Boating New Zealand – April 2018

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I

n the last issue I related how Charles Bailey launched King

George of Tonga’s new superyacht Onelua in April 1913.

Ten, a few days later, he helmed her as a late and unofcial

entry in a race to Kawau the Squadron put on for crews

from the Dreadnought HMS New Zealand. In Onelua Bailey

cleaned up all the local cracks, including her Logan counterpart,

Ariki. Bailey crewman William Swinnerton crowed about

Onelua’s performance in the press.

But Bailey’s sweet taste of victory was short-lived. Sailing

back to Auckland the next day, Onelua lost her mast overboard!

Te westerly that brought her to Kawau on the Saturday had

hardened, nearly dismasting the big Bailey yawl Heartsease of

Whangaparaoa. Sunday brought strong conditions.

Before reaching Tiri, a heavy squall hit Onelua, the weather

masthead rigging screws parted, the mast broke nine feet

above the deck, and the whole rig went over the side. Bailey was

alone on deck at the helm while the rest of the crew, including

Swinnerton, were at lunch.

Fortunately, Alex Burt’s launch Matakana (32’ Logan Bros,

1909, 15hp Ralaco engine) was alongside, narrowly escaping the

falling gear. Charles Court’s powerful launch Gladys (38’ Bailey

& Lowe, 1910, 25-40hp Sterling engine) came to assist, and the

two launches towed Onelua back to moorings of Stanley Bay.

Swinnerton’s press comments about Ariki stung the

normally-reticent Arch Logan to respond. He made the points

that a coppered bottom is better than a foul bottom and that all

the yachts were being sailed by strangers, as the event was for

the Dreadnought’s ofcers, who were allocated boats at random.

Tat old subterranean Logan-Bailey rivalry had erupted full-

blown. Arch must have felt the need to descend from Olympus

to thunder a little to protect the Logan brand.

Swinnerton replied in the NZ Yachtsman issue of 24th May,

1913, in a piece written just before he set of on her delivery

voyage to Nuku’alofa, concluding, rather tongue-in-cheek, “I am

pleased that Mr Archie Logan should give his opinion also, and I

would certainly bow to his superior knowledge.”

Te following week, James Reid, the well-known Auckland

boatbuilder, entered the fray:

“Sir, I noticed a letter from Mr Archie Logan in your columns

re Onelua and I quite agree with him. It seems all the trouble is

over the race to Kawau when the ofcers of HMS New Zealand

handled the yachts in the race, the Onelua going with them,

handled by Mr C. Bailey, who is an expert. Well, I think that if

she could not knock corners of the others she would not be

much good. Onelua is a new boat while Ariki and Iorangi are

ABOVE

William

Swinnerton in

later life.

LEFT Alex Burt’s

launch Matakana.

OPPOSITE

Onelua being

towed out to

start her delivery

voyage.

She proved herself

a very fast boat,

beating in a trial spin

the best of our fleet.