MULLET BOAT ON THE WAITEMATA – SPINDRIFT

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MULLET BOAT ON THE WAITEMATA – SPINDRIFT
Recently I discovered (thanks to Lew Redwood) a reference source that wasn’t on my radar – the Auckland Research Centre, which appears to be part of the Auckland Libraries offering. Most of the content will put you to sleep but an article this week on MULLET boats I think is worthy of reproducing. Reproduced below.
The photo above shows an open cockpit mullet boat, commercial fishing boat # AK89, off North Head, Auckland. Can we match a name to the commercial number?The image comes to us via Auckland Libraries Heritage collection 37-173 and may possibly have been taken by Henry Winkelmann.

It started off as a fishing boat for the working class man that became a cult classic – the mullet boat (aka the mullety). The mullet boat was developed in the 1860s for fishermen unused to the estuaries and tides of the Manukau and the Waitematā Harbours, to get their haul of fresh mullet, snapper or tarakihi back to Queens Wharf or Devonport as soon as possible. Included was a covered but cramped foredeck if the fishermen needed to spend a night out on the water. 

By the early 1900s, the days of fishing for mullet on sailboat were coming to an end as steam powered boats took over, but sailing the mulleties as a pastime was booming. They competed for the Lipton Cup which was donated to the Ponsonby Cruising Club by Sir Thomas Lipton, who had raced in the America’s Cup five times but never won. In fact, the trophy itself was made by the same silversmith who made the America’s Cup, is New Zealand’s oldest yachting trophy, and is still raced today.  

HAROLD KIDD INPUT – This is the 26ft mullet boat SPINDRIFT owned by H. Parker of Devonport in 1908. She was built at Devonport in 1904 by R.O. Farquhar. Later went north (Whangaruru, Whisk Martinengo thought) and wrecked.

The Best Sub 35’ Owen Woolley – AWARIKI – Now Offered 4sale At Reduced Price One of the best presented woodys 4sale with the Wooden Boat Bureau is the 32’ Owen Woolley built launch – AWARIKI Link below to more details and photos/

WBB has been advised that her owner wants her sold asap and has agreed to a significant price reduction – NOW $48,000 ono

DETAILS:  https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/11/06/awariki-on-the-market/

CONTACT: waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Woodys Postcard From London

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Woodys Postcard From London

Olaf Wiig Has owned several woody in NZ, all of which have been enhanced  by Olaf’s talents as a gifted boatbuilder / wooden craftsman. For a period he was also a trustee at the NZ Traditional Boatbuilding School.These Olaf and family resided in the UK but summer in NZ on board their 45’ launch – NGARO , built in 1953 by Lidgards, photo below. During the week Olaf dropped me a note on his recent boating adventures – I’ll let Olaf tell the story. Have to love the flying of the WW burgee 🙂

“For many years we had a beautiful river cruiser in London. She was all varnished mahogany from the waterline up.  When we were thinking of returning to NZ full time she had to be sold as I wouldn’t be here to look after her. She had a mooring in West London which is a really special place but only fits a boat which is narrow boat shaped so a steel narrow boat has lived on this mooring ever since. This year I decided we would take the narrow boat closer to our home in Henley-on-Thames for the summer. Now there are two ways to do that. Come out of her berth in Notting Hill and turn right. This will take you west on the Grand Union Canal (Paddington branch) through West London and eventually down to the Thames at Brentford.  Or you can turn left… this takes you east through Paddington, Little Venice, Regent’s Park, Camden Town and East London, eventually all the way down to Limehouse basin next to the Thames. You can then lock out onto the tidal Thames just below Tower Bridge, ride the flood tide all the way up the river to Teddington where you lock up onto the non tidal Thames. 

I took the second option.  Now the Thames is a very busy commercial port and has a wild reputation for big waves crazy tides and very fast ferries. Narrow boats are slow bathtubs! It wasn’t without a degree of trepidation that we locked out of the huge lock at Limehouse.  We were really lucky, it was the perfect day still and calm and being early on a Saturday the clipper ferries hadn’t started for the day.  What a ride. Under tower bridge past HMS Belfast, London Bridge. HMS Wellington (built for the New Zealand station and based in Auckland to patrol the Pacific Islands, arrived on station in 1934, and recalled for war service in 1939, went on to be a Dunkirk ship in operation Dynamo) the Houses of Parliament…. We arrived at the half tide barrier in Richmond just in time to see it open and Teddington lock right on high water.  From there the Thames passes Hampton Court Palace, Eton, Windsor royal estate and castle and then slowly out into the Buckinghamshire countryside,  the boat is now on her summer mooring at Temple Island,  the start point of the Henley Royal Regatta (rowing). 

