Surviving Easterly 30’s designed by Allen Smith

If you would like your yacht to be added to this list or need to update your details, please contact us.

We have managed to contact all but one of our girl’s previous owners and in that quest, established that her original name of Velero had been changed to “Te Ora” around 1980 by her third owners,(the only ones we have not yet located), who refitted her to sail her back to their homeland of Canada. It appears that two weeks out from NZ, they encountered bad weather and she ‘pitch-poled’. they also discovered that the reason for the wife’s continuing sea-sickness was actually morning sickness, so they returned to NZ, sold the boat and travelled to Canada by a more comfortable mode of transport. Her next owner (Don Fraser) related this story to us.

We located Brian Cleverly, her owner in the 70’s, via the Internet, (he was actually looking for her to sail back to CCalifornia, where he has his business of restoring etc boats (www.anzam.com) . There have been some rather strange coincidences surrounding our decision for become her owners and it was through Brian, we discovered that she had originally been named “Velero” – (sail number 2392). It was Brian who suggested and referred us to a site where we found the info on the de/renaming ceremony, when we told him of our plan to take her back to her original name, and so we had a very ceremonial renaming.

After sailing around the Auckland, Tauranga and also Wellington for a time in the 70’s, Velero now has a berth in the Waikawa Marina and does us proud with her racing abilities – providing we have a strong breeze to move her 5 tons along, and she also cruises around the Queen Charlotte and Pelorus Sound and has so far twice taken us around D’Urville Island

We love her!!

Hans & Katie

Hi Katie & Hans, Back from Te Anau – no luck with deer. Managed to roar one up, but the bush was so thick I couldn’t see him. In the end he sensed all was not right, and headed off back up the valley. Still, a great trip to a really beautiful spot, and the brown trout I caught on the last day was delicious! I’ve had a couple of sails on Hellfire since then. The first was a race I entered with the last owner, so that he could teach me the finer points of sailing her. We had a terrible start (last!), but passed several of the fleet by the end of the beat to the Harbour Bridge. We rounded the top mark, then things went horribly wrong. I was on the helm, but was so intent on watching the others hoisting the MPS that I sailed out of the channel and straight onto a mud bank. Twenty minutes later we were back in the channel, to a last position at the finishing line. The Air Force yacht club has a tradition that if you ground on a mud bank during a race, when you get back to the clubhouse, you are given a ship’s bell. You stand in front of everyone, ringing that darned bell, then fill it with rum and coke and pass it round for everyone to drink. There has to be a hygiene issue here, however I loathe rum, so didn’t drink anyway. Last weekend I took my 8 y.o. daughter Jacquelin for a sail up the harbour. We anchored for the night in Islington Bay and sailed around Rangitoto Is.the next day. Saw Tiara on the water – what a magnificent sight, but I’d hate to have to wash all those champagne glasses! Jacquelin is now hooked on sailing, and looking forward to next weekend – possibly Kawau Island (Mansion House Bay) with maybe a spot of fishing off Fairchild Reef. I know Hellfire needs to come out of the water for some maintenance, but with the winter so mild still, I’m holding off as long as possible. All the best, and let me know if you’ve been doing any sailing lately. Richard and Jacquelin Nowacki ps. The only pic I have of Hellfire is the one the last owner used to sell her on TradeMe – I have attached this. I don’t have any electronic pics of Jacquelin or myself, as I have a film camera. Must get into the 21st century one day!

We have an Easterly 30 – Amokura 11 – Sail Number 1751 – and have had it for nearly seventeen years. We are based at GULF HARBOUR – north of auckland. There are at least two other Easterlies that we know of with possibly others at gulf Harbour, and two othere in the nearly Weiti River. We raced round the buoys for about 10 years (had the same crew all that time) and still regularly race in the Summer Cruising round Hauraki Gulf with Gulf Harbour Yacht Club. We also cruise throughout the Gulf and occasionally as far as the Bay of Islands. there are a number of Easterlies scattered widely around Auckland, out of about 30 which were built, but no owners association. There was one but it collapsed long before we bought Amokura. Most class associations seem to be dwindling or failing altogether. We have recently had the topsides repainted and after much discussion re colour, stayed with orange – complete with orange dinghy. The boat was built with orange gelcoat so has always been orange. the name is that of an orange tailed tropical bird. The enclosed photo was taken at Kaikoura Island, Great Barrier. This isalnd has just been bought as a Sir Peter Blake memorial.

