Stewart Island Woodys

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Stewart Island Woodys


Olaf Wilg has just returned from the deepest south and commented to me that the main bay in Oban was full of lovely looking brave little work boats. Olaf liked the look of Tequila and Rawhiti and the lovely Ranui is the ferry to Ulva Island. 

A woody that has relocated South and these days calls Stewart Island home is – Wairangi. She is one of Olaf’s favourite boats of all time. A loss to the Waitemata but certainly adding to the Southern woody fleet. You can see / read more on her at the WW links below – you will see she started life south of the border.

https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/04/18/wairangi-4/

https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/03/05/wairangi-3/

Would be nice if a southern woody could tell us more about these woodys 🙂

(Olaf, ever the perfectionist – apologises for the picture quality – all shot on an older mobile phone) 

The Big Woody Quiz – Lots of Prizes

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The Big Woody Quiz
Todays story is really a quiz, it won’t be easy, they are three parts to the answer. If anyone gets all three right I’ll be very impressed, in fact entries will be weighted by the number of questions you get right e.g. one correct question = one entry, two = two etc. Entries are ONLY via email to waitematawoodys@gmail  I’ll let it run until 7pm Monday 1st Feb 2021 – lots of time to do some homework. 


The winner of the draw will get – WW t-shirt, WW cap, Off Centre Harbor cap, Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat 2021 Calendar. Now if no one gets even one answer right – all entries will go into the draw – so its worth entering 😉


THE QUESTIONS ARE:
1.       Name the make of engine and hp

2.       Who were the agents for the engine

3.       Which boat was it fitted to and when


ID THE ENGINE QUIZ – The correct answers were

MAKE & HP: Stearns MDR 125hp

AGENTS: H. O. Wiles

BOAT FITTED TO & WHEN: Romance II – 1925
No one got all the answers correct – but Jason Prew and Nathan Herbert were tied at 3 correct elements (but not the same) so its a tie – they can decide what bits of the prize pool they each want 🙂

Pacific – 105 Year Old Woody Get A New Heart

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Pacific – The 105 Year Old Woody Get A New Heart

The 1917 Joe Slattery designed and built launch – Pacific, is a special boat – 105 years of one family ownership puts her into a very elite league.Now in the care of of Nathan Herbert, Pacific has sent the last 5 months hauled out getting a heart transplant i.e. a brand new FPT/ Iveco N45A 100hp diesel engine. The old green Lister sadly just didn’t provide the reliability and safety for a vessel that does the cruising miles that Pacific does.

Late yesterday afternoon Pacific had a ‘Claytons’ relaunch at the Milford Cruising Club’s slip. Not surprisingly after 5 months on the hard she had a big thirst, Jason Prew from The Slipway Milford was on hand with a large capacity extra bilge pump, but it wasn’t required. Fingers crossed the flow will abate when she goes back in again later today.

Whilst hauled out there was a serious dose of TLC done to Pacific, I’m looking forward to a better peek down below at the Mahurangi Regatta this weekend. Search PACIFIC in the WW Search Box to view / read more about Pacific past.

12-01-2021 Update – Pacific has been hauled out recently at The Slipway Milford, for a dose of annual maintenance + a new decks – looking very sharp. And these days do donr escape the yard without a Jason Prew paint job 🙂

16-10-2021 Ready to splash


I spotted Fleetwing, below,  at The Slipway Milford yard getting prepped for Mondays Auckland Anniversary Day regatta launch race. 

Balsona + Classic Launch Parade

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BALSONA
Hobsonville Marina based woody – John Wicks sent in the above photo of the Oliver & Gilpin built launch – Balsona that has been undergoing a gradual rolling restoration for some years. John commented that before the Chain(saw) Gang take umbrage, in his eyes the under-construction flying bridge is going to look more fitting than the previous excrescence, when it’s finished. She is a big old woody and we would love to learn more about her.

CLASSIC WOODY LAUNCH PARADE – THIS SATURDAY @ MAHURANGI REGATTA

Each year the Saturday morning classic launch parade at the Mahurangi Regatta gets bigger and better, the format is simple  – we meet off Scotts Landing at 10am and then head off in single file (alpha order) following CYA Launch Captain – Jason Prew’s launch – MY GIRL to Sullivans Bay to do two laps of a pre-laid (buoys) course, that sees us weaving between the anchored boats and the shore line. 

This year again we will have Grant Cossey, a woody friendly shore based commentator that welcomes and backgrounds each boat as they motor past. This broadcast is heard both on-shore and across the bay. 
Now woodys entry to the parade is free, but it would really make things a lot easier and slicker if you helped out by letting Joyce at the CYA know some details on your boat eg Boat Name, Designer, Builder, Year Launch ,Owner (eg John Smith or Smith family) + any special items of interest about the boat (eg totally rebuilt in 1986) Send the above in a simple email to admin@classicyacht.org.nz AND DO IT TODAY PLEASE.


