Wellington Classic Yacht Trust

that's a bit special - Lizzie got boat of the year!

Happy 50th Birthday to our darling Kokotahi.
Launched on this day in 1976.

Steam bending practice today on Atalanta.
Steamed 11mm timber for 1 hr 10 mins.
A bit longer than the 1 hour per inch rule of thumb but earlier try for 40 mins the stock broke. With David Fisher and Diane Morgan

This is cool

In the post today from the UK we receive a parcel from good friend Paul Kennerley, a person who has sailed several times on Waitangi and has a very strong affiliation with the boat. His wife Gillie (nee Frater) is the grand daughter and great niece of Jim and John Frater who owned Waitangi in the 1920’s. Paul and Gillie were keen to reunite the contents of the parcel with Waitangi.
In the parcel a silver mug engraved “To the Dry Ship Waitangi from The Wellesley Club 1925”. The question “Why would a Wellington gentlemen’s club, The Wellesley Club, be gifting a silver mug to the owners of Waitangi, given that in 1925, Waitangi was owned by an Auckland Syndicate who had purchased her from a Wellington Syndicate in 1920”. In that era the Wellesley Club and the Northern Club in Auckland both operated as private, member only, hotels where the social elite would regularly meet to relax and socialise. Presumably members would have had reciprocal arrangements to visit each club while travelling on business. From this one must assume some members may also have been members of the Auckland based Royal NZ Yacht Squadron and the Wellington based Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club and it was these associations that would have members of the Wellesley Club sail on the legendary gaff cutter Waitangi while visiting Auckland.
The inscription “To the Dry Ship Waitangi from The Wellesley Club 1925”. Waitangi may have raced in a Wellesley Club sponsored event or more likely the mug was a gift from the Wellesley Club members as a thank you for the sail, tempered with an inter club dig at the fact that the Auckland crew were non drinking while racing, something that would have been uncommon in the day. Giving a half pint drinking mug to a dry ship is a deliberate irony.
Interestingly Waitangi remains a dry ship during racing to this day.

Joss and Diane sanding up forward in Atalanta yesterday followed by a touch up with primer.
Thanks also to Matt and David for prep work on port cabin side.

Work has been continuing on Atalanta, sorry for the delay in posts. Work on the hull repair aft has resumed, and port cabin side is mostly dry fitted.

Glued up the starboard cabin side on Atalanta today, ie David did with help from chief epoxy mixer Diane.

Got more shiny parts for Atalanta, though some more technical fitting to do.

ANZAC Day tomorrow. These are among photos of NZ airmen in the Pacific Theatre of World War II at Guadalcanal, Los Negros, and Green Island. All are from the Air Force Museum of New Zealand. They had built a fleet of "scimmers" based largely on designs and knowledge of the Highet family. They look a lot like moths but boats like these have been around since the 1890s.
Reade more here: https://www.rpnyc.org.nz/newsarticle/156878

This is always a great event. For a bit of the ANZAC and Gallipoli experience of some local (mostly RPNYC) sailors, see https://web.archive.org/web/20240523040701/https://rpnyc.org.nz/blog/rpnyc-and-wwi-plus-the-highets/ and https://web.archive.org/web/20240523032420/https://rpnyc.org.nz/blog/the-freybergs/

ANZAC & TURKISH FRIENDSHIP RALLY 2026
Saturday 25 April 2026
A maritime day of remembrance, respect, and friendship between Türkiye and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Calling All Skippers – Yachts & Launches Welcome Join the fleet for this special commemorative rally and help us warmly host guests from the Turkish Embassy onboard. Your participation makes this day truly meaningful.

EVENT SCHEDULE
1100 — Meet skippers – RPNYC Wardroom
1300 — Rally start
1530 — Turkish food
1600 — Prizegiving

RSVP by 18 April [email protected].