OLD PASTIME SET TO SAIL AGAIN

WORDS Kim Newth PHOTOS Supplied

In the early years of yachting and sailboat racing, Banks Peninsula Cruising Club yacht Pastime was a top competitor in cup events and regattas on Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō. The swift kauri contender, built in 1886, has been out of the water for several decades but will soon be race-ready again following an extensive restoration. 

Funding the project are cousins John Erkkila and Chris Kendrick, both direct descendants of the boat’s first owner Malcolm Miller. Pastime is currently in a boatshed out the back of John and wife Christine’s home in Tamahere, where painting and varnishing is in full swing ahead of a planned spring sailing. The restoration is in the hands of expert boat builder Craig Wild, who himself comes from a long line of shipwrights.

“I’m an eighth-generation boat builder! I feel very lucky because it’s only once in a lifetime you get a chance to restore a classic club yacht like this. The boat itself is 45ft in length, but she’s closer to 60ft from bowsprit to boom out the back, so she’s quite substantial. Pastime has beautiful flowing lines - you can see why she was so fast. I read an article on the early days of the America’s Cup, and apparently, this yacht looks like a replica of America’s Cup boats of that time.”

Restoring Pastime to her original racing spec has involved replacing the boat’s stem, but as much as possible has been saved by carefully splicing old with new parts. One of the yacht’s previous owners, publisher and Pegasus Press founder Albion Wright, found out Pastime was originally registered as a British vessel; the historic yacht’s carved registration details have been saved and retained.

However, there is one last detail missing – the boat’s original sail number. Craig has queried the Naval Point Club Archives in Lyttelton and checked National Library records with no success. He hopes someone may have an old photo or family record that could help provide a definitive answer.

“Ruth Kendall, the boat’s former owner, has been immensely helpful with information but can only get back to 1890. In two pictures that look to be the oldest, the number is ‘1’, but in another old photo, the number is ‘3’. We’re not sure which is right. The New Zealand Yachting Association was not established until 1891, and before then, the South Island had its own numbering system.”

Doyle Sails in Auckland, together with a sail loft in Melbourne, is making new sails for Pastime from synthetic fabric that closely resembles the old cotton/canvas used on classic yachts. The boat will be rigged and tuned in Tauranga, where the sails will be fitted.

“She will then be sailed from there to Auckland where she has a berth at the Maritime Museum. These berths are in chronological order, and hers will be number one.”

The Pastime will be held as a working yacht and raced again at select events. All those involved with the restoration would love to find an opportunity for Pastime to fill her sails on Lyttelton Harbour again. They hope to bring her down to Christchurch at some point. “She will always be a Banks Peninsula Cruising Club boat.”

Craig would welcome any info on the Pastime’s original sail no. – email boatshed@gamesail.co.nz