My earliest recollections of the sea and boats was Takapuna beach where we spent a lot of time when we lived where Shore City now resides. I can remember learning to swim ("well dog paddle then") at Narrow Neck Beach. During one of our enforced 1 hour rests, after eating lunch, I wandered down to where some Frostbites and Sabots were being made ready for sailing. It was then that I became enthralled with boats. I would have been 5 or 6 at the time.

After that I pestered my parents for a boat but alas money was tight as they had just bought a bigger property at Glenfield. So it was car tubes, Lilo's, pine & wattle trees and a vivid imagination that filled the gap. Trees I hear you ask? Well yes I set up two trees as Square riggers, with yard arms of bamboo and sails of mothers best double sheets, not to forget the clothes line that I used. The first one, which was the wattle, was down the back of our 2 acres, right on the boundary fence. One Saturday, I left the sails unfurled and a Sou-wester sprang up in the night. The tree was a bit over canvassed and blew down, taking the fence with it and letting out the small flock of sheep that we had. The first we knew of this "shipwreck" was early next morning when Dad got a call from an Irate neighbor to say that our sheep had eaten out his vegetable garden.

I also seem to recall that it was about this time that my mother found out where her good sheets had gone and I found out that you can't sit down for a while after a !!!!!!!!*@^^. I think that Dad had a sympathetic spot for me though, as I know he was a frustrated sailor too, so I probably got off lightly. The other tree was rigged after this incident, and outside the back door so they could keep an eye on me.

Over the next few years my friend & I built tin canoes, tied them together to make a catamaran with a sheet sail, and sailed it in ponds that were located down where Wairau Park is now.

When I was 10, I got a paper run and saved up for a "P" class. Dad found one for 12 pounds ($24.00) which was more than I had, so he put in the rest of the money. P76 was built of Kauri with a cotton mainsail and gunter rigged. We got the boat on a Saturday and my first sail was next morning. I went out, with one of the boys who sailed their boats on Lake Pupuke, for about 1/2 an hour to learn the ropes. That afternoon I entered my first race, lasted about 20 mins, capsized, got the boat up and back to shore. After that it was down to the Lake every chance I got.

Three years later we sold the P and bought a Zeddie, Z46, called "Iris". This boat was in the family until 1977. My friend Alistair and I raced and cruised all over the place in this boat, even up to Bream Head.

Over the next few years there was a succession of boats, some of which I rebuilt. they included a Sunbeam cat, MK2 Cherub, Q class, OK dinghy and Al’s Dad bought a modified Flying Fifteen, in which we cruised one Christmas.

My first job was with Sydney Woodroffe & Sons the ship chandlers in Anzac Ave. Between myself and two other friends, one of whom was a boat builder and the other a sailmaker, we had all the necessary supplies well covered.

In 1980 Robin and I bought a Mummery "Nirimba" called Windance; a 25ft Keeler. We rebuilt this boat and sold her in 1982 in order to buy a new house.

We decided shortly after this that the next time we had a boat it would be an H28. In 1986 I heard that there were some hull & decks for sale at Collet & Fleming. When I inquired I found out that they had all just been sold but if I wanted a new boat I could buy the moulds. This I did. We moulded our boat in 1992, slowly finished it off and launched it in December 1995.

Hirondelle is a hand laid glass hull with a timber deck and house and teak laid decks over fibre glassed ply. She is cutter rigged and we are very happy with her. My long term goals are to do some blue water racing and cruising, (not in Hirondelle) and for Robin & I to continue enjoying sailing the beautiful NZ coast.

CAPT’N K