Tumlaren Sailing New Zealand Style
Following on from CHARLIE SALTER’S article “Who is Knud Reimers?” we received this correspondence from Bill Cole in Auckland. We thought we got the most out of our Tumlaren here in Melbourne, but as usually the Kiwis do things differently!
After a study of the photo above, on the Devonport Yacht Club website, I belatedly realised that it was actually a photo of a much younger me, varnishing the mast of ELIZABETH E109, sometime in the early 1960’s
She was a 27’ Tumlaren, a Knud Reimers design and I owned her for several years. The cabin top had been modified, with the addition of a small doghouse. She was minimally finished when I bought her and I did quite a bit of work on fitting her out.
I built a small pram that just fitted between mast and forestay with a thicker bottom so we could walk on it to go forward. It had just one fore and aft thwart ,and was able to just carry three people. She was a very pretty boat and easy on the helm, I often sailed singlehanded ,and owned her for several years before going overseas for work.
1961 Orakei wharf prior to start of White Island race
I raced and cruised her extensively with both Devonport and Royal Akarana clubs, including getting her measured and rated under the RORC rules, (the then current Ocean Racing Rules). Being tall rigged ,narrow and low wooded, gave her a poor rating, so I was often giving bigger boats time, but we all raced with what we had.
1961 White Island race.
We did two White Island Races in her in 1961 and 1963. The race was longer then, than now, and was run over the Christmas break. The 1961 course was
Start in Auckland
Leave Cuvier Island to Starboard
Leave White island to Port…..
Outside the Barrier, Hen and Chicks & Poor Knights
Finish in Mangonui (it was sometimes called 500 mile race)
The 1963 course was ,
Start in Auckland
Mokohinau islands to Starboard
Cuvier Island to Starboard
White island to Port
Poor Knight Islands to Port
Mokohinau islands to Starboard
Sail rock or The Hen (from the Hen and chickens) to Port
Finish at Mansion House on Kawau Island
In 1961 we achieved a 4th on rating , three of us, 4 hours on 8 off, really worked at night, which helped us hugely. The photo below show us being passed by ELUSIVE a 30 footer, after 3 or 4 days as we reach into Doubtless Bay.
1961 White Island race. Being passed by Allan Smith’s ELUSIVE from Whangarei
In 1963 after rounding White Island, we had some fresh headwinds , and after one very noisy crash off a sea, we hove-to for the night, sort of slept, next morning, tidied up below, cooked bacon and eggs for breakfast, and in moderated conditions got underway again, determined to finish. Somehow we ended up in second place.
Berthed at the Mangonui Finish line
A Tumlaren is not designed for masthead rig , but I got hold of an old jib to use as a yankee, (great in the light ) and an old mullety flat spinnaker, which again was of great assistance.
by Bill Cole
(and Thanks to Tod Benson, our Auckland correspondent, for clarifying the information about the White Island courses)
ELIZABETH on the hard at Devonport prior to the race
