Waitangi-Where She Belongs.

Those of you with an involvement in old sailing boats that goes back to the 1990’s, will remember the days when WAITANGI was the ‘flagship” of the nascent Port Phillip Classic Yacht fleet.

The relaunch of the 1894 Logan Gaff cutter on her 100th birthday, was a turning point in Australian perceptions, of what was possible, and more importantly worthwhile, when it came to the restoration of our sailing heritage.

Following a brief visit to New Zealand (on a cargo ship) in 2000 to witness the Americas Cup defence, the seed was sown for her permanent return to the New Zealand in 2002. It seems entirely “right” that a boat called WAITANGI, made of Kauri and designed by a man called Logan, should these days be sailing on the Waitemata rather than Port Phillip!

Legendary Melbourne Doyle Loft sailmaker Col Anderson, helming WAITANGI during the 2000 Americas Cup Defence in Auckland-Photo Mark Chew

I’ve sailed on the back hulled, clipper bowed, cutter many times, and its always a fascinating experience. Everything on board is labour intensive , from hoisting the sails, to handling the miles of mainsheet, to two handedly helming the rarely balanced boat with its massive tiller. So when an Auckland friend sent me the link to the short video above I was delighted to see that she’s still out there every Classic Race, with an interesting ownership and crewing model that is worth considering by any organisation looking to find the magic formula of how to run a big old yacht!

WAITANGI on Port Phillip post restoration. -Photo Mark Chew

For a full history on WATANGI visit the The Classic Yacht Charitable Trust’s Website