A History of the Ilex: The 52 foot Logan designed yacht · PDF fileA History of the Ilex: The 52 foot Logan ... (NZ Herald, 8 May 1903 ... Norman Thomas a Wellington businessman bought

Copyright © David R Thomas 2015

A History of the Ilex: The 52 foot Logan‐designed yacht

David R. Thomas April 2015

(Revised 4 May 2015) Summary Ilex was a 52ft Logan‐designed yawl, launched on 7 May 1903 from the Bailey Yard in Auckland. She was constructed for Captain Walter Spencer Stanthorpe and Mr R H Shakespeare. At launching her dimensions were reported as: overall length 50ft, waterline 35ft, beam 11ft 6in, draft 6ft (NZ Herald, 8 May 1903). Between 1915 and 1943 Ilex had a number of owners including; Mr J C Macky (1908‐1915) Mr W R Ingram (1915‐1925), and Mr E H Northcroft (1927‐1936). Ilex was raced regularly in Auckland events during her early days. She was converted from a yawl to a cutter in 1911. In February 1944 Ilex was bought by Wellington businessman Norman W Thomas. After converting her to a ketch and adding a wheelhouse, he raced her regularly in Wellington and took part in the 1946 Sydney‐Hobart race. Other major voyages undertaken were Wellington to Manukau in January 1946, and a circumnavigation of the South Island in February‐March 1946. Ilex was sold to the Free Church of Tonga and delivered to Tongatapu in October 1948. She was bought by Tofa Ramsay in 1957 who renamed her Tuaikaepau. Under his ownership, Ilex carried cargo and passengers in the Tonga Islands, and between Tonga and Auckland. On her final voyage, Tuaikaepau departed Tongatapu for Auckland in July 1962 to get repairs in Auckland. With 7 crew and 10 passengers on board, she was wrecked on South Minerva Reef, southwest of Tongatapu Island on 6 July while under the command of Captain David Fifita. The ship’s crew were marooned on Minerva Reef for three months. The survivors built a small boat and three of the crew sailed to Kandavu in the Fiji Islands. There were 12 survivors from the 17 who originally left Tongatapu.

Ilex, Marlborough Sounds, December 1945

A History of the Ilex, David R Thomas, April 2015 2

Part 1 Ilex History: Owners, major trips and events Ilex was a 52ft Logan‐designed yacht, launched from Bailey Yard in Auckland. She was built for Captain Walter Spencer Stanthorpe, who came to live in Little Barrier Island from the UK around 1898, and Mr R H Shakespeare Ilex was launched on 7 May 1903 with great fanfare. Her hull was built of triple‐skin kauri, and she had a yawl rig. In the newspaper report of her launch, her dimensions were listed as; length overall 50ft, waterline 35ft, beam 11ft 6in, draft 6ft (NZ Herald, 8 May 1903).1 Although Ilex was built for both Capt. Stanhope and Mr Shakespeare, she was eventually owned by Capt. Stanhope. During the summer he spent most of his time cruising on Ilex, frequently to the Bay of Islands, and in the winter she was often moored at Kawau Island. In May 1904 the premier, Mr R. Seddon took a fishing excursion on Ilex at Kawau Island. Ilex was also reported to have done a trip to Stewart Island. Several classic photos were taken of Ilex around the Bay of Islands and Northland coast, some by a notable photographer of the time, Henry Winkelman. A few of these are available from the National Library collection Ilex was bought by Mr Joseph C Macky in December 1908 after Captain Stanthorpe died in October that year. Mr Macky raced her regularly in the Squadron (RNZYS) and Devonport Yacht Club Series. He also cruised to extensively including trips to White Island and Northland as far as North Cape. In 1911 he altered Ilex's original yawl rig to a cutter at the behest of his sons, to make her more competitive for racing. Mr Macky and his wife Mary were reported missing, presumed dead, when the Lusitania

1 Ilex was reported as having an overall length of 50ft at launching but most of the later reports give her length as 52ft. It is possible the bowsprit was lengthened when she was converted to a ketch by Norman Thomas in 1945.

