Whilst in Auckland seeing family, some of us went to the New Zealand Mairitime Museum, which has some cracking displays. Here are some photos.
Outside the museum is the White Elephant that was KZ-1, the New Zealand challenger for the America's Cup in 1988. Held by the San Diego Yacht Club, the Americans, with champion America's Cup helmsman 'Dirty Den' Denniss Connor turned up with a catamaran and trounced the Kiwi boat. Needless to say the lot ended up in court, which seems to be the practise of the America's Cup racing process.
This picture was taken years ago on a day with better weather than the day before yesterday when we visited;
KZ-1 as she is today, dismasted, no doubt due to the strong winds that blow all year round here.
For more info on the farce that was the 1988 America's Cup challenge, look here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_America's_Cup
A lovely wooden hulled sailor in the museum care; the Waitangi owned by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
A half hull replica made from the original moulds of one of the world's most successful round the world racing yachts, Steinlager 2, or 'Big Red' which won the 1989 - 1990 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, with the late, Great (Sir) Peter Blake at the helm. Note the spiffing Auckland weather; it is said that you can have four seasons in one day of typical Auckland weather.
An architectural model of Steinlager 2 in the museum, named when no one was afraid of sponsoring their products with recreational alcohol.
An anchor from the infamous HMS Bounty.
On 7 February 1863, the Jason Class wooden single screw corvette HMS Orpheus ran aground on a submerged sand bar in the Manukau Harbour off Auckland. 180 people lost their lives, making the loss of Orpheus the worst maritime disaster in New Zealand waters in terms of human casualties. A model of the ship.
Richard Brydges Beachley's 1863 painting of the disaster in the museum, the colour reproduction is poor due to the low light and because I refrained from using flash.
Orpheus' figurehead, which washed up ashore a few days after the ship ran aground.
A model of the Imperial German Naval vessel SMS Seeadler.
The 'Seeteufel' himself, Seeadler's commander Felix Graf von Luckner, seen here whilst in New Zealand hands with his First Officer in a copy of a signed print by von Luckner himself.
More about von Luckner and the Seeadler here;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_von_Luckner
The centrepiece of the museum is NZL 32 'Black Magic' the successful challenger of the America's Cup in 1995. In 1999/2000, New Zealand became the first nation outside of the United States to successfully defend an America's Cup challenge. The boat's captain was Russel Coutts, who, with a number of other Team New Zealand crew members were made offers they couldn't refuse and went to sail with Swiss challengers Alinghi, who beat Team New Zealand in Auckland in 2003. Turncoats!
'Black Magic's' unique keel design was considered somewhat controversial at the time.
A couple of Team New Zealand America's Cup yacht models, the 12 Metre America's Cup Class yachts were beautiful boats with fine lines.
A wind tunnel model of Emirates Team New Zealand's America's Cup challenger AC-72 catamaran with its solid glass fibre wing sail. These boats are most impressive to watch and regularly reach speeds in excess of 40 knots.
A foil from ETNZ's AC-72 that received damage during practise racing.
Finally, what all the fuss is about, or at least a replica of the 'Auld Mug', the America's Cup, the world's oldest currently contested sporting trophy. In 1997, whilst the trophy was on display in the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, an activist broke into the squadron buildings and took to the America's Cup with a hammer, completely destroying it. The current one being fought over in San Fransisco is not the original, but was made especially.
In an adjacent case was a plaque stating that the Louis Vuitton Trophy was missing and away being fought over in San Fransisco, but on the day of my visit, Sunday just gone, ETNZ beat Italian boat Luna Rossa in the last of seven races to one to win the LV Trophy, so it'll be returning to the empty cabinet again! For those of you unsure as to where the LV Trophy comes into this, to challenge the America's Cup holder you have to fight it out with other nations' boats to win the LV Trophy, and the holder of this wins the right to become the official America's Cup challenger. Still confused?
That's all from Voyager for now.
Outside the museum is the White Elephant that was KZ-1, the New Zealand challenger for the America's Cup in 1988. Held by the San Diego Yacht Club, the Americans, with champion America's Cup helmsman 'Dirty Den' Denniss Connor turned up with a catamaran and trounced the Kiwi boat. Needless to say the lot ended up in court, which seems to be the practise of the America's Cup racing process.
This picture was taken years ago on a day with better weather than the day before yesterday when we visited;
KZ-1 as she is today, dismasted, no doubt due to the strong winds that blow all year round here.
For more info on the farce that was the 1988 America's Cup challenge, look here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_America's_Cup
A lovely wooden hulled sailor in the museum care; the Waitangi owned by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
A half hull replica made from the original moulds of one of the world's most successful round the world racing yachts, Steinlager 2, or 'Big Red' which won the 1989 - 1990 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, with the late, Great (Sir) Peter Blake at the helm. Note the spiffing Auckland weather; it is said that you can have four seasons in one day of typical Auckland weather.
An architectural model of Steinlager 2 in the museum, named when no one was afraid of sponsoring their products with recreational alcohol.
An anchor from the infamous HMS Bounty.
On 7 February 1863, the Jason Class wooden single screw corvette HMS Orpheus ran aground on a submerged sand bar in the Manukau Harbour off Auckland. 180 people lost their lives, making the loss of Orpheus the worst maritime disaster in New Zealand waters in terms of human casualties. A model of the ship.
Richard Brydges Beachley's 1863 painting of the disaster in the museum, the colour reproduction is poor due to the low light and because I refrained from using flash.
Orpheus' figurehead, which washed up ashore a few days after the ship ran aground.
A model of the Imperial German Naval vessel SMS Seeadler.
The 'Seeteufel' himself, Seeadler's commander Felix Graf von Luckner, seen here whilst in New Zealand hands with his First Officer in a copy of a signed print by von Luckner himself.
More about von Luckner and the Seeadler here;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_von_Luckner
The centrepiece of the museum is NZL 32 'Black Magic' the successful challenger of the America's Cup in 1995. In 1999/2000, New Zealand became the first nation outside of the United States to successfully defend an America's Cup challenge. The boat's captain was Russel Coutts, who, with a number of other Team New Zealand crew members were made offers they couldn't refuse and went to sail with Swiss challengers Alinghi, who beat Team New Zealand in Auckland in 2003. Turncoats!
'Black Magic's' unique keel design was considered somewhat controversial at the time.
A couple of Team New Zealand America's Cup yacht models, the 12 Metre America's Cup Class yachts were beautiful boats with fine lines.
A wind tunnel model of Emirates Team New Zealand's America's Cup challenger AC-72 catamaran with its solid glass fibre wing sail. These boats are most impressive to watch and regularly reach speeds in excess of 40 knots.
A foil from ETNZ's AC-72 that received damage during practise racing.
Finally, what all the fuss is about, or at least a replica of the 'Auld Mug', the America's Cup, the world's oldest currently contested sporting trophy. In 1997, whilst the trophy was on display in the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, an activist broke into the squadron buildings and took to the America's Cup with a hammer, completely destroying it. The current one being fought over in San Fransisco is not the original, but was made especially.
In an adjacent case was a plaque stating that the Louis Vuitton Trophy was missing and away being fought over in San Fransisco, but on the day of my visit, Sunday just gone, ETNZ beat Italian boat Luna Rossa in the last of seven races to one to win the LV Trophy, so it'll be returning to the empty cabinet again! For those of you unsure as to where the LV Trophy comes into this, to challenge the America's Cup holder you have to fight it out with other nations' boats to win the LV Trophy, and the holder of this wins the right to become the official America's Cup challenger. Still confused?
That's all from Voyager for now.
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