Waitangi: 74ft Successful Racing Yacht
Build Date
1894
Boat Builder
Robert Logan Snr.
Length
LOA 74ft (bowsprit to boom) LOD 58ft LWL 38ft
Beam
11 feet
Building Waitangi
Waitangi was built in Auckland, in 1894 by Robert Logan Snr. to race in the 1895 Wellington Anniversary Day Championship Race. She was launched on the 13th December 1894 just meeting the deadline set by her first owners who were a Wellington syndicate. The group included James (Jas) Jamieson, David M Georgeson, Thomas Kirker, Sydney Winstanley and William Waters. Jamieson was the one to receive the correspondence from Logan Sr regarding building Waitangi on the 21st April 1894. Logan Sr offered to build the yacht for 500 pounds including delivery to Wellington in 1895. Jamieson also traded his old yacht ‘Xarifa’ as part payment of the 500 pounds owed. The parties agreed on this trade and an additional 300 pounds to cover the cost of the build.
Waitangi was built using an innovative method for the time involving 3 directional kauri planks without a frame. This made a strong but also light vessel. She would be the last major build completed by Robert Logan Snr. Logan Snr. set up his boat building business in Devonport Auckland in 1878. Eventually this business became Logan Brothers as his sons took over,
Waitangi was duly built and launched on the 13th December 1894. Robert Logan then sailed her to Wellington with his son Robert Jnr and Captain Butt on 9th January 1895. When she got to Wellington an extra half ton of lead was added to the keel.
Weight
22 Tonnes
Draft
9 feet 7 inches
Waitangi’s Racing Career
Despite being built in Auckland, Waitangi went on to win the 1895 Wellington Anniversary Day Championship Race race. Robert Logan skippered Waitangi in the race and collected the 100 pounds prize money for her syndicate owners. She went on to dominate the yacht races in Wellington in 1897, 1898, 1899 and 1900. In 1901 she found a worthy competitor in Rainbow which beat Waitangi in the 1901 Lyttleton Regatta and the Wellington Anniversary Regatta but Waitangi won four out of six of her races with Rainbow and Iorangi (a Logan Bros boat built to defeat Waitangi and Rainbow for Alexander Turnbull) in the rest of the 1901/02 season.
During Waitangi’s reign as a champion racing yacht she was also sailed by the Earl of Glasgow during his 1896 visit to New Zealand. He sailed Waitangi for the Port Nicholson Yacht Club picnic
In 1899 ownership of Waitangi is believed to have changed but until 1905 Waitangi’s ownership is a bit hazy. It is believed until around 1904 David Georgeson and Jonn McLean owned her.
From 1905 until 1911 John McLean and possibly Renner of Wellington owned her. Mclean is known to have converted her into a cruising ketch and in 1908 he added a 15hp auxiliary motor.
Norman Gibb purchased Waitangi in 1911 and converted her back into a cutter. He then sold a share of her ownership with H C S Boulcott also of Wellington. They jointly owned Waitangi until 1913.
Waitangi During The War Years
A Wellington syndicate including Aubrey Lancaster, Albert (Tal) Gray, M Rowle and E Proud purchased Waitangi in 1913. In 1915 they converted her back to a big cutter rig. Whilst serving in World War One Gray died from war injuries on October 4th 1916. He died without leaving a will so his estate was administrated by the public trustee. His assets were listed as a life insurance policy and a half share in Waitangi worth £100. His share had already been sold to John Hadfield Smith on 18th January 1918 for £100. The war years also led to the deterioration of Waitangi but before she was sold and moved to Auckland in 1920 Waitangi was painted white and converted to a yawl setup.
In 1920 an Auckland syndicate took ownership of Waitangi. This syndicate was made up of Tom Alexander, Neil (Polly) Macky, K Rutherford and former RNZYS Commodores John Frater and J B Johnston. The syndicate changed its make up over the years and included three other former RNZYS commodores Alex Burt, James Frater, C S Tewsley.
Waitangi left Wellington on the 27th November 1920 and arrived in Auckland on the 4th December that same year. The syndicate converted her to a gaff cutter and started sailing her under the number 13. The syndicate commissioned Bailey and Lowe to restore Waitangi to racing condition which was completed a year later. When they finished the restoration her number was updated to A6 which is the same number she has today.
In 1923 they fitted an engine on Waitangi and she used for the next 20 years for racing and cruising. However, Waitangi skipped the 1939/40 season and then remained on the hard for the rest of World War Two.
By 1946 the only remaining syndicate owners were John Frater and C Tewsley. They sold Waitangi to K E Clarke and J R C Killan of Lyttleton in 1946. Waitangi’s setup was again changed as she comverted into a ketch rig. The main boom became the main mast, the spinnaker boom was then the main boom and the mizzen mast was put in the cockpit. She was then used for a summer cruise in Auckland before sailing to Lyttleton and her new owners in March 1947.
