It was calm on the Waitematā. The wind was cool, the sea was almost entirely still. People gathered on the shore to witness a peculiar sight – several vintage yachts, having sailed around the entirety of New Zealand, and the Cook Straight, were racing back to port. They flew on their flagstaffs the blue ensign, only worn by ships with navy personnel aboard. On this day an exception was made for such an achievement – yachts over 100 years old that had weathered the warm North Island, the cold South Island, and the waves and storms of the Cook Strait, two of the vessels having nearly sank.
As they crept silently back to Auckland, they waited, baiting each other out, waiting for the perfect chance to get ahead. Out of the 10 yachts that started, five remain: Thelma and Rainbow of 1898, Waitangi of 1894, Serenade of 1938, and the crown jewel of the fleet: the two-masted schooner R Tucker Thompson, all competing to be the winner. A millionaire who made his money in the housing market had promised $100,000 to the boat that won the race, and $100,000 to the vintage yacht trust.
Then it happened, a gust of wind caught the Waitangi, then the rest of the fleet, and off they went. Crowds of people, boaters and the regular public cheered – this would be a good race. Along they went, past the lighthouse, and into the inner harbour. It was at this point that things went wrong. The Serenade’s tiller, weakened by rot, snapped. With the tiller broken the ship couldn’t be steered, and so hauled down the sails and waited to be towed back home. The favourite of the fleet, R Tucker Thompson, had taken the lead early on, but she had suffered during the crossing of the Cook Strait. Her sails began to shred in the wind as her crew looked on with horror. As their dreams of wealth and fame disintegrated before their eyes, two of the other contenders stepped up their game. The Waitangi and the Thelma put out as many sails as they could, all the while keeling over, their crews’ soaked with water. At times they came within several metres of one another, but in the end the Waitangi edged out the win, crossing under the harbour bridge, the official finish line, slightly ahead of the Thelma, before docking in the Viaduct. The crews of the Thelma and Rainbow led three cheers for the crew of the Waitangi, a fitting end to a great race.
Information
- The original two-masted schooner for this story was the New Golden Hind, but she burned down in 1953, making it impossible for her to take part in this race.
- All of these vessels are real historical ships.
- The artwork was done using fountain pens from the 1940s and 50s.
Connor Hart, Year 9
