121-year-old racing yacht sails again

By ROBIN BAILEY

Marine historian and North Shore lawyer Harold Kidd is a man with a mission: to raise the level of appreciation of this country's maritime past and to help to preserve it.

This is going to be his month. On January 24 at the Devonport Yacht Club what is probably the oldest yacht in the world will be relaunched, 121 years to the day since she first tasted the water.

The yacht is the gaff-rigged cutter Jessie Logan, which won her class in the 1880 Anniversary Day regatta. She will be featuring again as a star in the Mahurangi classic boats section of the 2001 New Zealand Herald Auckland Anniversary Regatta on January 29.

Jessie Logan, a 28ft 6in centreboarder, is the boat that did much to establish the reputation of designer-builder Robert Logan sen, who founded the dynasty that still carries his name. The yacht is named after his daughter and Eveline Logan, widow of Robert's grandson Jack, will perform the relaunch honours.

That ceremony, to take place just a few hundred metres from where the yacht was originally launched, marks the culmination of a long and costly journey for Kidd and his partners in the Jessie Logan Syndicate. They are Keith Pine (the Geddes Dental man who provided most of the finance), and lawyer Hamish Ross, from Bell Gully.

Both share Kidd's interest in our maritime history and are already owners of classic craft.

After dominating racing on the Waitemata for nine years, the Jessie Logan went south, racing successfully in Wellington before crossing Cook Strait to Nelson in 1905, where she remained until Kidd and his team brought her home to start the restoration project in 1980.

The Jessie Logan's life in Nelson went from that of a top race yacht, through conversion to a fishing launch that was owned and operated for many years by famous yachtsman Adrian Hayter.

Before being discovered by Kidd, the old yacht had spent years upturned on a Nelson lawn as a doll's house for the owner's daughters.

That could well have been her saviour, says Kidd. The hull had been given a few coats of house-paint which protected the timber.

The restoration was done by Herbert Krumm-Gartner, of Classic Boats, at Whenuapai, who relished the challenge of bringing the classic yacht back to life.

"It's a lot more difficult doing a restoration than starting from scratch on a project but it is hugely satisfying, it's what I love to do," says the man who first came to attention when operating from the National Maritime Museum. At that time the museum policy was to emphasise active displays that helped to keep alive traditional skills.

The museum will be playing a part in the new life of the Jessie Logan. The yacht will be berthed there at least for the first few months of 2001 to allow Aucklanders to get a close look at an example of living marine history.