Tag Archives: Rick McCay

WOODEN LAUNCH ROYALTY – ROYAL SAXON & LUANA AFLOAT

Posted on by
3
2019
2024/5
2003
1995

WOODEN LAUNCH ROYALTY – ROYAL SAXON & LUANA AFLOAT

Last week WW was contacted by Tom Rowling in regard to a story we had run on the yacht BEACONLIGHT. Tom reminded me that he was the owner / custodian of the 33’ classic wooden launch – ROYAL SAXON, built in 1930 by one of New Zealand’s best boatbuilders – Colin Wild.

Now I didn’t need to use the WW search box because ROYAL SAXON is one of the most beautiful woodys afloat and has been on my radar for a long time. ROYAL SAXON is just perfect to the eye, which is a challenge in a sub 35’ craft. She is also probably one of the most photographed classic woodys in NZ, due to being moored off Kaiteriteri Beach, Nelson, most summers. Kaiteriteri is the gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park and all commercial tourist craft go past her as they head to the national park.

The top photo above of her at Kaiteriteri, I took in March 2019 while holidaying in the area – WW story & more photos at this link https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/03/08/royal-saxton-varlene-a-trip-to-abel-tasman-national-park/ . In the 2nd photo, ex Tom, we see ROYAL SAXON  last summer off Fisherman Island in the Abel Tasman National Park.

Tom sent in several photos and commented that the bow-on photo was taken by reporters in 2003 when he retired as Master of the Golden Bay after 30 years in their employ.

The photo of the two ‘gents’ shows the previous ROYAL SAXON owner – Rick McCay (on the left), handing over the register of the ROYAL SAXON in Tom’s cabin aboard the GOLDEN BAY in Auckland on the 5th August 1995. Copies of the register at the bottom of todays story.

Now Rick McCay esq. is a charmed man having owned and owning two of the most elegant classic wooden launches in New Zealand- ROYAL SAXON and LUANA, I would have questioned his sanity selling ROYAL SAXON if it wasn’t to buy LUANA, built in 1920 by M T Lane and seen below in the two Bay of Islands photos.

Back to Tom, he has owned ROYAL SAXON for 30+ years and commented that she is 95 years old and still continues to give pleasure to family, friends and visitors to the bay. 

Tom also shared with us another in the Rowling fleet, a vessel he had built in 1994 at the ‘The Boat Yard’ which was attached to the Maritime Museum in Auckland at the time. Tom named her after the first commercial tourist launch that started operations at Kaiteriteri in 1955. The vessel is kauri planked, red gum ribs, teak gunnel strip, masts and spare dragon. She’s rigged as a gaff rigged sloop. In Tom’s words – all old looking to fit in with its owner. She sails beautifully and reasonable dry unless you drive her hard. The plan is similar to the sea scout cutter but reduced in length by 2 feet to make it easier to sail single handed. Photo below on the beach at Karterteri.

ROYAL SAXON CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRY – Click photos to enlarge

Woody Euro Tour

Posted on by
Reply

Siesta – approx. 45′ canoe stern bridge-decker – Stockholm
Vasa – 17th century warship – Vasa Museum – Stockholm
Oslo, Norway
Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Gothenburg
Probably steel

WOODY EURO TOUR

Todays story comes to us from the camera of Rick McCay, owner of the 1920 MT Land built 47’ launch – Luana. Rick has been tripping around the northern hemisphere. Rick didi a similar trip back in 2017, you can view that story at the WW link below. https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/11/02/a-woody-on-tour/

Where known I have tagged the locations – enjoy the photo gallery.

Royal Saxon – 1989>1994

Posted on by
1

Royal Saxon 1989 > 1994
The top photo made a brief appearance on Lew Redwood’s fb and Nathan Herbert correctly ID’ed the launch as the 33’ Colin Wild, 1930 built – Royal Saxon, anchored in Islington Bay, Rangitoto Island. At the time I would suspect she was owned by Rick McCay (MV Luana), so sometime between late 1980 and 1994, when he sold her. These days Royal Saxon resides at the top of the South Island, at Motueka. The WW link below and comments section will tell you all about the boat and how she ended up down south. 