Waitangi’s was listed for sale in Mrach 1948 for 1500 pounds as her owner had become disabled. Wilkie Wilkinson a yacht broker took ownership of Waitangi and used her for charters in the Hauraki Gulf. This was only a short term arrangement though and he sold Waitangi to Mr and Mrs E B Chapman in 1948. The Chapmans lived on Waitangi with their five year old son in Whangarei before converting her into a ketch for offshore sailing.
Waitangi Goes To Australia
The Chapmans planned to travel the world on Waitangi and set off for Sydney in 1949 with Peter Oldham as the skipper. Oldham recalls the Chapmans didn’t like the roll they experienced crossing the Tasman and decided not to continue on their world cruise. Instead they sold Waitangi in 1950 and she was temporarily renamed Seven Seas.
It is unknown who owned Waitangi until Baron W Hans Kuhl purchased her in 1952. Kuhl was the general manager of Lufthanser in Australia. He renamed her Tahi Waitangi as another boat named Waitangi was already registered in the British Ships Registry. He added petrol lights instead of the electrical fittings she already had but in 1955 he had to concede the cost of maintaining her was too much for him and he sold her. Though he loved Waitangi and visited the yacht every time he came to Sydney.
After Kuhl two young enthisiasts are said to have brought Waitangi but their identities are unknown and they too could not afford to maintain her. So around 1959 Sea Captain Percy of London purchased her and sailed her back to NZ in February 1960. Percy was a 78 year old New Zealander with qualifications in steam and sail boats. He added “the tram shed” to give him more comfort on the journey to NZ. Not too keen on sailing to NZ Percy loaded Waitangi with 44 gallon drums of fuel and recruited his crew (Jay) Booth and Jon Smith. They faced rough weather and it took them 3 weeks to make it to NZ. Once in NZ they cruised the coast before another rough 3 week trip back to Australia. It was so rough that Waitangi was deemed lost at sea 60 miles east of Sydney in a bad storm. She then located by a Sabrejet before needing to be towed to Newcastle as she was low on fuel.
John David Frederick Deal is believed to have owned her after Captain Percy but is is unknown when he took over ownership. He sold her in June 1969 to the army engineer Clifford Leslie and his wife Kim Latham. They owned her until June 1974 when David Jones Finance Ltd., took a short ownership stint until December 1974.
Kerry Norman Atkins a civil engineer in Sydney took ownership in 1974 and owned Waitangi until 1976 when Denis E and Jannette W Pilkington purchased her. Pilkington was a painter in Sydney. They fitted Waitangi out with Laminex and used her for tourist cruises on Pittwater Harbour. She was even a floating hearse.
Restoration Of Waitangi
In 1986 they sold Waitangi to a Melbourne Syndicate including Robert Sallabank, Hank Schilte, Lyle Close, Steve Thistlethwaite, David Currie, Bruce Taylor, Tony Clarkson, Phillip Morrisey, Doug Shields, Col Anderson. This syndicate was formed to restore Waitangi to her former glory. They employed bosun Graham Geary to take charge of the restoration and shipwrights John Johnson and Kevin Bach to complete the work with two assistants. The restoration started in 1990, its aim to faithfully restore Waitangi to her original style. No plans could be found for her so instead they used photographs, archives and interviews to discern as best they could Waitangi’s design.
They stripped Waitangi back to her shell. Although the timbers were wet they were not rotten so they were left for 8 weeks to dry. Then starting at the bow they refastened her back together with 3000 nails and rovings and 1500 screws. The decks were remade with 100 year old kauri from the roof beams of the Wanganui Railway Station which had been demolished. Mahogany was used for the interior fit out and painted white. The topsides were painted black and Colin Anderson then built the sails needed.
With the restoration complete they launched Waitangi on her 100 year anniversary on 13th December 1994.
Waitangi Returns To New Zealand
In 2000 the Melbourne syndicate brought Waitangi to NZ (in a ship) for the Americas Cup defence in Auckland. This sparked some interest in NZ for Waitangi to return home but she stayed in Sydney for a few more years being used as a kind of museum. In 2002 the syndicate started another restoration project and decided to sell Waitangi. This is where Waitangi’s current owners come into the picture. The Classic Yacht Charitable Trust purchased Waitangi in 2003 with John Street acting as both negotiator and funder of the sale. The Classic Yacht Charitable Trust is based in Auckland. Here Waitangi is recoginsed as a significant part of NZ cultural heritage and as such she is protected under the Protected Objects Act 1975.
Waitangi can now be seen on display at the Voyager New Zealand Maritime Museum or sometimes racing in the Classic Yacht Association of New Zealand regattas. Since being with the trust she has had three skippers including Tony Blake from 2003 to 2007, Gavin McGregor from 2007 to 2012 and Larry Paul from 2007 until now. She is maintained by volunteers and is used in the MAD Marines initiative run by Auckland Council and the Department of conservation. The programme teaches students to hoist and set sail before landing on Motuihe Island to plant trees.
References
To research Waitangi we used The Classic Yacht Charitable Trust website, and Papers Past.
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