If you have any flags or bunting  on-board – hoist them up. AND remember to wave when you go past RAINDANCE, I’ll be taking photos 🙂

Valerie Update

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VALERIE UPDATE

The 1929 Lanes built, 40’ launch – Valerie, has appeared on WW a few time (link below – use the WW Search Box for more) but now thanks to a tme listing we get to see the results of the recent work done to her, including a heart transplant.The Yanmar 112hp is a perfect match for her and I imagine she has a good turn of speed. 

I spotted Valerie hauled out at Opua just over a year ago when she was getting the transplant and some serious TLC.
https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/12/31/valerie-gets-a-birthday/

Yesterday I was mooching around the Toi Tu Toi Ora exhibition at the Auckland Art Gallery (well worth a visit) and spotted the clinker below. The wife wasn’t impressed “can’t go anywhere without a wooden boat popping up. You knew this was here didn’t you” 🙂

Georgia Rae @ Herald Island

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Georgia Rae At Herald Island
I have seen the above boat several times mooching around the inner Hauraki Gulf but never been close enough to get a good photo or her name. This photo, moored at Herald Island, Auckland, was sent in by Thomas Guthrie and it appears her name is Georgia Rae. Thomas commented that her hull is a lot older than the cabin, can anyone enlighten us on her past and modifications?


Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta

Its only 8 days till the regatta so if you are going to be back in Auckland on the Monday today might be a good time to get your entry in. As well as the yachting events – there is the Tug/Work boat race and a round the bouys launch race for the diesel-heads – lots of great prizes up for grabs. Info & entry details here https://regatta.org.nz(

Photo above from the 1963 regatta)

Takitimu

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TAKITIMU

In the above photo of Lake Te Anau South Island, the launch has been tagged by Lew Redwood as being named Takitimu but with my eyes I think it is spelt Takitumu. So the first question today woodys is – does anyone know the correct spelling and second Q – what became of her?


Interesting day today on the Americas Cup scene – forecast is for some decent wind, so I predict the English will clean up against the Italians and secure a finals spot in the PRADA CUP. And will the Americans get their boat back together and then be competitive in the semi finals. If they do, I’ll be stretching the 4G network next weekend at the Mahurangi Regatta to get coverage 🙂

Mystery Launch – 1953 Photo

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Mystery Launch – 1953 Photo
Today’s woody story features one of the launches that were part of the welcome fleet for the SS Gothic. The Gothic was delivering her VIP cargo – Queen Elizebeth II to our shores.

The photo comes to us from the NZ Herald Heritage images via Lew Redwood.
Anyone able to ID the launch?

Kahu – A Peek Down Below

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KAHU – A Peek Down Below
Kahu made a brief WW appearance on WW back in 2016 and 2018 (link below), back then in the chat section, it was suggest she may have been built by either of these two possible yards – Strongman of Coromandel and Pearson of Golden Bay, Nelson.

Now thanks to a tme listing and Ian McDonald we get to have a peek down below. She is powered by a 120hp Ford diesel.
Anyone care to add there view of the builder?


Previous WW story   https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/08/26/kahu/

Input from Phil Vining –  The good ship Kahu brought back some
memories for me including an old photo that was taken around 50 years ago.
It shows a young Phil Vining in college uniform on the foredeck of Kahu when
my father Dick Vining travelled to see the boat in Mapua which is not far
from Nelson. Kahu was for sale at the time and dad was looking at buying
her. For whatever reason he did not go ahead but being a mad keen boatie
from an early age I have kept a selection of photos over the years. Probably
around 10 years later I started Vining Shipbrokers Ltd which kept me very
busy for the next 35 years … now retired but still messing around in boats
and helping people out where I can. During my time selling boats we had Kahu
listed twice. The middle photo shows her following a major refit which was
carried out during the early 1980’s when she was refastened, a new 120hp
Ford diesel motor installed, rewired plus new galley, squabs etc. The third
photo taken during 2009 shows her in a run down condition in Havelock – at
that time we sold her to to an Auckland buyer and she was trucked North. I
can see from the latest photos that she has been refitted again and looks in
good nick. Our detail sheets from that period show her as being design &
built by Golden Bay boatbuilder J Pearson. She was launched around 1958/1960
and the hull is planked white pine. Hope this is of interest to you and your
readers. Love your site and the great work you do keeping the history &
interest going around wooden boats. 

Helena

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HELENA
This 1960 36′ Shipbuilders launch just popped up on tme. Built with single skin kauri planks, she is powered by a 120hp Ford diesel, that comfortably pushes her along at 7.5 knots. From the photos she appears to be presented in good condition.


Do we know anything about Helena’s past and what she has been up to for the last 60 years?

HELP WANT – A Slow Boat To China

Well not quite – but the ‘Waiheke Working Sail’ group are planning on taking – Kate, their 1898 trading cutter to next weekends Mahurangi Regatta and at the moment she is sans an engine so subject to wind and tide, would be most open to a tow. So any woodys that have a a few share hp, and would like to help out – contact Bernard Rhodes –  mob. 027 228 1334 or email bernard.rhodes@gmail.com. Pick up would be from Rakino Island 🙂