Category Archives: Yachts

Norman R Wright & Sons – Boatbuilders

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Norman R Wright & Sons – Boatbuilders

The Norman R Wright & Sons began building boats in Brisbane Australia in 1916 and are still operational today – building almost anything that floats – tenders to Superyachts.

To celebrate the 110th anniversary the yard launched a very cool interactive website that allows you to select the vessels that most interest you eg motor boats / timber – you can then slide across a time line to narrow the search to a particular period  – then if you click on a vessel, it opens up to display more info on it . Link Below – have a play, its slightly addictive 🙂 https://www.wrightsons.com.au/archives/app/

Broad Bay Boating Club

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Broad Bay Boating Club

Eldest child, son Tom, was recently mooching around the South Island, from Nelson at the top to Dunedin at the bottom of the south. He was briefed to take a photo of anything afloat that looked interesting. The result was the photos above showing the Broad Bay Boating Club and surrounding area on the Otago Peninsula.

The small double-ender on the trailer looks familiar – but can’t put a name to it.

Ubique

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UBIQUE

The crew behind the Australian Wooden Boat Festival (Hobart) are very clever with their promotional support to promote the bi-annual festival. One of the tools / channels they use is a very cool video series (tagged Boat Folk) that showcases the festival and the people and boats connected to the area. I have posted some of their previous ones on WW.

Todays video showcases a beautiful local built vessel named – Ubique. Very few boats have the pedigree of Ubique both historically and which has spawned a thousand blue water cruising dreams. Famed yacht designer, Lyle C Hess, originally based the design for Ubique (pronounced U-bee-qway) on the legendary Bristol Pilot Cutter – the epitome of yacht design in the mid 1800s to early 1900s. 

Ubique is a sister ship to Taleisin, being commissioned by Brad Hampton via the Shipwrights Point School of Wooden Boat Building at Franklin, in Tasmania. Now, owned by David and Michelle Shering, the boat hosts many quiet family sailing voyages in the Channel. Click play and enjoy – I did 🙂

The dreaded covid was the kiss of death to the last festival so next years event – 10>13th February 2023 will be huge. Hope to be there myself.

Check out the 2019 festival below

ENA – Australia’s Finest Steam Yacht

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ENA Australia’s Finest Steam Yacht
The other day I stumbled across a photo of an amazing classic woodys named – End, I assumed that it was of US / Europe  origins but a quick search online and there she is next door eg Australia. Some background 

Ena is a 116′ steam yacht that was designed by Sydney naval architect Walter Reeks and built by WM Ford Boatbuilders, Sydney, in 1900  for Thomas Dibbs, the commodore of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. It was used as his private vessel for entertaining guests on Sydney Harbour and Pittwater until the beginning of World War I. In 1917 the yacht was purchased by the Royal Australian Navy and used as the auxiliary patrol vessel HMAS Sleuth in the waters around the Torres Strait and Thursday Island, before later being used as a training ship tender based in Sydney. In early 1920, the navy disposed of the yacht and it returned to private use until later in the early 1930s when it was sold to Tasmania.

Based in Hobart and under different owners SY Ena was used for a number of purposes including transportation of produce and fishing. It was converted to diesel power in the mid-1940s and renamed Aurore. After sinking in the early 1980s, the yacht was re-floated and eventually restored as a steam yacht close to its original configuration.

Ena subsequently circumnavigated Australia, as part of a visit to Western Australia during the 1987 America’s Cup and then served as a private charter vessel. Ena is now owned by the Turner family, one of Australia’s leading maritime families ( they founded the Sydney Maritime Museum) and she is based in Sydney at the Australian National Maritime Museum where it is part of the National Maritime Collection, and is also listed on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels.

Ena considered to be one of the finest examples of an Edwardian period steam yacht in the world.

Bill Couldrey And His Boats – Help Wanted

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BILL COULDREY AND HIS BOATS – Help Wanted

Book author and publisher – Jenni Mence (she will hate me using that intro, but its true) whose last book was the uber cool – ‘K CLASS – The Hauraki Gulf’s Iconic Racer Cruiser’, has committed to another mammoth publication. This time focusing on the Arnold Francis (Bill) Couldrey design and boat building bloodline.

Currently in the final research phase, Jenni has called out to WW readers for help identifying the boats and discovering / confirming things like –  the boats built and when, the current owner and/or anyone (owner or otherwise) who has a story to tell about the boat. Jenni would also love to talk to anyone who has memories of Bill himself.One has to assume many of the boats won’t have lasted the distance, however there may still be stories or family photos hanging around of them.
To help keep things semi organised we have broken it into loose categories

MULLET BOATS / 18 FOOTERS & SAILING DINGHIES

# Athena # Shamrock # Hawke # Limerick # Mamaru # Surprise 

# Desdemona # Lanai # Freedom # Nancye # Sonoma # Salome 

# Tamarus # Gay # Maui # Nudger # Kea # Mawera. 

YACHTS

# Gayleen # Awatere # Tarawai # Ocean Phoenix

LAUNCHES

# Pirimanu # Kereru # Cleone # Manunui # Reremoana # Tirimoana # Lisa Ann

# Rag Doll # Natalie # Cabaletta (may have previously been called Latitude) # Deborah Ann

Any further information anyone has on any of these boats – or other Couldrey boats we may not yet have identified would be really appreciated. 

