This is a new open non-competitive Regatta centred on Purau Bay and adjacent water. This event will cater for the many displacement boats (pre 1972 sail or power) that are on Lyttelton Harbour or nearby.
As well as the wide range of craft of classic and traditional design that regularly take place in our Classic and Traditional Regattas at Akaroa and Lake Hood.

The draft programme is:
Parade
3.00hrs Parade of Entrants starting at Wharf

Events
14.00hrs. Start for 30ft and over sailing craft
14.10hrs. Start for 20ft and over sailing craft
14.20hrs. Start of Log Race for all displacement launches
(All of the above start at Purau Head and finish at Diamond Harbour)
14.30hrs. Start for all smaller sailing craft (Starting and finishing in Purau Bay)
Followed by an After Match Function at 17.00hrs in the nearby Diamond Harbour Rugby Clubrooms

December 8-9
AKAROA CLASSIC & TRADITIONAL BOATS REGATTA
A two-day event for restored boats of all types and for replica boats of classical and traditional design.
The draft programme is:
Saturday 8 Dec
10.30hrs.   Judging of all boats in various categories
Commencement of building two sailing skiffs by teams of boat builders. The boats will be completed and sailed during the two days of the Regatta.
12.00hrs. On water events for all craft
17.00hrs.  Dinner and Prizegiving in Recreation Ground Pavilion

Sunday 9 Dec
Harbour cruise to Tikao Bay

2013
January 26-28
MAHURANGI REGATTA, WHANGATEAU (Rodney’s Challenge)
For those travelling north in January in the Auckland area or further north consider the Mahurangi Regatta in a delightful setting.  For details and picture see the story on our website and the invitation and challenge from our founding judge at Akaroa and keen supporter Rodney Wilson.

February 9-10
Friendly Bay Regatta, Oamaru – details to be advised
Lake Rotoiti Classic & Traditional Boats Regatta, Rotorua

March
ANTIQUE & CLASSIC BOAT REGATTA
Lake Rotoiti, Nelson. Dates and details to be confirmed. See website www.nzclassicboats.com
Lake Mahinapua Regatta, Hokitika. Dates and details to be confirmed.

She was built as an open boat 21’ 6”x 7’2” beam with a 6Hp oil powered Union engine which were becoming popular around the world at that time. Built by Logan Bros, who interestingly built 10 others that year all around a similar length but varied in hull style, some with long counter sterns ( a left over from sailboats) but “Otira” had a tuck stern  i.e. a flat transom with rudder hung aft.

OTIRA in her new home TINO RAWA TRUST shed.

Oil launch was a term used to discriminate from what would have been their predecessors, the steam launch. With the advent of oil fuelled engines (really a kerosene petrol sort of stuff) only a few years prior, it allowed much smaller boats to be built and most of these were open with combings round an oblong cockpit.

“Otira” was soon shipped to Christchurch where it was used on the estuary, then later at Kaiapoi plying the Waimakariri River til she arrived at Charteris Bay in 1934, from where I purchased her in 2005. By 1934, she had grown a small cabin, which changed a couple more times ‘til 2005. I was told to restore a boat it must be original in all possible ways. As I found a photo in the Auckland Memorial Museum of Otira on her launching day, the die was cast to end up with a completely unsuitable boat for Lyttelton Harbour conditions – windy, lumpy with cold spray going everywhere.

So late 2011 I approached Tony Stevenson who is a director of Tino Rawa Trust in Auckland, which facilitates the restoration of classic yachts and has 10 or 11 under their wing.  Harold Kidd, who writes historic stuff for NZ Boating recommended the Trust as his own yacht, the 1880 “Jessie Logan”, was with them and he was very happy. Tony seemed keen so after sending 18 photos up, we decided to tow Otira north after Christmas with the thought of going to Mahurangi Classic Regatta and Rotoiti Nth Island Classic Boat Parade with her. While at Taupo we took a run on the lake with friends and had to paddle back to shore as the now notoriously unreliable Stuart Turner 2-stroke diesel let us down once again. When we arrived at the Trust’s store shed, Tony and his offsider Jason Prew met us and drooled over Otira (except Jason  doesn’t like green on boats!).  I suddenly realised the three of us had a connection with Lyttelton Boats. Tony now owns “Tucana” a 1905? Dunedin built sloop which raced with the Banks Peninsula Cruising Club for many years in 50s and 60s alongside “Wairiki”, a Logan built 1906 cutter now owned by Jason. Both these yachts have been beautifully restored. We left “Otira” in the shed while we went camping with our family at Te Muri Beach for a couple of weeks. The weather was shocking so we cut short the great outdoors and went back to Auckland.

