General Interest
Once were wreckers: Whakatahuri Family Boatbuiders
Whakatahuri in outer Pelorus Sound was once home to a family boatbuilding business and the most remote boat-wrecking yard in ...
Empires end
Despite its modest size, between the 15th and 17th centuries Portugal was one of Europe's richest nations. The wealth stemmed...
The legend lives on
50 years have passed since the wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald—still an unsolved mystery, yet a pivotal moment for safety o...
Coastal navigation and leadline: how early sailors found their way along the shoreline
Modern boats carry everything. GPS, charts, sounders, radar.
It wasn’t always like that. Before instruments, navigation sa...
The OK Dinghy: The New Zealand dominance
For nearly 70 years, the OK Dinghy has been one of this country’s most popular international classes. New Zealand sailors hav...
A true Kiwi navigator: The John Mansell story
John Mansell has lived his life intimately connected to the sea. John Macfarlane spoke with this celebrated solo sailor, mast...
The Power of Sail: Part 3
The Golden Age of Sail
The Golden Age of Sail (17th to the mid-19th centuries) was an era that saw the full realisation of s...
The 1908 Rudder Cup entrants (part 2)
In the last issue of Boating NZ, I detailed the anticipation and excitement on the Auckland waterfront about the Royal New Ze...
New Zealand sailor Viki Moore to speak at the WWSA Gathering on the Bay 2026
New Zealand sailor and offshore cruising advocate Viki Moore will attend the WWSA Gathering on the Bay 2026 in person next ye...
Simrad at 80: eight decades of marine electronics innovation
In 2026, Simrad Marine Electronics marks 80 years since its origins in post war Norway, a milestone that places the brand amo...
The Rudder Cup; a survey of Auckland’s top launches of 1908 (part 1)
Last month I promised that this issue would be devoted to a rattling good yarn about the match race between the launches Eliz...
Industry trailblazer: the Russ Bowler story (Part 2)
For many of those involved in
the 1987 New Zealand Challenge,
not least Michael Fay (later Sir Michael), the 1987 America’...
The Power of Sail: Part 2
Welcome to ‘A very brief history of…’ researching the history of everyday marine technology, innovation and events kiwi boati...
The Russ Bowler story pt1: By Design
Russ Bowler was Bruce Farr’s partner for over 40 years. A skilled designer/sailor in his own right Bowler brought an enquiri...
Boating New Zealand‘s one-on-one with Bryon Ehrhart: winning the Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race...
Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race 2025 – an exclusive interview with the man behind the Juan K 88 Lucky
The Power of Sail – Part 1
Welcome to ‘A very brief history of ...’ researching the history of everyday marine technology, innovation and events Kiwi bo...
The Peter Lester Story
Peter Lester
1954 – 2025
The worldwide sailing community was shocked to hear of the unexpected death of sailing legend Pete...
Attitude is everything: The John Morrison story
Sailor and entrepreneur John Morrison’s story is a real rags-to-riches one. Growing up in Lyttelton in the 1960s, he built a ...
Offshore powerboating: from timber testbeds to carbon speed machines
The story of how a six-metre wooden boat called Rems sparked a marine revolution that still echoes in every offshore powerboa...
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Darwin200: legacy under sail
DARWIN200’s 43,000-mile voyage retraced Darwin’s route, training young leaders and renewing global conservation momentum unde...
Sam Goodchild: from the anchorage to the atlantic frontline
Raised on a boat and fuelled by solo ambition, the British sailor’s rise through the offshore ranks has been anything but ord...
A free-spirited talent: The Graeme Woodroffe story
The late Graeme Woodroffe was one of New Zealand’s best-performing helmsmen/skippers, competing in OK dinghies, IOR ton keele...
Simply the best: the Jo Aleh, MNZM, story
In a sailing career that’s
been short on financial assistance and long in determination and mental fortitude, Jo Aleh has c...
Discovering the SS Nantes
Divers in the English Channel have finally put a name — and a tragic story — to a Cunard steamship lost at sea in 1888
A very brief history of: Marine foils
It’s tempting to think hydrofoils (like the ones in the America’s Cup and Sail GP competitions) are a relatively new phenomen...
The Robert Brooke story
Role model
From the ashes of a cut-off boatbuilding career, Robert Brooke reinvented himself as an educator and, over a 40-y...
Dunkirk’s Little Ships – 85 years on
These small craft (fishing boats, private yachts, ferries, launches and tugs) braved enemy fire and storms to shuttle men fro...
Personal Water Craft (‘jetskis’)
Welcome to ‘A very brief history of…’ researching the history of everyday marine technology, innovation and events kiwi boati...
Dynamic duo: The John and Linda Parrish story
Race management is one of those critical jobs that has to be done just right and where accuracy is everything. With more than...
Historic rivalry rekindled at 2025 Australian Wooden Boat Festival
But what occurred back in the 1930s? Who won the race between Ngataki and Te Rapunga?
When the inaugural trans-Tasman race c...
Ragtime – the ‘Black Box’ returns
One of the most famous New Zealand keelers is Ragtime, designed and built by the late John Spencer and launched in 1965 as In...
The End of an Era: Royal Caribbean’s Song of America Sent to the Scrapyard
A beloved icon of the cruising world, Song of America has met its final chapter. Once a jewel in Royal Caribbean’s fleet, thi...
A brief history of: Distress calls
The standard maritime distress signals we use today are universally applied and understood, but that wasn’t always the case.
...
An impressive 60 years on. What does NZ Offshore Powerboating look like today?
Boating New Zealand will be following this weekend's racing offshore at Napier. Join us throughout the weekend for developing...
Boat chines: Hull Design 101
In the realm of nautical engineering, the term "chine" refers to the critical juncture where a boat's hull bottom converges w...
Farr reaching success: The Farr 1020 story
One of the most successful one-design keelers in New Zealand has been the Farr 1020. Designed by Bruce Farr and his team in 1...
Strange little flags…
Today burgees are now widely used by yacht clubs, senior club officers, sailing organisations, and boaties all around the glo...
Today in history: 2 December 1946 – The formation of the International Whaling Commission
On this day in 1946, representatives from 15 nations signed the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, estab...
The Scuttling of MV Python: A Tactical Blow in the Battle of the Atlantic
1 December 1813: A Naval Tragedy During the Napoleonic Wars