In history
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Empires end
Despite its modest size, between the 15th and 17th centuries Portugal was one of Europe's richest na...
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The legend lives on
50 years have passed since the wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald—still an unsolved mystery, yet a pi...
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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 i...
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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...
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A true Kiwi navigator: The John Mansell story
John Mansell has lived his life intimately connected to the sea. John Macfarlane spoke with this cel...
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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 ...
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The 1908 Rudder Cup entrants (part 2)
In the last issue of Boating NZ, I detailed the anticipation and excitement on the Auckland waterfro...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 Mi...
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The Power of Sail: Part 2
Welcome to ‘A very brief history of…’ researching the history of everyday marine technology, innovat...
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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 ...
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The Power of Sail – Part 1
Welcome to ‘A very brief history of ...’ researching the history of everyday marine technology, inno...
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The Peter Lester Story
Peter Lester
1954 – 2025
The worldwide sailing community was shocked to hear of the unexpected dea...
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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 ...
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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 i...
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Darwin200: legacy under sail
DARWIN200’s 43,000-mile voyage retraced Darwin’s route, training young leaders and renewing global c...
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A free-spirited talent: The Graeme Woodroffe story
The late Graeme Woodroffe was one of New Zealand’s best-performing helmsmen/skippers, competing in O...
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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...
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Discovering the SS Nantes
Divers in the English Channel have finally put a name — and a tragic story — to a Cunard steamship l...
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Marine jet units
A New Zealand company leads the world in waterjet propulsion
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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 ...
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The Robert Brooke story
Role model
From the ashes of a cut-off boatbuilding career, Robert Brooke reinvented himself as an ...
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Dunkirk’s Little Ships – 85 years on
These small craft (fishing boats, private yachts, ferries, launches and tugs) braved enemy fire and ...
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Personal Water Craft (‘jetskis’)
Welcome to ‘A very brief history of…’ researching the history of everyday marine technology, innovat...
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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 e...
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 inau...
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Ragtime – the ‘Black Box’ returns
One of the most famous New Zealand keelers is Ragtime, designed and built by the late John Spencer a...
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 Roy...
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A brief history of: Distress calls
The standard maritime distress signals we use today are universally applied and understood, but that...
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 t...
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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 Bru...
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Strange little flags…
Today burgees are now widely used by yacht clubs, senior club officers, sailing organisations, and b...
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The Anchor
Anchors might be synonymous with boating, but anchors have evolved a great deal over time, writes To...
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Motoring ahead: The Hugh Stewart story
On December 20th, a 73-year-old will retire from a company and brand he’s been associated with since...
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THE Richard (Dick) Jones story: Sharp as a tack
Born in 1935 to a Papamoa farming couple Kingsley and Gwen Jones, Richard didn’t know his father as ...
Holmglen: The 65th Anniversary of Its Mystery Sinking
Sixty-five years ago this month, the Holmglen, a sturdy 485-ton coastal freighter with only three ye...
Auckland Welcomes ARM Cuauhtémoc: The Mexican Navy’s Proud Tall Ship Visits New Zealand
The iconic ARM Cuauhtémoc sailed into Auckland’s Princes Wharf on October 28, 2024.
Sailing Away: The Brett Bakewell-White Story
Bakewell-White’s boating story begins with his grandfather, the late Richard (Dick) Bakewell.
A lif...
GPS – How did we get here?
The Global Positioning System we know today, which powers all of our marine navigation systems (incl...