1913 Ilex under sail, Auckland, with cutter rig Source: http://mp.natlib.govt.nz/detail/?id=33623&l=mi


was sunk by a torpedo on 7 May 1915 (NZ Herald). The Macky family sold Ilex to Mr W R Ingram around 1915. In August 1925 Ilex was bought by Mr H R Bloomfield who owned her briefly. During much of this time she was laid up ashore in Auckland. Two years later (June 1927) she was sold to Mr E H Northcroft of Christchurch (later Justice Northcroft) who, it was reported, intended convert her to an auxiliary. It is likely that Ilex did not have an engine installed until about 1928. Justice Northcroft cruised extensively in Ilex in the Auckland, Marlborough Sounds and other locations, with his family and friends as crew. In January 1932, Lord and Lady Bledisloe viewed the Auckland Anniversary Regatta from the cutter‐rigged Ilex. Justice Northcroft changed Ilex back to her original yawl rig before she was sold in December 1936 to Mr John Donald. Ilex was based in Auckland around this time but not much is known about her movements during this period. 1944‐1948 Ownership by Norman W Thomas Norman Thomas a Wellington businessman bought Ilex in February 1944 and sailed her from Auckland to Wellington. He raced her regularly in Wellington and across Cook Strait. The first race record under his ownership appeared in March 1944 when Waiomo crossed the line first followed by Ilex in the Evans Bay Commodore Cup. In 1945 Norman Thomas converted Ilex to a ketch and added a wheelhouse over the cockpit. During the time he owned her, Norman Thomas cruised extensively in Ilex. Trips included Wellington to Onehunga in January 1946 and a circumnavigation of the South island in February‐March 1946. While in Fiordland, Ilex was nearly lost in a full gale while trying to shelter in Bligh Sound. In December 1946 Ilex departed Wellington for Sydney to participate in the second Sydney‐Hobart Race. Following a rough trip across the Tasman Sea she arrived in Sydney 13 days later on 11 December. Ilex started in the Sydney Hobart race on 26 December but pulled out of the race on 2 January at Cape Raoul, the headland that marks the entry to Storm Bay and Hobart. From Hobart, Ilex sailed arrived back in Wellington on January 18 1947 making a fast passage of 8 days 22 hours. Altogether Ilex cruised about 4,000 miles during the Tasman Sea trip. Ilex was the first New Zealand yacht to enter in the Sydney‐Hobart Race and at 13 years, Roydon was the youngest crew member to sail in the race. After getting back to Wellington in 1947 Ilex was raced in the Wellington area until early 1948 when Norman Thomas decided to put her up for sale. Ilex in heavy north‐westerly, Wellington 1946


Ilex in Tonga Norman Thomas sold Ilex to the Free Church of Tonga in mid‐1948. She left Wellington on 14 October 1948 for her delivery trip for Tongatapu and arrived in Nuku’alofa about 28 October. This would have been the first trip Norman Thomas did to the South Pacific in a yacht. He must have liked the region as he returned to the South Pacific two years later in the trading schooner Huia. The photo below, taken on 29 October, shows reception for the Royal Party on Ilex in Nuku’alofa Harbour after her delivery trip from Wellington. Ilex was renamed ‘Tu'uakitau’ by Queen Salote, who is standing on the right of Norman Thomas in the photo.

