In Case You Are Hiding At Home, Wearing 2 Masks And Wondering What You’re Missing This Weekend – Check Out the 2019 Mahurangi Regatta

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Alan Houghton - waitematawoodys.com founder

MAHURANGI REGATTA 2019 – The biggest & best classic wooden boat regatta in NZ – 90+ photos

FRIDAY NIGHT

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SATURDAY – REGATTA DAY

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SATURDAY NIGHT AT SCOTTS LANDING

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SUNDAY MORNING

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MAHURANGI REGATTA 2019 – The biggest & best classic wooden boat regatta in NZ – 90+ photos

WoW what a woody weekend – simply stunning on all fronts – sun > wind > location > people & of course the boats. On my estimate, the biggest turnout of classic wooden craft ever. Record numbers for Saturday mornings launch parade.

I’ll go out on a limb & repeat a comment made to me on the deck of Lidgard House, Kawau Island on Sunday night by one of our most prominent & influential classic wooden boat people – “Mahurangi is the real Auckland Anniversary Weekend Regatta” & after cruising back into Auckland today, & not seeing a lot of yachts, I would have to agree.

On Saturday between Jason Prew on My Girl & myself with Raindance we hosted three of the wooden boating world’s superstars – if you read or follow the WoodenBoat magazine, Classic Boat & the hottest property on the block – the vblog, https://www.offcenterharbor.com

then the names Maynard Bray, Benjamin Mendlowitz & Steve Stone will be very familiar to you. These gents were motored around the harbour & very selectively photographed / filmed our beautiful woodys. When I mentioned that I had cancelled my trip to next months Hobart Wooden Boat Festival, one commented “why would you go – it’s all here” & woodys – it was.

I have never attempted to understand the ‘politics’ / issues between the Mahurangi Cruising Club & The Friends of Mahurangi people – but between them they turn on a wonderful day, that equals anything on the world classic wooden boat calendar. As with anything, a few wee niggles e.g. crap PA sound system at the beach prize giving meant most people didn’t know the results – but I can tell you that Tony Blake & the crew on Thelma gave all the other A division skippers as master class in regatta sailing. It was wonderful to see the big 5 Arch Logan yachts – Thelma (1897), Rainbow (1898), Ariki (1904), Rawhiti (1905) & Rawene (1908) all on the same race track together, for the first time ever (I think I’m right – Harold?) The results were:

Thelma, followed by Rawhiti, followed by Ariki, then Rainbow & Rawene.

As a result of playing driver for the overseas crew – I’m a little light on sailing photos, but you can see from the gallery above that it was a special day.

Well done MCC and F. of M. for another magic weekend.

If anyone else had the camera out & captured some goodies, email them to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

We bailed out of Mahurangi on Sunday morning & headed to Kawau Island for some family R&R – photos below.

Question – what do you do when there is no shotgun to signal sunset & the lowering of the burgee? – well a few lads decided to bang some pots together, then drop the flags at Lidgard House – me thinks there might be a letter in the mail to certain members 🙂

A WEE BIT OF PR GOING ON HERE – WW T’s & OFF CENTER HARBOUR CAPS 🙂

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THERE ALWAYS HAS TO BE A FOOD SHOT – KAWAU BOATING LUB, DINNER SUNDAY NIGHT.

Check out the video below of Rawhiti – sent in from Benjamin Mendlowitz from Off Center Harbour

http://offcenterharbor.com

Update – due to not all launches completing 2 laps of the launch parade – I missed photographing a few boats – photos below ex Justine Ricketts (edited by myself)

AND MORE – link below to the Off Center Harbour video of the 2017 regatta, featuring Steve Horsley’s stunning 1904 Chas Bailey Jnr – Ngatira

https://www.offcenterharbor.com/videos/new-zealands-mahurangi-regatta-featuring-chas-baileys-ngatira/?prev=yes

UPDATE ex Graeme Finch of the A Class fleet racing Saturday + one of Raindance showing myself & Steve Stone from Off Center Harbour filming / clicking away 🙂

As always – click photos to enlarge 😉

rd @ mr2019

Also from Graeme – one of Bruce Tantrum’s pride & joy – Paramour + Graemes stunning ship – Te Arahi 🙂

UPDATE – An early Saturday morning drone fly-by over Sullivans Bay, Mahurangi. Filmed by Neil Lawton, heads up on the movie from Ian Gavin.