Have enclosed a copy of the Sea Spray test report of 1972. Reading between the lines, the testers did not consider it a fast boat. Its not, but has a good turn of speed in a moderate breeze anbd is very comfortable and easily handled cruising yacht.

Regards

Russ and Diana Hilder

Note from Kerry Stevens 13 September 2004

My partner and I have just spent the weekend in the Far North and made a point of visiting the father of the Easterly 30, Claude Allen Smith, at his boatyard in Whangarei. He made us welcome. I gave him a photograph of Felice taken a week ago (which I’ll attach along with a photo of Allen and me – he has the beard!). He said his Easterly design was altered by NZ builders to include a doghouse. No doubt that included Compass Yachts, who built mine. It seems he isn’t happy with the design variation. The Australian version, numbering about 50, is as he designed, and there are still plenty to be seen across the Tasman.

His pride and joy seems to have been the Pacific 38s built following the Easterlies and I gather at his Whangarei yard. We saw four of them at the Opua marina, and handsome yachts they are carrying the unmistakable Smith trademarks: bow, stern, rudder, cockpit coaming, skeg and propeller aperture..all very similar to the Easterly. In his racing days, the Dragon was his great success and he takes his own boat out once a year…the photograph is taken beside it.

His pleasure boat is a ‘Pacific 31’ launch which he built himself. It’s on the slipway at his yard and he took us aboard. As you would expect, the workmanship is superb. It was well worth the trip. At 71, his memory for people’s names is not what it was… but Allen remembers the names of his boats.

In its heyday, Smith’s boatyard, with a staff of 70 odd, fitted out every tug, workboat and many others that were built in Whangarei, as well as building their own boats. Allen always used his first name , Claude, for his boat designs to honour his father. His father started the boatyard when the family moved from Christchurch in 1951. While in the Bay of Islands, friends and relations encouraged us to make the trip north in our Easterly 30! The coming summer is committed to the Hauraki Gulf, but beyond that – who knows?

Regards and happy boating

Kerry Stevens

…you may be interested in adding my yacht to the site. She may be familiar to you. She is named Acamar and was at Waikawa for some time. Claude Smith should like her as it is an early version without the doghouse. She was finished topsides and internals by Roy Quenell off Palmerston North who owned her and maintained her for approx 32 years( I am the second owner). He did some very nice wood work and she is described by most as a” very pretty boat”. I purchased her because of the reputation of a ‘pocket battleship”(some times necessary down off Otago) and I am not dissappointed in her performance. Her ability windward in the rough, surprises most, and as you will know they are most forgiving.

All the best-regards —

Greg Cornish

Purchasing Officer Anatomy and Structural Biology University of Otago, Dunedin New Zealand

Hi Katie, It was great to touch base with you about the Easterly. Our boat is called Chandelle and we have had it for about 5 years. We keep it at Half Moon Bay Marina and mainly sail to Motuihe, Rakino and Waiheke. Hopefully we will get to Kawau and the Bay of Islands in the next couple of years. I don’t have a photo to send just at the moment, but the picture of the Easterly in the June issue of Boating magazine last year was Chandelle. Look forward to hearing about other Easterly owners that have contacted you. Let me know if there are any specific details you would like me to send. Regards, Sean Keefe. PS. My wife is Sandie and we have two children: Tom aged 8, and Lucy aged 7.

Bruce Handmer bought Stargazer from Phil McDonald (also Sydney) who owned her from 1988. He doesn’t know if she was built in NZ or Australia or who her original owners were. Any help gratefully appreciated! Email Bruce on bruce@thehandmers.com

This was the first Easterly and was owned by John Jury until and unfortunate crossing of the Tasman resulted in John having to be rescued by a freighter and eventually Easterly 1 was washed ashore on the Australian Coast – she has been lovingly restored and has surprised John and Joy Jury by turning up again – they had no idea what had happened with her – she is now loved by Jim Hudson in Brisbane – more information on this Easterly later.

She has been recognised by the plaque below and also she still has the original sail no.

Lives in Australia

Australia

the boat is 1″ thick strip plank kauri 2 double and 3 single berths, 10hp Bukh diesel, cast iron keel, wheel steer, new mast and rig 2000.

