Wellington Waterfront Happenings + Win Woody Gear @ Patio Bay
The above amateur film (20min) by Mr. Macalister, documents maritime scenes around Wellington harbour. Items of note include ships and yachts being christened and launched, a small motor boat burning on the open sea, footage of a Humpback Whale being taken ashore at the Perano whaling station in Fishing Bay.
Of note we see:
1. The launching of the motorboat – Marionjo
2. The launching of the motorsailer – Pelagin (some nice launches seen in the background)
3. The launching of the fishing boat – Sea Harvest
4. At 13:60 minutes – the ex Perano whale chaser – Rorqual makes a cameo appearance
5. A rather large elephant seal making itself at home on the waterfront
Video reproduced via 2019 The New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound Ngā Taonga Whitiāhua Me Ngā Taonga Kōrero
Input from John Wicks – One of the launches shown at both launchings is “Southern Maid”, built by Ernie Lane, and at that time owned by Bob Macalister, who shot the film.
“Pelagian” was/is a steel motor sailer designed and built by her first owner, Doug Catley. She was built in steel, and Doug built a model and sheathed it in plates cut from cigarette tins to ensure that the full size plates would fit properly. She was unique in several ways; her exhaust went up inside her mizzen mast, and after launching she was fitted with a Mustang fighter’s cockpit canopy on her wheelhouse. There was no exterior ventilation to her engine, but the boat’s interior was extensively ducted to the engine room which encouraged air circulation through the boat. Her engine room and galley were separated by a sliding fore and aft bulkhead, which when raised turned the area into a (nearly) full width engine room.
The sequence showing “Rorqual” is the mooring area just inside Tory Channel. The spotting station was just over the ridge on the seaward side; when whales were spotted out in the Strait, the chaser crews would come running down the path to board their chasers; it was a bit like a Battle Of Britain fighter scramble!
The X-class shown on the RPNYC hard and sailing in Evans Bay look like the new type that never really caught on. Javelins replaced them.
The elephant seal is NOT in Chafers Marina as the wording accompanying the film states (the marina didn’t even exist then) but in Evans Bay where there were quite a number of private boatsheds with their ramps and slipways on the Western side. I have some sympathy for the owner of the little motor boat the seal was trying to board; Owha the Leopard Seal tried to get into my skiff a few weeks ago, and managed to swamp it. No harm done though 🙂
“Pelagian” was/is a steel motor sailer designed and built by her first owner, Doug Catley. She was built in steel, and Doug built a model and sheathed it in plates cut from cigarette tins to ensure that the full size plates would fit properly. She was unique in several ways; her exhaust went up inside her mizzen mast, and after launching she was fitted with a Mustang fighter’s cockpit canopy on her wheelhouse. There was no exterior ventilation to her engine, but the boat’s interior was extensively ducted to the engine room which encouraged air circulation through the boat. Her engine room and galley were separated by a sliding fore and aft bulkhead, which when raised turned the area into a (nearly) full width engine room.
The sequence showing “Rorqual” is the mooring area just inside Tory Channel. The spotting station was just over the ridge on the seaward side; when whales were spotted out in the Strait, the chaser crews would come running down the path to board their chasers; it was a bit like a Battle Of Britain fighter scramble!
The X-class shown on the RPNYC hard and sailing in Evans Bay look like the new type that never really caught on. Javelins replaced them.
The elephant seal is NOT in Chafers Marina as the wording accompanying the film states (the marina didn’t even exist then) but in Evans Bay where there were quite a number of private boatsheds with their ramps and slipways on the Western side. I have some sympathy for the owner of the little motor boat the seal was trying to board; Owha the Leopard Seal tried to get into my skiff a few weeks ago, and managed to swamp it. No harm done though 🙂
CYA PATIO BAY WOODY PRIZES
As promised yesterday, below are the woody goodies up for grabs at tomorrows CYA Patio Bay Cruise / BBQ
• best presented motorboat (WW T-Shirt & a bottle of Lawson’s Dry Hills wine)
• best classic dinghy (WW T-Shirt & a bottle of Lawson’s Dry Hills wine)
• most embarrassing anchoring attempt (WW Cap & a bottle of Lawson’s Dry Hills wine)
• best attired (WW Cap & a bottle of Lawson’s Dry Hills wine)
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