30-01-2019 Update – photos of Laughing Lady ex Jason Prew

Update 11-02-2019 photos below ex Angus Rogers.

Arohanui (mcgeady) A Peek Down Below

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Alan Houghton - waitematawoodys.com founder

AROHANUI (mcgeady) A Peek Down Below

Arohanui was built in 1952/3 at the McGeady’s Ponsonby yard. Specs are 42’ x 11’9” x 3’11” and powered by what appears to be a 6cyl Ford diesel engine.

She has made several appearance on WW, the link below to the Jan 2014 story has lots of details and photos from her past. https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/01/08/arohanui/

(thanks Ian McDonald for the tme heads up)

NZ’s Finest 50′ Classic Motor Cruiser – 4Sale

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Alan Houghton - waitematawoodys.com founder

Arohanui Interior Video Tour

NZ’s Finest 50’ Classic Motor Cruiser – 4sale

When you step aboard the 50‘ Arohanui you feel the warmth that comes from 50+ years of tender loving care and consideration.

Built using the finest materials available – NZ kauri and Burmese teak, her planks were later glassed over, this undertaking when combined with the varnished (uroxsys) cabin gives Arohanui the resilience of a modern f/glass vessel. Arohanui was designed by A. Donovan (with significant reference to the the Hacker Boat Company, USA designs of the same period) and built by the Lane Motor Boat Company and launched in 1965 – she featured on the cover and was the lead article of April 1966 issue of Sea Spray magazine, the magazine described her as a twin screw diesel gentlemen’s motor yacht. Arohanui was built to comply with Marine Department survey requirements.

A brief overview – 50’ LOA – 13’6” beam – 3’5” draft, 3 double private cabins + 2 berths in saloon, 6’4” head-room. Powered by twin 300hp Iveco engines. Cruising speed – 15knts – Max – 20knts. And the most impressive Lithium battery power management system I have seen. Her inviting interior is aided by a central heating (diesel) system installed in 2017.

In 2015 she underwent an extensive refurbishment at Lees Boat Builders – view video below to experience the attention to detail and standard to work.A full list of her inventory and specifications is available to likely buyers. Private viewing by appointment only. Contact waitematawoodys@gmail.com

If you have a serious interest in Arohanui, I suggest to go onto trademe and enter the following criteria – boats, fibre-glass, twin inboard, 14>16meter – and review what one would pay for a white plastic floating apartment of a similar size and spec, then come back and take in Arohanui again – then be quick with your reply 😉

Mahurangi Regatta – Woody Weekend – 196 photos

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Alan Houghton - waitematawoodys.com founder

MAHURANGI 2021 REGATTA – 196 WOODEN BOATING PHOTOS & VIDEOS

WoW what a weekend – perfect weather, perfect location and as always stunning boats. We saw a record turn out for the classic wooden boat parade on Saturday morning – the crowd ashore at Sullivans was a little thin on the ground, but if we are honest, we do not do it for them – its all about us 🙂 , a little like going for a motorbike rumble. We need more events where we just ‘hang-out’ together.

