Heritage vessel handiwork

The Maritime Museum’s two heritage sailing ships, Ted Ashby & Breeze, have both undergone a period of restoration recently to keep them looking their best.

Breeze is a traditional wooden sailing ship similar to vessels used for New Zealand coastal and inter-Dominion trades in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A brigantine, she has a square-rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged mainmast. Before coming to the Maritime Museum Breeze was involved in sail training with the Breeze Sailing Club.

Breeze was taken to the slip in June for two weeks where contractors water-blasted, anti-fouled and painted the topsides. Volunteers then got stuck in scraping, sanding and then painting the beltings and bulwarks. Breeze was returned to her berth at the Maritime Museum in late June, ready for sailings in July.

Ted Ashby is our ketch-rigged deck scow, typical of the fleets that once operated in the northern waters of New Zealand. The Museum chose to name the vessel after Ted Ashby, a man whose whole life was intimately involved with the scows, and the author of the book “Phantom Fleet”.

Ted Ashby was built by Museum staff and volunteers, and launched in 1993 when the museum first opened. She is annually on slip for inspection to ensure she remains in tip top condition.

During August, Ted Ashby was on Sanfords slipway where contractors waterblasted, antifouled and painted the hull. Our Volunteer Master and Maintenance Manager replaced skin fittings, renewed anodes and completed other maintenance whilst on the slip. Back in her berth, Ted Ashby also had some deck work done and is now back undertaking her full sailing schedule (twice daily sailings Wed-Sun).