Boating New Zealand – April 2018

98 Boating New Zealand

Doug Reid’s one of the nicest,

most personable blokes you’re

likely to meet. Besides being a

born networker, he’s built, sailed

and raced boats all over the

world and this is his story.

L

ike many of his contemporaries from Auckland’s

eastern suburbs, Reid grew up with boats. Born in

1939, his father Jack was a keen sailor who owned

the mullet boat Naru and the E Class Tofua.

A family friend, Lawrence Hamlet, owned the

Billy Rodgers-built T Class Vamp and it was in her Reid had

his frst sail in 1946, thinking to himself, “this is fantastic.”

During those war years the Reid family lived in Orakei,

a great location for those interested in boats. Reid formed

close friendships with Murray White, Des Townson and

Alan Brown while racing in P Class dinghies. He was in

good company: Townson and White won Tanner Cups,

while Brown won a Tauranga Cup.

After the war the family moved to Buckland’s Beach and

became founding members of the Buckland’s Beach Yacht

Club. Now too big for a P Class, Reid bought an Idle Along

but sold this in 1953 to buy, in partnership with his father,

the 13.4m Norseman, a Knut Reimers 30m2 design.

Built by Les Harvey in 1939-40, Norseman wasn’t in great

shape but the £130 price was right and Reid sold his Idle

Along for £65 as his contribution. After some repairs, the

Reid family – Jack, Joyce, Doug, Ian and Robyn – regularly

raced and cruised Norseman despite her cramped interior

which lacked both windows and headroom.

In 1956-7, Reid and Brown teamed up to race the Z

Class Iris, and were virtually unbeatable in Auckland, once

winning 44 races from 44 starts. Tey represented Auckland

with JOHN MACFARLANE

REFLECTIONS

The networker

THE DOUG REID STORY