In 1957 Ilex was bought by Tofa Ramsay in who renamed her Tuaikaepau, ‘slow but sure’. She continued her career as a coastal trader and carrying cargo and passengers in the Tonga Islands, and between Tonga and Auckland. Tuaikaepau departed Tongatapu for Auckland on 4 July 1962. The purpose of the trip was to get repairs. She was carrying 7 crew and 10 passengers, many of whom were Tongan boxers. After her departure, she was reported missing in July 1962. It was subsequently discovered that she had been wrecked on South Minerva Reef, southwest of Tongatapu Island on the night of 6 July while under the command of Captain David Fifita. She was a total loss and the crew were marooned on Minerva reef for three months. The survivors built a small boat using timber obtained from the wreck of a Japanese fishing boat on the reef. Captain David Fifita, with two crew (one of whom was his son), left Minerva Reef and sailed towards Fiji without any charts or means of keeping the time. In mid‐October 1962 two survivors arrived in Soso Bay on the southern side of Kandavu Island, south of Viti Levu, Fiji on 15 October. Their small boat was wrecked on a reef at the entrance to the bay and David Fifita’s son was drowned. The crew remaining on Minera Reef were subsequently rescued on 17 October. A book written by Olaf Ruhen, Minerva Reef, provides a detailed account of the wreck of Tuaikaepau and the subsequent rescue of the remaining survivors. There were 12 survivors from the 17 who originally left Tongatapu.


Part 2 Ilex and Norman W Thomas This second Part provides more detailed information about the events and voyages carried out while Ilex was owned by Norman Thomas, a Wellington businessman. After his previous yacht Arawa was wrecked in Evans Bay on 21 January 1944, Norman Thomas was looking for a replacement yacht. He bought the Ilex in February 1944, probably from John Donald in Auckland. He sailed her from Auckland to Wellington in March 1944. An account of her delivery voyage noted that;

They struck a southerly gale just after leaving the Hauraki Gulf and sheltered at Mercury Island. Bad weather was again encountered off Gisborne, and two days were spent sheltering there. The passage to Wellington took eight days, and her average speed worked out at five knots. (R. Carter, Little Ships, 1948)

Norman Thomas raced Ilex regularly in Wellington and across Cook Strait and she made several trips to the Marlborough Sounds. Extensive alterations were made to Ilex during 1944‐45. These included a new ketch rig and a substantial wheel‐house, built on the aft end of the cabin top and extending over the cockpit. Given the huge main boom on the cutter rig, the difficulties of reefing a very large mainsail and the risk of a mishap in an uncontrolled gybe, the decision to convert Ilex to a ketch undoubtedly made her more suitable for strong winds while cruising and racing. Although it was not mentioned in any of the news items, it is evident from the photos that the bowsprit and foresails of ilex were also altered as the photos from 1945 show her with a staysail boom and an additional middle forestay, allowing three headsails to be set. These changes may have included a longer bowsprit. In late 1944, Norman Thomas bought the Jukes and Rix boatyard at Balaena Bay, a small bay on the western side of Evans Bay. He developed a new business, Craft Construction, in partnership with Athol Burns, a yacht and launch designer. Athol was the resident designer at Craft Construction and later became well‐known for his boat designs. It is likely that Athol Burns designed and organised the alterations to Ilex. The first boat designed and built at Craft Construction was the 51ft fishing trawler Diane, launched in September 1946.

Ilex under cutter rig in Pelorus Sound, Easter 1944 (7‐10 April)


Racing in Wellington 1944‐1945 During the 1944‐45, Ilex raced regularly in Wellington and across Cook Strait. The first reported race in Wellington was March 1944 when Waiomo crossed the line first followed by Ilex in the Evans Bay Commodore Cup. Subsequent races included the Tory Channel race on 23 December 1944 and the Port Underwood Race in mid‐February 1945. Other yachts in the Wellington keeler races during 1944‐45 were Waiomo, Rona, Kestral, Romp, Kotiri, Raukawa, Rawene, Argo, Syren, Maranui, Wakarere, Arawa and Rover. In the handicaps reported for the keeler races, Waiomo was usually the scratch boat and Ilex was given 10‐15 minutes and Rona, Wakarere and Romp around 30‐35 minutes. However for heavy weather, Ilex was the scratch boat and Waiomo was given about 8 minutes. The accompanying photo, taken around mid‐1945 shows the trophies that Ilex had collected during this time. These included the Waterhouse trophy (the sailing ship trophy in the photo) of which Ilex was the first winner after it was donated by F A Waterhouse in early 1945. North Island trip January 1946 During the alterations to Ilex and two seasons of racing, Norman Thomas was evidently planning more ambitious voyages. The first of these, a North Island trip, started after Ilex completed the Wellington to Picton Ocean Race in December 1945. While it had been the intention to sail right round the North Island, they decided to return to Wellington after reaching the Manukau Harbour, due to the limited time some the crew were available. On 31 December 1945 Ilex left Port Ligar in Pelorus Sound, for New Plymouth arriving there on 1 January after an overnight trip. Following a brief visit, they left New Plymouth at 2pm the same day for Manukau. Ilex was off the Manukau Heads early on the following morning, 3 January, crossing the bar at 7.30 a.m., and berthing at the Onehunga wharf at 10.20 a.m. Norman Thomas reported that “We were told that this was the first time in seventeen years that a keeler had entered the Heads. We had some anxious moments coming in over the bar, as rain squalls blotted out the landmarks. We left Onehunga on January 4, 1946, and arrived at New Plymouth on the 5th." From New Plymouth to Wellington took 36 hours.

