Amakura II Re-launched

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AMAKURA II RELAUNCHED

Seems its the time of the year for relaunches, recently we had Haunui back in after a 2+ year rebuild and yesterday it was the turn of Amakura II.

The 52’ Colin Wild designed and built woody was launched in 1936 and excluding a few minor additions has remained very original. I have been aboard several times and was always impressed with her presentation.

Nearly (maybe longer) 3 years ago her owners made the call to haul her out and engaged maestro boat builder / restorer Peter Brookes and his team to intake a complete refit. 

Regular followers of the WW site will know that work at the Brookes yard is a bit like the breeding of elephants, whose gestation period is > 2 years but the workmanship is second to none. Supported by the fact that numerous classic owners have returned to the yard with other craft.

Fast forward to yesterday and Amakura II was gently set afloat again at the Hobsonville Marina in West Auckland.

As we have come to expect from anything that comes out of the Peters Waimauku yard she is a work of art – well done to Yvonne and Chris for this amazing restoration. 

Below are links to previous WW stories on Amakura II – the first one, shows the extent of the refit.

Nov 2020. https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/11/02/wooden-boat-yard-visit-50-photos/

May 2018 https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/05/05/amakura-ii-in-the-old-days/

April 2017 https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/04/01/amakura-ii-a-great-story/

Mystery Launch On The Waitemata

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Mystery Launch On The Waitemata – TAMAKI

Another photo from Brian Peet, the craft was designed and built by Jim Young. Brian commented that he assumes the piece of hardware on the cabin top is the exhaust muffler and if so, then that’s a maritime engineering feature thankfully consigned to the ‘no longer a good idea’ rubbish bin. 🙂

So woodys – what’s the name of the launch, who was it built for and what became of her?

Input ex Brian Peet –  It’s the Tamaki Yacht Clubs patrol boat, imaginatively called ‘Tamaki’.  Designed and built by Jim Young. My father John Peet was Secretary of the TYC, so became the go-between for the club and Jim to get the project underway.

Input ex Neil Chalmers – I found the below extract from ‘’ The Tamaki Yacht Club :  A brief history of its 75 years ‘’ by Frank Davis 13 April 2002.By the way ‘Tamaki’ is moored at OBC and has a blue engine. I think Brian  Peet and I should share the cigar 🙂

25-01-2023 INPUT ex ROBIN ELLIOTT – Neil’s input is correct. Jim Young built her but did not design the Tamaki.

Sea Spray November 1952 page 11. ” At J.H. Young’s yard was the new rescue boat for the Tamaki Yacht Club. She is built to a design by P.W. Willetts and will be finished off by club members.”

I’m not sure when she was actually launched but the second photo appeared in Sea Spray October 1953 page 38. The caption also states that she was a Peter Willetts design. 

As to the exhaust, it is there because she was to rescue and retrieve crews from capsized centreboarders. Most centreboarders of the time could not right themselves (although that was quickly changing) and had to be towed to shore, partly submerged.  

“Note the low freeboard and narrow decks aft, ample cockpit and the exhaust above the cabin top, out of the way of the people being rescued. ….  Power comes from an Austin Skipper.”

WW doesn’t do death notices so you have to have been a good bugger to get one. Well Alan was more than a good bugger he was one of the best. He rubbed up against so many classic boat owners and admirers that I’m sure it will be standing room only at his funeral – 10.30am, Feb 1st, Davis Funeral Home, Henderson.

Our thoughts go out to his partner – Nicky and family.

LUCILLE

HAUNUI RELAUNCHED

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HAUNUI RELAUNCHED

WoW – double WoW – Luckily WW has spies everywhere – one of the team was walking the docks yesterday and spotted the 1948 Colin Wild built Haunui afloat in one of Auckland’s marinas.

WW has been covering the rebuild / restoration of the woody for several years, links below, click on the headline of each panel to see the full story.

Seems the owner chose to do a sneaky splash, I’m told there is still work to be finished and system testing etc – but woodys I assure you there will be more photos soon 😉

Sorry for low res images – spy needs to upgrade their tools 🙂

Haunui Restoration
Haunui Restoration Update #2 + Woodys Classic Event Dates
Haunui Restoration Update #3
Haunui Restoration Update #4
Haunui Restoration Update #5

Nelson Marina Mooching

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Nelson Marina Mooching

Shamus Fairhead, owner of the very smart woody – Sequoia, sent in a photo report from a recent sortie to Nelson.

Above we see the launches – Lady Dorothy > Rarangi > Kanona. Shamus commented that Lady Dorothy had Oliver & Gilpin written all over her. Rarangi has made several appearances on WW – link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/12/12/rarangi-a-peek-down-below/

The other two are WW virgins i.e. have not appeared on the site before, so keen to learn more about these wooden craft.

26-01-2023 INPUT EX MARK MCLAUGHLIN – KANONA was built in Havelock by Sonny Johnson in the early 1960’s and was used until the early 1970’s by the Johnson family for the mail run there. She was then used as a commercial passenger boat out of Havelock under different owners (Eric Huddleston was one, there may have been more) until the mid 1990’s when she was sold to Nelson. The flying bridge and cockpit dodger roof and covers are additions since her time in Nelson. I travelled on her once on the way home from a high school camp in the Sounds and she is quite fast.

