A touch of class at Viaduct Basin

By KATHERINE HOBY

A slice of New Zealand yachting history will be on show at the Viaduct Basin over the next year.

A Heart of the City initiative, aimed at keeping the Viaduct humming between America's Cup campaigns, was launched yesterday with more than a dozen classic yachts moored at the Basin.

Classic Yacht Association spokesman Chad Thompson said the yachts were "all about showing people where we come from in terms of our yachting heritage."

He said nowhere else in the world was there a permanent display of working classic yachts. The yachts will be moored at the basin for the next year.

"Most other yachts of this vintage are locked up in museums. It is great to see them where they should be - on the water."

The yachts on display include Tawera (1935), Rawhiti (1905), Frances (1905), Prize (1923), Rambler (1932) and Moana (1895). Included in the line-up is Arcturus (1930), a schooner designed and built in Seattle and once owned by US General George Patton.

The yachts will maintain a distinguished nautical presence until next summer. They will race and cruise from the Viaduct Basin. Three are available for charter.

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