Big game fishing in the Bay of Islands on the Winsome II when it was owned by Andy Donovan.
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Winsome ways They may not have been looking for a boat, but a motor launch with a rich history has become a special part of Chris and Julia Knowles’ family. The couple chat with Paula Hulburt about how Winsome II came to be.
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he ocean breeze tugs playfully at clothes and hair, whipping around ankles and lifting sunhats from heads. The bright white of Winsome II’s hull gleams under the Marlborough sun as the frothy wake bubbles behind. It is 36ft of kauri-hulled beauty, lovingly restored over the decades and by both previous and current owners Chris and Julia Knowles who keep Winsome II on a pole mooring in Picton Marina. She easily catches the admiring gaze of those who spot her smooth lines and the crisp white of The Royal New Zealand Air Force Ensign as it flutters proudly to attention. The Winsome II is an alluring sight, fresh in countenance but with a patina of age that comes with a varied history. Through the passing of the years and different owners, the boat has not lost any of its original charm, explains Chris, who wryly adds that he never
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had any big plans to be a boat owner. “A friend of ours, Mike Allen saw it [Winsome II] in the North Island and brought her back to Havelock.” “We had a few friends with boats, and we definitely liked that it was wooden, we are definitely not fast boat people,” Chris adds. “I was semi-retired and needed another challenge, so we bought it.” Built in 1922 by boatbuilders Lane and Company in Auckland, Winsome II was soon owned by David Teed, then Mayor of Newmarket. Originally named Maude T after his daughter, the now classic launch has enjoyed many identities. After Teed’s premature death in 1925, his estate sold her, launching her on a new journey and a different fate, ultimately taking her into the care of the Knowles family. Chris talks of the motor launch as a loved member