Eye Candy

One of my Waiheke spies sent in the photo below of Lady Crossley and LC’s owners daughters launch at anchor – we like woody families 🙂

Mystery Launch + Competition

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Mystery Launch + Competition (Posiedon > Bontia)

Yesterday I was contacted by Brian Peet regarding the above photo. I’ll let Brian tell the story-

“My late father’s cousin Graham Hamblin gave me a photo of a launch owned by another long departed family member, Percy Hewitt. We don’t have a name or any other details for the boat, but to my untrained eye, it looks under 30ft long, 1950s with possibly American influences. The bow looks most unusual and not a styling that got picked up by NZ designers to any extent. Percy lived at Bucklands Beach and apparently raced the launch a few times in the Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta”. 

INPUT EX KEN RICKETTS – well that was easier than expected, KR advised the boat was named Posiedon, later changed to Bonita – details here in her 2013 WW story https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/21/posiedon/

 So woodys has anyone ever seen this launch before? Might be hard to confirm the accuracy of suggestions, so how does this sound – the most believable / entertaining suggestion will get a WW t-shirt and Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat calendar. Suggestions in the WW comments section please. Closes off midnight 21/01/23.

Ethel Big Game Fishing

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Ethel Big Game Fishing

The passage of life sometimes is a tad scary – recently I have been doing several stories based around Whangaroa Harbour in the Far North and  yesterday the phone rings and one of the last standing relatives has passed on – and where is the funeral – Whangaroa, so tomorrow the car will be pointing north. These events are never good but in her mid 90’s, it will be a celebration of life.

Anyway moving on to todays story – thanks to a Lew Redwood fb post we get to see a c.1931 photo gallery of the launch – Ethel in / around Whangaroa Harbour, in her big game fishing heyday. Regular WW readers will known my personal views on this heinous practice – one photo is tagged ‘Mako shark being killed with a spade’. Ok its not a spade, but seriously how barbaric is that.

(Photos ex The British Museum collection)

Get a Wee Bit Excited About The Upcoming Mahurangi Regatta – next weekend – Jan 28th.

Tandarra

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TANDARRA

Todays launch is named Tandarra and was spotted by Barbara Cooke in the Bay of Islands. A total mystery to me, and I hope its not a Vindex and has slipped under my classic radar 🙂

WOODY QUIZ (NO) WINNER

The answer to yesterdays quiz re naming the mystery boat yard and location is Ashton’s Boatyard, Ewing Road, Whangarei (c.1950>60)

Lots of people suggesting the Salthouse Greenhithe yard or Robertson’s on the Mahurangi River. 

So no winner for the WW t-shirt and Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Calendar – will put them up again in the weekend with another quiz question.

Valhalla At Whangaroa 1932 + Woody Quiz

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Valhalla At Whangaroa 1932

In the above March 1932 photo we see the launch Valhalla alongside the wharf at the Whangaroa Swordfish and Big Gamefish Club in Northland.

Two very impressive Mako sharks are being weighed in – must have been a hell of a battle to land that pair in a boat the size of Valhalla 🙂

I’m a bit light on intel on Valhalla – can we learn more on her?

(Photo ex Lew Redwood fb)

INPUT ex Greg Philpott – below press clippings. I wonder if she survived the fire i.e. rebuilt.

WEDNESDAY WOODY QUIZ – Win WW t-shirt + a Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Calendar

⎈ Name the boat yard and location (approx) in the photo below – and your are in the draw for a WW t-shirt + LRC&WB calendar. ENTRY ONLY VIA EMAIL TO THE ADDRESS BELOW (entries close 6pm 18-01-2023

waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Shango

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Shango 

I spotted the 40’ Atkinson designed launch – Shango anchored in Little Oneroa, Waiheke Island over the xmas > new year period. 

Very impressed that she has had a top chop and lost the radar tower, refer photo below from the 2020 Woody Waitangi Day Picnic at Wakalabubu Bay, Motutapu Island.

In a previous life the launch was named – Ani and before that – Brief Affair ? Link below to that WW story and photos https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/01/16/ani-bri

Bay of Islands Classic Wooden Boats

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Bay of Islands Classic Wooden Boats

Bay of Islands WW contributor Dean Wright sent in the great photos  above from when he and partner Deb were out for a few days just b4 xmas. 

Dick and Colleen Fisher’s magnificent Akarana is seen anchored in Orokawa, as is Enterprise.

The photo of Shenandoah was taken by Dean as she came through Wai iti Bay, Moturua Island. I would be a little amiss if I didn’t comment on the brightwork – please someone give her the TLC she deserves.

A nice photo of the 1929 Lanes Motor Boat Co. 35’ launch – Valerie under way.

The sedan launch in the last photo is well known to me, but I just can’t recall her name…….. Nathan Herbert has advised it’s Waihora.

The photo below ex David Cooke is of Akarana heading to Te Puna Inlet yesterday, where she and Trinidad are escaping the unpleasant swells the B.O.I. are experiencing.