The only specialised marine publication in Oceania that focuses on the maritime industry, from super yachts to small craft to large commercial ships, including coastal shipping, tugs, tow boats, barges, ferries, tourist, sport-fishing craft
Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/63646
jumped ship and next thing he and Keith were running St Vincent for Jim Trubuhovich. St Vincent was a nice looking 49ft WG Lowe seiner that was by this time converted to a trawler. Not long after they had taken command they decided to go further afield and fish on the West Coast as they had heard the fishing was very good. However there was not much shelter to run for in foul weather and they had taken on board some of the stories from other crews who had been caught out. Not a good place on a rough day in a little narrow fishing boat. were WG ted en eld rd re ul me n y They decided to give it a go but they needed another crew member. When they were loading ice soon after this discussion a chap was looking over the wharf. Keith made eye contact and greeted him with, "Gidday". "Any jobs available?" the stranger asked. Keith started a conversation with him and he said he was a baker by trade and had no sea experience. They took him on. His name was Jack Rumble. Keith states, "We could have not asked for a better mix of crew, we all got along just fine." y or a better mix of Simms. They got into conversation and Jack They got into conversation and Jack Keith had one shortfall: on the first day out he was often seasick and didn't get his sea legs until the following day. So they set off and steamed around North Cape and False Cape to Ninety Mile Beach where they did their first shot. In no time they had filled the boat and they were steaming for Onehunga with their old Kelvin K4, 88hp ticking away at 750rpm. When they got there the bar was steaming, there was no way they could cross, so they stood off for two days. They talked about running down the coast to New Plymouth or even Nelson. In the end they decided to go back around the top. By this time the weather was turning very bad and as night fell it was Keith's watch. Where the tides from the west met the east it was very confused and it was not getting any better as they went on. Keith recalls having to bring the throttle back each time they ran down a big swell. This went on for hours and at times he thought they were not going to make it home. Religious thoughts and praying occupied his mind. Wally and Jack were so fatigued they lay on the wheelhouse floor moaning with discomfort. They were in no shape to do their two-hour watch. To this day Keith does not know how he did it, but he helmed her all the way to Russell. "Instinct just took over, I was in a trance," he said. He has extremely high respect for St Vincent's seaworthy ability: "Simply a great boat and that old Kelvin never missed a beat." They worked the west coast more and they were all averaging £130 pay every eight days, simply huge money in those days, but they were working for it. All good fun for young men! They fished the west coast often and Keith remembers discharging one particular catch at Onehunga only to learn that Sanfords had deducted a fee of one shilling per basket for transport off their payment! Just mentioning their equipment: they had no radar, just an ex-aircraft P6 compass, a Marlin Skipper ship-to- shore radio, and a good set of charts. During this time Keith sat and passed his certificate of competency as a coastal engineer. In March 1952 Keith married Inez Subritzky, and with his life heading in a different direction he did not enjoy being a way from home. He did another two months with the boys on the St Vincent and on the way home from Tokomaru Bay told Wally that his fishing days were over. Weeks later he was walking across Quay Street in front of the Ferry building when he met an old engineering friend, Jack told him he had just resigned as an engineer with the Devonport Steam Ferry Company, and that was going to be chief engineer on the Melva, one of the wooden coasters built by United Ship Builders Ltd during the war. She had been sold off to Winstones and was doing local coastal work. "That will do me," said Keith, "I will apply for your job." He got Jack's job on the spot. At first he was only employed as a holiday relief engineer on various ferries and then he did six weeks full time when the SS Kestrel was converted to diesel power. They installed a new six-cylinder Crossley diesel at Chas Bailey's slip for an all up cost of £54,000. Keith became permanent engineer on the MV Alex Alison, one of DSFC's later vehicular ferries. He was there for seven years. However he did do a short stint on the MV Korea, the composite vehicular ferry built by Percy Vos and Segar Bros after she lost a car and its driver was drowned at Birkenhead. Keith did the sad final trip on Alex Alison on her last crossing back to Freemans Bay, berthing her for the very last time as the Auckland Harbour Bridge opened in 1958. Keith went ashore and joined New Zealand Railways as a diesel specialist at Otahuhu for a short time, and then used his extensive marine engineering knowledge when the drainage board and the ARA were building the Mangere Sewerage Treatment Station on the Manukau Harbour. As with previous chapters in his life, he applied simple, good, common sense and created many ground breaking developments for the project. He even sat his Master, Restricted River Limits ticket while they were dredging the area. Keith also was asked by the ARA to control the quality of the huge concrete pipes and other manufactured items for this project and many of his ideas are still used in the industry do day. Word got around about his practical and open mind and in September 1978 he was made a Registered Engineering Associate of the Mechanical Engineering Engineers, by the Engineers Associates Registration Board. Most people who achieve this award are university trained mechanical or civil engineers. He was even asked to move to Australia by Transfield Engineering but refused, as he would have missed sailing and the Hauraki Gulf too much. Keith retired in 1987, not a bad effort for a young Parnell boy with an open mind who just loves mucking around in boats. Well done mate! May/June 2012 Professional Skipper 27 The crew at Kia Ora Engineering late 1940's L/R Mr Tomlinson, Keith Peachey, Henry Ashton, Ray New, Bill Pardy, George Gates.