The regatta’s main event – the yacht race appeared to be a big success, the A-Class Logan – Rawhiti, in the hands of her new owner – Peter Brookes, cleaned up all the major trophies. As has become the norm at Mahurangi races, the results process was a total balls up, it was very dark and late into the night before the final, final results were announced – fingers crossed its all kosher, last year it took days and numerous oops lets try that again announcements 🙂

The big band beach BBQ, was a hit, perfect on all fronts – weather, tide, the band, bbq’s and the people. Given the number of boats in Bon Accord Harbour, Kawau Island, most people headed there on Sunday. The Kawau Boating Boat was bursting at the seams but handed it well. I have split the photos into 4 galleries – Classic Wooden Boat Parade – Yacht Race – Beach BBQ – More (includes Kawau). If I missed your boat, you were somewhere I wasn’t, or in the wrong light , or your’e boats ugly (joking – sort off).
Enjoy a peak at the weekend., click individual photos to enlarge. Next weekend I’m off to the Lake Rotoiti Classic and Wooden Boat Parade – its a biggie – they have 70+ entries

CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT PARADE

YACHT RACE

BEACH BBQ

MORE + KAWAU ISLAND

Woodys At Ponui Island

Posted on January 10, 2021 by Alan Houghton - waitematawoodys.com founder

Woodys At Ponui Island
Fiona Driver aboard her classic launch – Arohanui sent in the above gallery of woodys at anchor in Chamberlin Bay, Ponui Island on Friday evening. I’m told the woodys almost outnumbered the plastics 🙂

Nice to see the bridge-decker Lady Rae out and about, she was once one of the flagships in the CYA fleet.

Labour Weekend Woody Cruise

Posted on October 27, 2020 by Alan Houghton - waitematawoodys.com founder

Labour Weekend Woody Cruise
The last 3 days would have to be one of the best boating long weekends in a very long time, well thats if you own a motor-boat. The classic woody stick and rag boys racing in the Coastal Classic race to Russell in the Bay of Islands made very hard work of it – did any finish?, those I talked to pulled out on Saturday morning. A quick glance at the results show about 75% of the total fleet did not finish.

The biggest decision of the weekend was whether to turn left or right at North Head, I went left and made the right call, as the reports from the bottom end of Waiheke and Coromandel was it was a zoo 🙂 On the other hand Rakino was perfect – great weather and not too crowded. Only saw 3 other woodys – Gay Dawn and Juanita in Woody Bay and Mahanui just out from West Bay (very early Monday morning) and passed Felicitare

Highlight was a seriously up close encounter with some Orca while anchored in West Bay – they were rounding up a feed of stingray for lunch.
I see Trinidad is making a star appearance in the AWLWOOD (Uroxsys) advertisements 😉

Update – Arohanui mooching around the bottom end of Waiheke and Coromandel

Classic Wooden Boat Picnic – 20 photos

Posted on September 28, 2020 by Alan Houghton - waitematawoodys.com founder

Classic Wooden Boat Picnic – 20 photos

Firstly I need to thank Predictwind for Saturdays forecast, 100% on the button, as usual. One woody at the picnic didn’t come by boat based on the forecast published in Saturdays NZ Herald newspaper……………….. I suspect they also believe the horoscopes in the same paper are factual.

The morning started off a tad eerie with a sea mist blanketing a lot of the sea area off the east coast – but this burned off late morning and we then enjoyed perfect weather. The NZH and coastguard weather forecasts saw the numbers of launches attending drop to 12 but great to see so many turning up by car. Also very fine to have 3 past CYA chairman in attendance – Steve Cranch, Rod Marler and Peter Mence.
The waterfront based Stillwater Motor Camp is an idyllic setting for a gathering of classic wooden boats – deep water wharf access to raft up to + a tree shaded lawn. After some interesting docking (too many dockside expects) we had the launches tied up and everyone then decamped to the lawn. Special thanks to Mark Edmonds (Monterey) for again coordinating the venue.
A lot of the group had not caught up since the CV-19 lock-downs so it was good to swap stories and boating plans for the upcoming summer.

There has always been good camaraderie on the water between boaties and its something that we foster at Woody Classics Weekends – proof of it in practice is seen below in the photo of Rod and Fiona aboard Arohanui taking Murray Deeble’s Waikiore under tow. Towed him all the way back to the entrance to Milford Creek, where another woody – Jason Prew had ventured out in rather unpleasant conditions to get Waikiore back on her Milford berth. Well done to everyone.

Message for Murray – “should have bought a Yamaha” 🙂