Designed in 1949 by Arnold “Bill” Couldrey, an apprentice of Arch Logan, Turakina carries the unmistakable stamp of the Logan school. Long, lean and purposeful, she measures thirty feet overall, eight feet on the beam and five feet six inches of draught. Straightforward figures for a yacht drawn to race, not to impress on paper. She was conceived for club competition in an era when timber, judgement and tide carried more weight than rating formulas.
She was built from a single kauri felled in Titirangi and milled by Henderson & Pollard. From the 1940s through to the 1970s, New Zealand saw a generation of yachts built under houses, in garages and in backyard sheds rather than in formal yards. Turakina belongs squarely to that tradition. Soon after the plans were drawn, 19 year old Leo Clark began construction beneath his mother’s house at 26 Kingsview Road, Mt Eden. He built her in double skin kauri, working with little money and plenty of determination. Each evening he would walk to the public phone booth on Kingsview Road to ring Couldrey for advice on what to tackle next. Rumour has it that the two tons of lead required for her keel were sourced from surplus lead flashings from neighbouring Mt Eden villas. True or not, the story fits the era. Two years later she was complete.
Launched into Auckland’s racing scene, she competed in the F Class for boats of around thirty feet and quickly proved formidable. Her name appears on the Honours Board at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
Her story could easily have ended quietly.
WaitemataWoodys® recounts how, just over twenty one years ago, Turakina surfaced on Trade Me in tired condition. The hull was weary and the future uncertain. That might have been the end. Instead, family history intervened. Danvers, nephew of Leo Clark, saw the listing and alerted his stepfather Les and friend Phil Rice. They acted quickly to secure her.
Peter Brookes was appointed to undertake a full restoration. Two and a half years. Cabin removed. Keel lifted. No shortcuts. The result was not a reinterpretation but a revival. Every decision respected the original lines and structure.
At the Auckland Wooden Boat Festival this March, Turakina will sit among many fine vessels. Yet for those who understand Logan lineage, Auckland F Class racing and the quiet significance of kauri shaped beneath a family home, she carries something deeper.
Better still, go and see her.
