History
Article
Article
Article
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...
Article
Article
Article
Flak Too: The hydroplane that broke 100mph on Lake Rotoiti
In April 1968, on the long freshwater reach of Lake Rotoiti near Nelson, Flak Too became the first b...
Article
Article
Article
Beneteau First 30 at 50: how the yacht that launched the First range evolved
Next year, in 2027, the Beneteau First 30 turns 50. Few production yachts can claim that kind of lon...
Article
Article
Article
Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta 2026: Classic blustery racing across the harbour
Blustery winds tested crews, thinned some fleets, and delivered memorable racing as Auckland Anniver...
Article
Article
Article
Historic vessels confirmed as boat selection finalised for 2026 Auckland Wooden Boat Festival
The Auckland Wooden Boat Festival has completed its boat selection process for the 2026 event, confi...
Article
Article
Article
Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta showcases harbour-wide racing and working boat tradition
The Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta again lived up to its reputation as one of the most wide-rangin...
Article
Article
Article
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 ...
Article
Article
Article
The Power of Sail: Part 2
Welcome to ‘A very brief history of…’ researching the history of everyday marine technology, innovat...
Article
Article
Article
The second yacht named Tawera
In my last article I wrote about the strong relationship between the menfolk of the Wilson and the H...
Article
Article
Article
The Power of Sail – Part 1
Welcome to ‘A very brief history of ...’ researching the history of everyday marine technology, inno...
The Outboard
Also in 1906, a young man named Ole Evinrude was asked by his girlfriend Bess to row across a lake o...
Riverhead reflections
Two ferries operate this route, the Red Boats and the Riverhead Ferry, sailing times being dependent...