The photo above is of the game launch – Blue Skies, anchored off the Hotel Marlin in Whangaroa Harbour. The photo is ex The Northlander – issue #4, 1964 and comes to us via Anthony Waddingham.
The photo was used in an advertisement for the hotel. The ad stated that Blue Skies was licensed to carry six fisherman in unsurpassed comfort. Can anyone enlighten us as to theft of Blue Skies, is she still around and if so, in what configuration?
I’m told from several sources that the snapper fishing in the gulf is excellent at present – my daughter caught 5, late afternoon on Monday – and says this was the smallest 🙂 yeah right. You’ll note the low % of wood in the photo – points off for going out on a plastic boat.
Todays photos came in from Dean Wright and show two of the well known Bay of Islands work-boats – Miss Brett and Miss Dorris.
In the top photo we see Miss Brett heading out with a charter group aboard. Interesting mix of woodys in the background at anchor in the bay. The 2nd photo has Miss Dorris in her role as ferry boat, propelling the vehicular ferry.
It was a strange Labour Weekend for boaties, the weather probably kept most of us at home which would have softened the blow of the postponement / cancellation of the two major weekend events – Kawau Sailing Weekend and the annual Coastal Classic yacht race. Looking at the photo below of Mike Mahoney’s grand old lady – the 1901 Logan Bros built, 55’ – Moerangi, at anchor in Patio Bay, the weather wasn’t bad everywhere.
The launch Raiona was designed and built in 1919 by Joe Slattery. In the gallery of photos above me see Raiona when owned by Bob Cleave. The photos come to us from the Parsonson Family Collection via Mitchell Hutchings.Mitchell’s father – Clive Hutchings appears in several of the photos.
Raiona has featured several times on WW – link below to more recent photos, very cool to see a woody that has survived over 100 years without being abused at the hands of a wood butcher 🙂 https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/19/raiona-2/
Photo below dated 2018
04-07-2022 INPUT ex Hugh Gladwell – photo below of Raiona re-launching today after a 12 month+ refit.
Back in 2017 we reported that the 21’ carvel planked (kauri) ex workboat Leonardo was for sale. At the time she was in Christchurch an had had a new wheelhouse added. You can read and see more at this link https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/04/11/leonardo/ She was powered by a 20hp Ford diesel engine.
Fast forward 4 years and Grant Edwards, owner of the launch Phyllis M reports in that Leonardo had been purchased by a fellow Waiheke Island gent named Lance Peterson. Lance had the boat transported to Auckland and started an extensive period of repair and restoration as she was in very poor health. Included in the refit was a replacement engine, another Ford, 2 cylinder this time, and the additional of a set of bilge keels for ‘drying out.
Leonardo was slipped back in the water during the week, but I understand did not travel far as she has a wee gearbox issue, which I’m sure will be righted quick smart.
I have to say she is a very salty looking ship and a fine additional to the island’s woody fleet. The photo below is from her early days in top of the South Island. Apologies for the two middle photos above , camera person oops 🙂
Keith and Heather Nicholson sent in the above photo of an old post card of the Whangarei Town Basin. The photo first appeared on a Mitchell Hutchings fb post.
In the photo, lower right, we can see a launch hauled out – so todays question is – can we put a name to the boat?
Heather mentioned that their beloved woody – Paea (photo below) was for sale on tme. An amazing classic, the 72’, 1942 ex Harbour Defence Motor Launch (P3552) offers so many boating opportunities.
29-09-2023 UPDATE – photo below of Paea about to be relaunched after some TLC – TLC doesnt really fit a vessel the size of Paea 🙂
05-10-2023 UPDATE – Back in the water. we understand that six months ago the boat was put inside a shed and dried out, the seams were splined and the hull was fiber-glassed. The Fodens were removed and replaced with Cummins. (details & photos ex Ken West)
The owner / restorer of Miss Wahoo would probably frown on my suggestion – but this 2.4m restored woody hydroplane would look amazing hanging from the rafters in a boat shed, bar, man-cave etc. Or maybe attached to a wall vertically.
Or of course you could pop a small outboard on the back and have some serious fun. Uber cool xmas present for the kids / grand kids 😉
It is currently on tme and I reckon will sell quickly.
Check out this short 1955 movie of hydroplane racing in the UK.
Another photo from the Andrew Donovan collection, I have feeling I may have posted this one b4 but can’t locate it on the WW site ,so maybe not. Each to their own but I do like the design, very salty. Thoughts on name and builder?
