Tag Archives: Pacific

PERFECT WEATHER, PERFECT WEEKEND FOR WOODEN BOATING

Posted on by
1

PERFECT WEATHER, PERFECT WEEKEND FOR WOODEN BOATING

Today’s story is a potpourri from the weekend. A good forecast had a lot of woodys slipping the dock lines and heading out. Some were at Kawau for the sailing activity there and a lot dropped anchor at Rakino Island. 
Because I’m sure I was spotted – I’ll own up to my worst anchoring exhibition in Woody Bay, just couldn’t get it to dig in. Made worse by the number of craft. Gave up and retreated to West Bay- less boats and a better % of woodys at anchor.  BUT – I made a novice mistake – anchored close to a large plastic US import with a petrol genset. I quote the owner “everyone tells me it sounds like a Massey Ferguson tractor “ – IT DID 😦
Experienced a stunning Rakino sunset on Saturday night.

VISITING USA WOODY

Over the last 2 weeks we have had one of the USA’s nicest wooden boating ambassadors – Bob Yaro visiting NZ Aside from being a great guy, Bob has some serious tags to his name – Chairman of the Herreshoff Marine Museum & America’s Cup Hall of Fame in Bristol, Rhode Island.

We had big plans to host Bob and friends aboard Angus Rogers – CENTAURUS for the Mahurangi Regatta but the weather gods dealt to that plan – so Bob’s been lunched on CENTAURUS in Auckland and had a day cruise on Margo and Jamie Hudson’s  – LADY CROSSLEY up in the Bay of Island. The woody web is world wide 🙂

BOB YARO ABOARD CENTAURUS
LADY CROSSLEY – BOI
BOB YARO & JAMIE HUDSON – LADY CROSSLEY

CLASSIC WOODEN MOTORBOAT RACING ON THE WAITEMATA HARBOUR – Auckland Anniversary Regatta

Posted on by
2
RACE START VIDEO
MY GIRL

THE PARADE

CLASSIC WOODEN MOTORBOAT RACING ON THE WAITEMATA HARBOUR – Auckland Anniversary Regatta

After the disappointment of a cancelled Mahurangi Regatta weekend I was chafing at the bit to get out on the water. 

Being Auckland Anniversary Day yesterday , I secured a spot aboard Jason Prew’s classic launch MY GIRL – WW readers will be aware that MY GIRL holds the title of fastest classic wooden launch on the Waitemata.

So at 11am we were on the start line for the classic launch inner harbour race – start off RNZYS > down to Orakei Bouy > across to Devonport area > back up the harbour to the finish line (aka the start line). Conditions were best described as ok, certainly better than the previous 4 days, overcast, the occasional shower and westerly >20 knots.

This year we were lacking a few of real quick woodys so Mr Prew had the race in hand after 10 seconds. Some close racing with the ‘recently’ re-powered woodies – NGAIO and LUCINDA. Do not have the handicap results but line honours went to MY GIRL / NGAIO / LUCINDA. All serviced at The Slipway Milford yard so a nice trifecta.

Earlier in the morning the tug/workboats put on their normal spectacular performance – see below.

The parade of sail was bolstered by several classic woodys that did not race – parade photos second group above.

Enjoy the photo gallery, light on the winning boat, always is when the bloke with the camera is aboard the favourite 😉

As always – photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

RACE RESULTS – MY GIRL collects line and handicap honours

TUGBOAT RACE

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.

KAIPAPA – CAN WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS WOODEN BOAT

Posted on by
Reply

KAIPAPA – CAN WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS WOODEN BOAT

WW was contacted yesterday by Lindsay McMorran (MV POPPET – Logan 33) in regard to a woody that has just appeared on his pier at the OBC (Outdoor Boating Club, Orakei) the boats name is KAIPAPA.

At first glance I might be a little to quick to use the term woody….. looks a relatively new hull shape and someone made good use of some plywood sheets on the cabin 🙂

 Seems PACIFIC isn’t the only boat that used the ‘WARNING BOW THRUSTER decals that came in the packaging 😉

Anyone know more about KAIPAPA

Help Needed ID’ing This Wooden Boat

Posted on by
Reply

Help Needed ID’ing This Wooden Boat

Todays photos another from the McLeod Collection at the Auckland Library Heritage Collection and comes to us thanks to Nathan Herbert.

The photo is just tagged Bayswater and has a 1900>1909 time period on it. It does look vaguely familiar but I couldn’t find any reference to the photo in the WW archives.

Can anyone help put a her to her.

What’s The New Must Have In Classic Wooden Boating

Answer bow thrusters  – the Slipway Milford is doing a roaring trade in retro fitting – hauled out for work that included a bow thruster – IONA II, SEA FEVER , PACIFIC

PACIFIC

Woodys Riverhead Tavern Cruise – Record Turnout – 21 Woodys

Posted on by
2

Woodys Riverhead Tavern Cruise – Record Turnout – 21 Woodys – Trip Report 

Yesterdays upper harbour cruise to the historic waterfront Riverhead Tavern ticked all the boxes – perfect weather and sea state, best (21- record) turnout of classic craft we have had, great food and as always – nice people 🙂

100% record of no oops on the sand/mud banks, but LOTS of timber floating around kept the skippers on their toes.

