Daryl Patterson’s email to me started out like a lot of the correspondence WW gets – “This is a very long shot but I’m looking for any information on my great grandfather’s boat, a 30 footer he built himself” It turns out that Daryl’s GGFather – William Skinner, was a member of the Whangarei Cruising Club and built Dawn in 1926, there is a good article from the Northern Advocate recording its construction below. The photos above are of Dawn on Whangarei Harbour between 1926 and 1931. Daryl’s family records has the boat being sold in 1934 to another WCC member – Percy J Basley. She disappears from the WCC records a short while later and Basley retired to Waiheke island.
Daryl would greatly appreciated any intel on the boat from over the last 95 years.
A couple of mystery launch questions today. Last year Robin Elliott sent in a collection of photos from the Whangarei Cruising Club Collection, as far as Robin knows, all are from the 1940’s early 1950’s & and were taken by Palmer Photography in Whangarei (1910-1999). Most by the late Graeme Palmer and possibly some older ones by his father.
So woodys who can ID the one above?
Now the photo below – I suspect it is Jason Prew’s My Girl at full chat 😉 but the photo shows only 3 portholes versus the 4 seen in most photos. Jas ?
Back in early March 2016 we ran a mystery launch quiz on ww, the vessel was Rongotai & the photo was sent to me by Robin Elliott. The photo was from a batch ex the Whangarei Cruising Club collection, & far as Robin knows, all are from the 1940’s early 1950’s & and were taken by Palmer Photography in Whangarei (1910-1999). Most by the late Graeme Palmer and possibly some older ones by his father.
Harold Kidd told us that she was built for Leslie Walter Waldron (1896-1963).
Over the weekend I was searching for another photo & bingo I found the above one that Robin had also sent me – she is a rather impressive vessel.
Do we know any more about her & what became of her?
Photo below taken last night by Shane Anderson of his classic launch Waimiga in NW Bay Rotoroa Island at sunset, summer is on the way 🙂
Margaret Joy MYSTERY LAUNCH 02-04-2016 photo ex Robin Elliott
Today’s photo is another that Robin has sent me from a collection of photos from the Whangarei Cruising Club Collection, as far as Robin knows, all are from the 1940’s early 1950’s & and were taken by Palmer Photography in Whangarei (1910-1999). Most by the late Graeme Palmer and possibly some older ones by his father.
The distinctive placement of the porthole window on the cabin sides might help ID her, she also appears to have a good turn of speed.
The Woollacott website http://www.woollacott.org.nz/ lists both a Ghost & a Wolf, the images of Ghost appear to be a smaller vessel. No photos of Wolf.
So woodys who can ID this one? The boat was ID’ed by Nathan Herbert as Margaret Joy
Mondays ww post will be a trip report from James Dreyer (Laughing Lady) on the Palm Beach International Boat Show, in James words “I have kept the focus on wooden or partially wooden craft, with a little American excess and muscle thrown in for good measure.” – Make sure you check it out.
Todays photo of the woody runabout, Miss Vauxhall, is from Robin’s collection of photos from the Whangarei Cruising Club Collection, as far as Robin knows, all are from the 1940’s early 1950’s & and were taken by Palmer Photography in Whangarei (1910-1999). Most by the late Graeme Palmer and possibly some older ones by his father.
While the boy at the helm is deep in concentration he no doubt is having the time of his life. Can any woodys ID the design of the boat & even better whose the skipper ?
16-01-2017 Harold Kidd Input
I’ve just come across an article in Sea Spray (below) on Dick Hartley in which he discusses, most lucidly, the evolution of his designs. There is the same pic of MISS VAUXHALL as well as her sections, pointing out that he could just as well built her in ply in 1947.
16-08-2020 UPDATE ex Peter Morgan – HDK was correct the boat is a Hartley. Peter M has commented that his father – Jack Morgan, of Paine Bros (North Auckland) Ltd, General Motors dealers in Whangarei, in 1947 asked Richard Hartley, then a young (b. 1920) boat builder in the town, to design and build Miss Vauxhall. She was powered with New Zealand’s only Mercury 25-hp Thunderbolt in-line 4-cyl. 40 cu.in. outboard. Paine Bros stocked and sold Sea Craft clinker dinghies and Mercury outboards. In the above top photo the young skipper is Roger Morgan, aged 11. In the photo below (very low res), supplied by Peter M, taken in the early 1950’s at Russell in front of the Duke of Marlborough Hotel. Jack Morgan is standing in Miss Vauxhall, while son Roger is holding the transom. Miss Vauxhall had a top speed of 27 mph (23.4 knots), measured by timing between the ends of the Paihia and Russell wharves and measuring the distance off a hydrographic chart of the area. Miss Vauxhall could pull water skiers up from a deep-water start on a single ski.
