Waiheke’s teenagers need you to get involved
Become a Mate of the Kate and get a chance to sail on her.
With all her winter maintenance done, Waiheke’s own historic trading cutter is fully ready for her repurposed role – as a sail training vessel for Waiheke’s teenagers.
Kate Sailing Programme Summer 2026
For each sailing we can take up to 6 crew in addition to the skipper and mate.
If you would like to come, or know someone – particularly teenagers 14 and over – who would like to come, please contact Bernard by email, bernard.rhodes@gmail.com.
All sailings are free. Bring your lunch.
To book another day for a small group, contact Bernard. Sailing is possible from 3 hours before high tide to 2 hours after high tide. Tide tables for Auckland are free on the Coastguard app or at Met Service.
- Sunday 11th January 11.30 am – 4.00 pm.
- Friday 6th February Waitangi Day thank you sail with Flying Carpet, 09.30-4.00
- Saturday 7th February 09.30 – 1.30 Meet at the end of Wharf Rd. Return to Causeway.
- Saturday 21st February 09.00 – 12.30
- Saturday 28th February 3.00pm – 6,30 pm.
- Saturday 7th March 0900 – 12.30
- Sunday 22nd March 0900 – 12,30
- Good Friday 3rd April 09.30 possible Easter cruise.
- Saturday 11th April 10.00 – 2,30
- Saturday 25th April 11.30 – 15.30
- To book a sail contact Bernard email bernard,rhodes@gmail.com mob. 027 228 1334.
Activities & topics for learning
If it’s too windy or rainy to go sailing, we meet on board for lunch and then learn and practise some of these essential maritime skills:
- Safety aboard and explanation of Man Overboard drill.
- Rope work – belaying, swigging, coiling, knots, handling the mainsheet.
- Dinghy rowing – style, trim, coming alongside, boarding.
- Chart work – latitude and longitude, buoys and beacons, passage planning.
- Swimming, dinghy capsize drill.
- Hoisting the dinghy on board, and launching it.
- Clouds and how they affect weather
- Winds and tides – how they affect weather
- Mooring and anchoring
Join the Mates of the Historic Cutter Kate
As the Kate lies on her Waiheke mooring just off the Causeway, she adds classic beauty and interest to the harbour, – a valuable part of our maritime heritage and a reminder of how things used to be.
Now that the Kate is fully restored and in service, the question arises – how best to utilise her?
Her New Future
She is asking us to take her sailing in her new role as a vehicle for maritime education. She has so much to teach us. The short film we have made shows the fun and excitement of the challenges aboard, safely learning the ropes.
The Way Forward
To keep the Kate going we need to pay a professional part-time skipper and when funds permit, get her surveyed for commercial use. There are several qualified skippers living on the Island, but they need to be paid for their time in taking on the responsibility.
Help us Spread the Benefits
In seeking regular donors, we know you will ask what are the benefits? You may have any of several motivations to donate and we would like to hear them. My own motivation has been the satisfaction of doing work I love, passing on my knowledge to younger generations and making an investment in the future in an uncertain world.
I would like to reach out to more young people, typically 14 to 16 years old, including those who would not otherwise have a chance to go sailing, by making it a free, safe environment for them to challenge and learn about themselves.
How Will You Benefit?
By joining Mates of the Kate club, you can meet and chat with several of our donors who like to go sailing on her themselves – for the joy of it and to learn traditional seamanship skills.
Now that we have a pool of competent crew, we can take guests on our regular day sails and our annual ‘thank you sail’ in company with other Mates’ boats.
In the spring we restart the programme of day and evening sails, to suit the tides and weather!
More Fun on Land?
As well as the sailing instruction, how about creating a social side to the club? There must be many sailors on the Island with stories to tell and pictures to share. We will meet at the Waiheke Boating Club for a BYO supper once or twice over the winter.
If someone has the time and skills to organise a bigger fund-raising event, for a specific purpose (such as Maritime New Zealand certification), that could happen too.
So, Who’s In?
We have been blessed with several staunch supporters throughout the restoration, some of whom continue to contribute regularly. At present we have two at $10 a month, one at $100 a month, and one at $2,000 annually. Any amount you can add to that will be greatly valued, giving us a stable income.
Donations are tax deductible, so effectively what you donate is two thirds of what we get.
The more you can give, the better job we can do for our young people.
We are aiming for $15,000 per annum.
Welcome aboard!
Bernard Rhodes
MRINA Member Royal Institution of Naval Architects