May 2011 - Evans Bay Yacht & Motor Boat Club

The SpinnakerPersonality profileThis article is about Bill Brambleby, who has been a member of theEvans Bay Yacht and Motor Boat Club since1956, and also aboutthe ketch he built and launched in 1958. Ahurangi coincidentallypassed my window on Friday 25 th March this year on a voyagefrom Picton to Wellington.Bill started working for Balina Bay Construction Limited in 1948 asan apprentice shipwright, qualifying in 1952. In 1954 he startedhis own business as a shipwright based at the Evans Bay Slipwayand the now redundant Patent Slip in Wellington. The majority ofthe work carried out at these locations was the repair of fishingvessels and wooden coastal cargo vessels. For a period ofapproximately four years Bill was slip master at our club.In 1968 Bill formed the company Shelly Bay Slipway Ltd inconjunction with our club captain, Gordon Cooper, after being offered the lease of the Shelly Bay ship buildingfacilities, including the deep water wharves, and substantial slipway facilities. These facilities could accommodate theservicing of fishing vessels, oil rig research vessels, pleasure boats and other commercial ships up to 100 meters inlength. Ship broking became part of the company’s activities, and Bill sold the slipway company in 1985. Followingthe sale of this business, Bill, in the same year, and in partnership, formed Capital Marine Brokers Limited, operatingat the NZ Shipping Corporation site at Greta Point and then at the Overseas Terminal in the inner Wellington harbour.In 1998 this business was sold to Taylor Ship Broking. In the same year Bill formed International Ship Brokers NZ,again in a partnership, which continued until 2002 when it was dissolved as the shareholders’ interests diversified. Inthe same year Bill formed yet another company “Bill Brambleby Ship Broker”. This business necessitated Bill travellingall over the world to inspect vessels on behalf of clients. Over a period of thirty years Bill arranged the sale, purchase,leasing and valuation of fishing vessels, tugs, barges, and small cargo ships. Times have changed since these earlieryears, and there is less activity in ship brokering today.Building of the Ketch Ahurangi (whichtranslated means Chieftain of the Sky)commenced in 1950. It seemed logicalto Bill to build his own yacht, and he wasencouraged by the fact that hisgrandfather, Mr Ralph Millman, had beenbuilding yachts since 1890. During thedesign stages Bill was also influenced byJohnny Wray who had designed andbuilt his own yacht Ngataki. Prior tofinalising the design the plans weregiven to Athol Burns, a well respectedyacht designer, who most of ourmembers will have heard of, for hisapproval. Athol confirmed the design tobe sound. The building of Ahurangi commenced around 1950 at the Berhampore Golf Links number one tee. Theconstruction site is now populated by homes and flats.In 1948 Bill wrote to Johnny Wray enquiring about where he could source suitable building timbers. At the time therewas a shortage of good Kauri, and Bill had no option but to use more easily obtainable timbers such as importedOregon and Red Birch. The deadwoods (keel stem etc) were constructed from imported hardwoods from Australia.The deck was kauri laid fore and aft, the seams being sealed with black pitch. Bill was assisted in building Ahurangiby Noel Baker, Michael Ahearn, Malcolm Dyett, and Charlie White who worked mostly on the interior joinery. Themain mast was selected spar grade from Canada. The spar was lowered from the ship that transported it into the sea,and was towed to Evans Bay where it was lifted from the sea and deposited next to Ahurangi. The engine was asecond-hand four cylinder Perkins Diesel, which was later replaced by a Mercedes diesel ex-bus engine. Thedisplacement weight worked out at around 15 tons. The approximate cost of construction was in the region of £965pounds, though this amount does not take into consideration the many hours of voluntary work involved. Whenlaunched, Ahurangi initially had only one mast due to there being unavailable suitable timber. Bill says the designturned out to be very successful.- 4 -