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ePaper created 2014-06-11, 13:05:34 | version 1.30.01
125 She is presently owned by Johnny, Chris and Andy Peterson. Patiki’s bright yellow hull can be easily spotted when she is lying on her mooring in Okahu Bay. From Trevor Geldard-My memories of Patiki I joined Sonata Laboratories (owned by Logan and Peter Colmore-Williams) in 1956 as a general rouse about mixing up hair preparations one day and making fiberglass dinghies the next. At the time Logan owned an old launch called Karere and Peter had an F Class keeler called Taurima. He raced it in the Squadron 4th division against boats like Freya, Gleam, Spray, Giselle, Queenie and others. This was my introduction to sailing. I loved the excitement and challenge of racing around the harbour buoys. The crew on Taurima was Peter, Logan, Brian Craies and myself and occasionally anyone else that Peter may have invited, often picked up from the bar on Friday night at the Squadron in Parliament Street. After a year or two I think Peter got a bit tired of being beaten all the time and that’s when he approached Bob Stewart to discuss the possibility of a new boat. At the time there was a lot of pressure from the Squadron who were pushing the K Class pretty hard. Strangely Bob Stewart who sailed the K Class Helen came up with the Patiki design and the Stewart 34 was born. For me these were heady days. We were still making fibre glass car bodies, dinghies and wash basins but we were already out promoting fiberglass sheathing over wooden or plywood boats and the chance to promote epoxy glues, skinning and two pot finishing systems on something as big as Patiki was challenging. Remember we were still pretty much in the era of red lead and putty, and the whole concept of glued and screwed boats was foreign. The concept of sealing off timber with a glass skin and resin was a no-no because most sceptics were convinced that this would cause dry rot. At this stage complete fiberglass construction of keel boats & or launches had not yet happened in New Zealand. In fact it was still hard work to convince the boating public that fiberglass was a permanent boatbuilding material and a suitable substitute for timber and of course it did happen but it took time. I think New Zealanders are by and large conservative and traditionalists, and perhaps that’s why the concept of fibre glass boats took so long to gain acceptance. Having said that one could hardly describe Patiki as conservative and Peter Colmore-Williams in my view was a man whose thinking was way ahead of the times. As the construction of Patiki progressed I spent whatever spare time I had helping Peter paint the inside with the new product Everdure, a lethal mix of epoxy resin, solvents & timber preservatives. The toxins used then are today banned substances but I can tell you there was no likely chance of dry rot. Using Everdure in confined spaces on a hot day was a sure recipe for a huge hang over and ventilation was vital. Often when we were working inside we would have visits from squadron members who came to check the progress of John Lidgard’s handy work and to comment on the design features and construction glued, screwed and fibre glassed all over. We heard comments like she will never go to windward or she will be slow flat off, but how wrong they were. Maybe she wasn’t a pretty boat in the conventional sense but boy could she go and what about all that space down below and full head room!!! We had a great launching party at the end of Lynwood Road and tied up at Logan’s jetty where people came to look and wonder. Well yes I was in the crew on the day of her first race and what a surprise for all those sceptics.What a wonderful day for Peter Colmore-Williams and Bob Stewart whose faith in the design,construction and materials used were fully vindicated. Race one was a complete rout. We started 10 minutes behind the K class and beat them across the line. We were 20 minutes ahead of the nearest rival in our class and the officers of the day couldn’t believe our time and refused to give us the gun. There was some suggestion that we had missed a mark but we didn’t miss any mark,she was just that much quicker. This was proven in race two where our finishing time was much the same but this time we were given the gun. There was Patiki’s first race toTe Kouma. The fleet was bunched up on the way down toWaiheke. We were along side Shemara going no where when one of their crew went up the mast to free a halyard. Unfortunately he fell hit the deck & went over the side. We motored over because Bernie didn’t have a motor but the crew member had the halyard tied round his waist & they were able to bring him in but unfortunately he was dead. This put our crew into a very somber & reflective mood. There was nothing else we could do. The wind came up & we shot down to the bottom end and through Ruthe Passage. Most