Woodenboat.net.nz: Michael Blackshaws Light Dory

Woodenboat NZ Michael Blackshaws Light Dory
STORY UPDATE NOW POSTED Above and below: Michael's Welsford Light Dory on one of his past expeditions. In the old fashioned way the dory itself makes for a great shelter. You can roll the boat over and sleep underneath if the rain starts to get to you.

Michael Blackshaw, of the Willow Pattern design, started boating only last year when in an attempt to discover more about life he built one of my Light Dory designs and learned to row. After a couple of short sea trials (so to speak, they were on the local lake) I took him to the Waikato river just below highway five and waved goodbye. We got postcards, some with cryptic messages, one I recall said 'Hello from the sometimes unfriendly town of Huntly', and some with more sociable messages. He had a small trolley stowed aboard, and portaged around the hydro dams, across the land bridge from the Waikato River mouth to the Manukau Harbour , then to the Waitemata on Auckland's front door, and ( with a lift from a couple of helpful locals ) up to Helensville on the Kaipara. [That's the old Maori canoe trail we will talk about one day.... Editor] Deciding that that was enough for a maiden voyage Michael came home, but was not back for long before he was restless once again, this time starting from Tauranga and cruising the outer coast of the Coromandel Peninsula. The photos are of his boat Redemption pulled up on the sand at Boat Harbour, a deep indentation rather than a real harbour and the second one is of the camp set up ready for the night. I must say that this rig is probably the most dollar effective cruiser I have ever seen, the boat is simple but effective, the equipment cheap but not nasty and the achievements are amazing for someone who is really just starting on a seagoing lifestyle. I am tomorrow (Friday 3rd August 2001) taking Michael with me as I drive through to Whangarei , I would have been towing an empty trailer so carrying his boat was no problem, and will be tossing him into the briny somewhere on the Whangarei estuary to head off North to do some more exploring. As always, watch this space for the continuing adventures of Michael Blackshaw and Redemption. John Welsford p.s. There was no pier head farewell for Michael, it was blowing like hell and I left him snug and safe in a Backpackers at Waipu Cove. We'll hear from him when he is ready.


Tooled up. The light dory is a surprisingly big boat and certainly attracts a lot of attention. As John says " this is not a good boat to be towing if your trailer warrant of fitness and registration are not in order". Seems our highway patrols have a keen interest in wooden boats too!
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
1 September 2001 We have had a report from Michael, not the most wordy of correspondents he usually sends a postcard every couple of weeks so here is the first one. The photo is of "Redemption" his JW Small craft Design Light Dory on her portaging trolley, Michael has wheeled her 10 km from one patch of water to the next on one cruise, and is looking to cover the distance between the head of one east coast river and the navigable limits of the east coast Kaipara harbour at some time on this trip. In the Background are the sand dunes between the Waipu Cove estuary and Bream Bay with Taranga Island and Sail Rock visible about 12 miles away. Note the sealed plastic drums that contain the "dry" stores and which when strapped in contribute to the buoyancy in an emergency. He has enough stores and equipment on board to be able to pull into an isolated bay and stay for quite a while, even in bad weather.
The photo is an aerial shot of the estuary at Ruakaka a little up the coast from the backpackers lodge on at Waipu Cove where he was staying at the time. It gives a good idea of the type of coast he has to cover, extending some 25 miles from where he is to the next "real" harbour at Parua Bay. It is a long way to go in a rowing boat on a dodgy weather forecast so he has been exploring the river and relaxing while awaiting a day when the weather and the tides combine favourably. He has been camping in the lower reaches of the river for the past week or so and we look forward to his next postcard to hear what progress he has made.
I received a postcard too. Michael report that he camped at Taurikura which is just over from McLeod Bay in this picture. The bay is named after the first European settlers who arrived here from Nova Scotia. That day he intended heading out of the harbour and around Bream Head but he reported some fear about his. (Fear is what keeps you alive). Michael reported that the weather had been terrible and he had been confined to the camping ground for many days. As we go to air Michael has stored his gear with friends and has beaded home for some urgent dental work before resuming his epic voyage. Dave 14th November 2001 Fully repaired Michael is now back in the North and we expect to hear from again one day.
Some more light dory pictures.