Tag Archives: Cyrena

Mystery Launch Quiz – Cyrena

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MYSTERY LAUNCH – Cyrena
Yesterday we probably exceeded the volume of varnished wood allowed in a single wooden boat with the Arohanui story 🙂 so today we revert to an old black and white photo sent in by Paul Drake.

19-03-2021 Harold Kidd Input –

CYRENA was commissioned from Dick Lang by Peter Smith whose business as a marine engineer and the local agent for Alpha marine engines was next door in St Mary’s Bay. Dick built a lot of launches for Smith but his name was always secondary to Smith’s in the publicity. At this point Dick was about to take one of his many walkabouts, this time to Sydney, so CYRENA was completed by Sam Ford who had leased or somehow acquired his business. She was fitted with a big 25hp Alpha engine. I think Alpha were made in Denmark, but will check.
The hull was completed in August 1923 and the engine fitted in early November (when the engine got off the ship, I think). Smith sold her to the Manukau in November 1924. Gordon Ferner “Boy” Bellve bought her in January 1926 and brought her back to the Waitemata.
Boy sold her to A.M. White of Ngatapa, Gisborne and he had her trucked to Lake Waikaremoana in October 1938 as MARITZA.


So let’s keep it simple – what’s the name of boat and who built her and when ? Entries  via email only to waitematawoodys@gmail.com – Closes and drawn around 8pm 16-03-2021. If more than one person gets the right answers, there will be a draw. I do not know the answer, so I’ll be relying on Mr Kidd and Mr. Herbert to help me out 🙂

Prize? – let’s make it a goody – a copy of the book – ‘Des Townson – A Sailing Legacy’ by Brian Peet.

Cyrena

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CYRENA
photo ex Mac Taylor Collection. Details ex Harold Kidd

Cyrena (on the left in the photo above) was built by Peter A Smith, the Alpha marine engine agent in St. Mary’s Bay for himself in 1923. Like W R Twigg, Smith contracted to build launches, his input being the engine which usually cost over half the total price. He contracted out hulls to local builders, usually those handy to his premises in St. Mary’s Bay. This hull was built by Dick Lang before he left for Sydney during the transition of his business to Sam Ford so Sam Ford took some credit in advertising. She was 37ft x 9ft and was fitted with a 25hp Alpha (Danish) engine. Smith named her Cyrena and she was launched around Christmas 1923.
Smith sold her to the Manukau in September 1924. F G “Boy” Bellve of Herne Bay bought her and brought her back to the Waitemata in January 1926 and had her until he commissioned the keel yacht Cyrena from Collings & Bell in late 1938.

Bellve sold the launch Cyrena to A M White of Ngatapa, Gisborne who renamed her Maritza and had her trucked over to Lake Waikaremoana on 6-7 October 1938.

Whats say the woodys re the dark hulled launch on the right on the photo above? And the yachts E24 & A17 ?
The photo below ex classicboatsnz shows her being launched at Lake Waikaremoana.

Harold Kidd Input

E24 is LOLOMA, my old boat and Jason’s too. The twist in her counter is quite evident. She got it when she was teeboned in a race at Whangarei in January 1915 and cut to the waterline. The repairs to her double-diagonal hull starboard amidships were botched. It took me a lot of effort to (almost) get rid of it 70 years later. She was built by J.J. O’Rorke as WARATAH at Arch Hill in late 1909 as a transom-sterned 26 footer with a varnished hull but had a solid counter fitted shortly afterwards,
A17 is NGA TOA built by Colin Wild for the Winstone brothers in 1926. Oddly enough, Boy Bellve, who owned the launch CYRENA and later the Collings & Bell yacht CYRENA, bought NGA TOA with A.G. Taylor in 1946 and owned her almost until he died.

25-09-2016 – photo below from the Tudor Collins collection, emailed to me by Ken Ricketss.

cyrena-1930s