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ePaper created 2014-06-11, 13:05:34 | version 1.30.01
9 part one – history of the patiki/stewart 34 1 - Bob Stewart-Amateur Designer and Gentleman Robert Leslie“Bob” Stewart was born in Auckland on the 2nd of October 1906, the last of three children to Adeline and R.L. Stewart, Sr. The Stewart’s family home“Parimoana,” was a fine sprawling villa at the foot of Wairangi Street, perched on the cliff overlooking the Waitemata Harbour in Herne Bay. The home remains as one of the finest in Herne Bay, and was recently owned by the Sultan of Brunei. With a small private beach,a waterfront boatshed and a jetty,Parimoana was the perfect playground for a boy growing up in the early 1900’s. His father’s launch Duchess provided Bob with his earliest boating experiences. Stewart’s first foray into the field of boat design was a rudimentary canoe which he fashioned from bits of timber that had been cast off from the many boat yards lining the neighbouring foreshore. Her maiden voyage was a passage to Watchman Island, an islet situated a third of a mile out in the Waitemata Harbour off Parimoana. Building upon his success, Stewart’s boating interests expanded into to sailing dinghies and small keelers, where he demonstrated exceptional skill. He began winning many events on the water, including the national“Idle Along” schoolboy championship. Stewart attended Auckland Grammar School and later the University of Auckland. In addition to his curriculum in accounting, during the 1920’s he became a friend and protégé of the legendary New Zealand designer, Arch Logan. When Stewart approached Logan regarding an apprenticeship in naval architecture, Logan counseled him “it is a bad business but a good hobby.” Logan, knowing how difficult it was to earn a crust in yacht design, only agreed to take Stewart on as an apprentice if he promised to continue his education and pursue a more lucrative career in his family’s paper business. Stewart’s first hand at yacht design was in 1925,when he drew the lines for the 28 foot, short-end keeler Anita for his father. Vetted by Logan, she turned out to be a respectable racer/ cruiser, particularly for a first effort. Stewart spent many of his early years racing on 18 foot M Class skiffs and in 1939 designed Manaia II. She was considered to be the first of the modern“Emmys”and proved to be quite successful on the race course, no doubt owing a bit to Stewart’s helming skills. Bob Stewart circa mid 1920’s Betty Stewart Black collection