MYSTERY NAPIER LAUNCH
Todays woody is what appears to be a very smart sub 30’ double-ender launch, seen in the above photo anchored in Napier’s Inner Harbour.
The photo comes to us from a late 2022 Maurice Sharp fb post.
Would love to put a name to the launch and an approximate date to the photo.
Tall Ships At The 2023 Australian Wooden Boat Festival Short video to given you a quick overview of the Tall Ship eye candy at the festival – all earning their keep doing inner harbour cruises. Enjoy 🙂
CAERNARVON
WW was contacted recently by Rhys Hanna who back in 1972 had built and launched a 33’ Woollcott yacht named Caernarvon. She was based on the original plan of the Bert Woollacott designed Vectis , and redrawn by John Woollacott as a ketch with a more raked bow and a raised fore-deck. Caernarvon was built of kauri with much of it being demolition timber from the bank building on the corner of Queen Street and Wyndham Streets, in Auckland.
Rhys had built her to go cruising but the children grew up too quickly and she was sold in 1975. Rhys replaced her with 36 ft John Lidgard yacht named Mon Desir, which he renamed Caernarvon II. In 1976 they sailed out for a 3 year trip and returned to New Zealand in 1996. That is impressive.
Rhys last saw Caernarvon again in c.2014. He had been to the Burt Munro motorcycle rally in Invercargill and on the way back had a day in Picton waiting for the ferry booking and wandered out to Waikawa Marina and saw her there on a berth. She had been re rigged with a new main mast and a bowsprit. Res commented that he was really chuffed to see that there was only one plank seam showing (port side and close to the waterline) he had really worked hard to get the planking right.
Rhys did have a couple of phone calls from various people when she came on the market about 4 years ago. Is anyone able to update us on the whereabouts of Caernarvon?
INPUT EX CHRIS LEECH – photo below, date and location unknown.
Details on next Saturdays Woody picnic at Stillwater will be sent out later today – life catch up got in the way yesterday. 8 days away from home in the midst of a cyclone equaled a long ’TO DO’ list from the first mate 🙂
MAORI LASS – Who Can Enlighten Us On Her Name
Master woody boat builder Colin Brown dropped me a note re the yacht Maori Lass at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival, so off I went to find her.
What we know is that Maori Lass is 30’, was built in 1950 by Ron Andrewartha to a H. E. Cox design from Celery Top Pine, using carvel construction. She was built as a club racer in Hobart, her show card stated that “ Maori Lass reflects post WWII optimism in Australia’.
So woodys the question today is – what’s the significance of the name. Has to be a good story there 🙂
GOOD BUGGERS
During Auckland’s recent cyclone I was quite concerned about my woody in her marina berth – on the night of the big storm (13/14th) at 2am NZ time I received the below txt message from woody Dan Renall who keeps his Herreshoff yacht on the same pier – and then an update later in the morning.
Thank you Dan – I owe you 🙂
Woodys On Tour – Hobart – Australian Wooden Boat Festival – 50’ HALVORSEN MOTOR LAUNCH
Hello Woodys
While the Australian Wooden Boat Festival is done and dusted the woody camera is loaded with photos – today we feature the 1947 built, 50’ Halvorsen motor launch – Minocqua. Designed and built by famous Australian boat builder Lars Halvorsen, she was one of seven built in the late 1940’s. If my memory is working, the Australian Americas Cup legend – Ian Murray owns one (possibly this one).
76 years later she is still a very imposing vessel and stands out anywhere.
Something for the petrol heads – check out the video below of a 1945 Tasman Marine engine, two stroke, 3hp, single cylinder. Built by the Tasman Engineering Company.
And Then They Were Gone 😦
Woodys On Tour – Hobart – Australian Wooden Boat Festival – Day 5
Hello Again Woodys Felt slightly guilty this morning when I called home to advise Air NZ had cancelled my Hobart > AKL flight. Next available – 7 days away…. A little bit of online work and I found a flight out of Sydney on Thursday night. So 2 more days in Hobart 🙂
One big plus – I get to see the very cool kiwi singer- Marlon Williams live in concert.
Anyway back to the boats – today is an extension of yesterdays gallery – there is just so many woodys to see.
FYI – WW viewing numbers spike when the weather is bad and people are at home, so yesterdays numbers were approaching an all time high. Today (Tuesday will be another bumper day)
Boat Of The Day – HEATHER BELLE, a 24’6” gaff rigged pilot cutter, built in 1990 by Andrew Wilson to a Lyle Hess design. She is a sister-ship to Larry Pardey’s – SERAFFYN.
And compulsory food shot – lunch = seafood chowder 🙂
Woodys On Tour – Hobart – Australian Wooden Boat Festival – Day 4
Hello Woodys – Day four of the trip, day 3 of the festival. As compared to yesterday (Saturday) it was a lot less crowded with less rubberneckers 🙂
I went on several guided walking tours of the docks, very insightful, as you inspect individual vessels and meet the skippers.
As promised today (Monday) story is a photo gallery of craft at the festival – no particular order, just as the camera found the boats. FYI – the festival organisers mix the vessels up, so you have sail/power/big/small all together, which makes for a good vibe.
Boat Of The Day – Green Moon
Check out the impressive berthing of the Tall Ship – Windeward Bound in the video below – well done skipper and woodys not being sexist – BUT I meet HER the other day.
