Earlier in the week I was sent the photo above with a very short note – “Found an old photo. Not sure of the boats name but if anyone wants the picture they can have it.”
So woodys can we ID the craft and hopeful learn where she is today and then we can offer the photo to the current owner.
MAHURANGI REGATTA –CANCELLED
A LEFT FEILD QUESTION
WW was contacted by the owner of a vessel named WATERHORSE – message below.
“I was wondering if someone can give me information on a boat I bought. It was built around 2006 for the movie ‘Waterhorse” for Weta Workshop designed by Bruce Askew. It was the PT boat during the later part of the movie. It is a glass over ply construction 32 feet long. Any help would be greatly appreciated.”
On Friday I point the car north for a quick trip to Sandspit Marina for the relaunch of the 36′ classic wooden launch ALMEDIA. Some background – built by Alan (Snow) Waters in approx. 1972, designer unconfirmed but most likely by Walters himself with design leanings to John (Jack) Brooke.
Single skin strip plank hull and decks appear to be 2 layers of tongue & groove. She is powered by a 6 cylinder Ford. Home has been the Matakana River for 25+ years. Owner Kim needs a medal for his work ethic, the dock chat was that it was the speediest haul out and work schedule seen at the yard. Started on Dec 22nd 2025 = 4 weeks turnaround. Possibly helped by the self imposed rule ‘ No Beers Till Launch Day’ 🙂 Pre launching I caught up with Gregs Lees and his team at Lees Boatbuilders, Greg reports a healthy calendar of work to start the year, so thats good news for the wooden boating movement.
REMEMBER TO PICK UP A COPY OF THE 2026 MAHURANGI CRUISING CLUB YEAR BOOK – 4SALE AT THE PRIZE GIVING – ONLY $20
Just prior to the xmas break I had cause to visit Warkworth, ok I’ll tell the truth – I was buying a pie on route to Sandspit marina 🙂
Rather than fill the car with crumbs, I went for a stroll down to the riverfront dockside. As always there was a very salty looking collection of craft tied up.
Most of the craft will be attending the 2025 Mahurangi Cruising Club Regatta later this month (Jan 25th) – the biggest gathering of classic craft afloat in New Zealand, refer flyer below.
Bay of Islands Summer Mooching + Anniversary Weekend Cruising
Todays gallery of classic wooden craft comes to us from the camera of Dean Wright, taken while he was cruising the bay on his woody – Arethusa.
From top to bottom the craft are:
• Ranoni – Army Bay
• Enterprise – Opunga Cove
• Arohanui – steaming past Cable Bay, Urupukapuka
• Arethusa – Whangamumu
• The Logan yacht – Iorangi – Whangamumu
• Alofa – Whangamumu
• Valhalla – Whangamumu
• Rampage – Whangmumu – an early 2000’s Robertson Boats sedan launch ( lengthened and repainted)
• Mary of York – Ben Tomb’s leeboarder
2024 MAHURANGI REGATTA – Classic Launch Parade & Sunday Gathering At KAWAU ISLAND
The countdown is on for one of the worlds best and biggest classic wooden boating events, the Mahurangi Regatta, organised by the Mahurangi Cruising Club.
Sadly due to the freakish weather the 2023 regatta was cancelled, but plans are in place to make 2024 on-the-water and ashore at Scotts Landing bigger and better.
The Classic Wooden Launch Parade is one of the highlights of the weekends activities – followed later in the day by a serious ‘old school’ boaty BBQ ashore at Scott’s – including a massive marquee for the 20 piece dance band.
On the Sunday, most woody launch skippers head to KAWAU ISLAND and the plan is to gather later in the day for a few sun-downers at the newly refurbished Kawau Boating Club.
Today we should have been floating around the Mahurangi Harbour enjoying what has become the biggest one day, on-the-water boating event in New Zealand – the annual Mahurangi Regatta. I have posted a link below to a previous regatta to remind us all how good it can be.
Sadly the weather gods dealt us a crap hand and we all get to stay at home. I understand and support not going ahead with the event this weekend (Auckland’s 3 day Anniversary Day holiday weekend) BUT what I can not understand is why wasn’t there a back up plan in place to run the regatta the following weekend, which is also a 3 day holiday weekend. The organisers of the regatta should have just made the call to run with next weekend.
This lack of forward thinking means the wooden boating movement misses out on the fun, friendship and fraternity that is acquired rubbing up against like minded woody enthusiasts. We need this to maintain our passion for another 12 months.
