Tag Archives: Mystery Launch

Princess Pat + CYA AGM Voting Oops

Posted on by
5

Screen Shot 2020-06-25 at 8.51.04 PM

PRINCESS PAT

Recently on Michell Hutching’s fb the photo above popped up as an unknown launch, hauled out at an unknown location.
The photo is ex the Williamson family collection.
Quick as a flash Jason Prew commented that the boat was named Princess Pat and that killed off the on-line chat.
Today’s woody questions are:
1. Is Jason correct? he is after all, not Nathan Herbert 🙂
2. If she is PP, what is known about her past, she has no profile on WW
3. Where is she today
20-07-2020 Harold Kidd Input – PRINCESS PAT was built by T.M. Lane and Sons in 1914. She’s been around ever since, although she spent most of her life from 1922 until 1938 as CATHERINE, reverting to PRINCESS PAT by 1944 when she was badly damaged in a collision with the vehicular ferry EAGLEHAWK. Pretty well-known launch!
21-07-2020 PS When PRINCESS PAT was in the EAGLEHAWK collision in 1944 there was a pic of her half submerged in the Herald (refer below). It showed four portholes in the port side raised deck, one forward of the chain plates. I guess it’s possible she had four to port and three to starboard (as at present), or that the the forward port one was filled in during her reconstruction or later again.
IMG_6360
REMINDER – IDA RE-LAUNCH @ RNZYS TODAY – ALL WELCOME
Ida Invite
CLASSIC YACHT ASSOCIATION AGM – COMMITTEE VOTING OOPS 😦

It’s no secret that the CYA struggles to attract good candidates to stand for ‘office’, but then they don’t help themselves. See below. How can you vote when you don’t know who the candidates are? Then maybe its a ploy to discourage Proxy Voting ……… nothing would surprise me 🙂
And yes woodys – I have pointed the mistake out twice to the CYA and still no advice to the members or updating the website.
UPDATE – 21-07-2020 The Oops has been fixed, 12 days after pointing it out 😉
Proxy Voting Closes at 5pm Monday 27th July 2020
Nominations Close   at 5pm Tuesday 28th July 2020

Not Spindrift (now a mystery launch)

Posted on by
6

Spindrift -2

Spindrift -7

Spindrift -3

SPINDRIFT   Mystery Launch

I have been sent the above photos of the launch Spindrift by Christoph Hoessly, whose grandfather, Ken McLeod owned her prior to having the launch Marquerite built.
At some stage in the 1940’s she may have been owned by Auckland (North Shore) identity – HT Morton.
The last known where about of Spindrift is a note (Feb 2016) in the WW comments section by Rob Lees, advising that the boat was then owned by Bruce Ashby and moored at Kawakawa Bay. Rob also commented that other than having her varnished coamings painted white, she looks the same, as launched.
Can anyone update us on the current whereabouts of Spindrift and any photos? + details on builder / launching date.
OOPS – IN FACT MAKE THAT A DOUBLE OOPS 😦

Seems woodys we have a wee issue with todays story – numerous people have contacted me and advised that the launch pictured above is not the boat owned by HT Morton.
The big question is – were there two launched named – Spindrift ? Or has Christoph Hoessly got his photos mixed up, it is after all over 70 years ago that his grandfather took these photos. As one woody commented it appears the stories have become ’tangled’.
The photos below, ex the Clevedon Cruising Club 75th Anniversary (2017) commemorative book (by Merle McKenzie), clearly show the Spindrift that was owned by HT Morton. (Thanks to Barrie Abel, Colin McKenzie and Jess McKenzie for photos & input)
So woodys can anyone help us clear up the confusion? Identifying the launch above in the b/w photos would be a big step.
Spindrift CCC Picnic
IMG_1954

Lake Manapouri – Manurere

Posted on by
2

Screen Shot 2019-10-15 at 5.03.36 PM

Screen Shot 2019-10-15 at 5.03.01 PM

LAKE MANAPOURI  – MANURERE

Today’s woody is seen in the Western Arm of Safe Cove, Lake Manapouri, Southland. Photos ex Lew Redwood fb (Hocken).
On fb Daniel Hickes commented that the vessel maybe the Govt. steamer – Manurere., powered by a 1901 quadruple expansion steam engine, built by Simpson Strickland and Co. of Dartmouth, England.
Rather a smart clinker alongside 😉
Harold Kidd Input – MANURERE was only 40ft long. Built by Bailey & Lowe in Auckland in 1905, shipped to Bluff, railed to Mossburn and taken over to Manapouri by wagon drawn by a steam traction engine. She had a Thornycroft high-pressure boiler and Simpson Strickland “patent quadruple engines”. She was in service by February 1906. A neat little steamer.
Some Trivia
Ever wondered where the term ‘hang-over’ came from.
Seems its origin is related to woody boating – back in Victorian England, the cheapest (lowest) form of accommodation was access to bend over a rope for the night at the price of a penny. Usually used by drunken sailors who had spent all their money drinking.
I have always wondered how all the crew on the CYA’s A-Class gaffers managed to sleep 🙂
Screen Shot 2020-06-20 at 5.09.58 PM