And discovery of the trip Iron House Tasmania Ginger Beer (6%alc) and scallop wontons
Woodys On Tour – Hobart – Australian Wooden Boat Festival – Day 2
Morning Woodys
Todays was the first official day of the festival, commencing with the – Parade of Sail, that see 200+ wooden craft arriving in mass into Hobert Harbour. Where they join 100’s more that have already berthed dock-side.
My day started at 6.45am for a coach ride to Woodbridge where we boarded the 110’ brigantine – Windewood Bound for the passage to Hobert. Conditions we a little damp and overcast, but things improved later in the day. You know me, so I struggled with the first 4+ hours of ’sailing’ at 4 knots but once we joined up with the fleet it was a special experience. The Windewood led the fleet into the harbour that was lined with spectators and craft of all types, size and construction.
Todays story is on the Windewood + a taste of dockside life. I’ll cover the passage and all the Parade of Sail fleet in a later story. And tomorrow we will jump into the expanse of wooden craft on show
Boat Of The Day – this very smart picnic boat
Enjoy
Below – the scallops on a stick were smash hit and washed down with my attempt to get some goodness into the body – all fresh juice – pineapple, apple, lemon, ginger, orange, vitamin C and a double shot of vodka. Sounds like a good idea for breakfast…
Woodys On Tour – Hobart – Australian Wooden Boat Festival – Day 1
Hello Woodys – As they same ‘I’m In Country’ and a little in awe for the scene here in Hobart. The festival doesn’t start till Friday, so the docks are only starting to fill up but already I’m gobsmacked by the woody craft tied up.
Went for an early evening mooch around the water front and today you get a wee tease – a ‘roughly’ filmed dock-side walk video of just one pier and my boats of the day pick – being Saona and a smaller woody, that I’ll have to get the name of – and yes Neil Chalmers – surprise surprise – both yachts 🙂
Today (Friday) I’m up at 6.30am heading to Woodbridge (36k south of Hobart) to meet / board – ‘WINDEWARD BOUND’ (see below) a 110’, brigantine rigged Tall Ship for the ‘Parade Of Sail’ into Hobart Harbour. The Parade of Sail marks the offical opening of the festival.
And it would be Australian without a serving of calamari and an ice cold IPA and a flat white.
Enjoy
LAKE ROTOITI 2023 PARADE OF CLASSIC & WOODEN BOATS – 150+ PHOTOS
As has become my norm for Waitangi holiday weekend early on Saturday morning I pointed the car south and made my way to Lake Rotoiti in the middle of NZ’s North Island.
2023 marked the 26th anniversary of the event and after a horror week of ‘once in a 100 years’ rain storms I had concerns that the parade might be postponed or cancelled. Well woodys as you’ll see from the above photo gallery, my fears were redundant.
The day started overcast with some light drizzle but this passed thru before the parade kicked off at 11am. Numbers were down a little from last year but conditions were perfect on the lake.
Enjoy the gallery above – if you’re craft is featured above and you want a high res copy of the photo, drop me an email at the address below. Apologise if I missed your boat or if the odd photo is a little out of focus – just me in a run-about jiggling the throttle, looking out for other boats and holding the camera 🙂
My pick of the boat I’d most like tied up at my imaginary lake jetty is – ELLEN (#14), 26’ in length, built in 2004 in strip planked cedar from a plug taken off an old abandoned hull found in Kopu. Thought to be a ‘Milkmaid’ design by Bailey & Lowe. Powered by a 29hp diesel. In my eyes just perfect. Photo below
Special thanks again to Dave and Glenys Wilson for the loan of a boat to get me out on the lake.
As always – click on photos to enlarge.
Lastly I never tire of the sound of big V8 (5.7L) water exhausts. Shawn Vennell, the owner of Judy H, was lining me up for a prop shower – a few words of warning as to what my reaction would be, made him change his mind 😉
WHY NO WOODEN BOAT REGATTA TODAY
Today we should have been floating around the Mahurangi Harbour enjoying what has become the biggest one day, on-the-water boating event in New Zealand – the annual Mahurangi Regatta. I have posted a link below to a previous regatta to remind us all how good it can be.
Sadly the weather gods dealt us a crap hand and we all get to stay at home. I understand and support not going ahead with the event this weekend (Auckland’s 3 day Anniversary Day holiday weekend) BUT what I can not understand is why wasn’t there a back up plan in place to run the regatta the following weekend, which is also a 3 day holiday weekend. The organisers of the regatta should have just made the call to run with next weekend.
This lack of forward thinking means the wooden boating movement misses out on the fun, friendship and fraternity that is acquired rubbing up against like minded woody enthusiasts. We need this to maintain our passion for another 12 months.
As I type this I can imagine the team of volunteers at the Mahurangi Cruising Club and other groups involved – thinking “bloody smart ass, why doesn’t he put his hand up to help” – short answer – ‘already too busy with WW’ BUT at your next committee meeting how about adding to the agenda – How Do We Future Proof The Regatta’ and ‘Is It Time To Appoint A Paid Event Organiser’. If the regatta isn’t already as big as the Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta it must be very close – be brave and pull on the big boys pants.
ENJOY THE FLASH BACK https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/01/29/mahurangi-regatta-2019-the-biggest-best-classic-wooden-boat-regatta-in-nz-90-photos/
Great early morning video of some of the fleet at anchor in Sullivan Bay. Cameraman/’pilot’ is Neil Lawton
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