Ilex, New Plymouth to Manukau, Jan 1946 (from front) Carl Johnson, Mervyn Benge, Roydon Thomas, obscured(Ian Newlands?), Jim Ramsden,

‘Tonky Bill’ at back


Circumnavigation of South Island, February‐March 19462

In a misguided moment, [we] decided to put into Bligh Sound for shelter. The wind blew into this Sound like a funnel, and we nearly lost the ship, on account of the terrific velocity of the wind, putting her out of control. (Norman Thomas, from Little Ships, 1948)

Shortly after returning from New Plymouth and Manukau, the next major cruise planned by Norman Thomas was a circumnavigation of the South Island. The crew for this trip were; Norman Thomas (skipper), Carl Johnson, G Hamlin, J. Burnett, and Ian Newlands (who had recently returned from being a prisoner of war in Japan). Ilex left Wellington on February 27, at 1300. They had intended to head south via Greymouth on the west coast. However, experiencing unfavourable winds in Cook Strait, they took the east coast route instead. After an apparently uneventful trip, they arrived at Port Chalmers at 1100 on 2 March. From Dunedin, Ilex sailed Oban, Stewart Island and on to Dusky Sound. Norman Thomas reported that

Here we saw a number of seals. A few hours previously we had passed a school of blackfish, some of which were nearly 30 feet long. They looked like young whales.

In George Sound the Ilex met another ketch Sea Rover, and excellent fishing was enjoyed by both crews.

I hadn’t realised before that an albatross can swallow a whole cod’s head. We saw this done several times.

After leaving George Sound, Ilex headed north towards Milford Sound, tacking into a hard north‐easterly which rapidly became a full gale. It was decided to put back to Bligh Sound for shelter. Approaching the entrance to Bligh Sound, the mainsail had already been dropped and under mizzen and storm staysail, with a mountainous sea running astern, Ilex eventually made the entrance into Bligh Sound. As she entered the Sound the mizzen was then furled and she ran under engine and staysail only. The crew congratulated themselves on having run into shelter from a very nasty sea. However, as she travelled up the first leg of the Sound with the wind on the quarter, they discovered they were not yet out of trouble. In a very short time the wind was shrieking with a cloud of white ‘smoke’ covering the water to a depth of five or ten feet. With only the staysail, the Ilex had her lee deck well under water, and one gust, which was estimated at 140 miles an hour, hit the already labouring ship smashing the staysail boom, the steel link on the clew and ripping the new canvas sail. Fortunately the crew by smart work were able to get the sail down and the ship, carrying a heavy list, even under bare poles careered madly down the Sound. Another terrific squall hit her, putting her completely out of control and heading straight for the rocky face on the one side of the Sound. By a superhuman effort the helmsman was able to get her back on her course.

2 Some of the account of this trip is from the Sea Spray article published in mid‐1946. Some of the Sea Spray text has been edited.


