TARANUI – A Peek Down Below

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TARANUI – A Peek Down Below Taranui

The 1965 John Gladden ketch motor-sailer is one of those rare vessels that you have an immediate attachment to – it has everything it needs, in the right place and proportionally correct, which is hard for a designer to get right on a 36’ vessel. Her designer was a UK resident named Francis James. Her first owner Gordon Robertson, an engineer by trade and a very skilled amateur boatbuilder, had input in the finishing. All the cast bronze fittings throughout Taranui are impressive. 

Built from kauri, carvel planked , Taranui has a 9’ beam and draws 5’. When the wind drops there is a 62hp Nanni Diesel engine, installed new in 2000 by the Salthouse yard.  The eagle eyed will note that her name (big tern in maori) appears on her bow with a hyphen, this is a songwriters oops – its Taranui.

Stepping on board is a treat, she is a boat that you could easily call home for extended periods of time – in fact her owner of 26 years has been off shore 3 times (in Cat1 each time) – destinations being Tonga and New Caledonia. I’ll let Richard tell us about the trips.

“Our first trip to Tonga in 2000 was a wonderful family experience. We were there for 3 months with out 3 young children. Sailing back to NZ from Tonga was my first solo ocean trip, and Taranui proved herself to be a very easy boat to manage solo. I also sailed solo to New Caledonia and back to NZ twice. On one of these trips we spent many months living aboard with family and friends flying over to join us aboard. Taranui has also taken me on a solo 3 month trip around NZ, including Stewart Island were I was joined again by family and friends and got to explore most of the fiords. Other family cruises have been to the Marlborough Sounds and numerous excursions exploring the Northland coast and islands including Great Barrier and Coromandel. Taranui’s most recent voyage was a cruise from Auckland to the Bay of Islands and on to Whangaroa – skippered by my daughter and partner. We’ve had great fun with Taranui and been so lucky to own such a safe and comfortable ship”

Mystery Launch 14-05-2023

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Mystery Launch 14-05-2023

Back in January Eric Sanderson sent me a folder of random woodys – no names, no location or dates. Eric ‘recently’ restored the 33’ ex work-boat – Quest, re-launched May 2022. Quest is a very stunning woody, built in 1959 by Roger Carey, one of her many features is a canoe stern. Quest launching photos at link below: https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/05/11/the-relaunch-of-quest/

In the folder mentioned above was the launch berthed along side Moana, in my eyes a rather fetching craft. 

With that raked mast it does look a little familiar –  can you put a name and some provenance to her.

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Oops That Must Have Been Embarrassing

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OOPS THAT MUST HAVE BEEN EMBARRASSING 

The woody above was spotted in Paeroa – probably a combination of things

1. One of more lines came loose

2. River in flood

3. Bad luck

Will be interesting to know how she was extracted, maybe a midnight autos tow before anyone from the council spotted it.

Oops happen to even the most experienced boaties – after the recent Woodys Riverhead cruise the skipper of the launch Awariki was turning her around at Tamaki Marina and misjudged things and gently touched the launching ramp. A four hour wait for the tide, no damage just a bruise ego 🙂

Post WWII Boating On The Waitemata 

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Post WWII Boating On The Waitemata 

Another old movie day – same source (Lew Redwood fb post / link to some film footage from c.1945 that is stored / saved on Nga Taonga – the NZ archive of film, television and sound.)Given the date everyone must’ve been so relived to be emerging from the doom and glum of WWII and back boating again.

Todays footage is a potpourri and tagged ‘Personal Record. Taylor, AG. (Akarana Regatta, Northern Cruise, Othei Bay, Oyster Inspector, Zane Grey’s Gallows). Approx. 12 minutes in length. 

A great mix of sail and motor boats – towards the end, the flying boat landing in the harbour amongst the pleasure craft is something you wouldn’t see in todays PC world.

LINK TO WATCH THE MOVIES HERE https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/search-use-collection/search/F44551/

ENJOY?

13-05-2023 INPUT EX ROBIN ELLIOTT –

The clip is one of many filmed by AG. Taylor, that have been doing the rounds for some years. He held many film evenings at yacht clubs during the 1940’s and 1950’s and 60’s.

A.G. Taylor was the father of John Taylor (Ex Stewart 34 Paprika) and grandfather of Team NZ’s Andrew Taylor. He sailed with ‘Boy’ Bellve on the Ngatoa and used to film their cruises, the Richmond Yacht Club picnics and follow his sons (who owned the M-class Mercedes 1939-1949) around filming them during races. Film stock was a mix of colour and black and white.

Some years ago, Point Chevalier YC (I think) discovered a collection of his film reels in their old clubhouse attic that had been left behind after a long-forgotten film evening. They copied them to videotape and were selling them as a fundraiser for their new clubhouse.

This particular clip is a mish-mash of dates and assembled in no particular order. There is a brief and blurry clip of the 1939 World’s 18-foot series shot from the Westhaven wall, as well as a much better clip of the 1948 Series (where you have that spectacularly overloaded and listing ferry). There are several Regattas depicted.

I agree with Simon below regarding colour film. When I first saw these films (almost 30 years ago) John Taylor told me that his father ‘got the colour film from America’.

Also, in several of the colour clips, A-7 Rainbow is shown in gaff, she was laid up after 1940 and briefly returned to racing in 1945 but broke her mast and was again laid up until sold to Leo Bouzaid in 1948 who converted to marconi rig in 1949.

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A Sad Ending

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A Sad Ending
WW was sent the above sad photo of a woody that had come to grief in Oamaru Bay, Coromandel earlier in the week. The following day Dennis Maconaghie reported that shewas in little bits on the back of a truck on the way to the tip.  
Anyone able to tell us the name of the boat and what happened to her.

