
Another great photo showing part of the CYA launch fleet on-route to the Riverhead Hotel. Thats my ‘Raindance’ at the front.
Photo supplied by Shane Anderson (Waimiga) from a friends camera on the cliff.

Another great photo showing part of the CYA launch fleet on-route to the Riverhead Hotel. Thats my ‘Raindance’ at the front.
Photo supplied by Shane Anderson (Waimiga) from a friends camera on the cliff.

27 Classic Wooden Launches Cruising Together
The CYA NZ launch division today did its autumn cruise to the Riverhead Hotel – brilliant turn out 27 boats.
Click the link to view more photos http://classicyacht.org.nz/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&p=19949#p19949

Not much of a xmas present

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.
A quiz – name the boat – its Luana before she was ‘enhanced’ – Colin P won. His prize? he gets to be my boat boy on the CYA launch cruise to the Riverhead Hotel this Sunday 🙂

Mothers Day
ALCESTIS
Today is all about mums, past & present + families. What better photo to remind us about family life than the one above taken during the Guthrie family 1931/2 Xmas / NY Northland cruise on their launch Alcestis.
Over the next few days I will post some stunning photos of Alcestis (now Raiona), Lady Margaret & Shenandoah cruising around the far north.
Enjoy today.
special thanks to Graham Guthrie for sharing his grandparents photos

Scamp Sailing on the Manukau – April 1946, when owned by Jim Jenkin.
photo & words ex Robin Elliott
Built by Roy Parris while working at Shipbuilders during the war from off-cuts from the Fairmiles c.1943/44
The yacht registrations were a bit of a shambles during the War and no record has yet shown up stating that Scamp was ever issued with V-28, but I have no doubt that she was. In 1945 with the Auckland register in a shambles, a serious attempt was made to clean it up but no official list was published until the winter of 1946, by which time Scamp was on the Manukau (carrying sail V-28).
V-28 was issued to Stormbird in 1927, Memutu in 1932, Witch in 1944. Macushla in 1946, Coronet in 1950 and Raven in 1958.
The Manukau yachting administration kept its own register, so the sail number of an Auckland yacht sold over there (or further outside Auckland) became vacant and was available for re-issue. The smaller fleets on the Manukau usually meant that an ex-Auckland boat could keep its existing sail number, e.g. V-28 for Scamp, V-90 for Jeanette rather that be given a totally new number. Later on, if the boat returned to the Waitemata, it was re-registered with Auckland, and if its original number had since been re-issued, then it was issued with a new number e.g. Scamp to V-45 in 1947.

Trout Fishing, Lake Taupo
Percy Vos 16′ lake fishing boat with the launch Whizzbang (middle)

ROMANCE
Romance is the older and smaller sister of Romance II. She was built August 1914 by Bailey & Lowe for W.C. Mils of Devonport who replaced her with Romance II in 1919. Romance was 26ft oa and fitted with an ohv 4 cyl petrol engine. W.E. Utting owned her for many years after Mills.
She then went to Napier and was bought by Sydney Hole and was the Holes family boat for many years on Lake Taupo. Pictured is Ken Hole(Sydney’s son) and Belle Hole standing beside Romance)
In 2006 she was in charter on the lake.
photo ex Alan Good, words Harold Kidd & Alan Good.

Whitianga New Years Day Regatta #2 c.1950/51
Launches along side of Wharf: Fore to back: Marlin (Roley Smith), Eta B (Ted Bronlund), then little launch with rounded cabin top: Peggy, owned by the Morcombs & built by Bill Nobel at Whitianga in the 1920’s, then behind her: Renown (A White), then Spray (W Heald). Boat with skipper on wheel house: Scripps (Albert Bowman), the boat with the man at bow: Te Kuti (Jim Wilkins) and the boat behind her no name but owned by Trevor Brown.
Caption & photo supplied by Baden Pascoe. Photo taken by Simon Bronlund’s aunt Joyce.