As they approached the first corner all hands hoped that it would some measure of shelter – but this was not the case. The wind was so strong that the actual surface of the water was quite flat, but the water was lifted by the wind up the sheer rocky faces a distance of 100 feet or so. The depth of water made it out of the question to drop the hook. A very worried skipper got Johnson to look at the chart to see if there was an anchorage ‐ but no such luck. Another corner was rounded and still the wind shrieked; only two miles to the end of the Sound; soon something would have to be done. The skipper tried to head the ship into the wind, but she just fell again and ran before. When half a mile from the head of the sound it was noticed that one small bay did not seem to be getting quite so much wind. The chart showed seven fathoms, 60 or 80 feet offshore. The ship soon close headed into the wind, and the hook dropped on the shallowing bottom. Johnson and Hamlin launched the dinghy and after some trouble during which the dinghy was swamped, they managed to get a warp ashore on to a tree trunk. This in conjunction with the 100lb Danforth anchor held her in close where there was partial shelter. As quickly as possible another 75lb stock anchor was put out and three more warps tied ashore on trees. The crew then felt they were justified in relaxing in some measure and making a scalding hot cup of tea – they deserved it. Eventually the Ilex reached Milford Sound. Leaving Milford Sound they visited Greymouth where badly needed provisions were taken aboard. Approaching Wellington Heads, they experienced fog so thick that they were within a stone’s throw of Pencarrow Head before they saw the light. They arrived back in Wellington on 18 March, after a trip of nineteen days. Author’s Note: The Ilex probably anchored just NW of Latitude Point at the head of Bligh Sound, shown in the accompanying chart. Norman Thomas never called into Bligh Sound again, during three later trips to Fiordland in the 72ft Coongoola.


Photos of Ilex showing her hull shape

Ilex on hard, Evans Bay Yacht Club, mid‐1946

Ilex at Clyde Quay harbour, about November 1946

Mr Justice Northcroft says: "I suppose the Englishman, Captain Stanhope, for whom [Ilex] was built, had a prejudice against the strange spoon bow then coming into favour, and Logan's skill in combining the old bow form, with the modern hull, always seemed to me a delight to the eye." (quote from Sea Spray 1946)


Sydney Hobart Race, December 19463 The next voyage for Ilex was more ambitious than her South Island cruise; Norman Thomas had decided to do the Sydney‐Hobart race. The race was first run in December 1945 after the end of the war. The Cruising Club of Australia decided to run it again in December 1946. Subsequently the race became an annual event. With his ship and crew thoroughly tested, he made careful preparations for the Tasman crossing. Mr. Thomas described her equipment in the following way: "her running gear has always "been kept up to a very high standard, and as she has in the last two years been used in three long‐distance cruises, her spare gear includes two life‐buoys, life‐belts, life‐buoy flare, and smoke bombs. In addition, she carries a seven‐man rubber raft, with full Air Force operational equipment, and an eight‐foot clinker‐built dinghy. Also a complete set of International Code signal flags." Before leaving Wellington, arrangements had been made for a daily ship‐to‐shore two‐way radio report and her passage across the Tasman was closely followed. Ilex left Wellington at 5.10 p.m. on November 28, 1946, with the following crew on board: Norman Thomas, owner and skipper; Carl Johnson, mate; Jim Ramsden, Burnell Young, Ian Newlands, Terry Hammond (navigator, aged 19 years) and Roydon Thomas, son of the owner, aged 13 years.

3Some of the information in this section comes from Ronald Carter’s Little Ships (3rd ed.), published in 1948. The information was apparently taken from the radio logs.

Ilex crew prior to departure Left to right: Norman Thomas, Jim Ramsden, Ian Newlands, Carl Johnson (back) Roydon

Thomas, Terry Hammond, Burnell Young.


Departure from Clyde Quay Harbour for Sydney, 28 November 1946


Ilex ran into a heavy northwest gale in Cook Strait, the first night out and put into Picton early the following morning, leaving again the same afternoon. More bad weather was encountered as soon as they cleared Cape Jackson, and for the first three days cooking was out of the question, owing to the violent motion of the yacht. The yacht was close‐hauled all the way to Sydney, except for one day, when the wind was dead ahead. She was hove‐to for twelve hours during one stage of the passage. During the heavy seas experienced on the trip, Ilex's gear was suffered a good deal of chafing. The Ilex arrived at Sydney on December 11, after a passage of thirteen days.

