YACHT VIKING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22540, 3 October 1936, Page 15

YACHT VIKING

RECENT OVERHAUL OLD COLOUR SCHEME NAVY TAKES POSSESSION Reminiscent of some of tho stately English vessels,'one of Auckland's bestn known yachts, the Viking, was seen to [«. advantage on the slipway of W. G. ,t Lowe and Sons yesterday afternoon. Tho Viking, which was recently press sented by tho Mayor of Auckland, Mr. <t Ernest Davis, to the New Zealand •- Division of tho Royal Navy, will bo taken to the naval base at Devonport t this morning. v Yachtsmen of recent years remember a the Viking as a shapely white hull. She t was originally painted black, and it is •- this colour which the naval officers n have chosen for her once more. Her t topsides arc finished in glossy black, her r | waterline of green forms a striking con- ' ! trast, while her keel and lower hull are v of the usual red. A ribbon of gold runi- ning her fujj length, some few inches f below the gunwale, accentuates her s graceful sheer. By far the most effective piece on the v yacht, however, is her Viking figurct head. Yielding to the expert touch of a '■ naval painter, this fine carving has assumed a delicacy of pose and expres--2 sion which would grace the stem of any ! > vessel. Flowing aft of the Viking head 0 i on either bow is the legendary fish of the Viking, also a work of art. The carving of the head was done for Air. Davis some time ago by Mr. W. Andrews and Mr. G. H. Resdon. The j finished work was the result of much | careful research, and it is exactly pro- ; portioned. The deck, running gear and rigging fc of the Viking have not yet been ats tended to, but this work will be done 1 while the craft is lying at special moorS ings laid down yesterday near the 1 battle practice target. It is intended " to have her in sailing trim at the open--3 ing of the yachting season. Built by Charles Bailey and Son, ' Limited, to the order of the Bloom field brothers, of Judge's Bay, the Viking c was launched in November, 1893. With a length of 67ft., beam 12ft., and draught 9ft., she rates as one of Auckland's largest yachts. Although originally rigged and raced as a cutter, the Viking has recently been sailed as a yawl.