Auckland Anniversary Day Classic Regatta – Launch Race + Video of Mahurangi Regatta A Division Start

1st Across The Line – Kaikoura

Auckland Anniversary Day Classic Regatta – Launch Drag Race

Monday saw 10 classic launches brave the inner harbour conditions to contest the annual round the bouys, jandal to the floor romp, to see  who has the most slippery haul or deepest pockets (big engine and fuel). There is a handicap system but let’s not kid ourselves – its first across the line that gets the glory. This year Kaikoura claimed the honours. Photos from Nick Davidson onboard his woody – Juanita, parked off the harbour port rounding mark close to Orakei Wharf.
LINE: 1. Kaikoura 2. Fleetwing 3. My Girl HANDICAP: Fleetwing > Kaikoura > Paika > My Girl > Cindy Jane > Callisto > Waikaro > Kumi > Laughing Lady > Shearwater (Full details below)

Some people take this race very seriously, earlier in the week I witnessed Fleetwing’s keel getting the Jenny Craig treatment (LARGE sections removed) and a new prop added 🙂 

Video Footage of the 2022 Mahurangi Regatta A Division Yacht Start


Two Questions

1. What is sail #3445 doing in that stunning line up of classics. Two points (a) its not a classic (b) it pollutes the image

2. Who was calling starting tactics on sail #A11 (Ida) No room at the inn for them. Maybe they also thought 3445 shouldn’t be there and could squeeze them out 🙂

More & Better Photos At The Link Below

Image gallery can be viewed here https://lissaphotography.queensberryworkspace.com/aadr22. If you buy a photo, 50% of the profits will be donated back to the regatta to keep making it better each year.

Update 03-02-22 Photo below ex John Wright of Fleetwing closing in on My Girl

Mahurangi Regatta 2022 – 150+ Classic Wooden Boat Photos

MAHURANGI REGATTA 2022 – 150+ CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT PHOTOS

2022 will be remembered as the no frills regatta – no small boats, no beach activity, no beach party (band, bbq’s), no prize giving – but woodys it still rocked. Great turn out of both launches and yachts, and the weather gods delivered a breeze that provided some of the best racing we have seen in a long time.

I was told by someone that should know – that the budget for previous regatta’s is knocking on the door of $50,000 – maybe CV-19 has been a relativity check and maybe – less is more 🙂

I’m told Peter Brookes has Rawhiti in the groove, she is smoking the rest of the fleet – well done skipper and the grey haired crew 😉 for taking out the A division + Little Jim backing up last years Logan Trophy win with another win.

Tomorrow we will have a look at Mondays launch drag race for the quicks – conditions were below average on the inner harbour – correction, bad everywhere, I had the 2nd worst passage back from Kawau yesterday – 4.5 hours of my life I’ll never get back 🙂 . If I ever see the prick in a very large Riviera that went past me at full chat less than 50m away in the Rangi Channel and almost rolled me – he will get a bottle of Thai Fish Sauce in his air-con intake. 

No real story today, just a photo gallery from the weekend – sit back and enjoy. Remember click photos to enlarge. No photos from the Scotts Landing casual gathering – no need for a record ;-).

Special thanks to Murray Deeble and Glen Keeper for sending in photos 🙂

Update 02-02-22 Mahurangi weekend photo gallery below sent in by Graeme Finch

Can Anyone ID The Designer Of This Kauri Yacht

DOES ANYONE RECOGNISE THE DESIGN OF THIS KAURI YACHT

WW was recently contacted by Roger Young regarding a yacht he had acquired.
The previous owner and probably the builder is deceased, and Roger is hoping that we may recognize the design.

He found the yacht on a lawn alongside the house of the former owner.
His name is A. E. Tinnock and Roger is reasonably confident that he was the builder.
It has been very well crafted from kauri, strip planked with glass over.

She has a very weighty centre keel with a ballast block of lead. It measures approximately 25cm X  25cm X approx. 2 metres.

ROGUE – Whats 15 Years When You’re 130 Years Old

STEPPING THE MAST

ROGUE – Whats 15 Years When You’re 130 Years Old

Rather a special afternoon yesterday, got to have a sneak peek at Rogue, the 1892 Chas Bailey Jnr. built gaffer. She slipped out of Wayne Olsen’s shed and headed to the Pier 21 yard at Westhaven, with the intention being to step the mast and do a quick waterline sighting before hauling out for the final coats of paint and commissioning. 

As seems to always be the case with woodys – things took a little longer than expected and she missed her launch slot – that will now be today. Rogue was last in the water 15 years ago and is without equal in terms of the total restoration – every object aboard Rogue is 100% fit for purpose and of the highest spec. As an admirer of attention to detail I was blown away. The day was about stepping back and seeing her outside of the shed after all those years, we will be back to showcase the finished project.

Enjoy the gallery – its not often we see pieces of art of this size. As always click on the photos to enlarge.
View and read more on the project here –      https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/09/07/the-restoration-of-rogue/

This link to the yachts blog page will stun you – pour a coffee, find a comfortable chair and click then keep scrolling down  https://rogue1892.com/rogues-restoration/

And just because you’re 130 years old doesn’t mean you can not have a few toys – check out the wind vane below, solar powered, wireless connection to your iPhone 🙂

18-03-2022 UPDATE – On 15-03-22 Rogue was popped back in the water with 750kgs more ballast added. Floating perfectly to her lines – owner very happy. A few last chores and she will be out there chasing down a few of the A-Class fleet 🙂

The Endless Summer

Tasman
Viveen
Waiari
Juanita
Pacific

Peter Loughlin Photos Below

Lady Margaret

The Endless Summer 

I know I’m tempting fate with the headline, but who can remember when it last rained? Todays gallery of woodys comes to us from the camera of Nathan Herbert (Pacific) as he mooched around the Hauraki Gulf last week. The last 5, are from Peter Loughlin (Lady Margaret -CW) doing the same thing.

