About the ship

Welcoming Rainbow Warrior III

Posted on Jan 11, 2013 in About the ship, Special Interest | Comments Off

On 9th January 2013, the  new Rainbow Warrior arrived at Matauri Bay to pay respects to the original Rainbow Warrior sunk by the French back in 1985. She now lies off the Cavalli Islands, and Ngati Kura are her kaitiaki (guardians). As kaitiaki of the original vessel it was only fitting that they blessed the new Rainbow Warrior to continue the work of Greenpeace.

A family reunion

Posted on Dec 18, 2012 in About the ship, Trust | Comments Off

We had a special family reunion on board today! Tucker Thompson’s two daughters Kelly and Karuna, along with Karuna’s husband and children, came sailing with us. It’s been over 12 years since they stepped on board the ship that bears their father’s name and they were impressed with the amount of work that’s been done over the past 5 years or so to keep the ship in good condition.

Sadly Tod wasn’t on board today but we all remarked on the family likeness. And although Tod wasn’t there we did have Riley Harris, Russell Harris’s son on board. A  Tucker whanau reunion!!

Unfortunately the weather didn’t play ball and it was rather damp for the best part of the day, although the sun put in an appearance towards the end fortunately.

A very special gift

Posted on Nov 28, 2012 in About the ship, Trust | 1 comment

Yesterday we were given an amazing gift, a true taonga or treasure!

Norm and Donna Lewis are regular visitors to the Bay and friends of the ship who often sail with us. Donna’s Dad grew up here in the Bay, sailing down the Kawakawa River, before he headed off to Auckland but his family still live here. As a child, she regularly visited and although she and Norm live in Queensland, she hopes one day to return here to live. Norm is a scrimshaw carver, very talented and seems quite at home here too! He has been supplying Captain Uncle Steve with beautiful scrimshaw necklaces with a picture of the ship carved on recycled ivory piano keys, as well as sperm whale teeth from whales that have died from natural causes.

They have presented us with an amazing sperm whale tooth that Norm has specially carved for us and mounted on Australian hardwood timber. It is ours to auction, present to someone special or leave on board. We’ve yet to decide.

In the meantime, they are also supplying us with scrimshaw necklaces for sale on board so if you want to buy one, check out our merchandise page. They are all individually carved, each one is unique and they are very special.

Visit to Little Munro Bay

Posted on Oct 22, 2012 in About the ship, Special Interest | 2 comments

This Labour Weekend’s trip to Little Munro Bay was a momentous milestone in the Tucker’s logbook. After Robert Tucker Thompson’s untimely death in 1978, our ship’s hull laid unfinished here for four years. Russell Harris and Tucker’s son, Tod, famously moved the hull to Mangawhai and built it into the ship we know and love today. After 30 years and much adventuring around the world, the Pacific and New Zealand’s waters, the R Tucker Thompson made her first return visit to this, her conceptual and spiritual home.

Having fun in Whangarei

Posted on Oct 20, 2012 in About the ship, Special Interest | 1 comment

Well, we have been having heaps of fun in Whangarei this week! Whangarei Heads School children turned up all dressed as pirates (awesome, guys), our coffee run was with brisk sou’westerlies so we screamed down the harbour at over 9 knots, and last night’s sail with the team at Northport was great fun as well. If you haven’t booked your Christmas party, it’s not too late as we still have a few dates available.

The Tucker comes to Whangarei!

Posted on Oct 12, 2012 in About the ship, Trust | 1 comment

Come Sailing on a Square Rig!

Join Northland’s own tall ship on her visit to the Whangarei Harbour

Whangarei 16-24 October 2012

A number of opportunities to join the R. Tucker Thompson on one of our Harbour sailings!

Available sailings:

“Coffee Run” – 9.30-11.30am Friday 19 October 2012 @ $20 ***  FULL ***

“Sunday Sail” 1-3pm 21 October 2012 @ $20 ** * FULL ***

“2 Hour Charters”  – 4-6pm – min 30x pax –$20

Book Now:
info@tucker.co.nz or ph 0800 TUCKER

Bending the Mains’l

Posted on Sep 20, 2012 in About the ship | 1 comment

Our new Mains’l  arrived a couple of weeks ago, but rather than put it on straight away, we wanted to getting the blacking of the standing rig to dry properly to prevent tar getting on the new canvas and well as replace some of the leather chafe gear to protect the new sail. So yesterday Captain Uncle Steve took it down to the ship and what a beautiful clean, creamy large sail it is!

Maintenance complete: phew!

Posted on Sep 4, 2012 in About the ship | 1 comment

As always it was a massive effort getting maintenance finished in time for the first youth voyage of spring. This year was no exception but it did appear that the work had been completed …. a far cry from 2010 when we ran out of time to reinstate the aft seating and they set to sea with no seats behind the helm!

We had limited funds this year but we seem to have done an amazing amount of work given the money available and some wonderful help from a number of volunteers. Here’s what’s been achieved: