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COASTAL CHARACTERS FROM STUDENT TO MASTER OF THE TRAWL: THE MISA STORY – PART 2 BY BADEN PASCOE, PHOTOS FROM THE RONI MISA COLLECTION became an absolute crack seine boat skipper. But the owner had one problem, no fishing licence. These were quite hard to obtain at this time and to add more problems, the Marine Department would not recognise the Danish skipper's ticket in New Zealand waters. Tom and Karl Misa got wind of this situation and ended up with two-thirds of the shares in the Olympia. At first this boat seemed far larger than what they wanted but it did not take long for them to realise the benefits of a big boat. They started trawling with her from the outset and from photographs it looks like they moved her for'ard gallows to the port aft side and converted her deck gear to suit. Trawling in Auckland was a relatively new method of fishing and at first there were many things to learn. They fished the Hauraki Gulf, Coromandel Peninsula and the Bay of Plenty. While all this was going on it was a very interesting time for L ooking back, sometimes unfortunate events turn into opportunities and all sorts of things that form a great platform for the future. In June 1951, the 64ft (19.5m) Danish fishing boat Olympia steamed into the Waitemata Harbour after a voyage of 19,000 miles and 86 days. She carried a crew of 11 men who had paid their passage to a future in New Zealand. Her huge fish hold was transformed into a temporary bunkhouse and the crew had this goodlooking fishing boat gleaming by the time she berthed on the inner side of Princes Wharf. I would imagine she created a huge amount of interest on the waterfront, as there was no other boat of her design in New Zealand. She was also one of the largest wooden fishing vessels in Auckland, if not the largest. She was fitted out for both trawling and seining with trawl gallows on her starboard side and other deck gear to handle seine ropes and nets. Another unusual feature was her giant twin-cylinder 175hp (130.5kW) Ideal diesel engine, as this motor had a very innovative starting system. Rather than the traditional kerosene blowlamp on each head to preheat the combustion chamber, the Ideal's starter consisted of a shotgun-type cartridge inserted into a little chamber on each head. I don't know how these were ignited, but in cold conditions they were lit via a wick and then inserted, thus creating a hot spot in each cylinder. By the time the air start was employed the chambers were hot enough to create combustion for the diesel and the engine started. dge old ed, he re Like most Danish fishing boats, these monsters only ran at about 300rpm, had a huge flywheel l and surprisingly a clutch, but no reversing gear . Instead, it had a Hundested variable-pitch two- blade propeller. (152.5mm diameter, no reduction set!) Her owner was a Mr Strandbygaard-Nyborg, aged 36, and the second mate was Svend Larsen, brother of Aksel Larsen, who later 26 Professional Skipper March/April 2012 nd s Tom's oldest boy, young Roni Misa, and he was soon doing trips on the boat during school holidays and eventually working on board with Tom. Later on, other skippers were employed, including Charlie Marks, Bill Jennings, Doug Munro and Ken Turner (ex Norman McLeod). All of them were great teachers, as Roni explained to me. "They had various strengths required to run a good trawler." In 1964, Roni went to the old nautical school situated at the top of the Ferry Building. If his memory is correct, he gained his Home Trade Fishing Masters ticket, No. 7 and then unrepentantly became the skipper of the Olympia. From what I have been told by fellow skippers who know him, he had a huge appetite to learn everything he could to be the very best in his game. He was fortunate to have Sanford's net maker/ skipper Bill Morris teach him how to make his own trawling gear and nets, thus furthering his knowledge. From here the Olympia fished the East Cape tarakihi grounds and the Bay of Plenty, the Hauraki Gulf, the eastern coast of Northland and down the west coast as far south as Cook Strait, working out of both Onehunga and Auckland. In 1953, when the Olympia was skippered by Tom Misa, they broke the crank on the old Ideal off Lottin Point, near East Cape while outward bound on a trip to the East Cape fishing grounds. She had to be towed back to Auckland by Fabian y A young Roni Misa on the winch off Spirits Bay on the Olympia in 1963 The Olympia during her sea trials in 1963