Another mystery launch from Robin’s collection of photos from the Whangarei Cruising Club Collection, as far as Robin knows, all are from the 1940’s early 1950’s & and were taken by Palmer Photography in Whangarei (1910-1999). Most by the late Graeme Palmer and possibly some older ones by his father.
So woodys who can ID this one?
Reproduction of advertisement below ex Robin Elliott
MYSTERY LAUNCH 19-03-2016 photo & details ex Robin Elliott
The above photo is another ex Robin Elliott’s Whangarei Cruising Club collection. Photo most likely from the 1940’s > early 1950’s period and taken by Palmer Photography in Whangarei (1910-1999). Most by the late Graeme Palmer and possibly some older ones by his father.
With the swordfish graphic on her bow she has a slightly familiar look to her but my memory bank isn’t sparking today, so woodys – anyone able to ID her & the two vessels in the background? The #38 might help – race?, fishing comp?.
MYSTERY LAUNCH 16-03-2016 photo & details ex Robin Elliott
Another photo sent in by Robin ex the Whangarei Cruising Club collection. Photo most likely from the 1940’s > early 1950’s period and taken by Palmer Photography in Whangarei (1910-1999). Most by the late Graeme Palmer and possibly some older ones by his father.
In the photo the crane was from ‘S.G. Bignall, Ph 2802, Whangarei’, also the gent holding the stern line has only one arm (no left arm) so maybe that helps in ID’ing the launch?
A little bonus viewing today – check out the latest (March-April) on-line addition of the USA ‘Classic Yacht’ magazine. Lots of great motorboat & yachts featured in this issue – link below
ORARI II (MYSTERY LAUNCH 11-03-2016) photos ex Robin Elliott
Another mystery launch post & if they are all as cool as this one, there will be more 🙂
Robin has sent me a collection of launch photos from the Whangarei Cruising Club Collection, as far as Robin knows, all are from the 1940’s early 1950’s & and were taken by Palmer Photography in Whangarei (1910-1999). Most by the late Graeme Palmer and possibly some older ones by his father.
So woodys who can ID this one? ITS ORARI II
Update from Robin Elliott
Orari II was featured in Sea Spray August 1960 when owned by Harry Julian. While I see similarities in the hull, the cabin (with venetian blinds – Luxaflex no doubt) is quite different, having been pushed forward right to the mast. Does this still match with your opinions of those original pix being Orari II?
07-07-2018 Input from Ken Ricketts (edit by Alan H)
My parents I knew Harry & June & Harry’s late father Lance, & their children well. C.1948 we cruised with them, when he used take the BARBARA W, one of his father’s tugs, away for Christmas cruises, photo below of our boat JULIANA tied to BARBARA W, one Christmas in the 1950s.
Harry shepherded 9 of us in our boats, from Kawau, in to every nook & cranny, as far as the B.O.I. Later ORARI II was his first launch of his own, he told us the story of the Fisher owner/builder facts, & that she had been kept in a shed a Whangarei all her life, & he was just her second owner, & she of had the 2 Chrysler Royals, which stayed there, for many years.
He kept her at Okahu / Hobson Bay & only sold her when he replaced her with the HAUNUI, ORAR II passed to Harold Parkinson, who maintained her just as beautifully as the Fishers & Harry, before him. She was always impeccable.
I saw her on a hardstand a few year back post 2000 & sadly the varnish had gone & she was looking quite a lot the worse for wear sadly, but hopefully sounds as if she has had some much needed T.L.C. more recently.
Also recall is that she eventually had the Chryslers replaced with 2 BMC 4 cyl diesels & if she has Perkins now, I think these must have been a subsequent replacement.
Update May 2021 – photo below, ex Dean Wright, of Orari II moored at Waitangi, Bay of Islands.
RONGOTAI – Mystery Launch09-03-2016 photo ex Robin Elliott
The answer is Rongatai – details in the Comments Section
Long over due for a serious mystery launch post. Robin has sent me a collection of photos from the Whangarei Cruising Club Collection, as far as Robin knows, all are from the 1940’s early 1950’s & and were taken by Palmer Photography in Whangarei (1910-1999). Most by the late Graeme Palmer and possibly some older ones by his father.
So woodys who can ID this one? I’ll give a Lake Rotoiti Wooden Boat Parade 2016 Calendar to the first correct answer, backed up with some form of proof & for the record neither Robin or myself know anything about the launch.
Note: Ken R – you only get one attempt, you can’t blast out 5 names & expect to win if one of them is correct 😉
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