Frances
Jib
Staysail
Flying Jib
Topsail
The Classic Yacht Frances was designed by Arch Logan and built by Logan Brothers in 1906 at St Mary's Bay. She was designed as a snapper fishing boat with a broad beam and open hold for that purpose. For the first two years she was owned by an Auckland Storekeeper and sold to Robert Shakespear of Whangaparaoa in 1908 who used her as a 'farm to market' transporter. The Shakespeare family owned her until 1991. Anson Shakespear, Robert's son, said they could get nine bales of wool below decks and as much as four tonnes of cement. At the height of the season Frances would carry up to 600 large watermelons from the family farm to the market in Auckland and hence became known as the 'Watermelon' boat.
Construction is three skins of kauri, two opposing diagonal over longitudinal stringers and the outer skin laid fore and aft. She displaces seven tonnes and combines a fixed keel and internal lead ballast. Robert Shakespeare's son, also Robert but known as Bob, was an apprentice with Logan Brothers in the mid 1900's and worked on Frances when she was being built. Bob skippered Frances until 1975 when she was passed to his son Anson.
Marine surveyor John Harrison, reporting on Frances for Mrs Verna Shakespear in September 1991, said in a covering letter: "I found her to be in good condition, without significant defects. Indeed she is exceptional for her age and it was particularly pleasing to be asked to express an opinion of a vessel of her type which has obviously been well looked after and has not been subjected to all manner of ill-advised modifications as is so often the case. I hope that if she is to be sold the purchaser will be selected with great care as she is unique and irreplaceable."
In 1991 Frances moved to the care of Auckland brothers Paul and Adam Cato and was moored in the Weiti river. They proved to be just the kind of owners John Harrison had in mind for Frances. They carried out a major refurbishment of the yacht late in 1999, including refastening the topsides and giving her a new deck and deck beams. Frances regularly took part in heritage and classic regattas and cruised the Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Islands.
In 2004 the Cato Family gifted her to the Classic Yacht Charitable Trust. Their generous action means that the yacht will continue to generate the sort of public profile her heritage deserves.
Maintenance programmes
Considering her age, Frances' fundamental condition is good and she is maintained by a group of dedicated volunteers. In 2012 her spars underwent restoration in Neil Forresters shed in Cockle Bay. Her mast was restored, with new rigging attached and revarnished in the Percy Vos shed in Hamer Street Wynyard Quarter. Her mast was restepped on the 22nd January 2013 at the Viaduct Harbour.
From May to June 2022 Frances underwent a compehensive maintenance programme by Wayne Olsen at Horizon Boats Ltd in Stillwater. Works comprised largely reparing hull damage and rudder repairs involving; some planking replacement due to toledo worm damage; splining and fairing portions of the hull; fitting additional strengthening floors on the interior; removing and repairing the rudder timbers. The engine was removed, refurbished and painted;rot repaired around shaft log; copper shaft tube replaced with fibreglass and the engine bay cleaned sanded and repainted. A small team of volunteers led by Derek Knight assisted with the works and varnishing of the mast and spars and Iain Valentine and team carried out the de-rigging, re-rigging.
Where to view Frances
Frances is currently berthed at the New Zealand Maritime Museum as an active on water display for public viewing and regularly competes with the steadily growing fleet of gaff rigged boats on the Waitemata and Hauraki Gulf.
Frances is a protected New Zealand antique under the Protected Objects Act 1975
Frances photo gallery http://www.classicyachtcharitabletrust.org.nz/gallery.htm?gallery_id=37