I spotted our boats name (Korona) on your list, so thought I should pass on some info. Currently moored at Westhaven in Auckland, I appear to be the third owner of the boat, which was built by Compass Yachts in 1976, according to the builders certificate hull number 31. She then appears to have changed hands in around 1980, when she was registered as O.N. 380469 out of Auckland. I subsequently purchased the boat 1990. The previous owner evidently sailed her in an Auckland to Mooloolaba race, from which I believe it was sailed back single handed, and I also believe he cruised the boat to fiji with his family. I have not done anything so adventurous, using the boat for cruising from Auckland up to Whangaroa and down to the Mercury Islands. It has always been reassuring though that the boat has been through far more than anything I am likely to encounter. I have attached a photograph from last summer, a stop-over in Chamberlains Bay on Ponui Island on the way back from Coromandel. No idea of the identity of the Easterly in the background, unfortunately we did not get the opportunity to meet, and no name was visible. Sirene, Galapagos and Trilogy also currently resident in Westhaven, and spotted Rosella on the hard in Tamaki River some (considerable?) number of months ago, but memory fails as to exactly when. Also I have attached a web site for your interest that I came across, a diary on fairly recent work on “Spirit of Breaker Bay”, although you may know more about this than I do, http://www.nobrain.co.nz/. regards Neville Parker Owner – Korona.

The new owner of the Compass Easterly 30 “Relentless” is Mr Peter Weston of 15 / 20 Kembla St, Wollongong, NSW, 2500. Ph Aus 02 4227 3644 (Bus), 02 4229 7282 (Home). She is Easterly build number 13 of Compass Yachts, Auckland, NZ, launched in 1973. She had the small keel, with an infill in timber and glass added later to improve windward performance, I understand. I also believe that this then became a standard shape for future Easterlies. The previous owner for many years was a Mr Warwick Birtwistle of P.O. Box 107, Nerang, Qld, 4211 Ph Aus 07 5596 6969 (Home & Bus) who imported the vessel from NZ in about 1997.

The Sang Kanchil was built in 1978 in the compass boat yard in Auckland . She is built out of GPR. construction with an attached keel and the extra fuel tank . The original owner was a ex service man whom was a prisoner of war in Singapore under the jap invasion. He built the boat to retire to Singapore and live on it hence the name which means mouse deer and has folklaw stories attached to it. Sadly the gentleman died of cancer before he could realise his dream but letters on the boat in the log confirms this from the Malaysian embassyThe boat them went to an Auckland family who sail it very successfully with Akarama Yacht Club for many years along with cruising the bay of islands . It was then sold to a couple in Whangarei whom sold it on to us . We have had it for 15 years It stayed at Rotoroa Island in the Gulf for 4 years . Then down the coast to Wellington for 4 Years back up the coast to Whakatane where she is moored in the river opposite the whaka shed .We are just finishing the inside think it might be the first time. The sides and deck have only been painted once a credited to those who did the original paint work.She has the old 12hp yanmar in her which has been reconed once We have had so much learning in her as both of us only had power boats before this .We also seemed to met a lot of people whom have had something to do with her and have shared a lot of stories with us

Name: REMY

Rego No: KA1988N

Built by: COMPASS YACHTS, SYDNEY, NSW, AUST

Lying at: NELLIGEN, NSW, AUST

Motor: VOLVO 2000 series 2 cyl 18 hp with sail drive

Remy is rigged with a ‘FURLWAY’ in mast main furler which is hydraulically driven and has hydraulic wheel steering. The rudder blade has been enlarged at some stage.

Nelligen is a small village on the Clyde River which empties out at Batemans Bay on the NSW South Coast.

I understand that REMY had spent all her life at Pittwater and Gosford on the north side of Sydney before I brought her south. In the pic is the former owner and friend who are about my vintage.

28 September 2004

Hello Katie and Hans

I’ve been pottering around boatyards and marinas and have located more Easterlies. Thought you might like to note these for your records and perhaps one day the owners might respond to your webpage.

SIRENE K1579 on the hardstand at Westpark marina, Auckland, outside the boat builders. New windows have been fitted.

SANCTUARY on a berth at Gulf Harbour Marina . was on the hardstand alongside my boat in June having similar prop shaft log work done.

STORM FANTASY on the hardstand at Weiti River (near Gulf Harbour) hull cleaned awaiting anti-fouling.

TENDERFOOT was on swing mooring at Birkenhead owned by professional lady skipper.

Hope you find this interesting

Best wishes

Kerry Stevens