Classic Launch Linda – A Birds Eye View

Classic Launch Linda – A Birds Eye View

The 1927 Colin Wild built launch – Linda, being one of the finest on the Waitemata has made numerous appearances on the WW site. One of the most engaging is at this link – https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/11/24/linda-3/

Today we get to see a view of Linda not often seen unless you are a seagull. Recently relaunch after a pre summer spruce up at The Slipway Milford prior to heading to the Bay of Islands for summer.

UPDATE – photo below ex Russell Brooke taken in Jan 2021 showing the two Colin Wild launches – Linda and Wirihana at anchor in the Bay of Islands

Busy Morning at Milford

Busy Morning At The Slipway Milford

  1. Final prep to Eileen Patricia for a relaunch this weekend (photo below)
  2. The very regal Brooke family launch – Linda, was eased out of the shed after nearly 2 months of serious TLC, most at the hands of grand daughter Grace and partner Calvin. Fantastic to see 3 generations helping with the relaunch. Robert Brooke commented to me the other day that Linda has never looked so good – thats high praise from Robert. Also nice to see Robert back on the tools, my lips are sealed as to why his services were called upon :-)I caught up with son Russell and he was full of praise for both the standard of workmanship and facilities at the Slipway Milford, the project was split between the family and the Slipways Cam and Jason delivering another showroom the paint job + a few engineering odd jobs. Russell was also like Robert, over the moon with the kids (his word) diligence on the project. The future of the classic wooden boating movement is looking very rosy when you see two early twenty year old piloting Linda down the Milford Creek on their own.
  3. As soon as Linda had slashed, the Slipway boys were hauling Nathan Herbert’s launch – Pacific, out for her turn in the shed – photo/video below.
Pacific

Linda Out For Some TLC

LINDA OUT FOR SOME TLC

I said good bye to my slipway neibour today – Te Hauraki (Mondays story), but within minutes she was replaced with one of our finest woodys – the 1927 Colin Wild built launch – Linda. I’ll be honest and admit I experienced a degree of ’short pants syndrome’. Alongside Raindance, Linda looks like the QEII. I’m sure I’ll get over it 🙂 

A lot of people have reservations around coming into the Milford Estuary / Creek but if you choose the right time / tide, its a breeze and The Slipway Milford railway slip, can haul out most classic launches on the Waitemata.
To read / view the wonderful job the Brooke family did rebuilding / restoring Linda in the early 1990’s after a fire that would have seen most other boats heading to the landfill – click the link below https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/11/24/linda-3/

The Best of Colin Wild + Herreshoff Steam Launch

The Best of Colin Wild + Herreshoff Steam Launch
The top two photos of the Brooke families 1927 Colin Wild launch – Linda comes to us via Mitchell Hutchings fb ex the Williamson Family Collection. Linda at the time was moored at Herald Island.

The bottom photo I took today of Wirihana tucked up in Chris McMullen’s shed for her winter TLC. Wirihana is another of Wild’s big motorboats, built in 1933.


It was great to see that CMcM’s Herreshoff steam launch (below) is coming along – engine installed 🙂

Mahurangi Weekend – Biggest On-The -Water Wooden Boating Event Down Under  – 200+ Classic Wooden Boat Photos

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Mahurangi Weekend – Biggest On-The -Water Wooden Boating Event Down Under  – 200+ Classic Wooden Boat Photos

