display, free boat rides, food and entertainment, trade displays, talks and movies, arts and crafts market. Check out the Festival Sound programme below + the link to the festival website.

https://www.whangareimaritimefestival.co.nz

Check out a previous WW story on the venue https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/03/27/wooden-boats-whangarei-town-basin/

Saturday is a big day for NZ – hopefully the nation awakes up and heads off to a polling booth. Depending on the result I’ll be at the festival on Sunday, if the worst happens on Saturday night, probably best I’m not behind the wheel of a vehicle – I’ll be investigating setting up bryonbaywoodys 🙂

FESTIVAL SOUND PROGRAMME

Downloadable Event Booklet Below

updated-promo-bookletDownload

WHANGAREI FLASH BACK

The photo below has appeared many times on various social media sites, but this is the best reproduction I have seen – comes to us ex Dean Wright via the Tauranga Library collection.

FANTASY SOS – Sailing Sunday

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FANTASY SOS – Sailing Sunday
On Friday I received a heads up about the 30’ yacht – Fantasy, lofted by a Bill Spence, a Sheltans Islander and built in the Pattersons yard, St Aspeh Street, Christchurch c.1948. Her planked hull is Oregon and post launching her keel was moulded in the sand at Brighton Beach, try and get away with that today 🙂
Fantasy’s owners have had her for 40 years and sadly have made the decision to pass the yacht onto a new owner who will undertake the work required.Fantasy was accidentally sunk in Port of Terakoe and an exhausting legal battle followed, her owners do not have what it takes to begin the refit. 

Her solid rimu interior is still in excellent condition and beautiful. As shown in the above photos, Fantasy is now in a cradle at the owners property in Golden Bay, Nelson and they would like her to go to someone who is able to restore her.

Fantasy has a great back story, having sailed in the Centennial race which resulted in New Zealand’s greatest yachting disaster, the owners have a lot of information and records relating to this, including Fantsy’s log of that race. The asking price on tme is $1 so there must be a woody out there looking for a project.

VICTORIA CLASSIC BOAT FESTIVAL – Vancouver – Dockside Tour 

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VICTORIA CLASSIC BOAT FESTIVAL – Vancouver – Dockside Tour 

Last week we had a story about Peter Knowles and his travel to the Victoria Wooden Boat Festival vis his v-blog ‘Boat Life – Travels With Geordie’. Peter very briefly showed us some of the craft arriving – today we get a dock-side wander, complete with captions for the classic woodys.

I hope the people at Auckland’s maritime museum see this video – re their upcoming Auckland wooden boat festival next year. The stand out observation is the mix of yachts + launches + work boats + small craft – it is all mixed in together and thats what works all around the world – not rocket science……………..

INPUT ex Neil Chalmers – Great video , at 2 56 there is the NZ yacht ‘Two Sisters’ (was sail no. F3) . Has a Woollacott look about her. I often wondered where she got to .

A picture of her at Bon Accord Kawau appears in the ‘Cruising in NZ Waters’  by GR Paul (below). This was the go to book in the 1960’s before to the RAYC Cruising Guide was published.

REMEMBER BOAT BOAT SALE 11am SATURDAY @ MILFORD SLIPWAY – 5 OMANA ROAD, MILFORD $BRING CASH$ WW MERCHANDISE FOR SALE

TARANUI Approaching The Ton 

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TARANUI Approaching The Ton 

Having just found a new owner for the John Gladden built motor-salier – Taranui (heading south), I uncovered another yacht of the same name deep in the WW files.

The Taranui featured above was photographed in Oct 2022 by Dean Wright at the Havelock marina. 

At the time we learned that this Taranui was owned by Evan Walker and she this year is about to celebrate her 97th birthday.

Built in Pigeon Bay Banks Peninsula by Edwin Bailey.  Has had only 4 family owners since 1926.  Robin Kidd did a piece on her in Boating NZ in November 2000 not long after we took her over from my father. 

09-0902023 UPDATE EX OWNER EVAN WALKER – Her exact launch date is not recorded, but the log of her building in Pigeon Bay kept by the first owner Campbell Hay, has Edwin Bailey and Joe Wheeler leaving in December 1926. So we assume that she was launched about then. Surprising really as the log is meticulous and lists all the work as it was done, the hours worked, and includes a full list of materials.

Weather permitting I’m boating today – aboard a grand old Lady, if it happens, photos to follow 😉

VICTORIA CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL – Video

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VICTORIA CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL – Video

For several years I have been ‘following’ on-line a YouTube weblog named ‘Boat Life – Travels With Geordie’. The Chanel is hosted by a gent named Peter Knowles and Peter has been recording the restoration of 3 classic wooden cruisers, plus we get to go/see his annual cruises in and around the Vancouver, British Columba, Canada area. Amazing location.

Earlier in the week Mark McLaughlin posted on WW a link to Peter’s latest story that includes a visit to the 2023 Victoria Classic Boat Festival – see above. Well worth checking out, lots of boat porn to view + I would encourage you to check out the past episodes of – ‘Boat Life – Travels With Geordie’. Link to more details on the site here https://www.youtube.com/@TravelsWithGeordie/about  Warning it can get slightly addictive 🙂