Tag Archives: My Girl

PAIKEA – ONE OF OUR FASTEST CLASSIC WOODEN MOTORBOATS 

Posted on by
3

PAIKEA – ONE OF OUR FASTEST CLASSIC WOODEN MOTORBOATS 

Last week during a visit to Gulf Harbour I spotted PAIKEA tucked away on one of the inner berths, looking very smart. This master link will take you to several stories that document her past + lots of photos https://waitematawoodys.com/?s=Paikea&submit=Search

In one of the stories we learnt from Harold Kidd that PAIKEA was built by Collings & Bell for A.H. Court and launched on 26th January 1921. She was fitted with a 120-150hp Model M Van Blerck 6 cylinder petrol engine (not a straight-eight Packard as is often said). PAIKEA had Chas. Collings’ “concave-convex” type of hard chine design which he made famous with his various FLEETWINGS and whale-chasers. Indeed she was a refinement of the FLEETWING whose image appears in the Collings & Bell section of WW.

PAIKEA was good for 20 knots and can still do it with her present big Iveco/Fiat, Harold commented that she goes like hell and stable with it.

I n recent years PAIKEA has been one of launches that line up for the Auckland anniversary day motorboat inner harbour drag race, in fact earlier this year (2025) she was 1st across the line on corrected (handicap) time. Will be interesting to see if she turns up in 2026 to defend her title.

Photo below from the 2025 race where we see PAIKEA unsuccessfully trying to catch the winner – MY GIRIL.

CLASSIC WOODY FUEL TANKER + CLEVEDON RIVER BBQ CRUISE DETAILS

Posted on by
1

CLASSIC WOODY FUEL TANKER + CLEVEDON RIVER BBQ CRUISE DETAILS

When I first saw todays photo I thought it was Jason Prew’s launch MY GIRL loaded up for a xmas cruise. The photo was sent in by Barrie Abel (MV Matira) who spotted it on the wall at the office of Morton Timber in Clevedon.

You would have to hope those fuel drums are empty, but sometimes (fumes) that makes them more dangerous.

CLASSIC WOODYS CLEVEDON RIVER BBQ CRUISE 

And on the subject of Clevedon and the Wairoa River – todays the day we open the book for expressions of interest to come on the river cruise to the Clevedon Cruising Club for the annual waitematawoodys overnight dockside BBQ. This gig is one of the stand out events on the woodys calendar.

Those unfamiliar with the trip – check out this link to a previous cruise https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/09/19/woodys-classic-clevedon-cruise-report-sept-2022-50-photos/

We are always driven by the tides so this year its an early start – heading up the river at daylight – 6.15am. So we suggest leaving Friday late avo and anchoring in the bay. Many have done this in the past, makes for (almost) a leisurely start.

Normal plan – piloted Indian file cruise up the river, docking on the wharf, boats open for CBC members to inspect, evening BBQ at thecubrooms, leave early Sunday . Dogs welcome, but on a leash please.

For now – let us know – boat name, boat length, est. crew numbers email to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

RVSP TO waitematawoodys@gmail.com

CLASSIC WOODYS BOAT SHOW AT OBC

Posted on by
Reply
All Alone & Very Cold – (overnighting due to mast height)

CLASSIC WOODYS BOAT SHOW AT OBC

On Sunday we held the inaugural classic woodys boat show  – hosted by the OBC Marina. 

WW was holding hands with Auckland’s – Outdoor Boating Club on Tamaki Drive as they celebrated their annual open day. Magic location and set up – check out the club here https://www.obc.co.nz

As it seems to always happen at woodys events, the weather was 10/10, a perfect winners day. Check out the photo gallery above.

The day had all the ingredients for a fun family day out – Nice boats + Nice people, topped off with classic trailer boats, classic cars, food/coffee trucks, kids activities and a bonus – the team from LEGASEA , the kiwi hero’s that are dedicated to restoring the abundance, biodiversity and health of NZ’s marine environment – check out the website https://legasea.co.nz

Enjoy the photos, it was a great day and everyone left with a smile on their face.

CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT RIVER CRUISE – TRIP REPORT

Posted on by
1
MATRIA
KIWA
MANAPOURI
KIWA
NGAIO + MANAPOURI + TUHUA
KALUA
WAIKARO
MA CHERIE
KIWA + MA CHERIE
TUHUA
KIWA + KALUA
MARISTELLA
WAIKARO+ MY GIRL
RAINDANCE
MANAPOURI

CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT RIVER CRUISE – TRIP REPORT
Fridays Classic woodys cruise to the waterfront Riverhead Tavern for lunch was a grand day afloat, 13 classic wooden craft made the journey up the upper reaches of the Waitemata Harbour to the historic tavern. It was extra special with several first-timers making the trip.
We were blessed with the weather and also having just one of the tourist ferries making the trip on the day, which allowed us to berth a lot of the boat on the jetty.

Special mention to the 7 classic launch skippers and partners that came by water taxi (MY GIRL) – Cam Malcolm (Connie V), Rodger Moore (ex Te Hauraki), Jason Davies (Lucinda), and those via car – Ian Gavin (Florance Dawn), Matt Cooper (Korawai) and John Chambers (Ngarunui), Murray Deeble ( Waikiore) combined with the 13 boats on the water we had crews from 20 classic craft present on the day. Very happy with that turn out.

True to form, the tavern and its staff extended their usual warm hospitality.
Enjoy the photo gallery

2025 ANNIVERSARY DAY INNER HARBOUR MOTORBOAT RACING

Posted on by
Reply

ONLY TWO THROTTLE SETTING ON MY GIRL – IDLE AND FULL CHAT

Some woodys are pure speed demons eg MY GIRL (#51) below and others with the help of a heart transplant can still lift up their skirts and show a good turn of speed – NGAIO (blue boat) and PACIFIC (white) two good example below.

TUGBOAT RACE START

2025 ANNIVERSARY DAY INNER HARBOUR MOTORBOAT RACING

Due to the weather on the weekend I was able to attend the anniversary day regatta motor boat events on board Jason Prew’s launch – MY GIRL.

The two gigs are the Tug & Workboat Race and the Classic Launch Race – known around the waterfront as as the Tug Off and the Drag Race.

The commercial boats were first away and are always a sight to behold – so much horse power – and great to a mix of very old – WILLIAM C DALBY and current working waterfront tugs.

The main event for me is the launch race, pulled together each year by Jason Prew – it is a handicap race but the adrenalin kicks in and the launch skippers are going at full throttle most of the race. Race results below.

I wouldn’t be true to my DNA if I didn’t comment about the continuing demise of the regatta – each year less and less vessels turning out – aside from small beach launched yachts, the motor boats would have to be the two biggest categories in the regatta. And a very concerning sign – no Navy ship in the harbour as the VIP grandstand………. just saying.

Enjoy the photo / video gallery.

NOTE – AFTER A TECH ISSUE UPLOADING VIDEOS YESTERDAY – WE HAVE RESOLVED THE FAULT AND HAVE ADDED SOME GREAT SAILING FOOTAGE TO YESTERDAYS MAHURANGI REGATTA STORY – SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW.

HAPPY NEW YEAR WOODYS + A Peek Into Why WW Is NZ’s #1 Boating Media Hub

Posted on by
5

HAPPY NEW YEAR WOODYS + A Peek Into Why WAITEMATA WOODYS Is NZ’s #1 Boating Media Hub

As the first day of the new year I thought I’d give you a peek into the big black box that stores all the data behind the waitematawoodys weblog. Only a peek because some of the intel is very revealing in terms of what and when the classic boating community consume online, and I’m not interested in helping other marine media that struggle to maintain their existing channels and grow online.

SOME STATS: 

• 2024 site visits and viewing numbers – highest ever. To date the site has received in excess of 13 million views.

• Followers / subscribers – grew in 2024 by 73%. A reflection that at last people have accepted the tech and now receive daily updates on new and updated stories.

• Biggest Single Viewed 2024 Story – 36,384 views in a 24hr period.

• Most referenced stories – still Chris McMullen’s learnings on electro-chemical damage in wooden boats – links below. https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/03/18/loving-your-boat-to-death-electro-chemical-destruction-underwater-rot/ https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/04/28/electro-chemical-damage-in-wooden-boats

• Most popular viewing day and time – after 10 years its changed – quite a surprise, possibly reflection on the ageing database.

• Lowest viewing month – October.

• Viewing Numbers by country – NZ > AUST > USA > UK > CANADA – Its taken a long time but the UK numbers have finally hit the 4 digits.

• Most clicked on (enlarged) single photo 2024 – MY GIRL in the anniversary day launch drag race – photo above.

