Boating New Zealand — February 2018

| subscribe | magstore.nz/boatingnewzealand Boating New Zealand 93

FLOATING DOCK

Meantime, and unbeknown to Sharpie, engineer Don

Thom had designed and built what became known as the

Floating Dock. To finance it, Thom and his three partners

had obtained a Development Finance Company (DFC)

loan of $250,000, a significant sum in those days. One

could buy a pretty nice house for $90,000. The loan was

to be paid off by a royalty for each boat cleaned.

But when Thom launched the Floating Dock (around

1977) it wasn’t an instant success.

Boaties, then, were more frugal and usually did their

own bottom maintenance. If they needed an interim

clean between haul-outs, they’d use the tidal grids, a

series of vertical poles situated in the sheltered sou-east

corner of Westhaven. That this took eight to ten hours

wasn’t considered important.

It would take many years for Westhaven boaties to

accept the advantages the Floating Dock offered. Thom

and his partners didn’t have the patience and decided to

sell. Sharpie saw the potential and bought the Floating

Dock by selling Kasmic and taking over the DFC loan.

The purchase price included a covered 24m barge,

which had spent its early years as a shingle barge on

the Waikato River. Sharpie sublet the barge to the late

Bruce Elliott, who owned Mast & Spar Services. The

Floating Dock and its barge were located on poles just off

Westhaven’s eastern seawall and were accessed by dinghy.

By the mid 1980s the Floating Dock was becoming

crossword

Puzzle no.244

Across

1. PFD - _____ flotation device (8)


2. Bilge ____ - device to remove water
   accumulated in bottom of vessel (4)


3. _____ about - changing to opposite tack (5)


4. Measure of sea depth (6)


5. Legendary island that disappeared into ocean (8)


6. Top part of 18 Down (4)


7. Vessel used for racing or luxury cruising (5)


8. White-faced heron seen on rocky shores is this
   type of bird (5)


9. ____ anodes - these help protect metal parts
   of boat from corrosion (4)


10. Notices to _____ - regular updates for
    navigational safety (8)


11. Qualified coastal navigators (6)


12. Fishing stories about the one that got away! (5)


13. Swing boom across wind (4)


14. Joining ropes in nautical manner (8)

Down

2. Figure of _____ - nautical knot (5)


3. What Popeye the Sailor loved to eat (7)


4. Time to fish for flounder (5)


5. Topping _____ - lines that support weight of
   boom or yard used for hoisting (5)


6. Substance traditionally used for waterproof-
   ing boats (5)


7. Place for tying up boat, or fee for doing so (7)


8. Nimbleness displayed by fit active yachtie (7)


9. Dinghy is _____ term for various small
   rowing boats (7)


10. _____ hitch - nautical knot in photo (5)


11. Large sailing vessels may have mizzen
    ones (5)


12. Light-weather sail above topgallant sail on
    square-rigged ship (5)


13. Epoxy _____ - might be used in boat
    repairs (5)

HEAVETO JURY

ONDSOUA

BIO DECKHANDS

I DYAN I T

ER I C PRUDENCE

SS O R

CLEAT ROMAN

A AYE

BOATRAMP PROW

L LGOBMH

ESPLANADE AH I

S HZNA I P

LAZY ARMADAS

© Pam Hutton 2016

http://www.puzzlebeetle.co.nz

1234567

89

10 11

12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22

23 24

BY PAM HUTTON

Puzzle no.243

Mystery photo: John Dory

LEFT Another

satisfied customer

leaves the Floating

Dock; new owner

Clinton Shuker on

the right.