A Request For Help – Stuart Turner P66 Engine

Any woodys out there with a spare ST engine or a cylinder block? Drop an email to waitematawoodys@gmail.comFYI – I’m not that crazy to want one, but a reader doing up a 15’ clinker needs a replacement or parts.

Ocean Star – A Floating Apartment

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OCEAN STAR – A Floating Apartment

Todays woody – Ocean Star, is probably the cheapest apartment / home that you could buy in NZ at the moment. The fact Ocean Star has a bath backs up the owners ‘live aboard’ claim 🙂

Ocean Star is 55’ in length, with a 15’ beam. Built in kauri to a Jack Guard design in c.1950.

If you wanted to leave the mooring a 160hp Detroit 471 diesel engine is below decks. As per the photos she is very well fitted out and at $135k ono seems a bargain. The price includes her Tauranga waterfront mooring.

Thanks to Ian McDonald for the tme listing heads up.

I see in the comments section that she in a previous life was a Govt. vessel servicing the Hauraki Gulf islands – can we learn more about her work-boat days.

15-05-2023 UPDATE: Photo below ex Chris Rabey, sent in by Russell Ward

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Dream Girl – Project Boat

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DREAM GIRL – Project Boat

Todays woody while based in NZ started life on the other side of the world – at the Merritt boat yard in Fort Lauderdale, USA. Built in the early 1960’s she was originally named  – Tuna Teaser. Fast forward to the mid 2000’s and she is now named Dream Girl and pops up in Pago Pago (American Samoa) and then in Rarotonga. Sadly while in Rarotonga she sunk on her mooring in Feb 2006, fast forward again and she was freighted to New Zealand. Not sure of the timing between sinking and transport to NZ but before the sinking Dream Girl was powered by 2x 320hp Cummins giving her a reputed cruise speed of around 15knots and a top speed of 25knots.

Home these days is in West Auckland where she has been stripped back, damage repaired and is currently a hull and deck + a few original fittings.

What we know about her is that she is 40’ in length and appears to be strip planked and glassed.

Top photo and below from her ‘off-shore’ days.

While lacking the kiwi classic woody looks, if a fast classic sport-fisher appeals, Dream Girl could be a good entry point. You’ll find her on tme, if not already sold.

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Freedom DN.33 – A Peek Down Below

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FREEDOM DN 33 – A Peek Down Below

Regular WW readers will know that I have a soft spot for converted workboats, Todays woody – Freedom started life as a cray boat, built from kauri in 1956 by Millers in Lyttelton and fished out of Dunedin. Later (date unknown) converted to a live-aboard.

Thanks to Ian McDonald giving us a heads up on a tme feature we get to have a look below. Freedom is 40’ in length and powered by a 1970’s 120hp Ford diesel engine. Being a southern lass, she sports a Dickensen heater – we like those 🙂

Can we learn more about Freedom

The Demise Of Lorna Doone

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THE DEMISE OF LORNA DOONE

We last saw the Collings & Bell built Lorna Doone on WW back in April 2018, at the time we learnt that she was built in 1926, and one of four launches for the Zane Grey Sporting Club. When launched she was powered by a Redwing engine that gave her a very respectable 16 knots of speed.

In the 2018 story (link below) Martin Howson advised that in the late 1950’s when owned by Des Shimanski Lorna Doona came ashore in a big easterly blow in Hooks Bay, Waiheke Island. She survived that oops and returned to life as a long-liner moored in the Tamaki River, near Bucklands Beach.

In todays photos sent in by Ray Morey we see Lorna Doone in Whangaroa Harbour, in Northland. Sadly in the bottom two we see her c.1970’s when she was wrecked on Peach Island, in the middle of Whangaroa Harbour. (as advised by Gavin Bradley)

Can anyone tells us the back story to the Peach Island incident – its a well protected harbour and the island is almost dead centre with good deep water both sides – see photo below.

08-05-2023 Input ex Alice Morrison – Whangaroa can get some gnarly gusts through the valleys. A few months ago, the wooden yacht ‘Hope’ ran aground in Waitapu Bay/Ota Point when a big gust came through as he was lifting anchor. It actually happened again around at Ratcliffs Bay a few days later.

Rosemary + WW Caps Back In Stock

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ROSEMARY

Todays woody is / was a recent work boat operating out of Tauranga. I understand she was running fishing charters.

I believe the builder is said to be Lanes 1927 (I know…. Aren’t they all) 31’ in length with a beam of 9’6”. Forward motion is via a Ford 60hp diesel engine.

And that woodys is all we know about her.

Can we uncover more on Rosemary, there is nice hull hiding under the ‘recent’ additions 🙂

INPUT EX Mitchell Hutchings – This Rosemary, and there are several, worked for some years out of Sandspit running ‘Rosemary Fishing Charters’ under the friendly and able ownership of Brian and Jocelyn Jones, with a short period during which a new owner took over. Last year Brian and Jocelyn moved to Kerikeri with the vessel and I believe she is for sale. Brian has some information on her previous life. She was in survey for some years, and I know the hull was glassed a number of years ago. I took these photos when she was hauled out at Sandspit in 2019 for some work.

NEW COLOUR WAY – limited run                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               1. One size fits all  2.100% canvas-cotton, 6 panel, adjustable brass clasp  3. Colour is Camel with dark brown embroidered logo. 4. Tonal under peak lining.

Price is $38 (gst inclusive) + $6 p&p 

What’s next – email me at waitematawoodys@gmail.com & advise:

# Your name 

# Postal address

# Phone 

# Quantity