Boating New Zealand - July 2018

118 Boating New Zealand

form an association of classic yacht owners. A month later,

May 1995, the Classic Yacht Association (CYA) was launched

at a meeting of like-minded sailors at the Ponsonby Cruising

Club (PCC).

“he support we [subsequently] got from the other yacht

clubs was tremendous – basically unconditional love.”

he CYA’s formation marked a turning point for classic

boats, which had progressively fallen out of favour over the

previous decades. It sparked a renaissance of restoration and

preservation, with an increasing number of classics being

returned to originality.

From the beginning Ross preached the value of inclusiveness

which raised the issue of originality versus practicality. “Better

they’re out there being used than rotting away in a mud berth

somewhere,” is his pragmatic attitude.

he PCC set up and ran a separate racing division for the

classics and once again Little Jim was racing the likes of Prize,

Ngataringa, Moana, and Hinemoa. he CYA later shifted to the

RNZYS and has continued to build its membership. here are

now over 300 members.

Ironically, Team New Zealand’s (TNZ) AC win in 1995 was

another milestone in how classic boats were treated. With

the AC to be held in Auckland in 2000, Ross realised wealthy

visiting yachtsmen would ind our classic leet highly attractive

and cheap. here was a real danger of priceless local classics

being lost to New Zealand forever.

Ross investigated the Antiquities Act, which protected

valuable historic artefacts. he Act required that Department

of Internal Afairs approve the export of any boat more than 70

years old.

It was Gorter who’d alerted Ross and fellow lawyer and

boating scribe Harold Kidd to a secret sale of the 1901 Logan

Brothers built Iorangi to a Sydney-based yachtsman. Ross and

Kidd notiied the Department which swung into action and, to

cut a long story short, Iorangi was returned to New Zealand. he

Iorangi afair drew a line in the sand; New Zealand would not

tolerate her classic boats being sold ofshore.

“Protecting our classics is the major achievement of the

LEFT The 1898

Logan-designed-

and-built

Rainbow.

OPPOSITE.

The fragile NZL82

racing during the

ill-fated 2003 AC

defence.