As I type this I can imagine the team of volunteers at the Mahurangi Cruising Club and other groups involved – thinking “bloody smart ass, why doesn’t he put his hand up to help” – short answer – ‘already too busy with WW’ BUT at your next committee meeting how about adding to the agenda – How Do We Future Proof The Regatta’ and ‘Is It Time To Appoint A Paid Event Organiser’. If the regatta isn’t already as big as the Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta it must be very close – be brave and pull on the big boys pants.
Todays woody – the yacht MOKOIA (spelling?) was spotted by Barbara Cooke during the week in the Bay of Islands.
Looks like she is set up for some serious cruising.
Can we learn more about Mokoia?
UPDATE ex owner – Jim Loft – MOKOIA, 39′ Bob Stewart design (Camelot). Woody built c.1965 by Max Carter.
INPUT EX ROBIN ELLIOTT – Mokoia was one of 3 Bob Stewart design Camelots under construction simultaneously at Max Carters in 1965. Photo on page 63, Sea Spray Sept. 1965.
Mokoia for I. Falconbridge, Camelot for I. Broadfoot and Ilex for W. Macky.
She was registered in 1965 as B-54, taking NZYF number 154 in 1969. Dimensions at time of her 1965 registration were: 39ft x 34ft x 10ft 6in x 5ft, 324 sqft sail area, ballast 3 ton, engine Ruston rover.
Mokoia was raced and cruised by Falconbridge up to at least 1971 and was still registered to him in 1976. ………. but ???
According to Sea Spray April 1973, Mokoia was entered by ‘H. Vega owner/skipper’ of Mokoia in the Auckland Suva race. She was eventually registered to H. Vega in 1978.
As usual, NZYF registration details are plagued by conundrums and obsolete data.
From 1980 through to 2000, she had no registered owners with any of the published NZYF registers. My last recorded details are owners J.& K. Lott 2014-2021+
All details are subject to change 🙂
ONLY 2 WEEKS TILL MAHURANGI WEEKEND – 2 OF THE BEST WOODY GIGS – CLASSIC WOODY LAUNCH PARADE & BEACH BBQ + BAND ON SAT NIGHT @ SCOTTS LANDING. More details closer to the weekend
Earlier this month WW was contacted by Greg Philpott in regard to a comment on WW back in March 2018, concerning a gent named Ron Morgan who was trying to locate his old 24’ mullet boat named Echo. Echo had been at Whitianga but was taken to Beachlands to be rebuilt by a painter from the marina who Ron thinks went overseas before it was completed. Ron commented that the boat had a long history and was raced early last century. When Ron had it she was configured as a launch. Before selling it she had its cabin stripped off so could be just a hull. Enter Greg Philpott who recently posted the picture above on the ex RNZN Facebook page with the primary interest being the Naval Base and the warships HMS Diomede and HMS Dunedin. The photo came from the British Museum files. On the fb posting there was a comment added by a William Ohealy as below.
“That launch in photo is the Echo . We rebuilt her into a fine fishing boat / charter boat. But me dad got to old so was sold. We put a 6LW Gardner. Dam she was fast, 11 knots at 1100 rpm – sad to see her go. Last I saw her at Herald Island in the upper Auckland Harbour, sorry no photo. Put a forward wheel house on her. aft cockpit cabin and walk around deck. When first built was a 28 ft. mullet boat steamed up to Whangarei Harbour and added 7 ft. to the stern and made into a motor sailer. With a whole new keel. As a racing mullet was the fastest on the Auckland Harbour.”
So woodys, after digesting the above (some what convoluted) intel – can we ID the actual launch in the photo and possible join the dots to a Mullet boat link?
13-01-2023 Input ex Chris McMullen – Refer page below out of the 1945 Book “Little Ships” by Ronald Carter. It shows an early photograph of a Mullet Boat called “Echo” (top left). Mullet Boats have built down aft sections (no deadwood) Difficult to fit a propeller and make into a launch, but it has been done. The design weakness in Wooden Mullet Boats was the Centre board case. Once Toredo worm got in the case and keel the damage was a big job to fix. Enthusiast owners have done these repairs them selves. To have it done professionally would cost more than the boat was worth. So mullet boats were sold cheap. The new owner blocked off the centreboard slot, strengthened the keel, installed a motor and went fishing.
The 26 foot Mullet Boat “Corona”(now extensively rebuilt) almost suffered that fate. She disappeared for many years. As far as I know and fortunately the owners never worked out how to fit a propeller. Her hull was saved by some Mullet Boat Enthusiasts. Her Spars and Sails were long gone.
INPUT EX HAROLD KIDD – There was an ECHO launch, 29ft, originally with a 10hp Lozier built by James Reid and domiciled in Devonport around this time. She was hauled out on the Devonport Ferry slip in 1919 and took part in the first race run by the Milford Cruising Club in 1924. I reckon this is the boat. As for the 1900 Clare 24ft mullet boat ECHO, she went to Thames in 1904 and was still in existence at Whitianga in a terrible state in 1989. NOT this boat.