Mystery Launches – Mansion House Bay

Posted on by
4

Screen Shot 2020-06-20 at 8.16.08 PM

Screen Shot 2020-06-20 at 8.16.52 PM

Mystery Launches – Mansion House Bay

Today’s photo of Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island comes to us via Lew Redwood’s fb and is tagged 1920 – 1939 so that date spread isn’t much use to us.
An unusual photo given that no yachts are seen.
Any eagle eyed woodys able or brave enough to ID any of the boats?
Ken Ricketts was probably there (in nappies) and will remember the sound of each boats engine 🙂
WCW Riverhead June2020
RSVP  waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Mystery Taupo Launch + Woody Eye Candy

Posted on by
3

Screen Shot 2020-06-06 at 6.54.45 AM

MYSTERY LAKE TAUPO LAUNCH + WOODY EYE-CANDY
The above b/w photo comes to us from Lew Redwood’s fb.Details on the launch are un-know, can anyone help ID the boat.
Paul Drake Input – Probably RHODESIA. Photo shows her at Waihora Bay. The post sticking out of the water would be from the jetty which used to be there a long time ago. There are eight short stumps there to this day. Little is known of RHODESIA, but patrons of Domino’s pizza joint on the Lake Front in Taupo can study her, as they wait for their order, in the large format photo which is part of that establishment’s decor.

Harold Kidd Input – RHODESIA was built in Auckland in September 1912 and railed down to Rotorua. She was 30ft loa 8fft beam 2ft 9in draught. Her first owner was Marshall Ryan Shipping Co who used Bailey & Lowe for their new builds so it’s a fair bet they built her too. Roy Forrester of Helensville ran her for the company in the years immediately after WW1. When Taupo Shipping Co was liquidated and its assets sold off in August 1925 she was sold off. I am not sure she was then renamed TUWHARETOA because Sam Crowther was running a TUWHARETOA for hire in 1923.

There’ll be an answer which I suspect Paul Drake will ferret out.
Paul Drake Input / Reply to HDK – The idea that RHODESIA became TUWHARETOA is very interesting and quite possible. I remember her in the 1950’s. She had a raised cabin, to the full width of the original cabin, which was very well done. To my eye, she was a looker.
Continuing on with the Taupo thread, over the weekend Dean Wright sent in a gallery of photos from the marina at Lake Taupo, included was the stunner below of the Drake Brothers (Michael / Paul / Nigel / Roger) launch East Wind. When I shared the photo with Paul Drake he advised that it was him in the cockpit homeward bound from one of his recent weekly fishing expeditions.
In the photo Paul is seen taking soundings with the boathook. The lake is quite low and that day the bottom looked very close in that part of the channel. You can see that he has the boat hook at the ready, the minimum sounding was about four feet.
He also commented that the fishing since the lifting of lock-down seems to be rather good.
The Drake family have owned East Wind for approx. 50 years, but know little of her early provenance (<1920). She was clearly built as an open boat with motor. She still has the original foredeck and coaming under the newer raised deck. See 1932 photo below – East Wind, centre with another of the Drake boats Romance directly astern. 
20200610-_DHW9866
Screen Shot 2020-06-15 at 5.00.30 PM
WCW Riverhead June2020

Mystery Launch 14-04-2020

Posted on by
1

Screen Shot 2020-04-05 at 6.00.58 AM

MYSTERY LAUNCH 14-04-2020

The above photo comes to us via Lew Redwoods fb and shows a very smart launch unloading passengers at an unknown beach – possibly on the Hokianga Harbour. Photo ex Sheran Webb.

On my count there are 17 people aboard……….. not sure how many that Mk1 PFD would support 🙂

Anyone able to shed some light on the launch, she is way to pretty to be an unknown.

