ADELA at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival + Details On The Next Big Woody World Event

ADELA at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival + Details on The Next Big Woody World Event

One of launches that caught my eye was the 26’ Adela – built in 1925 from Huon Pine, carvel construction. Designed by Charles Snook and built by James Andrewartha , she is described as a ‘Gentlemens Racing Launch’. Her 10hp Brooke engine gets her along at a very respectable 10 knots. Owned by maritime historian – Colin Grazules. 

I want a helm seat like that………….

See The World’s Best Classic Boats (from your favourite chair)
Tomorrow the third annual Worldwide Classic Boat Show kicks off, and friends of Waitemata Woodys are invited to CLICK HERE to get a Full Access Pass to the Show!
It’s just $10 for the entire Show – 100% online from February 17th-26th – which means you can enjoy this gathering of classic boats and fellow enthusiasts from around the world without leaving the comfort of your favorite chair. 

There are quite a few NZ woodys in the Show again, among 1,200 great classic boats from around the world. And while the boats are a main attraction, there are also daily live presentations and movie events, featuring experts on a variety of topics including:

Hidden Stories of the Herreshoffs with Evelyn Ansel

The Aesthetics of Top Classic Yacht Designers with Maynard Bray

The Race to Alaska Movie Night

Synthetic Standing Rigging on Classic Boats with Brion Toss Yacht RiggersThe Show is entirely virtual/online and will be open February 17th to 26th at ClassicBoatShow.com CLICK HERE to GET YOUR FULL ACCESS PASS.

Enjoy the Show!

Brooke & Co

Brooke & Co

 The name above should be hanging above a boat shed. The Brooke family are an amazing group of people with skills that make most of use feel a little lacking. The recover & rebuild on the 1927 Colin Wild designed & built launch Linda is proof of those skills. Above is collection of photos of Linda from her early days -pre fire, during her recover at Waiheke Island & today + ‘Grace’ one of Roberts exquisite clinker dinghies.
Every boat, big or small that Robert & Russell ‘touch’ is a very lucky boat.

LINDA

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LindaLinda oldLINDA

LINDA story by Ken Ricketts

I first saw LINDA in 1946, when Roy Swales owned her. She is a another beautiful example of Colin Wild’s work, built in 1927 for E.J. Kelly, with huge grace & beauty. Linda had a 50/90 Loew Victor sleeve-valve (Knight’s patents) engine, sitting in the middle of the engine room, which was a large cabin, devoted solely to the engine, with only the toilet, as an extra, making the engine look very tiny.

The Loew Victor was replaced with a GM Detriot 6-71, in about 1947/48, & when I took the pic Christmas 1948, she had the GM, — note the large side exhaust pipe needed for the GM, (about 5 or 6 inches I recall). She later had a Volvo for a period, & presently has a 6 cyl Gardiner Diesel.

She had a cast bronze plate, screwed to the centre of the rear cockpit wall, just below the top of the tuck, with the words “Colin Wild Builder, 1928”, which I beleive is still there today.

The Swales lived in Fernleigh Ave Epsom & they owned the NZ Lead Works Ltd in Morrow St Newmarket.
She suffered a massive fire whilst unatended on her moorings at Waikeke in the mid 1980s, & I later saw what was left of her, bundled on to a barge, up in the mangroves at Beachaven North Shore, one day when we were going for a run up to Herald Island, on my own boat, TIARRI, so as the tide was in, went over to have a look, & I would never have beleived that anyone could ever have faithfully & beautfully rebuilt her to her original glory, but Robert & Russell Brooks & their family have done an amazing job, — well done.