I got in early to beat the crowds at the Auckland Wooden Boat Festival today. There were there so many cool old boats it was hard to choose which one to draw! I eventually decided on the impeccably turned-out Meola, looking very dressed up with all her naval signal flags on display and tied alongside the Wynyard Pavilion in the perfect spot to draw her side on.
An interesting vessel and history too. Originally a Ministry of Works and then Naval tender and towboat.
The owners spotted me at work so I got invited onboard for a coffee and a chat about Meola, boat design and art. A quick tour below deck as well, check out the massive 4 cylinder diesel engine – each cylinder is 3 litres!
Later on I squeezed in a sketch of three more interesting vessels; the steam launch Victoria, Charlotte and Rona - Logan built and NZ’s oldest continuously registered vessel - in dire need of restoration.