I think I should start today by apologizing to all the partners and bosses out there – I can see a very slow start to the week, might take a few hours to digest the above photo gallery – a selection of photos from Friday night thru until my trip home on Monday.
The weather for Auckland’s long weekend was just ace – for everyone, launches and yachts, for the whole 4 days.
As always the turnout for the regatta was incredible, I would predict record numbers afloat. The woody launch parade saw 25 launches register and another 17 (approx.) joined in on the day. One of the photos above shows some of the parade launches snaking across the harbour. Well done woodys.
If the attendance count was based solely on the number of dinghies at Scotts Landing for the Saturday night party, again it would have to be a record.
I apologize for the lack of photos from the Saturday night party at Scotts Landing, I was unable to attend, I was banned . Now I can imagine maybe one person on any committee could be a dog hater, but for the ‘Mahurangi Action’ (formerly  known as ‘Friends of Mahurangi’) committee to agree on a total 48hr dog ban ashore is hard to believe. But then I was told by a very public figure in the area – none of them have ever had to buy contraception in their lives – they use they personalities. So my question – Is it actually their ‘role’ to decide on whether boat owners can bring Fideo ashore?.
Maybe Mahurangi Action should stick to their core reason for being i.e. the Mahurangi Harbour.
I can imagine the relationship between the Mahurangi Cruising Club, the promoters of the actual boating regatta – the reason we all attend and Mahurangi Action, who run the shore based activities at Sullivans Bay and the Saturday night party, must at times be interesting. If I was MCC I would be appointing an event manager and running a solo event, including a function that the revenue from, would help fund the club. The weekend has got too big – I and a lot that I have spoken to would buy a ticket to attend – food for thought MCC ……..
Ps There were numerous dogs ashore, I was just one of the unlucky one that were apprehended coming ashore. What a waste of rate payers money to have professional security there + a dog ranger……….
A special thank you to Roger Mills for the aerial (drone) photos of Scotts Landing and the launch parade. Also Graeme Finch for topping up my photos with some of his own – thanks Graeme.
The photo below, while out of focus due to distance and 2 moving boats – sums up woody boating perfectly. The launch is Linda and the gathering of life jackets on the bow is the Brooke clan 🙂
Monday also saw the CYA running a launch race as part of the Auckland anniversary day regatta – coverage of this later in the week.
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WAITANGI DAY WOODY BEACH PICNIC – FEB 6 – Put A Circle In Your Diary, All Woodys Welcome. RSVP Below
Woody Waitangi Picnic
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Woodys Cruising The Bay of Islands – Summer 2019/20 – Part One

 

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Linda – 1927 – Colin Wild

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Nautilus – Oliver & Gilpin

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Darleen – 1920 – Possibly Bailey & Lowe

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Echo – 1935 – Les Coulthard

 

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Thetis – 1955 – Lane Motor Boat Company

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Lady Crossley – 1947 – Colin Wild

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Lady Ngaio – 1928 – Collings & Bell

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Manapouri – 1960 – Parkes

WOODYS CRUISING THE BAY OF ISLANDS – SUMMER 2019/20 – Part 1

Just got home yesterday from 10 days mooching around Waiheke and while clearing the in-box I spotted an email from Dean Wright, now Dean is a Bay of Islands based professional photographer with a passion for wooden boats. He even owns one  – the 1917, Arethusa.

Now any email from Dean normally contains some stunning photos and yesterdays one was a cracker – too good to run all as one, so I will split them in two.
Today we have featured pleasure launches – the first being one of the smartest classic wooden launches in our fleet – Linda. She has appeared on WW many times so if you want o know more just enter Linda in the WW search box.
I love the photo above because its the personification of our classic wooden boating movement.
Below I have included a photo of the 2018/19 built ‘spirit of tradition’ launch – Grace, and with her beautiful lines, she could only ever be a Salthouse 🙂
I have captioned the Woodys that I have been able to ID. To read more on the boats featured, use the WW search box 😉

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Grace – 2019 – Salthouse

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A Pre Christmas Woody Cruise

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Alice James

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Marguerite

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Vanessa

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Kiwitea

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Orari II

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A Pre Christmas Woody Cruise
 
Bay of Islands woody & photographer Dean Wright has just returned from playing hooky (his words) for the last 4 weeks on a mates sailing cat. Dean spent a fair bit of time around Barrier Island & snapped some woodys he spotted at the Barrier & elsewhere on-route.
 
First (unnamed) boat above was anchored in a bay on Rangiahua Island in the Broken Islands. Can anyone tells us more about her?
Next up is Nancy Belle and one of my favourites,  Marguerite were on their moorings in Whangaparapara.
Then we have Vanessa and Kiwitea on moorings in Mahurangi.
Orari II is seen on anchor in Home Bay, Rakino Island
Lastly – Linda & the Brooke family at anchor in Takutairaroa Bay, Motuihe Island.
 
Stunning boats & as always from Dean great photos.
 
As you are floating or driving around this Christmas / NY period, if you see any woodys – take a photo/s and send them in to us.