“Otira” was now under the care of Tim, a very good mechanic who got the 1957 Stuart Turner running, but not to his satisfaction, so with no parts available such as injector pump etc, resulted on a lot of calling to our neighbours to raid the old spare parts box stored in our back shed.  But to no avail. Mahurangi and Rotoiti Regattas came and went while Messrs Stuart and Turners creation had still not responded. The Trust lent us a very nice 2005 built replica picnic boat named “Sarah Hutton”, for some unknown reason, as they toiled with her. Built by Robert Brook for a super yacht USA owner as a toy, this boat was paid for but the owner never took delivery so decided she could go to a good home and the Trust now looks after her. We had a text while at Rotoiti from Jason, who gave us a live recording of the engine purring just as we finished the parade! She had never sounded so good!

The Regattas were a high light of our journey north as they were spectacular and in fine conditions in contrast with the rest of our six weeks trip. At Mahuarangi, nearly all the restored yachts in Auckland sailed in 3 divisions, as well as the small craft launched from Sullivan’s Bay taking part in their own races. Even the Frostbites had their own race. These were sailed out from the huge number of yachts and launches which came to witness this event.  We had our Resta-Raft camper parked beside the beach and the previous night we watched the bay fill with these craft coming from Auckland and around the area. By 6pm we counted 72 and by the morning at 7am I counted 140 odd and they still kept coming.

Hitching SARAH HUTTON to RESTA RAFT fo the trip to Lake Rotoiti (North Island) Classic Boat Parade.

OTIRA dwarfed by WILD DUCK the trusts former flying boat escort vessel now mother ship for the trust’s fleet.

Maharangi Regatta with THELMA A10 overtaking MAY  formally owned by Simon Langer. MAY now sports a gaff rig.

TUCANA Tony Stevenson’s 38ft. ex Lyttelton sloop.

WAIRIKI Jason Prew’s 1905 36ft Logan ex Lyttelton.

Stopping at Marton where Wally, whom we asked directions to toilets, advised us to be quick as locals might interested in souveniring the brass propeller!

Proceedings are very informal. A medley of boats from Zies, IAs, skiffs, a Montague Whaler, mullet boats, a large double-ended open boat,  and others assemble, pretend to hold a race, and then retire to a pot luck BBQ and vin in front of the beautiful, old and picturesque boat shed inhabited by husband and wife boat builders. This is life as it was before it became complicated. It’s very local, the boats are wholesome, and everybody is there to enjoy a lazy, hazy day in the presence of good company and simple boats.

What about a contingent from Canterbury?! Come and challenge us on our own “turf”. And, what’s more, you’re just a couple of bays along from Big Omaha, where the Meiklejohns, Darrochs and other pioneer families built Auckland’s legendary scows. Give me a call if you’re interested in coming next summer – Rodney Wilson 09  422 7654.
(Editor’s note: Auckland’s Anniversary weekend will be observed January 26th–28th, 2013)

Here are some pictures taken at this year’s Mahurangi Anniversary Weekend Regatta

Prizewinners:

Best Original Classic Boat: Fiddlers Green
14′ Ketch, built 1930 -1940, restored 2011/12 owned by Stephen Jarvis

Best Restored Classic Boat: Patricia Too
Frostbite, built 1940(?), restored 2011. Owned by Paul Pritchard

Best New Replica or Classic Style Boat: Janet K
Clinker Tender, built 2010 by Bill Nicholson

Best Overall: Patricia Too
Frostbite, built 1940(?), restored 2011. Owned by Paul Pritchard

The Ashburton Sailing Club would like to thank Andy Gillies for judging the boats. Thanks also to all the entrants for their attendance and participation.
The event was very well supported and the Ashburton Sailing Club are looking forward to welcoming everyone back again next year!

Here are some photographs taken over the weekend.

We left Christchurch midday on Friday with the forecast for a weather bomb to hit the lower North Island and NW of South Island that evening.

