CLASSIC WOODYS CRUISING THE HAURAKI GULF – SUMMER 2023/24
Now todays post is the one you have been waiting on – the classic wooden (mostly) craft that I spotted around the Hauraki Gulf over the Dec 27 > Jan 5th period.
Probably the best turn out of woodys that I have seen – seems it just wasn’t me suffering from cabin fever 🙂
As always some photos are good, some not so good – direction of sun and distance dictates that. Mostly I’m taking photos as a visual account.
Enjoy the gallery – broken into locations – I have endeavoured to list the craft in the tagged section.
With 2023 being the worst boating year that I can recall, whilst I held high hopes I also was semi expecting another fizzer – well as most of you will know the Christmas – NY period turned out to be a winner for those that slipped the lines and headed away. Other than New Years eve being very wet (but warm) we enjoyed great launch cruising conditions. Not always perfect but if you picked a spot that suited the wind and travelled at times when conditions were settled it was never unpleasant. I put my faith in PredictWind and they delivered.
We left the marina on the 27th Dec. and chose Woody Bay, RAKINO ISLAND for Night One. Sundown drinks aboard Jenny and Angus Rogers stunning classic launch – Centaurus. Stunning sunset (as above)
Day Two was also spent in Woody Day as the wind had picked up, but very sheltered in the bay + the call had gone out for pizza from the islands Woody Bay Pizzeria, truely the best pizza’s I have eaten.
Day Three we moved around the corner to West Bay as the forecast had a W in it which isn’t normally a good thing at Rakino – very quiet in the bay so again secured a good spot and sent Day Three and Four there.
Morning of the 30th, Day Four was decision time – head north to KAWAU ISLAND or south to WAIHEKE ISLAND – forecast was turning south so WAIHEKE was probably the better call but me stuck with the original plan and head to KAWAU, Raindance is at her best when everything on the nose so it was an ok passage. We choose to anchor for the day / night in Bostaquet Bay , a first for me, and can report a very nice anchorage and again very few boats.
Day Five (31st) we headed over to Bon Accord Harbour and took up residence on one of the RNZYS club moorings just off Lidgard House in Smelter House Bay. Plan was NYE at the recently refurbished and re-opened Kawau Boating Club. Slight problem, the power had been off on the island for 24+ hours so club closed 😦
As we relaxed onboard several helicopters were flying overhead with all manner of kit dangling below – ladders, tool boxes etc – Around 3pm power returned and thank god the back up generator had kept the beer frig working 🙂 . But the rain arrived and continued non-stop most of the night. KBC appeared to get well supported but people tended to come ashore for a meal and retreat to the boat.
Day Six was a lazy day mooching around the island and back to the mooring + KBC
Day Seven we head south to WAIHEKE ISLAND and spent the day in Oneroa re provisioning and hosting some friends from Devonport for drinks, then catching up with Waiheke friends ashore.
Day Eight a lazy day exploring WAIHEKE and moved to Hekerua Bay for the evening. I crossed the dark side and had drinks onboard another friends new non wood boat – putting aside the construction it was very grand (ice maker + water maker – 200L a day) our pup was very taken with the ability to do 360° laps of the boat.
The plan was to head down to the ‘bottom end’ the next day but the forecast included a H & a E so the decision was made to head home after another lazy day, on Day Nine.
The trip restored my faith in owner a boat and helped make 2023 a distant memory.
There is so many photos that I have divided the trip report into two sections, Part One = the trip and Part Two (tomorrow) = the classic boats that were out and about. Todays story is broken up by location – ENJOY
(And sorry for the lengthy, slightly over-the-top title but there are key words that do wonders for the overseas search engines)
During the week Paul Drake commented that every year he produces a family calendar for circulation amongst my family – brothers, children, nieces and nephews. What a cool idea 🙂
All family birthdays are included. Every year the birthday list grows longer. Paul said it takes a bit of work, but it serves to keep family connected, and it pleases him to know that the calendar hangs on walls in England, Austria, and Australia, as well as in New Zealand.
Every year I choose a photo of one of the familiesboats, for the calendar, this year it features SIR FRANCIS, a photo from the 1980’s, homeward bound on Lake Taupo. Paul brother Michael is on the helm, and out of sight in the cockpit is their mother. Looking at the phot you would think that SIR FrANCIS had just rounded one of the headlands on the east coast of the North Island, a great reminder that Lake Taupo can get little gnarly.
SIR FRANCIS has made several appearances on WW before and is of course is a 1916 Collings and Bell built launch.
Paul remembers that as children, the brothers all thought that any vessel which was not Collings and Bell was rubbish! These days they are not so blinkered 🙂
I’m back on dry land now after 9 days mooching around the gulf – lots of woodys out and about – big story on Monday. Talking of big – the beast below was anchored in Bon Accord, Kawau Island on New Years Eve – the tender was approx. 48’
WW was recently contacted by Bella Scott whose father owns the rather impressive motor-sailer – Silver Spray.
WW is very short / light on details – can anyone tell us about Silver Spray
INPUT EX PAUL DRAKE #1 -Built for the McManaway family of Paremata, Wellington, as a commercial fishing boat, and fished out of Paremata for many years. Converted to present configuration at Mana Marina twenty or more years ago. Good to see that she has retained her name.-
INPUT EX PAUL DRAKE #2 –Built by Jack Guard in about 1938. Owned by Wilfred Thomas McManaway and fished as a line boat in Cook Strait. According to his grandson Ian who served on SILVER SPRAY as a teenager and who I talked with today, she was a very stable working platform. Painted green with white boot topping when new. After being sold out of the family and reconfigured much as she is now, she struck rocks in the Marlborough Sounds and sank. She was salvaged and somewhat rebuilt by McManaway Marine (Picton). It is said that she survived her rocky encounter only because of her collision bulkhead, which had been retrofitted by grandson Ian at the behest of the Marine Surveyor, probably in the late 1960’s. Ian McManaway served his time as a shipwright with the Wellington Harbour Board when he finished his time fishing, and later became a Pilot-Launch Master.
The 28’ David Bedham designed spirit of tradition launch that we featured on WW back in November 2023, link below it nearing completion at the Slipway yard in Milford.
Will be a very smart and fast addition to the Waitemata Harbour, were her intended use is as a fast island commuter.
I hope you all survived New Years eve, these days its always a struggle to last to midnight 🙂
I’ll make a new year prediction – 2024 will be least expensive time to buy a classic wooden boat for the next 5+ years. Prices were very deflated thur-out 2023 but they won’t stay like that – so if a classic craft is something you have on the bucket list – check out the link below. There are others that for privacy reasons do not appear on the list so if you are or are going to be in the market in 2024, let us know. https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/10/16/buying-or-selling-a-classic-boat/
If the weather gods have been nice to me I’ll be in residence at KBC tonight- checked out the photos above of the recent (winter of 2023) refurbishment – the club / bar is looking its best ever. Big shout out to everyone involved.
BUT – these things come at a cost – so if you are cruising about Kawau _
1. Call in for a fizzy drink and /or meal – all welcome
2. Consider joining the club while you are there – we need your support.
Happy New Year Woodys 🙂
UPDATE – Dinner was very good. Scallops & Salad and the kiwi classic- fish & chips
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