The above photo gallery tells the story of the day – enjoy.

UPDATE – Photos & Videos below from the camera of Tracy and Alan Gilder aboard Pirate.

REHIA
LADY JAN
PACIFIC

NEXT WOODYS EVENT – SATURDAY 15TH APRIL – STILLWATER DOCKSIDE PICNIC 

Classic Woody Summer Cruising – A Game Of Two Halves

Posted on by
3

WOODYS AFLOAT

Classic Woody Summer Cruising – A Game Of Two Halves

Happy New Year Woodys – WW is back ‘live’ so no more oops boating photos 🙂

On Saturday when I was reviewing and editing the above photos I struggled to believe that we had a xmas/ny cruise, but as they say the truth is in the photos 🙂

I decided to break todays story into two parts:

1. Raindance related

2. Woodys Out & About 

Mostly from my camera but assisted by Barbara Cooke (Bay of Islands), Mark Edmonds (Waiheke), Russell Ward, Jason Prew (upper harbour) and Alan Gilder (Woody Bay Rakino)

Raindance’s cruise / tiki tour mainly consisted of bouncing between Rakino Island and Waiheke Island. Left on 27 Dec and the weather was just stunning with crystal clear, warm water. On 01 Jan the forecast was starting to look very average and most concerning was all 3 weather platforms that I follow were saying the same thing. So early morning on 02 Jan we made the call to up anchor and head home. Turns out that was a good call because for the next 5+ days if it wasn’t raining it was drizzling non-stop + ugly seas and high winds.

So woodys the second half of our planned cruise was sent at home enjoying good food, wine, movies and watching almost every wooden / classic boating video on YouTube.

Very grateful we had 6 days of great weather before we pulled the pin. As an old salt told me once – when it comes to happy family boating – better to have a handful of fabulous days than an abundance of average days – very sage advise.

Enjoy the gallery.

UPCOMING ON-THE-WATER WOODY EVENTS

Circle the calendar:

28 January – Mahurangi Regatta launch parade – more details closer to the day

25 February – Stillwater Picnic + Dockside Raft-Up – more details closer to the day

PACIFIC GETS A TICKLE UP

Posted on by
5

PACIFIC GETS A TICKLE UP

Happy New – todays the first story for 2023 and Pacific is a very fitting woody to welcome in the new year with – during the winter of 2022 Pacific sent time on the hard having some delayed maintenance issues addressed and some creative comforts added. I’ll let owner Nathan Herbert tell the story:

“Bit of an update is due after Pacific’s most recent haul. In past attempts, the prop shaft wasn’t able to be drawn out more than 150mm so I had always been nervous about the situation up there. This time with the help of Seagar Marine and The Slipway Milford, we by brute force and a makeshift large slide hammer removed the shaft. It was found to be pitted, and then very badly pitted in one section where she ran in a highly noble bronze bush about tube centre. Three bearings were subsequently rammed out; one lignum vitae, one fibrous and one bronze. The Tube was found to be thin walled gunmetal and had almost completely de-zinced to mush. The mystery bitumen bath on the keelson was found to be a crude repair some decades old, hiding bad corrosion. A boring bar was made from the old 3.6m tail shaft extended to 5m and with unholy effort the remnants were removed and the hole gradually bored out to accept a fibreglass stern tube. This tube was epoxied in, with two Vesconite and one rubber  cutless bearing installed, topped off by a Chatfields  blue water dripless seal. 

Interior works included re-configuration of the saloon to cater for modern(or at least 1970s) needs and finished in kauri and honduras mahogany. A lightweight cradle was made for the RIB when in commission, and a Francis  searchlight fitted to the bridge deck.

There are always extras attended to along the way such as minor/insidious leaks but they fade in the memory compared with the newfound smoothness of a new, dry drivel ine”

2021 saw major updates to the zoom zoom – link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/01/27/pacific-the-105-year-old-woody-get-a-new-heart/ https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/02/03/pacific-sea-trial/

29-10-2024 INPUT ex JOHN DAWSON – JD sent in the photos ex fb below of PACIFIC’s new cockpit refit

How It Used To Be Done – Launching of Quo Vadis

Posted on by
1

How It Used To Be Done – Launching of Quo Vadis

Todays woody photos come to us from Lance Lange via Nathan Herbert and show the launch that Lance’s grandfather and boatbuilder Phil Lange  built – Quo Vadis. 

Quo Vadis was built for the Hopper family.and the photos are from her launch day – must have been a very proper occasion – even had a man of the cloth in attendance.
In the last photo above, I’m assuming the launch to the left od Quo Vadis is Nathan’s – Pacific.

Photo below of Quo Vadis taken in Jan 2020

Another Day Another Woody Boat Yard

Posted on by
2

Another Day Another Woody Boat Yard

The Milford Slipway was looking very woody friendly this week, the yard full + Pacific was slotted in next door at the Milford Cruising Club yard.

The TCL is continuing on Valsan and Laughing Lady up for a pre summer tickle up.