• Most viewed single photo ever – Classic Launch Parma Sinks Under Harbour Bridge – photo above.

• And if there was an award for the WTF is that boat & why we need to protect our classic fleet – the last photo above that I received a couple of days ago from a woody hunkered down at Kawau Island would be the winner. They commented “Attached is a photo of an alien craft that has landed in Bon Accord Harbour today. A small group of well weathered boaties here on the KBC deck tonight have declared this to be an unqualified failure in boat design and who ever was responsible was on some really bad stuff at the time. The owner has no right to position it amongst the fleet of Kiwi designed and built vessels anchored here in such a beautiful location.”

In 2024 I was interviewed for a feature story in my local newspaper, as part of the process I supplied the brief below.

Whats the waitematawoodys website all about Dedicated to the study and appreciation of classic kiwi wooden boats. WW was founded upon a desire to tell the stories and a need to archive history of our classic wooden boats, the craftsman who built them & characters that owned and crewed on them. Visiting the weblog is like a bunch of people in the boat club bar, there will be stuff discussed you know, stuff you know nothing about and stuff you want to know more about. That’s what waitematawoodys is about – gathering stories, photos, history, reminiscences.

Never in a blue moon when I started the waitematawoodys.com weblog could I have seen it becoming as popular as it has. Along the way the site has morphed to also become an awesome information source for just about anything connected to wooden boating.

Some facts:
• 13,000,000+ views • 20,000+ people visiting the site per day, 7 days a week • 3700+ stories available online • 46,000+ photos published online • A photo library of over 80,000 photos.

The site is search-able by style of vessel, size, age, designer, builder, method of construction, location, method of propulsion e.g. sail / power. These days in excess of 50% of the site visitation is research based, as compared to reading the story of the day. If it is wooden boat related everyone ends up at waitematawoodys

None of this would have happened without in the early days input from people way more worldly in the wooden boating community than myself. The list of people that have shared their family photo albums, stories and knowledge with waitematawoodys is huge and  the site just wouldn’t be what it is today without these people.  I’ve made so many friends, and been fortunate to rub shoulders with a lot in person. 

Here’s To An Even Bigger 2025

Classic Wooden Craft Overnight Trip Up The Wairoa River 

Posted on by
4
NGARUNUI + LUCINDA ON-ROUTE TO CLEVEDON CRUISING CLUB
DOCKSIDE STROLL

Classic Wooden Craft Overnight Trip Up The Wairoa River 

Over the weekend we had our first woodys event for the classic boating summer season – a cruise up the Wairoa River to overnight at the Clevedon Cruising Club. Due to lock downs and weather bombs we had skipped a couple of years so the weekend was long overdue.

Given tidal access restrictions the weekend always starts with an early departure to the mouth of the Wairoa River, the smart ones leave on the Friday. 

The weather early (<5am)  Saturday morning was raining cats & dogs, but as if prearranged at 5.30am it stopped and we enjoyed a very pleasant dawn passage. The group gathered at 8.45am and journeyed up the river, always a tad anxious but it was a 3.6m tide so all good.

I snapped a gallery of photos of the woodys that are moored on-route – separate WW story tomorrow.

Our hosts , lead by Commodore Alister (Al) excelled themselves from the RIB on-hand to assist with docking to the world famous (on the river) Saturday night BBQ. The evening included raffles, outdoor fires, a singer and karaoke and even dessert provided. I can report no-one in the woodys group stepped up to karaoke the mike 🙂 Woody Dave Giddens donated several ‘old’ sails to the club which will be repurposed as shade sails around the clubhouse.

If you have never been on one of the trips you need to – the club facilities and hospitality is so traditional /  old school but in a cool way.

Included in the raffle prizes was a WW chopping board… I’ll need to talk to my copyright lawyer 🙂

We eat very well – sorry about the food pix but thats what you have to put up with 🙂

If you think that classic wooden craft are all sub 7 knotters check out the videos below of a couple of the voom-voomers.

(photos & videos ex Jason Prew & Alan H)

MY GIRL
LUCINDA

And a couple of the more relxed woodys

MOKOIA (fenders…….)
RAINDANCE

CLASSIC LOGAN GAFF RIGGED YACHT – WAIRIKI – Ponsonby Cruising Club

Posted on by
1

CLASSIC LOGAN GAFF RIGGED YACHT – WAIRIKI – Ponsonby Cruising Club

Thursday night was the second event in the Ponsonby Cruising Club’s new initiative called ‘Featured Vessel Series’ , this time the vessel on display at one of the berths outside the Westhaven clubhouse was the 1904 Arch Logan designed, built by Bennett Bros & Stitchbury, 34’5’’ guff cutter yacht – WAIRIKI. 