Woodys in the North

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Ranui

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Waipawai

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Meloa May 2015

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Woodys In the North
Another collection of photos ex Dean Wright of classic woodys cruising the the Bay of Islands. Shown is Ranui the NZ built ‘Chris Craft’ at Days Point. Summer Wine off Takou Bay heading North & one of Waipawa – anchored on the south side of Moturoa Island. Meola is also pictured in Frenchmans Bay, Moturua Island but this is back in May 2015.
Can anyone ID the last photo above, she is shown here heading toward Waewatorea in the BOI.

Wash Day on Linda
Woody Robin Elliott snapped the photos below of Linda heading into Opunga Cove over the New Year period. Given the array of laundry flying, it looks like another one of those memorable Brooke family cruises 🙂

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Update 10-04-2018 photo below of Meloa, taken by Angus Rogers, shows her at Crowles Bay, Te Puna Inlet.

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A Mixed Bag

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A Mixed Bag

One good deed deserves another, I posted the other day that Robert Brooke had given me a ‘stern’ off one of his model clinker dinghies  – I have just returned the favour with a rather large framed photo of his family launch – Linda (below). I purchased it via trademe for next to nothing, after a thoughtful person posted a comment on ww about it being for sale. She was worried someone would buy it for the oak frame & scrap the photo.

Speaking of trademe I also purchased a brand new, never used, full set of signal flags, made in the UK, all hand stitched (not printed), 50cm x 40cm so too big for Raindance but perfect for events & boat launchings. I bought them for $60 – a steal 😉

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I had some left over Uroxsys (Allwood MA) in the shed & gifted it to Richard Dark who was re-doing his coamings on his classic launch – Seafarer. Richard used Uroxsys 2 seasons ago but misread the instructions re using the primer (which provides most of the UV protection) so had an unsatisfactory result. Richard is a perfectionist so back to bare wood & then the yellow primer & lots of coats of Uroxsys. In the photos below I think there had only been one top coat, so will look even better after 6>8 coats 😉

I had a few blisters on the cabin top of Raindance so paid my son to (gently) scrap it off. The end result was great but it looks like I have a chart of the Hauraki Gulf on there at the moment, one wag (Murray Deeble) has offered to drop down & mark the fishing spots with red X’s 🙂

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And the UK ww numbers have improved big time, after a little bit of SEO (search engine optimization) – top ten viewing countries, below, for the last few days.

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Linda

LINDA
photo ex Dean Wright

The photo above of the 1927 Colin Wild Linda was sent to me by Dean who  took the shot at his friend, Lenore Bauern’s, place. Lenore is Bill Swales sister-in-law, the son of Roy Swales a past owner of Linda. Lenore says the shot was taken before Roy owned her.
Linda has featured several times on ww & will continue to because she is such a stunning vessel, perfect from every angle. You can view/read more on her by clicking on this link https://waitematawoodys.com/?s=Linda&submit=Search

Anyone game to attempt to ID some of the crew?

Nice also to see ww getting a plug in the August issue of Boating NZ (below) & in a nice segue, Linda above was restored by Robert Brooke & in the magazine article, the b/w photo of Aroha has Robert’s father,Jack (John) in-frame 🙂

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Harold Kidd Input

It’s clear that this photograph was taken when she was new and in the hands of her first owner, E.J. (“Manny”) Kelly, who was a Squadron member as well as being Commodore of Ponsonby Cruising Club. I think he’s flying the Squadron flag above hie PCC flag officer’s burgee as a matter of correct protocol as the Squadron is the senior club (a well as being a “Royal”). So that’ll be Kelly in pride of place at the wheel.

Emanuel John Kelly (1876-1960) was a long-term launch owner. He ran a business as a metal founder and engineer and lived in Shelly Beach Road, Herne Bay. He had LINDA built by Colin Wild in October 1927 and kept her until Roy Swales of N Z Leadworks bought her. Before LINDA, though, Manny had the  42ft launch DAISY from mid1916 to February 1927. She had been built built for Arthur Brett as ALLEYNE (V) by Tyler & Harvey in November 1908, a double-ender of the Logan Bros type. She started life with a 20hp 2 cylinder Lozier, then moved up to a 30hp 3 cylinder locally-built Twigg in 1919 (I wonder if Kelly did the castings for W.R. Twigg?) (Twigg was killed and eaten by a lion on safari in Rhodesia in November 1925, which is somewhat topical).