A couple of excellent videos below- enjoy

Check out this video ex ‘My Classic Boat’ from the 2016 Thames Traditional Boat Festival, a little OTT in places but some very cool woodys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMsPuVOTzjI

Proof even the ‘Experts’ get it wrong – Check Out The Video Below

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10156653684745251

Mystery Whangrei Harbour Launch

Posted on by
7

Screen Shot 2020-03-09 at 5.49.04 AM

Mystery Whangarei Harbour Launch

It’s a little hard to back up yesterdays WW coverage of the CYA Classic Yacht Regatta – big numbers viewing, including the USA and UK.
So today we have a very cool b/w photo of an unknown launch pictured at anchor in Whangarei Harbour, its dated c.1900’s and that woodys is all we know.
Can anyone help us ID the boat?
(thanks to Lew Redwood’s fb for the image)
12-03-2020 Input from Harold Kidd – I think it is the 32ft KIA KOA, built by Bailey & Lowe in 1908 for A.R. Pickmere of Whangarei with a 10hp Gardner petrol engine, 6ft shorter than GLADYS/GISPA but from the same stable and a year or so earlier.
And if you missed yesterdays WW story (100+) photos – just scroll down 😉
Input from Denis O’Callahan (MV Tasman) – The lines of the hull look similar to my father’s boat, Mapu, designed by H E Cox in 1927 for H A Adams. I think she was built by Col Wild. She had a 2 cylinder Kelvin sleeve valve engine which was run on kerosene during WW2. The photo below of Mapu at the Needles Eye, Birkenhead some time in the 1940s. This was where Jim Young had his boat shed back in the day.
Mapu at Needles Eye 1940 something
WBB0003_Banner-980x160

 Classic Wooden Launches + Classic Sailing Regatta Photos

Posted on by
2

IMG_4283

Help Needed Identifying Classic Wooden Launches

The above photo shows three launches (+ a peek on a 4th on the far left) moored in Hobson Bay, Auckland. The photo is from the Edward Double Collection (1930-1940), and comes to us via Maurice Sharp’s fb.
Can we ID the boats?
2020 CYA Classic Yacht Regatta
The annual 3 day sailing regatta is in progress and yesterday I crewed on Jason Prew’s 1904, Logan built gaffer – Wairiki in Race 1.
Now I have always heard dock chat that Wairiki was a wet boat, well folks I can confirm thats an understatement,
I think you would be dryer on a sail board 🙂 Water aside (it was warm) it was a great afternoon with nice people – Jason Prew, Steve Horsley, Micheal O’Dwyer and Joyce Talbot.
In-between waves and spray I managed to snap a few photos – a taste below – more tomorrow. Enjoy.
IMG_4330

Ariki – 1904 Logan

IMG_4344

Windhaven II – Colin Wild

IMG_4302
IMG_4323

Wairiki – Onboard foot spa

IMG_4350

Jason Prew & Steve Horsley (L>R)

IMG_4372

Race HQ @ RNZYS

IMG_4376

Mike O’Dywer, Steve Horsley, Alan Houghton

Mystery Launch

Posted on by
4

IMG_0075

Mystery Launch

The above photo popped up on fb recently with the comment ‘1982 Fishermans Wharf, Whitianga’. Sorry about the poor quality of the photo, but hopefully its good enough for someone to ID the launch for us.

FYI – sorry about the early post on WW re Athena, has been transferred to a previous Athena story…….. for some reason the WW search function didn’t work for me.

Woodys Waiheke BBQ &amp; Pizza

WBB0003_Banner-980x160

 

Avalon – Sam Ford Launch

Posted on by
9

IMG_0070

IMG_0073

IMG_0071

IMG_0072IMG_0074

Avalon – Sam Ford Launch

A friend of mine was working last week and spotted the above woody on a North Shore property. Being a friendly chap he introduced himself to the property owner, who god bless her is well into her 80’s and lives alone. The boat has been in the family since the 1970’s and she and her late husband used to cruise the gulf in her. She even went solo after he passed away 🙂
What we know is that the owner is fairly certain the launch is a Sam Ford, 24’ in length but the husband added a few feet to the stern.
Prior to being hauled out she was kept on a swing mooring in the Beachhaven Wharf area. She may have been named Avalon.
Note the ‘eyebrow’ over both sets of forward facing windows – its an often over looked feature that really adds a salty look to the right vessel.
I’m interested in ID’ing the launch and also agreeing on the design / builder – I’ll be shot down in flames, but to my eye, she has a hint of Couldrey to her. Nathan H………….. help me 🙂
Now the interesting thing is, to the right buyer, she could possibly be acquired. Price tba but you wouldn’t need to see the bank manager for a loan 😉
I have kept names and boat location out of the story – the last thing the owner wants is a stampede of people knocking on her door.
Input from Cameron Pollard – She is a Sam Ford and named Avalon. 1954 launch day photo below.
Avalon Launching Day
WBB0003_Banner-980x160