Help Needed Identifying This Launch – Caesars Palace > Paris > Alena
Can not read the name (something Palace?) and the tme seller doesn’t know the builder or year, but commented that mid 1960’s looks right. Also others have mentioned she has a certain ’Shipbuilders’ look to her. But all the aside, we know she is 34’. Made of strip planked kauri and powered by a Ford 90hp diesel that sees her cruising at 7 knots, with a max of 9 knots. Home berth is the Hibiscus Coast. Can we expand on the above.
Also they would have to win the award for the most ‘off-the-wall’ question on the tme listing – see below 🙂
UPDATE – seems the boat has had multi name changes – thanks to Darrin Kennedy we now know she was called Paris and before that Alena and probably something else b4 that 🙂 https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/02/26/paris-alena/
Today’s photo comes to us from Lew Redwood’s fb and shows a collection of support vessels assisting in the 1965 (April) National Spearfishing Contest, underway in Deep Water Cove, Bay of Islands.
Of most interest is the launch on the right – not sure how you would describe her – pilot house launch? , 1/2 a bridge-decker 🙂 Its not Tasman but very similar. Some of the big Colin Wild > Salthouse launches (Lady Crossley, Turongo, Trinidad ) followed this design.
UPDATE – Launch Identified by Ken Rickets as Isa Lei (Taiparu).Photos below ex Ann Hood via Ken Ricketts
Harold Kidd Input – ISA LEI was built as TAIPARU by Lidgard Bros at the Western Reclamation, Auckland for J. Carlton of Sunny Bay, Kawau and launched on 7th December 1939 with a 6 cylinder 90hp Graymarine petrol engine. In 1946 she was owned by C. Pryce Jones. I H McRae owned her in 1953 and it was he who changed her name to ISA LEI. Roughly 1954 to 1975 she was owned by Lloyd and Jim Somner. I think her sistership was WAKATERE which spent a lot of her life in Tauranga.
Let me draw your attention to a scary fact – there are only 10 weeks till Christmas Day, so my question to you is – will you be on the water over the Christmas / NY holiday period?If you have been thinking that 2021 is the year you move up to owning a classic wooden holiday home – read on.
KIARIKI Woodys with age-less classic looks, racing pedigree and un-rivalled provenance are very few and far between in New Zealand, so when the time comes for an owner to start looking for the next custodian, the drums start beating.
The yacht Kiariki was designed by owner Jack (John) Brooke and built by John / Jack Logan / John Salthouse and launched in 1959. Using the best kauri, her specs are 40’ x 8’9” x 6’. During the Brooke family ownership period she was always one of the top 3 yachts in the K Class fleet. But to the Brooke family Kiariki was as much a family cruiser as a racer, and John Brooke had a wonderful ritual of recording every cruise in the form of a chart overlaid with caricatures of notable and amusing events – refer examples below.
After a period of ownership outside of the Brooke family – Russell Brooke acquired Kiariki back in 2009, completing the ownership circle – grandfather > grandson and commenced a restoration at the Salthouse Yard – Russell’s brief to the yard that originally built her was simple ‘return her to the thoroughbred form she was in when she was launched’. The work included her decks stripped, caulked and painted – new fastenings, teak rails, sea-cocks, hatches and skylights. The cabin top roof was replaced and her interior was refitted. Not surprisingly her planking did not need repair – originally fitted by Jack Logan, his perfectionist approach meant the hull was still as good as it was when it was new.
I would recommend that anyone interested in Kiariki or in fact the K Class, should purchase a copy of the magnificent book ‘K CLASS – The Hauraki Gulf’s Iconic Racer – Cruiser’.
Chatting to one of the leading lights of the K Class division, they had this to say “Kiariki is one of the faster and larger boats in the fleet and of course with great provenance. I was on board a few years ago and she certainly appeared to be one of the best in the group”. Another K Class owner commented that he recalls that in Kiatiki’s last season of serious racing, she beat Katrina (one of the fastest boats in the fleet – then and still today) across the line in 11 straight starts – so whilst a very comfortable cruiser, to use the horse racing term – Kiariki has got legs.
I can advise that we have been tasked with finding the next custodian for Kiariki – so woodys if you or someone you know wants to be cruising this summer – initial expressions of interest to waitematawoodys@gmail.com
30-10-2022 UPDATE – Kiariki has had a post winter tidy up, and will be ongoing detailing over summer. The K Class would have to be one of the smartest looking keelers afloat.
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