The trip was slower than expected, reaching our camp site at Kerr Bay at 20.30hrs. I decided to keep the Frostbite on the trailer with us at the van until morning. Bad idea! As it took Pat a good hour to dislodge the leaves and twigs in the boat that had come down from the beech trees which had been doing battle all night with a gale in their tops while we slept in the campervan below.

We woke at 7.30 to find snow was halfway down the hills and the temperature in single digits, luckily the display area was mostly sheltered by trees on the lake front as the SW was still honking a 30kn.

As we wheeled Patricia Too through the assembled boaties there were whispers ‘that must be Corsair’ and someone asked straight out ‘wow is this Corsair? ‘to which Pat replied ‘it’s a frostbite’. It wasn’t long before we realised the legendary Corsair of the Winstone family fame, recently featuring in N Z Boating articles was to be there.

I thought Patricia Too had a good chance of taking a prize until this beauty. I soon met the owner Paul Baragwanath, grandson of Robert Winstone who had a great story board on the boat, her history, recovery, restoration including building of replica trailer of the 1945 one shown N Z Boating last year. There is a short history of the project in March 2012 NZ Boating.

Well the wind did blow hard for a while and after a number of attempts the all clear was given to launch boats at owners discretion at 15.30 and a hardy few took to the water, not us (to hell with launching off a lee shore) and it was still cold in my opinion.

In the meantime the judges had done the rounds, must have been a fairly short round at that as we didn’t see them in our area. At 17.30 an announcement was made and names of ten winners who were implored to turn up at the dinner at 21.00 for Prizegiving was read out, No.24 Corsair wasn’t among them, I and many others were horrified. After about half an hour one of the judges, the one who had shown mild interest in Corsair (the other had ignored her) sidled up to Paul (Baragwanath) and said, “You going to the Prize-giving tonight?”,  to which Paul replied “The name wasn’t read out”. The judge then made a derogatory remark about the typist, and told Paul that he had better turn up.

You can see by the results that it turned out ok for Corsair in the end winning THE BEST RESTORATION. But some other worthy boat that was called up originally missed out, while a rather scruffy mullet boat with tired varnish and oil from a wheel bearing still splatted up the hull won BEST SAIL POWERED CRAFT that should have been Corsair’s. As for the trophy for BEST OVERALL going to a kid’s story book character Little Toot; come on judges get real this is reputedly NZ’s top ANTIQUE & CLASSIC Boat Show. Admittedly Little Toot was rather cute but hardly a classic or an antique!

We are lucky that in our 2 Canterbury Regattas that we have fairly well defined categories for the prizes and we have judges who are able to understand and articulate what criteria they have used. Unfortunately at Lake Rotoiti, all categories are termed “the best” and “the best” can be interpreted differently by judges.

Anyway, it was great to meet so many enthusiastic people from 129 boats, so many with interesting histories and this year Canterbury was only represented by 6 or so boats.

Results:
BEST NEW CRAFT SPANGALONG Gary Drummond, Motueka
PEOPLES CHOICE MY LOVE Johnny Malthus, St Arnaud
92 BEST MOTOR CRAFT an Albatross alloy built UK in ’50′s.ROSS BIRCHALL.ROTORUA.
133 BEST SAIL POWERED NAID Mathew Kidson. Nelson
25 BEST THEME DISPLAY TOM THUM Mike Slade, Auckland
24 BEST RESTORATION CORSAIR Paul Baragwanath, AUCKLAND.
75 BEST ROWED CRAFT MAGGIE. John McConway, Picton
52 BEST OVERALL LITTLE TOOT Clinton Skelton, Nelson
80 BEST STEAM CRAFT JANICE Brent & Lynn Winter, Murchison
34 BEST JET POWERED BUTT Anthony Connolly, Christchurch

The latest in Dave Johnstone’s series of videos portraying the annual Akaroa Classic and Traditional Boat Show. The 2011 event was held after a difficult year for the people of Canterbury, a region plagued with a series of aftershocks following a disastrous 7.2 magnitude earthquake in September 2010. Although November is springtime in New Zealand, participants in the 2011 event were greeted with snow when they arrived in Akaroa on the Saturday morning. The remains of the snowfall can still be seen on the surrounding hills.

Adult day pass $15, Weekend Pass $20, school kids FREE. Gate sales only. For more information visit www.nzclassicboats.com