Tag Archives: Tom Le Huquet

ROMA + Next Woody Cruise Details

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MYSTERY LAUNCH 24-02-2024 – ROMA

Mid last year the above photo popped up on a Keith Humphreys fb post – we learnt that the photo was from the Darroch Collection and the vessel is thought to be one of their craft. 

We were told there is an ‘R’ carved in amongst scroll-work at the bow. And those port holes have to be a giveaway.

No mention of location but the photo is ex the Devonport Museum, she is flying an ‘Auckland Motor Yacht Club’ pennant + sporting a #8 – so may some Waitemata Harbour launch race / event?

INPUT EX NATHAN HERBERT – The vessel is Roma, she made a WW appearance back in August 2016, in that story Ross Dawson and Harold Kidd advised she was 35′ in lenghth, built in 1910 by Tom Le Huquet. Sadly she came ashore in 1918 and broke up.. Link to the 2016 story below https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/08/31/mystery-launch-31-08-2016/

HAVE TO RSVP’ed FOR RIVERHEAD TAVERN WOODYS LAUNCH CRUISE

RSVP waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Details below – RSVP to waitematawoodys@gmail.com with boat name and approx. crew numbers.
DATE: Saturday 16th March TIME: Meeting at Lucas Creek area at 11am. Arriving hotel at 11.30am TIDE:  HW @ 1pm – 3.3m

Pastime + VOS Shed

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PASTIME

Todays woody story comes to us via John Dawson who sent in a link to a Auckland Museum collection file on the 1914 Auckland Power Boat Association race to Cowes Bay, Waiheke Island. The event was run on the 7th March, 1914.

The launch featured is the 24’ Pastime, previously on WW  we learnt that she was built by T. Le Huquet in late 1912.

Quite an unusual cabin/cockpit top, the owners must have been years ahead of the ’stay out of the sun’ crusade.

AND THE QUESTION OF THE DAY – Whats happening with the Percy Vos Shed ?

All dressed up and ready to shine BUT a peek in the door reveals a dust bowel – appears nothing has happened since I was last inside for the August 12th 2021 offical launching party…….. that’s 62 weeks ago. As numerous people have told me, the Maritime Museum (who ‘control’ the building) couldn’t organise a piss-up in a brewery. At the August 2021 function it was announced that both the NZ Classic Yacht Association and the New Zealand Traditional Boat Building School would be tenants – anyone able or brave enough to supply an update?

The one positive from this is that the muppets at the CYA pushing the new Heritage Basin Yacht Only Marina will probably be long dead before the Maritime Museum gets around to making the yacht only marina a happening thing 🙂

Poneke > Nancy Stair

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PONEKE – Sailing Sunday
In the above photo, c.1893, we see the Tom Le Huquet built yacht – Poneke. I understand Le Huquet built her in the same year for Fred Hunt. Later on (possibly 1897) she had a name change to Nancy Star Stair and moved to Wellington. The location of the photo is on the hard by the boat sheds in Torpedo Bay, Devonport.


Do we know what became of Poneke?

29-09-2020 Input from Robin Elliott –

The ex-Auckland yacht Poneke, renamed ‘Nancy STAIR’ [my capitals], arrived in Wellington in January 1907. The new name came from the titular heroine (no sniggers please) of a very popular American novel by Elinor McCartney Lane written in 1904 that was advertised nationwide in the papers over here throughout 1905 and 1906. By the middle of 1907 there was also a reasonably successful racehorse carrying the same name.

Nancy Stair, the yacht, is last mentioned in the Evening Post 5 November 1927 :
“It seems improbable that the Nancy Stair will come down this season. No work has yet been done on her.”
She was apparently broken up not long after.

The photo below on the WCYT website from the Petherick album shows her lying on the Evans/Lowry Bay foreshore – geography check needed – in a less than satisfactory state, stripped of all fittings and apparently ready for the knackers.

https://manybooks.net/titles/lanee2836628366-8.html

http://www.wcyt.org.nz/abode/getCurrentOrder.do?&_siteId=708&method=getCurrentOrder&_categoryId=5402


Check In To WW Tomorrow For The Trip Report On The Woody Classics Stillwater Picnic Cruise – Lots of photo 🙂

If you missed Stillwater, circle the diary for Sunday November 8th for our next woody boating cruise.

Aumoe

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Aumoe
The caption says ‘Deep Water Cove’.
Of interest is the special effects applied to b/w photos in the days before colour cameras.

Aumoe

12-07-2019 Input from Deb Green

The photo below is from Tom Wood (Deb’s uncle). Tom owned Aloha.

Picture 008

 

Valencia, Aumoe & Ranoni 1948

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Valencia, Aumoe & Ranoni 1943

Valencia, Aumoe & Ranoni 1948

I really like this image sent to me by Andrew Pollard the current guardian of Aumoe. Its such a great photo & if you look closely you will notice that the crews are a really mixed bag of men, young boys & women, I doubt you would get that in the 2013 event.  The photo is of the opening day of the 1948 Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers Club. I wonder what the catch was like.
A understand that at the time of the photo Aumoe was owned by the Wilkinson family of Whangarei.

Harold Kidd Update 

VALENCIA was then owned by E S Ralls. I’m not sure who built her and where. There were several Valencias around the coast as it was the name of a very popular song of the time. It would be good to get feedback on her (I suspect a c1928 name change). RANONI is easier, she was built by Charlie Gouk at Beaumont Street in the winter of 1911 for the Rushbrook brothers. In 1948 she was owned by O. Mann. The lovely AUMOE of course was built by Tom Le Huquet for F M P Brookfield of Brookfield Engineering in February 1913 and initially fitted with an Advance 30hp 4 stroke sleeve valve engine built by Brookfield Engineering which was still in use when replaced by A J Wilkinson of Whangarei when he bought her in the late 30s.

Aumoe

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Aumoe

This ones a blast from the past, Aumoe the 1913 Tom Le Huquet designed launch rafted alongside Radio Hauraki’s pirate radio ship – ‘Tiri’. One has to wonder what she was delivering………………….