ATTENTION WOOLLEY CLASSIC LAUNCH OWNERS
WW has been contacted by Kerry Lilley, owner of the Woolley launch – Awariki asking for owners of Woolley designed/built classic launches attending this years Mahurangi Regatta (Jan 28th) to join Awariki in Saturday mornings launch parade – Kerry’s contact details are below, so drop him an email or call and he will explain in detail the plan to celebrate the Woolley marque. If you don’t own a Woolley but know someone who does – be nice and pass the message on 🙂
I was contacted by Chris McMullen during the week with a suggestion that I make contact with noted kiwi yachtie and boat builder – Gilbert (Gil) Littler. Now when Mr McMuMullen ’suggests’ something I normally respond pretty quickly, second only to suggestions from Robert Brooke 🙂 24hrs later I’m having coffee with Gil and his wife Susan – why am I telling you this? Because Gil has just penned an amazing book titled – SHIPWRIGHT BOAT BUILDER YACHTSMAN 1962-1992. The 100+ page book is split into 3 sections:
Part One – A brief history of the Bailey Family
Part Two – My Apprenticeship Years
Part Three – My Yacht Racing Years
I have squirreled away a copy for summer boat reading but I did do a quick dive into some of the pages and its a wonderfully refreshing read, more like sitting in a comfortable spot afloat and listening to Gil entertain you with his life story. Lots of photos and illustrations also to view. In CMcM’s words – This book is a gold mine of history and information. Written by a guy on the floor in the boatshop and a foredeck hand on a very famous Kiwi Yacht. By winning the One Ton Cup put New Zealand on the yachting map.
The $40 – + P&P – 100+ page book is self published so obtaining a copy is not as easy as walking down to your nearest book store but it is worth the effort. So to order a copy:
Gil & Susan are currently traveling so do not expect an instant reply 🙂
My 2nd Pick Is The Mahurangi Cruising Club Year Book
Now the title may sound a little boring but the contents certainly are not. Always a fantastic publication pulled together by design guru Steve Horsley. This year the theme is restorations and of interest to all woody boaties is an article on electrolysis. Plus a 16 page photo gallery of the 2022 regatta – all that for $20. As we speak its at the printers – so to secure / order a copy either email BOAT BOOKS crew@boatbooks.co.nz or call 09 358 5691 (Boot Books 22 Westhaven Drive)
Copies will be available at the normal random outlets but BB is the safest bet.
WOODY CLASSIC BOATING 2022 – 2023 CALENDAR Time to get the pencil out and circle a few dates in the calendar. Our 2022 > 2023 classic woody events focus equally on the boats and the people – its all about getting off the marina and meeting up with like minded people. As always, some dates may change and the weather is always a factor – but as the dates approach we will be in touch with more details.
Please feel free to share the calendar with your classic friendly boating enthusiasts. Where tide and draft permits – woody cruising yachts are always welcome to join in, so also share with the stick and rag woodys 🙂
AND TO ENSURE YOU GET A WOODY FIX TODAY – CLICK THE LINK BELOW Video footage from the 2022 Moreton Bay Classic (thank you Andrew Christie)
2022 will be remembered as the no frills regatta – no small boats, no beach activity, no beach party (band, bbq’s), no prize giving – but woodys it still rocked. Great turn out of both launches and yachts, and the weather gods delivered a breeze that provided some of the best racing we have seen in a long time.
I was told by someone that should know – that the budget for previous regatta’s is knocking on the door of $50,000 – maybe CV-19 has been a relativity check and maybe – less is more 🙂
I’m told Peter Brookes has Rawhiti in the groove, she is smoking the rest of the fleet – well done skipper and the grey haired crew 😉 for taking out the A division + Little Jim backing up last years Logan Trophy win with another win.
Tomorrow we will have a look at Mondays launch drag race for the quicks – conditions were below average on the inner harbour – correction, bad everywhere, I had the 2nd worst passage back from Kawau yesterday – 4.5 hours of my life I’ll never get back 🙂 . If I ever see the prick in a very large Riviera that went past me at full chat less than 50m away in the Rangi Channel and almost rolled me – he will get a bottle of Thai Fish Sauce in his air-con intake.
No real story today, just a photo gallery from the weekend – sit back and enjoy. Remember click photos to enlarge. No photos from the Scotts Landing casual gathering – no need for a record ;-).
Special thanks to Murray Deeble and Glen Keeper for sending in photos 🙂
Update 02-02-22 Mahurangi weekend photo gallery below sent in by Graeme Finch
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