Now just to bring this back to woodys.. The last photo above shows one of my favourite London based woodys Wairakei 2 (always thought there must be an NZ connection) another Dunkirk little ship. Her history can be seen here. https://www.adls.org.uk/wairakei-ii  “

MISS RAETIHI – A Peek Down Below

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MISS RAETIHI – A Peek Down Below

Todays woody the 44’ ex charter boat was built in 1955 by Sandy Brunsel in Havelock. Construction is carvel planked Kaihikatea.

Forward motion is via a 471 Detroit Diesel engine that gives her a cruising speed of 8.5 knots.

As to be expected with an ex charter vessel she is very well fitted out. Home is Picton, Marlborough. 

(Thanks to Ian McDonald for the heads up on Miss Raetihi

CYGNET – Restoration

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CYGNET – Restoration

 The 35’ launch – CYGNET was built in Auckland in 1913, builder unknown,  and started life as the cream boat on the Mokau River.  A 2016 WW story (link below) advised that she was restored in 1998 and operated on the Mokau as a passenger vessel. 

In a story this week on ’The Kawhia Connection’ fb, Andrew Shaw commented that CYGNET was owned by a John Ruby between mid 1950’s and 1994, based in Kawhia. Also operated for a time by Grant and Pauline Taylor.

Andrew Shaw advised that they had nearly finished a 3 year restoration of CYGNET and a launch date is eminent  (Thanks to Lew Redwood for the heads up)

WW story Oct 2016https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/10/22/23124/

ALICE – Workboat Wednesday

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ALICE – Workboat Wednesday

The above photo of the workboat – ALICE popped up on a Ray Morey fb post on the ’Tugs & Workboats of NZ’ site. At the time Ray commented that the photo showed ALICE on the Onehunga Harbour, and shows how she looked when she arrived at Tuakau. She was powered by a 3 cyl, 2 stroke Gardner semi diesel engine. Ray also commented that her previous owner was George Higham.

Can we learn more about this very smart looking craft

DOROTHY – Collings & Bell

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DOROTHY (Collings & Bell)

Back in July 2015 we shared a photo of the 1911 Collings & Bell built 35’ launch.  – DOROTHY, in the photo ex Barry Davis,  she was under power and looked very impressive. Note: the photo had been retouched many years ago. 

At the time of the 2015 story Harold Kidd contributed a wealth of intel on DOROTHY and her original owner – W.J. Quelch + her builders, Collings &Bell. Clink below to the story 

WW July 2015 story. https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/07/01/dorothy-2/

Through the powers of the WW archives, Lynley Stone discovered the 2015 story and reached out to share todays photo of DOROTHY and to advise of her grandfather – Lindsay Burrell Stone connection to the launch – I’ll let Lynley tell the story :

“ The above photo of the Dorothy – I think it was probably taken summer 1915-16. It is from my grandfather’s photo album. Either he took it, or it was a gift from the Frys. 

I have evidence that Roland Fry owned the Dorothy at least as early as September 1914. 

My grandfather was Lindsay Burrell Stone. His father Arthur was first cousin to Roland Fry.  Lindsay joined up when war was declared and sailed from Auckland with the Main Body of troops, leaving in September 1914.  

In a letter he posted from Colombo, en route to Egypt in 1914, he asked after The Dorothy and sent his best wishes to Roland. This indicates that he had developed some sort of relationship with the launch before he left.” (Photo ex Lindsay Burrell Stone album)

Q406 > NEW VENTURE > MOTUNUI > WAITANIC 

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Q406 > NEW VENTURE > MOTUNUI > WAITANIC 

Todays story comes to us via Ken Ricketts, with details and photos begged/borrowed/ uplifted by KR from the following sources – fb/google/Lew Redwood/Ken Brown/Daniel Michaels and KR himself.

The ship Q406, is probably the last Fairmile left in NZ. She was used during WW2, as a N.Z. coastal patrol boat, and later in the Solomons. Once she and the other Fairmiles returned back to Auckland in 1945, they were decommissioned. 

Q406 was offered up for sale via tender and purchased by Rodney Farry, who fitted 2 x Graymarine marinised GM Detroit 6-71 diesel engines, and converted her into a passenger ship. In this configuration she operated around the Otago Harbour, until she ran aground on a sandbar, causing Farry to lose interest in the concept. 

She was renamed NEW VENTURE in 1949 and sailed back to Auckland, under command of a temporary crew. While sailing back, she struck a violent storm off the Castlecliff Coast, with the inexperienced sailors clinging near the coast. 

