Foster Price
05-25-2006, 05:56 AM
Hello Folks
This is a long story, but rather a nice one I think. In the late 1950s a young New Zealander commenced building a William Atkins designed “Ingrid” as his dream ship. She was built to a very high standard (using local timbers and a few involuntary “donations” from the larger corporations of the day !!). She was gaff rigged, had a junker 5 hp engine, and was very basic below. The vessel was named the “Tuarangi”
Anyhow by the early 1960’s Jack Crooks (the builder and skipper) had set off from New Zealand to “circumnavigate” accompanied by three other kiwi lads. They had a lot of adventures (remember this was the very early days of cruising), were welcomed everywhere they went, and made a lot of friends.
One of the Kiwis decided to leave the Tuarangi in the Caribbean. His place was soon taken up by a young American ex marine, by the name of Tom Clark. Tom accompanied them through the Panama canal, and across the Pacific (visiting many of the island groups on the way) back to New Zealand. When Tom came across the Tuarangi she was flying a very homemade courtesy flag of the USA. One of Tom’s first actions was to lend the ship an American flag so she could fly it with pride. Apparently Jack allowed Tom to fly “his flag” from the Tuarangi on suitable occasions during the voyage home.
At the conclusion of the voyage Tom returned to the USA and settled in Essex where he opened a sailmaking loft, which I believe is still around today. He left his Flag with Jack as a token of his appreciation, and appreciated it has been, Jack still has it, more than 40 years later. Jack was awarded New Zealand’s “Blue Water Medal” (very rarely awarded), in recognition of the voyage, the second circumnavigation by a NZ yacht.
Jack sold the Tuarangi but she is still around today, now with a Bermudian rig, and still making the some significant cruises around our NZ coasts.
Jack is now well past “three score and ten” while Tom has passed “over the bar”. Jack is making what will be his first and last visit to the USA (the voyage in the 60’s did not include Europe or North America) in the next few months with his daughter. This will be the trip of a lifetime for Jack, he has lived and breathed wooden boats all his life, and is now going to see the places like Mystic, Halifax, Lunenburg, New Foundland, Greenwich, Douarnenez and Risor that figure so prominently in wooden boat lore.
Jack would be very very annoyed if he knew I was doing this (he is a reserved man of quite modest means), but I feel from what I have read of American folk that someone may like to become a part of this story.
He is visiting Mystic Seaport around 4th July and mentioned the other day that he would like to “return Tom’s flag”. To the best of my knowledge Jack never had any relationship with Tom’s family, and doesn’t intend (I think) to meet them. However given the story I was wondering if any of “our wooden boat” people in the New York/Boston/Connecticut/Mystic area could meet with Jack and maybe arrange for Toms family or a suitable club or organization to receive the flag??
Looking forward to hearing your ideas
This is a long story, but rather a nice one I think. In the late 1950s a young New Zealander commenced building a William Atkins designed “Ingrid” as his dream ship. She was built to a very high standard (using local timbers and a few involuntary “donations” from the larger corporations of the day !!). She was gaff rigged, had a junker 5 hp engine, and was very basic below. The vessel was named the “Tuarangi”
Anyhow by the early 1960’s Jack Crooks (the builder and skipper) had set off from New Zealand to “circumnavigate” accompanied by three other kiwi lads. They had a lot of adventures (remember this was the very early days of cruising), were welcomed everywhere they went, and made a lot of friends.
One of the Kiwis decided to leave the Tuarangi in the Caribbean. His place was soon taken up by a young American ex marine, by the name of Tom Clark. Tom accompanied them through the Panama canal, and across the Pacific (visiting many of the island groups on the way) back to New Zealand. When Tom came across the Tuarangi she was flying a very homemade courtesy flag of the USA. One of Tom’s first actions was to lend the ship an American flag so she could fly it with pride. Apparently Jack allowed Tom to fly “his flag” from the Tuarangi on suitable occasions during the voyage home.
At the conclusion of the voyage Tom returned to the USA and settled in Essex where he opened a sailmaking loft, which I believe is still around today. He left his Flag with Jack as a token of his appreciation, and appreciated it has been, Jack still has it, more than 40 years later. Jack was awarded New Zealand’s “Blue Water Medal” (very rarely awarded), in recognition of the voyage, the second circumnavigation by a NZ yacht.
Jack sold the Tuarangi but she is still around today, now with a Bermudian rig, and still making the some significant cruises around our NZ coasts.
Jack is now well past “three score and ten” while Tom has passed “over the bar”. Jack is making what will be his first and last visit to the USA (the voyage in the 60’s did not include Europe or North America) in the next few months with his daughter. This will be the trip of a lifetime for Jack, he has lived and breathed wooden boats all his life, and is now going to see the places like Mystic, Halifax, Lunenburg, New Foundland, Greenwich, Douarnenez and Risor that figure so prominently in wooden boat lore.
Jack would be very very annoyed if he knew I was doing this (he is a reserved man of quite modest means), but I feel from what I have read of American folk that someone may like to become a part of this story.
He is visiting Mystic Seaport around 4th July and mentioned the other day that he would like to “return Tom’s flag”. To the best of my knowledge Jack never had any relationship with Tom’s family, and doesn’t intend (I think) to meet them. However given the story I was wondering if any of “our wooden boat” people in the New York/Boston/Connecticut/Mystic area could meet with Jack and maybe arrange for Toms family or a suitable club or organization to receive the flag??
Looking forward to hearing your ideas