The Titiroa after launching being assisted up the channel by RJ tenders and piloted by Mike Molineux
An examination of the depth of the river at the launch site indicated they would have barely a few hundred millimetres under the rudders.
Prior to the launch, Real Journeys' Te Anau engineering team checked the water depth using a makeshift survey raft cobbled together using kayaks to imitate the Titiroa's width and draft, as she is significantly larger and heavier than any other vessel operating on the lake.
Assisted by Mike Molineux of Adventure Manapouri, they surveyed the river to find a channel that would allow her to come up the river. The launch team also practised manoeuvring trials with large catamarans being pulled by two tender craft. Despite these precautions, the river level was still falling and the channel became tighter by the day. Once on the site, the two large cranes lifted the Titiroa's stern into the water. When two-thirds of the vessel was floating, the cranes then picked up the bow and lifted it in. "The toughest part was making sure it wasn't going to disturb either the river bank or any of the river's inhabitants. We made sure there was no machinery in the river at any time, and the boat was lifted cleanly into the water," says Brian.
The wharves at both ends of Lake Manapouri were also upgraded and extended to cater for her arrival. This necessitated constructing a new 50m steel box pontoon jetty at Pearl Harbour and a floating extension to the wharf at West Arm.
E-Type Engineering of Invercargill began constructing these in February 2011 and they were completed in August, ahead of the due start date for the Titiroa of January, 2012. The new jetty replaced a steel tube floating jetty, which had had multiple extensions and modifications to suit the changing fleet. Because of the isolated nature of the experience in an area noted to go from hot to cold, and with more wet days than dry, it was important to ensure passengers remained comfortable at all times. To assist in this, the Titiroa has double-glazed windows to regulate the inside temperature efficiently and help prevent the windows from fogging up, a problem sometimes caused by Fiordland's unique weather.
"Creating an air gap between the glass acts as a thermal buffer, so even in the worst conditions and with a full complement of 138 passengers, the powerful airconditioning should clear the windows within minutes," said Real Journeys' naval architect, Drew Bryant. The double-glazing also ensures the passage across Lake Manapouri is as quiet as possible. LED lighting throughout makes her more energy-efficient and recycling facilities are on board. Economical "hand sweepers" have been installed for drying hands instead of paper towels and crockery is used instead of paper cups. The Titiroa was designed with three priorities in mind. Real Journeys wanted to maximise passengers' experience of the outside environment. Incat Crowther has implemented
Clipper IV
ES8
Mararoa I
Titiroa CREATORS OF CUSTOM ALUMINIUM PASSENGER FERRIES, FISHING VESSELS AND PLEASURE CRAFT March/April 2012 Professional Skipper 13
PHOTO BY LAWRENCE CHRISTIE
