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ePaper created 2014-06-11, 13:05:34 | version 1.30.01
146 Pleiades Sail No. 870 Builder: Snow Bedford Launched: 1966 Construction: Cold moulded kauri Snow Bedford started building Pleiades for himself in 1960. Using the original plans, he worked at Ron Neil’s yard at Lynwood Road while John Lidgard was building three other Patikisthere. HelatermovedthecompletedhulltoPonsonby,wheretheboatwasfinished six years later. Bedford had wanted a Patiki but couldn’t afford one until the old Drill Hall on Rutland Street was pulled down. Jim Davern loaded up his truck with all the wonderful old demolition kauri and Bedford was able to get a hold of enough timber to build his boat. Some of this timber was also used in the construction of Pania. Bedford sold Pleiades on 14 November 1996 to Dan Ray of North Harbour,Kawau. Bedford had last heard,about July 1999,that Pleiades was lying inTauranga with a blown engine. Her present whereabouts and ownership are unknown. Polaris Sail No.236 Builders:Max Carter/Guy Goodman Launched:1968 Construction:Cold moulded triple diagonal kauri,glassed over Harold“Hal”Blampied,the original owner of Polaris,was interviewed at his retirement village home in Albany on Saturday 16 April 2005 and tells us about her construction and early years: “The guy who really should be here is Guy Goodman, popularly known as ‘Minky,’a very,very talented yachtsman. He did a course with Ron Holland and he is not nearly so well known as Ron,but people who know the design business in the sailing world say that he really had the potential to be just as good as Ron,and he’s a great character. Heisaverytalenteddesignerandaverytalentedyachtsman,andIwaslucky enough to have him as a partner - having a boatbuilder and a fine actual skipper as a partner on the boat. The work Minky did fitting out took quite a long time,probably almost two years in his spare time,weekends and evenings. He had his daily job to go to at Baileys.” “How did you come to name her“Polaris?” “Yes,fairquestion.IjusthappenedtobeflyinginEngland,Iwasjustintherightagegroup,andIsaidtoMink,ournavigational star,not that we did much astronavigation,but we had to know a bit about it if you flew at all in Europe,was Polaris. And as youknow,whatevernameyouchoseforanewStewart34hadtostartwiththeletter‘P,’becausethefirstonewasPatiki. SoI saidtoMink,whataboutPolaris? Itsoundsgood,andtherewouldbeabitof connectionwiththeflyingIdidinEurope. And he said,“Well,I was thinking of calling it Pakeha,and the dinghy Puha,’but he was only fooling. So Polaris it was.” “Tell us about the building of Polaris.” “WeboughtthehullfromMaxCarter.Therewasalittlebitof aminirecessionroundabout‘67Ithink. Thingstightenedup, and whereas Max Carter normally had a full order book, he was the chap that built most of the boats for well-off yachties if Polaris, sporting a new spade rudder, is readied for re-launching Harold Blampied Pleiades heads out for a cruise in the Hauraki Gulf Snow Bedford