We see Tasman, Viveen, Pacific, Arihi, Escape, Chandos, Zoe, Motunau, Waiari, Juanita, Pacific, Lady Margaret (CW), Rehia, Ngaro and a few that I can’t put a name to.

A question – did Colin Wild ever design / build an ugly boat? 

It was a pretty wild and woolly weekend in some parts of the north and reviewing the news and photos, Tutukaka took the brunt of it – sad to see the carnage. Angus Rogers sent in the photo below from Russell last night – tagged ‘After the Wind’ showing the Russell ferry and the launch Miss Brett, bottom right closer in.

Olwen – Sailing Sunday

OLWEN – Sailing Sunday

The above yacht caught my eye recently on Lew Redwood’s fb. Olwen was designed by Claude Smith and built in 1960 by Smiths Boat Yard in Whangarei. At 33’ there is a lot of usable cabin and cockpit space, very few yacht designers manage to include good sized windows and retain a classic look.In the photo she looks like some TLC is overdue, but with those ‘good bones’ I’m sure Olwen will get the attention she deserves.

Do we know any more about Olwen?

Input ex Robin Elliott – Olwen won line honours in her first race, Dec 3 1960 in the Onerahi YC 100 mile Moko Hinau Ocean Race from a fleet of 13. Conditions were tough with a strong SE wind and gusts up to 35 knots, and set a new course record of 15 hours 15 minutes.

A HEADS UP – THE ADMINISTRATOR CONTROLLING THE WHANGTEAU TRADITIONAL BOATING CLUB facebook page HAS DECIDED THAT LINKS TO waitematawoody STORIES ARE NOT SUITABLE CONTENT. SO WW STORIES AND EVEN MYSELF ARE BARRED. This means that if you have linked a WTBC fb post to an existing WW story to provide more details on a vessel, your link has been deleted. Very narrow minded and introverted thinking – and clearly a low understanding of how social media communities co-exist and facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, and interests through virtual networks. I would have thought ‘holding hands’ with a site that has just passed 7,500,000 views would have been a good thing for WTBC. Never mind, we will find new friends to play with 🙂

Woody Cruising In The Bay of Islands #3

Woody Cruising In The Bay of Islands #3

In todays gallery we get a peek at a few more woodys cruising the far north, complements of BOI woody and pro photographer Dean Wright’s camera. The boats photographed above are – Florence, W1, Joleen and the yacht Nomad V. Links below to the boats that have appeared on WW before, the trawler style launch is Joleen, is I believe a 37’ Jackson design.

Florence https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/10/29/florence-3/
W1         https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/01/20/w1-caroma-goes-the-full-circle/

Waiheke Island Causeway Haul-Out

Waiheke Island Causeway Haul-Out
After driving past the haul-out yard at the top of Putiki Bay most days, normally around mid-morning (worst light) I at last got the light and the tide right. Great collection of craft in various states of repair / refit – I imagine the council nazis’s keep a tight rein of the ‘residents’ but it was remarkably tidy.

The launch Safari appears to be getting a serious dose of TLC – read / see more on her past here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/05/02/safari/ Leonardo, the very salty ex workboat, popped up on WW in Oct 2021 – more here https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/10/24/leonardo-gets-a-birthday/

click image to view

Mystery Launch (Elizabeth) & Yacht (Niobe)

Mystery Launch (Elizabeth) & Yacht (Niobe)

Woody Murray Deeble sent in the above photo of a woody launch loitering around over the xmas /ny break. Murray commented that she maybe named Elizabeth, it drew a blank with me (a common occurrence these days), can anyone ID the launch and tell us more about her?

Help Needed From The Rag & Stick Brigade 

WW was recently contacted by Travers Reynolds who had recently inherited the old original photograph below, taken by FG Radcliffe circa early 1900s possibly near the Whangarei heads. Travers is keen to know if anyone can identify the boat.

UPDATE The launch is called Elizabeth and ‘lives’ a pole mooring at Te AtatuThe yacht is named named Niobe, well spotted Harold Kidd. And confirmed by Janet Watkins, with the following comment – “Yes it is Niobe, taken from near Manganese Point early 1900’s when she was owned by my Grand father A.R. Pickmere. He sold her in 1906 when he took delivery of the launch Kiakoa built for him by Bailey & Lowe.”

Christmas Cruising In the Bay of Islands #1

Ranoni
Miss Brett
Arcturus & below

Christmas Cruising In the Bay of Islands #1

BOI woody and pro photographer Dean Wright sent in the above photos of Miss Brett, Arcturus and Ranoni loitering in the bay on Christmas Day. 

Meanwhile closer to home island life is a little bit more ‘family’ focused – the paddle board xmas present was a hit, I’ll say it before Jason Prew does – its a 1/3 the size of Raindance 🙂 If you’re on Waiheke, check out the new establishment named HEKE, very relaxed dining, great food and for Waiheke, well priced. Just down the road from Stonyridge. 

Rocky Bay, Waiheke Island
The HEKE