6 minute read
Defiance has served the RNZYS with honour and distinction
operating through the wet winter season.
The Lidgard House deck has been expanded and totally rebuilt by Andrew Harris Construction. “They have been putting in two days a week ever since the lockdown was eased,” says Hopman. “It is now complete and looking really smart.
“Guests staying at Lidgard House will find they now have much more privacy from the passing parade, while still being able to enjoy the fantastic views of Bon Accord Harbour.”
The fences around the house have also been rebuilt, while the KBC seawall, which was being undermined by erosion, has been repaired. It took about five cubic metres of concrete to complete that project and hopefully future-proof the wall and path.
Further KBC work involved maintenance and repairs to the sewage system, replacing the sceptic pump and re-setting the float switches, which will hopefully result in less fragrant conditions over the summer.
Now, it is up to mother nature to provide enough summer rain to keep the young trees alive – but not too much rain to spoil longawaited and much-anticipated post-lockdown cruising plans.
By Ivor Wilkins Photos by Cooper Hopman & Harri Wren
Above: Rebecca Bywater, Kat Eley and Caleb Lor from Food & Bev painting at Lidgard House. Below: Drone shot reveals the restored lawns, new deck and hints of green on the newly-planted slopes
A legend returns to Kawau to add to his family’s abiding legacy on the island
By Billy Woodworth
Having grown up on Kawau Island and been integral to the creation of the current Kawau sailing community, John Lidgard always treasures opportunities to visit there.
The Lidgard family name is intertwined with the RNZYS and the New Zealand sailing community. John and his wife Heather have carried the RNZYS burgee close to 100,000 miles around the Pacific. John has also been a renowned boat builder, and an accomplished competitive sailor at international level.
The love of sailing goes hand in hand with the Lidgard last name, with generations of the family found across the world’s sailing industry.
John was part of the founding Kawau Boating Club AGM as a teenager and was even responsible for putting down the original floor of the Kawau Boating Club building that stands just around from Lidgard House today. In fact, John had a hand in building much of the original infrastructure in the harbour.
Being able to accompany John over to Kawau was an honour, learning and experiencing a crash course in how much he loves Kawau Island and how much his roots on Kawau shaped the life he has lived.
Listening to his tales about days spent in the small bays in Bon Accord Harbour and recalling his childhood friends and families – where they lived, and even their family pets – was a fascinating tour by someone who clearly knows this slice of paradise like the back of his own hand.
At the age of 91, John wanted to leave yet another memory of his family’s legacy on the shores of Bon Accord Harbour by planting a manuka sapling with a plaque as part of the RNZYS’s Kawau Tree Planting and Reforestation Programme.
This sapling will have pride of place for years to come, marking the start of the track to climb the hill above Lidgard House and Smelting House Bay.
The Kawau Tree Planting and Reforestation Programme is part of our 150th Legacy Project on Kawau Island. This includes pest control, land clearing, installation of walking tracks and replanting of native trees. This is an effort to contribute to the longevity of the environments and native bird life in which RNZYS members use and enjoy.
You can join John and purchase a native sapling and a plaque, to ensure your support of the RNZYS is recognised for generations to come.
Excited to support a great summer of sailing, including the RNZYS and the Auckland Anniversary Regatta!
Official Sponsor of
Above: Defiance is an ocean-capable, economic cruiser. Opposite: The elegant saloon as entertained a Who’s Who of celebrities and VIPs.
Defiance has served the RNZYS with honour and distinction
Flicking through the guest book aboard Defiance, Colin Carran recalls some of the memorable occasions and people associated with his 21-year ownership of the 17.2m motoryacht.
Defiance has been a great servant of the RNZYS, as Committee Boat for several major events including the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race, countless Squadron championships, Fiji races, Young 88 nationals and the like.
During the lead-up to the 2003 Cup defence in Auckland, Defiance was on station for 56 days running practice starts and races for Team New Zealand. “We saw some pretty dramatic close-up action during those sessions,” he recalls.
Defiance also bore witness as Committee Boat to scenes better forgotten as the defence subsequently unravelled in heavy breeze while the Swiss Alinghi crew swept to America’s Cup victory.
Among the guests Defiance has entertained on different occasions were New Zealand Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae, foreign ambassadors and diplomats, supermodel Cindy Crawford, Bruno Trouble and Christine Belanger from Louis Vuitton, various Auckland City and New Zealand Government politicians and officials, China Cup delegates and other VIPs.
During the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, which filled the hiatus between America’s Cups while Alinghi and Oracle waged their court battles and the 2010 Deed of Gift Match, Defiance served as Committee Boat for the two Auckland regattas.
At one stage, the fleet was at Rangitoto during a long postponement waiting for the wind. To fill the idle hour, Carran, decked out in his formal Squadron whites, picked up a fishing rod, tossed a line overboard and immediately hooked into a decent-sized kingfish.
This drew the attention of bored international media in various RIBs, who drew close to record the contest. Their astonishment only grew when Carran deftly landed the fish, Supermodel Cindy Crawford.
held it aloft for the photographers – and then casually removed the hook and returned it to the sea, underlining the notion of New Zealand as a bountiful paradise.
“On another occasion, we had the Lex Pistols, not to be confused with the Sex Pistols on board,” Carran recalls with a laugh. “For some reason, they described themselves as the only legal jazz band in New Zealand.
“We went down to Motuihe for the Squadron Picnic and when we got back to the dock, the trombone player was so merry, he dropped his instrument in the water. We had to hire a diver to recover it. It was worth a fortune.”
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