Sand Yacht Story

The Sand Yacht.

The Story as I Knew it.

The Sand Yacht was built in the late 1920s

In the late 1920s a party of Woolworths Staff in three or four cars came out to Ocean Beach for a staff picnic, being a hot day some were in their togs or very light clothing.
Arriving at the beach & seeing the tide was out decided to drive their cars onto the beach.
While swimming in the sea they didn’t realise the tide had turned & was on it’s way in. By the time they got to the cars it was too late, the cars were stuck fast.
It was early evening when they knocked on the door of the Haupouri Homestead door for help.
A call to Hastings was made with cars coming to their aid.

A bright thought came to my Father and his brother Ian .

The cars had to be removed from the beach which was no easy task, in doing so with the dismantling the thought of a Sand Yacht was born.
A chassis, steering wheel & 4 wheels, the sails were made by Piper & Son in Napier, the mast & gaff were made of oragon [Oregon] Pine.
There were many trips up and down the beach, until on [one] day on turning to go the other way it tipped over in a heavy gust of wind, with the mast broken the Yacht was pulled up into the sand dunes to stay.

The mast & sail were packed up & stored up on the rafters of the Haupouri Station woolshed were [where] it is today.

Michael Gordon The Son.