Rusty Rugby & a saucepan repair kit...

By -
The second world war had just finished when Dad brought a 20' narrow gutted double ended wooden launch.  Her engine was under the aft hatch and the cabin was so low that you had to crawl into it.
As she had been sitting for a while, her Rugby engine was rusty and in a very sad state.   Dad nursed the engine back to life, fixing one of the holes with a saucepan repair kit.

AVALON 1 was berthed at the bottom of the farm, in the mud of Hellyer's Creek, Birkdale. When Dad and Mum married they were away in the boat all the time. Sometimes they'd go up to Pine Island (Herald Island) and other times, down to Rangitoto and Waiheke Islands.    


In the middle of winter, I was born. The following summer we were away in the boat, my pushchair in the dinghy.    
And although the old engine let Dad down a few times, only once did he need a tow...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A box of seedlings...

By -
Image
In 1834 botanist John Edgerley  gathered a handful of seeds from a Norfolk Island pine tree and boarded a sailing ship bound for the Hokianga Harbour.    Those seeds became the first 'shipment' of Norfolk Pines to New Zealand. Two years later, John and Captain McDonnell  journeyed to the Bay of Islands - with a box of young Norfolk pines. Captain McDonnell took the box of seedlings to  Gilbert & Elizabeth Mair who   owned the flourishing trading post and ship repair yard at Te Wahapu Point. Elizabeth was a busy mother with five young children (one a new baby) and she planted one of the sapling trees beside her home.  Her sister-in-law Matilda  took one home to Kaitaia and planted it beside her home.  James Busby planted two by the Treaty House at Waitangi and many Northland Mission Stations - including Te Waimate, received a tree or two. The remaining saplings were destroyed by Gilbert & Elizabeth's young daughter...
Read more

Four ways to tell if YOU are 'out of date'

By -
Image
The maritime industry is full of changes, there have been so many over such a short time. If we are out of date, we are living in the past, and we must move with the times. Here's how to tell if you are 'out of date': 1.  You refer to MNZ (Maritime New Zealand) as MSA (Maritime Safety Authority). Ten years ago MSA changed to MNZ. 2.  You try to sell a commercial vessel saying it is in SSM (Safe Ship Management). If it actually still has a current SSM Certificate, it is so close to expiring that its hardly worth mentioning. All maritime transport operators are deemed to be in MOSS (Maritime Operator Safety System) anyway. 3. You refer to a vessel as being in MOSS (Maritime Operator Safety System) A vessel isn't in MOSS, the operator is. Vessels are 'in survey' like a vehicle has a Warrant of Fitness (WOF) 4. If you sell a vessel, and don't tell MNZ. If a vehicle is sold, a Change of Ownership form is filled out. If a vessel is sold, MNZ nee...
Read more

Vessel Manuals make great training aids...

By -
Image
One of the ferry skippers I worked with sketched me four pages of 'how the ship operated'.  I treasured those scraps of paper as it was my training manual whilst I was on board.   That master was the only one to write the vessel information down - and he was passionate about it. (Thanks Aaron) Having a good Vessel Manual gets information out of people's heads and into one place.  It is referred to in the Maritime Transport Operator Plan and can also be used as a training manual. Crew training and sign offs are formulated from a Vessel Manual and training manuals can also be created using the manual. Crew should be trained to find their way in the dark and not only locate, but also operate emergency equipment fast and in adverse conditions. Once a crew person knows the ship inside and out, they are ready to take a responsible position on board.  Until then, they can often be a liability rather than an asset.
Read more