FLORENCE

The above launch is a recent arrival at Bayswater marina & while she has a CYA sticker on a cabin window the vessel is unknown to me. There are several classics named ‘Florence’ but this one is a bit of a mystery – her double end design suggests she may have started life a tad south of the Waitemata harbour. Anyone able to shed some light on her ?

ps also has a 4sale sign on her

Input from Owner -Dean Muollo (edited by AH)

Hi Alan, I see there has been a bit of interest in my boat today.
She is a Miller and Tunnage (hull obviously), top has been built and designed by myself, went back in the water on Dec 15 2015.
Below are a few photos of her, previous to my ownership.
Hopefully these might spark up peoples memories, keen to find out any more about her history.
I’m new to the CYA. She is very reluctantly for sale 🙂

Input from David Balderston

Below is a photo the FLORENCE at her usual berth at the Port Chalmers pilot jetty, under the bow of the OTOROA. Taken late 1983.
Instamatic camera unfortunately. She was owned by Norm Menzies and attended all ship arrivals at Port Chalmers. About 1990, he sold her to a young chap who carried on for a time. Then it was decided that a lines boat was not needed so he was left in the lurch, the last I saw of her was moored over near Company Bay.

11-03-2016 Here’s another  (below), it shows her tucked in at the pilot jetty, under the bow of OTOROA, I think February 1992, when the QE2 came, That was, I am pretty sure, the last time we used her as a linesboat. The QE2 had a special tie up system based on what was normal at Southampton which required two linesboats, we used our own TOILER and Florence chartered in. The rest in the picture, NEW ERA dredge, KAPU, OTOROA and KOPUTAI. The bloke in red is Pilot Malthus.