15+ years ago thanks to the talent, determination and deep pockets of Jason Prew WAIRIKI was successfully saved from a beehive restoration and totally rebuilt and relaunched in 2010.  For the next 10 years Jason and WAIRIKI were a familiar sight at every classic event, then he saw the light and came over to the dark side with the purchase of the launch – MY GIRL, another total rebuild. This coincided with WAIRIKI being acquired by current owner – Keith Logan, grandson of Arch Logan. You can view the restoration at this link https://www.my-girl.co.nz/Wairiki1904/Welcome.html

Complimenting WAIRIKI was a collection of Arch Logans tools on display upstairs at the club, video below + ‘RUMBO’ spiced rum tasting 🙂

CLASSIC WOODY CRUISE TO RIVERHEAD TAVERN 

Posted on by
1

CLASSIC WOODY CRUISE TO RIVERHEAD TAVERN 

Saturdays cruise up the upper reaches of the Waitemata Harbour to the historic Riverhead Tavern was a day of two halves  – the journey there and back was a tad annoying with strong SW’s coming across from the western suburbs (check out below the video below that Ant Smit sent me from aboard – Waikaro) but once into the creek it was a very enjoyable day. Lots of new faces and lots of support for WW, with the number WW shirts and burgess on display.

A couple of serious efforts by woodys to make the trip – John Lord (MV Tangaroa) came up from Wellington and was my quest on Raindance and Peter Jones and Diana (MV Kaikoura) who cruised down from Whangarei. And also a great turnout from the boat less that came by road.

Special thanks to the ferry skippers for being very accomodating re wharf berthing.

The thinking caps have been put on re another gathering before winter sets in – initial thoughts are a Clevedon River Cruise and / or a Gulf Island Raid that finishes with a beach bbq – back soon.

I finished the weekend with a WW coffee from the Devonport Deli, thank you Sunil (barista) 🙂

CLASSIC WOODY + TUG/WORK BOAT RACING

Posted on by
3
My GIRL
MY GIRL
PAIKEA
LUCINDA
WAIKARO
ST CLAIRE
REHIA
JUANITA
MERIHI
JEUNESSE
VANESSA
MEOLA
MERIHI – ST CLAIRE

CLASSIC WOODY + TUG/WORK BOAT RACING

On Monday of Auckland’s  Anniversary Weekend I joined a very small club – boaties that have legally exceeded 20 knots in Auckland’s inner harbour. Probably only Deodar (police launch), Coastguard and the Harbour Master would be in the club. As part of the anniversary day regatta Jason Prew organises an around the buoys race for classic launches. The event has the most entrants of any event on the day. The Harbour Master waves the normal 12 knot speed limit and even provides an escort around the course. 

This year I was invited aboard Jason Prew’s xxxx launch – MY GIRL for the race. The conditions were very average SW18>23 knots , gusting 28 knots, bad enough to keep most of the classic yacht fleet tucked up in her berths for the day.

At the bang of the start gun My Girl took the lead and we never looked back – at the 1st mark we were 58 sec ahead of the next boat (Paikea) and just kept pulling away. Crossed the finish line doing 22.9 knots, that woodys is very fast. The foiling kite surfer that miscalculated our speed probably needed a change of wet suit pants 🙂

My Girl is powered by a Volvo 150hp 4cyl. turbo diesel engine that in another life powered a Queenstown jet boat . Mr Prew has tweaked it ‘a little’ – video of engine at idle and proof of speed 🙂 Note – there is no engine box /cover 🙂 

Results 

Across the line – 1. My Girl, 2. Paikea, 3. Lucinda 

Handicap – 1.Waikaro, 2. Lucinda, 3. St Clair

Entrants – My Girl, Paikea, Lucinda, Rehia, Ngaio, Waikaro, St Clair, Juanita, Meola, Marihi, Vanessa, Jeunesse

TUG/WORK BOAT RACING

The 2nd biggest event in terms of numbers is the highly popular tug/work boat race. Photos below.

Lots of Great Photos Here https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=813851850548987&set=pcb.813852363882269