The 2nd photo I took 2 years ago of her anchored at Kaiteriteri, when we were on-route to the Abel Tasman National Park. Fantastic to see her unchanged after 30 odd years, another example of how beautiful Colin Wild’s designs were and how most remain so today 🙂

Royal Saxon


There is a great WW Royal Saxon story of a 1939 big game fishing cruise at Mayor Island, Bay of Plenty – told by Harold C. Clark. Great reading

Royal Saxon 1939 Game Fishing Cruise 

15-03-2021 Input From Mark Newcomb – I am pretty sure I recall being a young boy on a trip from Tauranga to Mayor Island on the launch Royal Saxon. It must have been the mid 1950’s, and I had thought the launch belonged to Arthur Honeyfield, a well known farmer and businessman who had a lovely farm at Kauri Point(?) near Katikati. Honeyfield was a member of the Tauranga Harbor Board and had somehow managed to get a substantial wharf built near the farm for easy access to the inner Tauranga Harbor. We embarked on our journey from this wharf. I recall a lodge on the island at SE Bay, not sure if we stayed there or on board. I still have some obsidian that I found on the island.
It is entirely possible that Royal Saxon was owned by a friend of Arthur’s, or was on charter.
Sadly, the son John Honeyfield, died last week, so that avenue of follow up has gone.

CYA BUMPER BOATS – I hear that during race one of the Classic Regatta the other week, the A Division boys were playing silly buggers again. At the start 3 of of the ‘stars’ of the A Class fleet all got hooked up on the start line and ended up all doing an unplanned buffalo girl 🙂

A Woody On Tour

Posted on by
1

unnamed-4

unnamed-5

unnamed-8

A Woody On Tour

Woody Rick McCay & partner Roz have just returned from a jaunt around Europe, during which Rick took the above photos. Some very impressive woodys on show but I would expect nothing less from Rick, he has a very impressive collection of classic wheels & keels, one being the 1920 MT Lane, classic launch Luana.

The photo collection includes some wooden work boats in Syracuse, taxi and hire boats in Venice, Rick commented that some of which have more than a passing likeness to Tony Mason’s clippers. Rick even thought he had found a classic motorbike (below) but on closer inspection that famous Italian maker, Kawasaki, made it 🙂

Roz & Rick made a visit to Circolo della vela Sicilia, the America’s Cup challenger of record, set on a point at a beautiful beach at Mondello, near Palermo. Rick announced they were from Nuova Zelanda and just called in to say Hi. How impertinent of Rick, this guy goes purple in the face and shouts Privato! Privato!, which is pronounced Pi** Off. We are fortunate in this country with our freedoms, imagine the drama if they had tried to sit on their private beach 🙂

unnamed

 

 

Woodys On Tour

Posted on by
1

20160816_150109

Rick McCay & Peter Boardman

20160819_053510

Woodys on Tour

A bit of what they call thread drift today – I told Rick McCay when he sent me the above photos that him sporting a ww t-shirt in the USA was the only justification I needed to run the photos 🙂

Two of our nicest classic woody owners – Rick & Roz McCay {Luana] and Peter Boardman [Lady Margaret] caught up at this years annual USA Monterey Car Week and Pebble Beach Concours. Rick reports that the show features a great variety of cars and personalities.
The black Ford GT40 pictured above is the actual car that won the 1966 Le Mans 24 hr race driven by two Kiwis, Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon.
In one of the photos of Rick he is standing in front of what he thought was an boat upside down on a trailer, but it turned out to be a caravan, for sale for only US$217k. On their way up the coast Rick spotted a couple of shockers in the Santa Barbara Marina. A helpful American attempted to pronounce Waitemata Woodies…Why the tatty woodies! Rick couldn’t return the abuse because he didn’t even own a boat 😉
Remember to click on photos to enlarge.