Summer of 1932/33 Cruise Aboard Scout – Ships Log – Part I

Last Sunday I ran an old b/w photo of yacht with the sail # C2, very quickly the stick and rag WW followers ID’ed the yacht as Scout. Then Denis O’Callahan (ex MV Tasman owner) contacted me to advise that back in the 1930s Scout was owned by one of Denis’s father’s buddies Ted Hay. Denis recalls that he thinks is was Ted Hays that changed Scout from gaff to bermudan rig. From 30 December 1932 to 20 January 1933 Scout cruised to the Bay of Islands, the crew being Ted Hays, Jack Callagher, Bob O’Callahan (Denis’s father) and Copper Speight, who represented New Zealand at Rugby in 1893, playing 7 matches on tour. Copper was older than the rest of the crew and died at 65 years in 1935.

Denis commented that in 1932 it was the depression time, and Ted, Jack and Bob may well have been unemployed and reading between the lines Copper may have  subsidised the cruise. He enjoyed it so much that he had a log typed up and Denis inherited a bound carbon copy. Denis have passed his copy of the log on to the present owner of Scout, Martin Farrand, after thankfully scanning it and keeping an electronic copy.

We apologise for the quality of the reproduction, but folks it was nearly 90 yrs ago since this was stamped out on a typewriter and in fact this was a carbon copy.

Please note the “swastika” on the cover, which was originally in gold leaf. Back in 1933, before the Nazis, this was a religous symbol and meant good luck and prosperity.

Unfortunately there are no photos from the 1932 cruise.

Scout – I know very little other than she was built in 1909 to comply with the “6 Metre” rule, by 3 brothers in Whangarei. In 2009, to celebrate her 100th year, owner Martin Farrand took Scout to Newport, Rhode Island to sail in an international 6 Metre regatta. She was the oldest boat in the fleet. The story is told by Sandra Gorther in her book ‘Scout, 100 years astern’. These days Scout sports the sail # NZL-1.

So woodys thanks to the generosity of Denis O’Callahan we get to read the Log from the summer cruise – it’s a cracker read – I have split it over 2 days, so come back tomorrow for PART II – Enjoy

EASTER WOODY WEEKEND UPDATE – As you read this, weather permitting, around 12 classic woody launches will be weaving their way up the Waihou River to Paeroa on the Inaugural Waitemata Woodys Paeroa River Raid. The trip involves a special opening of the old Kopu – Thames swing bridge and takes approx. 4 hours. We will be berthed for 2 nights alongside the Paeroa Maritime Museum. WiFi reception etc permitting I will post some updates – should be a hoot – I can see a few WW prizes being ‘won’ for examples of accidental ‘touch hydrography’ 🙂