Tag Archives: Mystery Boat – Sailing Sunday

Mystery Yacht – Sailing Sunday

Posted on by
6

GHOST( OR WOLF)1

 

 

Mystery Yacht – Sailing Sunday
photos via Ken Ricketts, source unknown.

The above yacht was built in 1955  to a Bert Woollacott design, on a property at the corner of Pukenui Rd & Manukau Rd Epsom & launched in 1955. Ken commented that she looks c42′ long & appears to be a good solid cruising yacht so perhaps ended up off- shore? Ken also suggested the name might be Ghost or Wolf?
Can anyone ID the vessel, confirm the builder & any of the people in the photos?

Not a great weekend for boating so while I was cleaning some muck from my fuel tanks, a few woodys headed down to the Whangamata Beach Hop – Rod Marler flying the ‘flag’ & if there was a god that Woody wagon (photo ex David Plummer) would be mine 🙂

photo-1

photo

Tui – Sailing Sunday

Posted on by
9

Tui – Sailing Sunday

I have had to photoshop the above photo as there were a few visible clues.
So the question today is – whats the boat & why she it famous?

After she has been ID’ed I will supply more details on the how I received the photo 😉

Update: The above P-Class is in fact Tui, built in Auckland by David Marks in 1952 and given to Her Majesty the Queen with the suggestion that Prince Charles might like to learn to sail in her. She is presently on loan to the ex Royal yacht Britannia from Portsmouth Naval Base. The photo was sent to me by David Balderston who visited Britannia recently while on holiday.

19-10-2015 Photo below of Tui’s display card was sent in by Greg Fenwick

12-09-2017 Input from Christopher Deane

Last month when we were in Edinburg, Scotland we went for a tour on the Royal Britannia .

I must say it is a very interesting tour. The first Yacht I have been on which carries a Rolls Royce as standard equipment.

Another interesting find was this P Class sailing yacht Tui that was presented to the Queen, during her tour in 1953 .

 

As a bonus today click the link to view some eye candy from the Panerai Regatta in Cannes. Photos courtesy of Classic Yacht / Guido Cantini / Officine Panerai

Regates Royales, 2015 in images

Tight Racing – Sailing Sunday

Posted on by
6

Tight Racing – Sailing Sunday

photo ex Mac Taylor Collection

Asking woodys to ID the race would be a big ask 🙂 so maybe we just ask that we match the yacht names to the sail numbers. From L>R its – E34 / L18 / A11 / E21 / E11 / A16 / A2 / H6 / B20 .

And if you wondered why we refer the boats as – shes , below might be the answer.

13m Marina Berth For Rent
If anyone is looking for a 13m marina berth at Gulf Harbour? one of the private apartment berths (extra security) is available on a long term / permanent basis. Email address below for details.   kenpat@ihug.co.nz

Mistletoe – Sailing Sunday

Posted on by
15

Mistletoe – Sailing Sunday
photo ex Jason Prew

Jason snapped the photo above in August 2015 in Tauranga Harbour. Can not be a lot of ‘these’ down there so hopefully one of the woodys will be able to ID her.

Harold Kidd Update – 16/09/2015

Fred Mann built two 24 footers called MISTLETOE. The give away really is the narrow stern which betrays her early build. This is said to be MISTLETOE I which Fred built in late 1904, first race Auckland Anniversary Regatta January 1905. MISTLETOE II was built in 1914 and had very similar lines.
Frankly I am undecided which of the two this one is. Some authorities reckon she’s the 1904 boat, some the 1914. The APYMBA registration of MISTLETOE (sic) as I7 recorded her as being built in 1911, which merely shows how much confusion there has been since the second MISTLETOE was built.
Whichever one she is, she’s another survivor of Mann’s excellent design and craftsmanship.
I did most of my early keel yacht sailing on Lincoln Wood’s Harrison Butler-designed and Mann-built MEMORY and was regaled by Linc with Mann stories (as were most of Devonport’s young water rats he took as crew).

The  photo below was sent to me by Judith (Le Clerc) Wallath & is of a punt built in Whangarei for her brother Brian by their Dad, Godfrey Le Clerc.  The picture was taken at Onerahi with Limestone Island in the background. The punt was made out of a salvaged board that had borer and planks from a wooden case.  It was painted with tar from the gasworks but still leaked through the borer holes, and had a sail made from an ironing sheet, complete with iron-shaped scorch mark. Brian took it, against instructions, over to Limestone Island.  His Dad removed a plank from the bottom until there was a promise to behave.   Brian went on to become a champion P Class and Z Class sailor, and his sister (Judith) also sailed a P Class (on Hamilton Lake). Definitely a classic woody 🙂

Ngaio – Sailing Sunday

Posted on by
8

Ngaio – Sailing Sunday
photo ex Nathan Herbert

Todays photos were taken in early Jan 2015 by Nathan & are from Tutukaka. The hauled out ‘yacht’ has an interesting set up – 2 masts + game poles 🙂
I have to say it looks a great spot to haul out.

Anyone able to shed some light on the boat?

No longer a mystery – its Ngaio, designed by Jim Mason in 1941 – photos below from Dean Wright

Harold Kidd Input

In case Ian doesn’t post, she was designed and built by Jim Mason at Grey Street, Whangarei from a half model and launched in 1941. She was partly mobilised in 1942 by NAPS and crewed by Jim Mason, skipper, Tom McKinnon, deputy skipper, and Jack Carpenter, Bob Baker, Peter Roberts and Ian Crawshaw. Her NAPS number was Z40.
These NAPS boats did a great job during wartime when German commerce raiders and minelayers were busy around New Zealand at the start and were followed by Jap submarines checking us out. The Whangarei boats were in the most likely place for trouble.
Lovely boat.

Input from owner & son of builder, Ian Mason

A following up on Harolds post on Ngaio,all correct I might add. She was built over a two year period. She is carvel planked in kauri over kowhai ribs and pohutukawa stem, stern and floors. Her first engine was a 6 cylinder Delage out of a car owned by my father. When it was replaced in 1957 by an air cooled Enfield they got more for the scrap than Dad originally paid for the car. When she was built kauri was 3 pound 15 shillings per 100 super feet and the copper nails were the equivalent of 75c per pound. The original suit of sails cost 25 pound from Sails and Covers. In those days she carried 750 sq ft of sail. Since the Enfield she has been powered by a Ruston, Bedford and now a 6BB1 Isuzu. I installed this in 1995  and we have had 7000 trouble free hours since. I first went aboard Ngaio when I was 4 months old. I have 4 children and 9 (to date) grand children and they all love her as much as those  that have gone before. I think she will keep the same name and family ownership for a while yet.