Restoring the essence of sailing

Rainbow, a keel cutter first launched in 1898, was lovingly restored after years of neglect and relaunched in 2007. Photo / Martin Sykes

They are the grand old vessels of the sea - the ships of old, restored to full glory to sail Auckland's harbours once again, like they did more than a century ago.

Some of New Zealand's most fabled vessels will be sailing at this weekend's regatta, many of them carrying some of New Zealand's richest maritime heritage with them.

Rainbow, Ranger, Tawera, Thelma - these are some of the big-name classics which will be racing from Princes Wharf to Mahurangi tomorrow.

But if you have one of these classics rotting in the backyard and are looking for a full restore, come with the chequebook - some restorations can cost up to $1million.

Auckland Anniversary Regatta chair Eric Mahoney says these big classics offer "seat of your trousers" sailing, and many sailors like these older boats because it is more of a "back to basics" approach to the sport.

One of these is Rainbow - a 50ft (15m) keel cutter built by the Logan brothers and first launched in 1898.

"She was in a state of disrepair in the Marlborough Sounds where she had been owned by a family for 50 years. She was brought to Auckland about five years ago," says Mahoney.

Boatbuilders Paul Tingey and Laurie Smith replaced the deck beams, keel floors, cockpit, saloon, galley, mast and beams.

"They undertook what could only be described as a gold-medal restoration. It was out of this world," says Mahoney. He estimates the rebuild to have cost anywhere from $500,000 to $1m.

"You wouldn't get much change out of a million dollars."

But, he says, to build a new 50ft vessel like Rainbow would cost around $2m.

Mahoney likens the craft to restoring and racing an old car. He says before yachts like Rainbow are lovingly brought back to original form, many are in a state of disrepair, but the sturdy kauri wood used by the original craftsman stands the test of time, with the hulls mostly intact.

"The hulls in these boats are pretty much as good as when they were put in the water."

That is unlike other yachts of that era built overseas with different wood. Many have less than five per cent of the hull salvageable.

The build quality of New Zealand boats shows through, as with classic yacht Ranger.

"Ranger, the fabled Ranger," says Mahoney. "Ranger was described as the working man's yacht."

Lou Tercel and his brothers launched the 60ft (18m) craft in 1937 and it quickly became the most famous yacht in Auckland's harbour, virtually unbeatable for decades.

"From then on, every boat was designed to beat Ranger.

"She was built out of old warehouses - timber trusses from buildings then built in their backyard in Ponsonby. They used a lot of wealthier mens' second-hand sails."

Ranger was restored by Ian Cook and a team from Yachting Developments about a decade ago.

Mahoney's brother Mike Mahoney is sailing another Logan Bros classic, Tawera, which was launched in 1935.

"That was a restoration that took a year. At the peak of the restoration project, there were eight shipwrights, sailmakers and riggers - all the specialist trades that were needed to put her into the same condition as when she was launched in 1935."

The sails were designed using high performance materials but made to look tea-stained to reflect the canvas sails of that period.

Rivalries in all sports across the ditch are common, and classic yachting is no exception.

The Classic Yachting Association of New Zealand's chairman Steve Cranch says two classics - the Kiwi yacht Thelma and the Australian Wraith of Odin have fierce rivalry which will be tested on the day.

"Her and Thelma seem to be pretty well matched. There's been a good battle between those two boats," says Cranch.

Thelma is another 60ft cutter built by the Logan brothers in 1897. She was rescued from St Tropez and brought back to New Zealand for restoration and is now skippered by Sir Peter Blake's brother, Tony.

Wraith of Odin is a 57ft (17m) ketch built in 1950 which was fully restored in 2002.

Cranch calls classic yachting "the epitome of sailing".

"It's you and the mind and the sails. Everything is done by hand. It's the stripped-back essence of sailing."

He says the regatta is part of our heritage and history.

"A lot of the boats were in the very early years of the regatta so it's a great opportunity to see them out gracing the Waitemata Harbour."