Ilex started in the annual Sydney‐Hobart Ocean Race on Boxing Day, 1946, but did not finish the course under sail. Off Cape Raoul4 in a heavy sea, but no wind, it was decided to withdraw from the race and start the engine. One can assume that having no steerage, being in a heavy swell, trying to get round a rocky headland and probably a weather change imminent, gave them little choice but to start the engine. Ilex arrived at Hobart under power about 8 p.m. on January 2, 1947. The weather must have been pretty bad during the race as the race records indicated only two yachts finished under sail from a fleet of 19 yachts that started the race. From Hobart, Ilex sailed for home. She arrived back in Wellington on January 18 1947, after a fast passage of 8 days 22 hours. They had a fair wind all the way, averaging over six knots, and at one time under sail only were doing 8½ knots. Altogether Ilex cruised about 4,000 miles during the Tasman Sea trip. Ilex was the first New Zealand yacht to enter in the Sydney‐Hobart Race and at 13 years, Roydon was the youngest crew member to sail in the race.

4 Cape Raoul is the SE point of Tasmania which is rounded before entering Storm Bay. It is about 35 miles from Hobart.

Sydney Morning Herald, 12 Dec. 1946

Norman Thomas and family, Jan 1947 David Thomas in front, 3 yrs old


After getting back to Wellington in 1947 Ilex was raced in the Wellington area until early 1948 when Norman Thomas decided to put her up for sale. Ilex was bought by the Free Church of Tonga in mid‐1948. Ilex left Wellington for her delivery trip to Tonga on 14 October 1948 and arrived in Nuku’alofa, about the 28 October. During her major voyages there were several of crew who sailed on Ilex on more than one trip. Carl Johnson who sailed as mate and navigator on several voyages was a regular visitor to the Thomas household in the late 1940s where he taught Norman Thomas the basics of celestial navigation. The author recalls listening to Carl Johnson and Norman Thomas standing outside in Seatoun on a fine night identifying various stars. The navigator and radio operator on Ilex during the Trans‐Tasman trips and the Sydney‐Hobart race was Terry Hammond. At 19 years, he had already established a reputation as a skilled navigator. Following the 1946 Sydney‐Hobart race he went on to act as skipper and navigator on the 72ft motor‐sailer Coongoola during its 14‐month world trip in 1952‐54. Coongoola was owned at that time by Mr G H Griffiths from Toowoomba, Queensland. During a distinguished career in sailing, Terry Hammond was navigator on Gretel the Australian challenger for Americas Cup in 1962. He did many Sydney‐Hobart races and other ocean races in his later years. After retirement, he sailed around the Pacific, covering more than 160,000 kilometres, including racing in the Pacific Cup, the Transpac, and the Kenwood Cup in Honolulu. He died in 2013. Jim Ramsden and Ian Newlands also sailed on several voyages on Ilex, but no information was available about them.

Ilex anchored off Seatoun, 1947 David Thomas looking over the side of dinghy


Bibliography: Ilex Carter, Ronald (1948). Little Ships (3rd Ed.). Wellington: Reed. (pp. 204‐207) Papers past: 1903 to 1945: Items can be located using a search on ‘Ilex’. Most items are from the NZ Herald and Evening Post. Website: paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi‐bin/paperspast Ruhen, Olaf (1963). Minerva Reef. Sydney: Angus & Robertson Sea Spray (1946). (possibly August issue) Ilex sails around the South Island, p. 4 & p.8. Kidd, Harold (2015, May). The sinking of the Lusitania 7 May 1915: Joseph and Mary Macky lost. Boating NZ, 86‐89

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A History of the Ilex: The 52 foot Logan designed yacht · PDF fileA History of the Ilex: The 52 foot Logan ... (NZ Herald, 8 May 1903 ... Norman Thomas a Wellington businessman bought