Tag Archives: Quest

Bay Of Islands Woody Sightings

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Bay Of Islands Woody Sightings

One of WW’s spotter in the Far North – Dean Wright was heading out from his home bay, , last Friday and snapped the above woody photos of Quest, Norseman and Tranquila.

Dean commented that Norseman was run as a charter boat out of Tutukaka for years by the late Phil Bendle. She now lives on a mooring at Rangitane, up the Kerikeri River. Good link below to a brief insight into Phil Bendle’s life. 

https://inaturalist.nz/projects/poor-knights-islands-marine-reserve/journal/18249-passing-of-a-poor-knights-icon

The Relaunch of Quest

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THE RELAUNCH OF QUEST

The last we heard of the Roger Carey 1959 built woody – Quest was back in August 2020 in a report from John Gander who being prompt by a WW story on Quest II, sent in photos dated 2008 of Quest berthed at Waikawa Marina, Picton. In these 2000 photos she looked very smart. Sadly John also included a photo taken in 2013 of her hauled out in Picton looking very un-loved and her planks crying out for a life afloat again.

View details and photos at this WW link https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/08/19/quest/

Then yesterday Bay of Islands woody Dean Wright sent in the above photos taken on Monday. Dean had been at Waipapa Landing, Northland to see Quest being put back in the water after a huge amount of work by owners Eric and Win Sanderson to get her back in the water again after spending so long on the hard in Picton. In my eyes there is a lot to like about this boat – while she started life as Roger Carey’s private boat, she was later sold and converted to a work-boat. She measures 33’ x 9’9” x 4’6”, has a canoe stern and best of all down below is a Gardner 5LW 🙂 Mondays splash was brief to check a few systems and caulking, we look forward to getting a peek-down-below when she is finally ship-shape.

You have to love the EBH (Exclusive Boat Haulage – JJ & Shelley ) rig, that is the way to transport your pride and joy 🙂

Quest

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QUEST
Earlier in the week, we featured the ex work-boat Quest II, this prompted John Gander to send in the above photos of the 33’ Quest, built by Roger Carey in 1959, her beam is 9’9” and she draws 4’6”. 
Roger built Quest to be his families boat, but later sold her to a Southland farmer who then in 1964 sold her into commercial fishing. John understands that Quest fished the waters about Stewart Island. In the 1970’s > 1980’s period she also fished the waters off Southland.
 
Sometime in early 2000 she returned to Picton, where John took the photo’s of her in the marina at Waikawa in 2008. John commented that she looked to be well kept and in a tidy condition, her engine a 5LW Gardner. She was then lifted from the water onto the hardstand and as the photo taken in 2013 shows she has deteriorated with her hardwood planking drying out with considerable shrinkage. 
 
John remarked that doesn’t like to look at Quest now that she is in such a sad state, having been fitted with a tight fitting cover and John fears that with lack of ventilation her condition will deteriorate further.
(special thanks to Dean Wright for facilitating getting the story to WW)
 

Quest – Sailing Sunday

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Yacht Quest Launching 1936 (2)

Yacht Quest (2)

QUEST – Sailing Sunday

Mid-week we were lucky to have a peep at some of Peter Midgley’s fathers photo collection, that show the launch Kenya & the Joe Slattery boat shed. I asked Peter if he could share with us anymore of Eric Midgley’s photos & today we have the yacht Quest, built at the Vos yard for a Mr Wood of Devonport.

The top photo shows the launching on 10 December 1936, Peter commented that this photo of the exact moment a lady christens Quest has always fascinated him as a great moment frozen in time. Eric is third from the left with his arms folded. The man in uniform far left appears to be a St Johns person, did they have then at launchings in case of accidents? The man next to him with pen & paper in hand is perhaps a reporter for the “Star” or “Herald”. Then a lady in a heavy overcoat & umbrella, looks like a wet day in December.
Then the man far right also with umbrella “Photo Bombing” the photo.
Unfortunately the lady doing the honours, is blocking our view of the man holding the sledge hammer, Peter has an identical one in his dad’s toolbox.
Then the real character of this photo, the lady with a piece of paper in her hand having just read some words, with an expression of surprise as liquid sprays back towards her. Perhaps she is the wife of the owner – Mr Woods?

You have to love the way two planks of wood balancing on two saw horses is sufficient for the lady to stand on, no health & safety in those days!
The bottom photo of Quest moored presumably after launching.

As a footnote in the Percy Vos book, ‘Launching Dreams’, it states Eric Midgley worked at the Vos yard from 1937 to 1938 & only worked on the ‘Korea’ but Peter thinks he was there in 1936 working on the Quest. He went on to work at the Devonport Dockyard throughout the war & built the sailing dinghy ‘Kiwi’ in 1947, the NZ Navys gift to Princess Elizabeth & Prince Phillip for their wedding. Link here
https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/10/25/kiwi-sailing-sunday/

It would be great if any woodys could identify people in this photo.

Input from Harold Kidd
QUEST was a design by Dr. Harrison Butler (he of the metacentric shelf) built by Percy Vos (with one S) in December 1936 for L.M. (Milton) Wood of Devonport. His brother Lincoln had the Butler-designed 22 footer MEMORY built by Fred Mann in 1930. She’s very English in her lines (and all the better for that).
As to the people my guess is, from left, A St John’s “Zambuck” who used to be present at Rugby matches (and possibly launchings if they were yachties, as many were), W.A. (Wilkie) Wilkinson of the Auckland Star, Vos employee, the matriarch Mrs Sarah Wood, Milton and his wife/fiancee not sure when they married), Lincoln being silly. There was a multitude of Wood brothers and sisters, so the latter could any one of the other brothers.