As a reward for your input, everyone that helps out will go into the draw for a copy of Jenni’s K CLASS book + the best photograph submitted (judged by Alan H) also goes into a draw for a another copy of the book. Thats 2 Copies To Be Won. Draw Close off date is August 1st – just in time for Father’s Day

Initial Contact To Jenni Mence at jennimence@gmail.com

Phyllis

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PHYLLIS

After a long career earning her keep across multiple owners in and around the Waitemata Harbour, the ex work-boat Phyllis has been up north in the Bay of Islands in recent years. Sadly her owner pasted away and his 3 daughters inherited the boat. 

I’m sure that the likes of Russell Ward and Baden Pascoe will be able to enlighten us further on the vessel. What we do know is that she was built by Harvey and Lang c.1913 and was up until recently (2013) the oldest working tug boat still in survey.

Woody John Wright and cohorts have taken over Phyllis and last week steamed her down from the B.O.I. to Auckland on one engine – took 23 hours, and with only on board.

Already she has been hauled out at the Te Atatu Boating Club and been given a freshen up.

Call For Help – Phyllis has one dud engine, so the guys are looking out for a Ford 120hp – so if you have one in the basement / under the bench etc – Phyllis would be a very good home for it 🙂

UPDATE – READ THE COMMENTS SECTION – LOTS OF CHAT

INPUT EX CAMERON POLLARD – photos below from her Auckland working days for Blue Boats etc

12-04-2023 Update – new photos added.

Sad video below of the 162’ schooner Eleonora E being hit by a commercial ship – she later sank. Happened in the Port of Tarragona, the offshore supply vessel – ‘Punta Mayor’ had an issue with being locked in reverse and t-boned the Eleonora E.

Jenanne Raises The K Class Bar

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Jenanne Raises The K Class Bar

Last week the Bill Couldrey built, 1945, K Class – Jenanne glided back into the water at the Milford Slipway after some serious TLC.

Note the boot topping colour – very flash for a 77 year old lady. 

Me thinks sunglasses will be needed for the rest of the K fleet crews 😉

43’ Classic Yacht With Exemplary Provenance 

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43’ Classic Yacht With Exemplary Provenance 

Very very rarely do I put a price on a classic vessel that is for sale on WW, but today is an exception. After over 50 years of ownership Tuahine is for sale and her owner is keen to sell, but only to the right person/s -so woodys if you pass the test -Tuahine could be yours for $100k. That is a bargain for a 43’ yacht designed and built in 1957 by the Dickson family, lead by Roy Dickson’s father (grandfather to Chris Dickson). Modern engine, her needs are mostly cosmetic, so give her some TLC and you will have a very fetching classic that should blow the b_lls off most of Auckland’s classic fleet 🙂

More photos and details at this WW link.https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/05/04/classic-yacht-tuahine-for-sale/

Classic Tender or Art

You decide – she is sub 10’, built of kauri ply (est. 65kg) and after 6 years of storage, has just had a birthday. Overseas owner says sell – not cheap but a very fair price at $4,300

1937 Mystery Woody Photograph 

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1937 Mystery Woody Photograph 

We have been contacted by Tony Evans from the Richmond YC in Auckland concerning the 1937 photograph above that the club have been gifted.There was no family connection from the ‘gifter’, so the club are unsure of its history. Tony commented that the picture is likely taken at the original RYC Herne Bay club house, with Chelsea Bay hills in the background. 

So woodys are we able to help the club and share some intel on the significance of the photo eg the name of the boat, was it (probably) performing the rule of racing committee boat and any info on the regatta / event. Or given the crowd onboard just she a spectator boat?

Input From Barry John Davis – This is the A. & G. Frankham coaster Coronation, built 1902 as a ketch in NSW, you can just make out the vestiges of a clipper type bow, dimensions 83.7′ x 22.7′ First registered at Auckland the same year. Still trading out of Auckland up to the early 1960’s when sold and went to Gisborne as a motorised lighter

Classic Woody Yard Mooching

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Update 05-07-2022 1st coat of the shinny stuff goes on 

Classic Woody Yard Mooching

Dropped into The Slipway Milford the other day, very pleased to see the 1937, 38’ Sam Ford built launch – Menai, getting some serious TLC after languishing at the CYA’s Heritage Landing for many years, dockside chat was it was a permanent fixture. 

As with most things in life, boat ownership goes in cycles and with new owners she is get the attention she deserves. Always nice to see painting prep well executed i.e. back to bare wood – that kauri looks as good as the day Sam Ford fastened it.

I understand a new engine has been installed so the TCL is serious – we like that 🙂

See more on Menai here https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/09/11/menai-a-peek-down-below-2/

While there the 1945 K-Class – Jenanne was getting a Jason Prew Paint Job, the photo is coat one of two top coats, already very slick.

Now a tip on how to get marine engineers to come down to your boat – keep your engine room as ship-shape as the 1965 Owen Woolley built launch – Adonis – the man from the Moon didn’t even have to put his overalls on 🙂