RESCUED YET AGAIN – THE CLASSIC LAUNCH NANA

I decided to lead off todays photos with a great looking photo of the classic wooden launch – NANA , why? While most of the many WW stories on NANA show her either damaged and close to being broken up or during a restoration. They say cats have 9 lives, well NANA most have been a cat in another life because I do not think there is vessel on WW that has had as much misfortune as NANA has. Use the WW search panel to view her eventful past.

But today is a good story day – first some info on NANA – was designed by C. Bailey Jnr. &  built by C. Bailey & Sons for Mr F Alison of Matiatia, Waiheke Island in1934 & launched in late November / December. She is 35′ with a 8′ beam & a 3′ draft. She was very quick in her early days e.g. 17 knots.

In June 2023 WW was ran an SOS story looking for a new custodian and John Woodcock stepped up to the plate and took ownership of NANA and commenced the restoration. Aside from the electrical work John has / is undertaking the work himself , with help from a few friends. The plan is to have her back in the water by Christmas.I’m sure a few woodys will be asking the question – why has this launch been ’saved’ from the back-hoe so many times, well the answers simple – 1. She’s a Bailey and that makes her special 2. She’s a drop dead looker.

So woodys enjoy the peek into John’s work and be grateful that there are still folks like John prepared to do the hard yards and save some of our fine classics.

Over the weekend I received the photos below of a Lidgard yacht named NAOMA that was cut up at the Milford Cruising Club Auckland yard last week – story goes the owner just ran out of $$, time and motivation. Made a cameo appearance on WW back in April 2025.https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/04/13/what-happened-to-the-classic-wooden-yacht-naoma/