A Mixed Bag

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A Mixed Bag

One good deed deserves another, I posted the other day that Robert Brooke had given me a ‘stern’ off one of his model clinker dinghies  – I have just returned the favour with a rather large framed photo of his family launch – Linda (below). I purchased it via trademe for next to nothing, after a thoughtful person posted a comment on ww about it being for sale. She was worried someone would buy it for the oak frame & scrap the photo.

Speaking of trademe I also purchased a brand new, never used, full set of signal flags, made in the UK, all hand stitched (not printed), 50cm x 40cm so too big for Raindance but perfect for events & boat launchings. I bought them for $60 – a steal 😉

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I had some left over Uroxsys (Allwood MA) in the shed & gifted it to Richard Dark who was re-doing his coamings on his classic launch – Seafarer. Richard used Uroxsys 2 seasons ago but misread the instructions re using the primer (which provides most of the UV protection) so had an unsatisfactory result. Richard is a perfectionist so back to bare wood & then the yellow primer & lots of coats of Uroxsys. In the photos below I think there had only been one top coat, so will look even better after 6>8 coats 😉

I had a few blisters on the cabin top of Raindance so paid my son to (gently) scrap it off. The end result was great but it looks like I have a chart of the Hauraki Gulf on there at the moment, one wag (Murray Deeble) has offered to drop down & mark the fishing spots with red X’s 🙂

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And the UK ww numbers have improved big time, after a little bit of SEO (search engine optimization) – top ten viewing countries, below, for the last few days.

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CYA Patio Bay BBQ & Xmas Race Weekend 2015

CYA Patio Bay Weekend 2015
photos ex Alan Houghton & Fiona Driver

Just back from another spectacular wooden boat weekend at Patio Bay, Waiheke Island. The weather was good for the yacht racing but a little rolly in the bay. This put a few owners off anchoring but most bit the bullet & dropped the pick & were rewarded with another brilliant evening ashore at Margaret & Burt Woolicott’s waterfront bach. It had all the ingredients of a classic kiwi boating function – sun, sand, wood fired BBQ’s, the odd cold beverage, a barrel of rum, fire works & lots of nice people.

The evening was made special by the presentation to Chris McMullen of the CYA Outstanding Achievement Trophy for services to classic boating. See the previous ww post for more details.

Even yours truly got a mention in dispatches – I was the surprised recipient of the 2015 Patio Bay Trust Book Award – for my work on/with setting up this site & ensuring that future generations will be able to better experience our wooden boating history.

Enjoy the photos. Sorry that its light on yachts but conditions did not suit bobbing around in a wee dinghy & by now I hope most people realize that a ‘drive-by’ past Raindance almost always ensures a photo on ww 🙂

Must also mention the  magnificent sight of having Viking sailing in the fleet.

I have posted on the CYA forum photos from the yacht post race prizing giving  – link here

http://classicyacht.org.nz/cyaforum/topic/cya-patio-bay-race-xmas-party-bbq-weekend/

Yacht race results here http://classicyacht.org.nz/sailing/

10-12-2015 Sailing Photos below ex Carolyn Anderson (Waimiga)

 

Seafarer

SEAFARER

I last posted about Seafarer when she & her ‘owner’ Richard were my haul out neibours at the Devonport Yacht Club in 2013 winter.

Seafarer was built at Opua by Walter Deeming in 1963 to a John Brooke design.

This year Seafarer got an even bigger fright than 2013, mostly based around a new motor & all the bits that go with that – new fuel tanks, new exhaust system etc etc.

You can see from the exterior photos that the standard of workmanship is faultless. Below, it would pass the Colin Pawson test with flying colours 🙂

There is a little bit of me on her, I did the name boards (I’m not that talented, I pulled a favour with a mate) as a thank you for all the advice Richard gave me in 2013.

The new wooden mast replaced an ugly stainless steel ‘thing’ left over from the days when she was a motor-sailor.

Seafarer was relaunched on Sunday 24 November at the DYC . Photos show her, on the club mooring, post launch looking very smart. In my opinion she would be one of the prettiest & ‘biggest’ 28 footers on the harbour & with a 9’6″ beam there is no shortage of living space below.

05-11-2016 UPDATE

Owner Richard Darke has had Seafarer out again at DYC this winter & the biggest item on the to-do list was to strip the coamings & re-do the Uroxsys. A wee oops a few years ago when doing it resulted in a finish that did not meet Richards standards, so off it came & this time the result is stunning – see below.

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Relaunching in spring 2017 after another winter of TCL ex Richard D

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Seafarer

SEAFARER
Started life as a motorsailer , built by Walter Deeming at Opua in 1963 to a John Brooke design. Seafarer was my ‘neighbour’ on the hard at Devonport Yacht Club last year & her owner Richard was the best neibour you could ask for. When ever I needed a second opinion all I had to do was tap on the hull & Richards head would top out.
The other plus was that Seafarer was very tired & needing a lot of love so if I got depressed I would just hop aboard Seafarer & 5 minutes there would see me walking away feeling better. That ‘fix’ did not last too long as Richard started at the stern & dam near rebuilt / replaced everything & in most cases he made everything himself, very talented guy + a great sense of humour. And the best bit, he bought the boat & did it up so his grandkids could go boating.
The before haul out photo versus the ready for relaunching photo tells it all – amazing. The wonderful finish is from Uroxsys, Richard was another of my converts.
A hear a new motor is going in this winter so Seafarer will almost be a new boat.
Now if I can just get him to join the CYA 🙂