Tag Archives: Florence

Attempt To Steal Classic Launch Florence

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Attempt To Steal Classic Launch Florence

The world is full of idiots & Mathew Dring would be near the top of the list. He appeared in court yesterday for attempting to steal the 1910 H.N. Burgess designed classic launch Florence. As well as being a fool, he has no taste, as Florence was the 3rd vessel he boarded & attempted to steal.
And what did his lawyer say – “his client wanted to change his ways & he wants to plan for his future”, to which the judge said “you present as someone who deeply regrets what happened” – the systems a joke. Mathew Dring (remember that name) was given 6mths. community detention (I think thats what we used to call PD) & $400 reparation. The little thief should serve the 6mths. PD sanding the bottom of boats.

Read details here    http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/71674729/Hapless-thief-tried-to-steal-two-boats-from-Auckland-marina

ps I have tagged the thief’s name in the post so if anyone ever google searches him, his little escapade with come up 🙂

Florence

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FLORENCE
photos ex Clare Jordan

Todays photos of Florence (1910, HN Burgess) are from Clare Jordan. Clare found them in an old album of her  great-grandparents (Jim Turner), they show one at sea, two with the life preserver ring and one that looks like on a creek somewhere, dated early 1920s. Clare’s not sure where the Creek area is,  but commented that it looked like her family spent a bit of time there camping.  They had a batch in Titirangi, but Clare felt it didn’t make sense for Florence to be on the Manukau Harbour area?
Jim Turner spent a lot of time with his best mate (Alexander Lewis) at Jenkins Bay, Titirangi.  Alexander (Sandy) had something to do with the VCC.
Claire’s not sure who the people are, the man in the photos looks like the same person with the captains hat on.

I have forwarded these photos to Florence’s current owner Adam Wild & as expected Adam was rapt to get them, he is currently looking at some subtle rework to the painting scheme of Florence’s superstructure and commented that these photos will assist greatly.

Enter Florence in the ww search box to see more

Harold Kidd Update

FLORENCE spent her years from 1922 in Whangarei owned by J.C. Reynolds but, if the companion pic of JEAN GRAY is anything to go by, the album contains pics of the period before that and associated closely with people in Victoria Cruising Club. FLORENCE was owned in 1919 by F. Price, like JEAN GRAY’s owner, A. Lewis and later A. Hazleman, a VCC stalwart, and was Vice-Commodore from 1920. In fact, the life ring in the lowest pic has “VCC” on the bottom. So the pics pre-date her Whangarei period. Quite where the creek pic was taken is anyone’s guess but I don’t think it could have been on the Manukau unless they fitted FLORENCE with wheels. Just to confuse things a bit, there was a FLORENCE on the Manukau, owned by Pardington, but it was only a 20 footer.
So, these are companion pics to the JEAN GRAY pic, featuring VCC notables of the time.

Florence

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FLORENCE
Designed & built by H.N. Burgess in 1910, she has survived almost ‘un-touched’ by the wood butchers hands & today is as graceful as the day she was launched at Judges Bay. Florence, 33′ carvel planked kauri, has been lucky with her recent owners, Mike Hunter & now Adam Wild who is undertaking some wonderful work to present her in the condition she deserves. AH
Harold Kidd Update
Additional photo of Florence on her trials in March 1910, no tramtop, no dodger, just a flushdecker with a raised foredeck, terribly advanced and chic for 1910.
29/07 – The tramtop and dodger were put on in August-September 1919 at the Victoria Cruising Club’s haulout yard. F Price, her then owner, was Vice-Commodore of the VCC. The pic of her with two masts is probably taken in early 1920 and she’s flying his VCC V-C flag.