In 1950, she was sold to Waiheke Shipping Co. and had her name changed to MOTUNUI and was used as a passenger ferry, transporting people to and from Auckland to Waiheke, Great Barrier & Motuihe Islands. 

When Waiheke Shipping was sold to North Shore Ferries. MOTUNUI would continue operating under them until 1984, when she was sold into private ownership. 

Over the next 20 years she would switch ownership multiple times, one of these being to the late Ken Brown, an old friend of Ken Rs, who converted her to pleasure craft use, in the 1980s. She was kept at the bottom of his garden, on the water’s edge, in the Tamaki River. 

There were plans in 1997 to have her brought to survey standards in time to be used as a sightseeing boat for the America’s Cup. 

This was abandoned when relations between the joint owners, (& several suppliers) soured. Even though much work was done by then (including fitting an original wheelhouse taken from Fairmile Kahu). 

She was sold again in 2001 and 2006, when she took one final voyage to Tauranga, so her machinery could be removed, along with her superstructure. 

Her final owner was Barry Woods, who operated Woodlyn Park Motel, at Waitomo. MOTUNUI was hauled onto land, and converted into a motel, now advertised as the ‘WAITANIC’. A sad ending but better than a date with a backhoe and box of matches and she has some funky neibours for company – a Bristol Frighter and railway car, refer below 🙂 . (edited by Alan H)

The Adoration Of Wooden Boats

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AWBF – HOBART 2023

The Adoration Of Wooden Boats

One of the many wooden bating channels that I follow is {the} Southern Woodenboat Sailing news-blog out of Australian, their tag line is ‘The News, Culture and Practice of Sailing Woodenboats in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific’ . Its very good check it out and subscribe. In this weeks communiqué one of the stories was a link to a 45min interview on the ABC Radio Sydney’s nightlife program, hosted by Philip Clark – the stations intro blurb was – ‘We are a land bound by sea, and boats are an integral part of Australia’s history. Wooden boats especially have something magical about them. They flex, they groan, they creak. They each have unique characters. Philip Clark on Nightlife is joined by a panel of wooden boat specialists. Steve Robson, a self-confessed timber tragic from Sydney. Peter Higgs, President of the Wooden Boat Guild of Tasmania and Greg Blunt, a shipwright and fifth generation boat builder from Williamstown, each with wooden boats in their veins.‘

Click the link below to listen to the interview – so many similarities to the NZ scene, a lot of the discussion focussed on the dwindling wooden boat building timber stocks, being Australia its Huon Pine, they do make reference to out mighty Kauri.

Three comments that made my ears prick up: 1. The key tip for looking after these old girls is – usage and maintenance was use it and often e.g. one > two weeks

2. In Australia fractional ownership eg a group of people forming a syndicate to buy, maintain and use  vessel is well established. In NZ I only know of 2>3 successful ownership syndicates. While there are numerous ‘charitable’ (I use the word loosely) trusts that own and maintenance classic yachts, seems NZ is slow out of the gates with fractional ownership groups – food for thought.

3. One of the panel was asked to give an estimate to build a clinker dinghy out of Huon Pine – answer for a 10’ one AUS$30>40,000………..CLICK LINK BELOW TO ABC RADIO 

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/nightlife/the-adoration-of-wooden-boats/103743090?utm_campaign=abc_listen&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_listen

KOTUKU – Gets A Second Life

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Coromandel
Coromandel
Gulf Harbour May2024

KOTUKU – Gets A Second Life

Back in August 2019 we reported on the 32’ Alan Williams designed / built launch – KOTUKU and her refit happening at Gulf Harbour – link below WW August 2019 Story https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/08/29/kotuku-2/

Then in Feb 2023 KOTUKU was a casualty of Cyclone Gabrielle, while moored in Wyuna Bay in Coromandel. She broke her mooring and was swept ashore in 160kph winds. KOTUKU was salvaged and taken to the Coromandel hardstand, composite photos above.

Fast forward to March 2024 and Rod and Karyn Klarwill while cruising the Coromandel area discovered the vessel and acquired / rescued her.
Yesterday WW was advised that  KOTUKU had been relocated to Gulf Harbour where her new owners are busy working carrying out repairs and installing a replacement engine.  She will then make her home in Matauwhai Bay in the Bay of Islands under the ownership of the builder’s great nephew, Karl Takle. Photo below ex Gulf Harbour 2019

LADY K

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LADY K

The photos above go the launch LADY K come to us from Lan Krules and we see her in a mud berth at Kailua, Firth of Thames.

Ian commented that her owner told him that LADY K was built c.1970’s and is kauri planked.

She may have been a ‘rescue’ boat at some time in her life, looking at her I think she is close to needing to be rescued her self:-)

Can we learn more about LADY K