Dreams ahoy sailing the Hauraki Gulf

GEORGE BUTLER steps aboard Ranui and is made to feel like a king.

Trawler, spy ship, royal yacht, oyster dredger ... Ranui has been all these and more since it was built in 1936. Now "dream boat" can be added to the CV.

The 72ft ketch plies the waters of the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Islands through the summer, offering day, weekend or week-long charter trips.

Guests can relax and be pampered, go walking on a gulf island, swim or windsurf, all in the company of like-minded people who love the sea and the sight and feel of a classic boat under sail. All trips are tailored to guests' needs, though many have no desire for a fixed itinerary.

"Generally people like getting out, getting away, relaxing, seeing what we get on the day," says Richard Allen, who owns Ranui with his partner of 20 years, Liane Farry.

Allen's CV is as impressive as his boat's: trawlerman, Olympic yachtsman, marine lawyer, anti-nuclear activist, even TV personality. Boats and the sea have been his passion since childhood. He bought Ranui in 1996 and spent nearly two years - and a lot of money - restoring it.

It is now home to Allen, Farry and their two sons.

"Richard's living the dream," says Farry, who left the family home in Aramoana and sold her Dunedin restaurant in January to concentrate on the charter business.

The 70-tonne Ranui sleeps 14 in five double and four single beds. All the cabins are beautifully appointed and several have en suite bathrooms.

During the America's Cup it catered for 40 in comfort on day sails.

We joined Ranui at Westhaven at noon on a blustery Saturday for a cruise that was to last until the following evening.

Organised groups often charter Ranui, though as often as not the boat can be full of couples or small parties who have never met.

Rain threatened and the Waitemata Harbour looked less than inviting as we set off toward Rangitoto. Farry reassured us as she offered a glass of sauvignon blanc. "It's a very safe boat," she said. "You can go into very rough water and it feels stable."

She was right, of course, and by the time we anchored off Islington Bay we were all relaxed and ready for the beautiful lunch she had prepared, of fettucine and salad, helped along with a little more wine.

We sailed on for Waiheke and found an empty bay. Allen took us ashore in the dinghy and we wandered the quiet beach. Jimmy, the Chilean crew, prised oysters from the rocks and we ate them as we watched a gannet diving for its meal. It was hard to believe we were so close to the city.

The wind changed direction and we needed to find somewhere more sheltered for the night, so Allen took us on a short cruise to Omaru Bay. There we feasted on chillied scallops, whitebait fritters, smoked marlin and hapuka.

After an evening of chat and laughter, with the lights of Auckland twinkling in the distance, it was to bed for a good night's sleep before waking to the smell of bacon.

Then it was off again, cruising to Rakino Island, where we anchored for a couple of hours of swimming and "skurfing" - attempting to ski on a windsurfing board. The sight of a small blue penguin metres from the boat came as a surprise.

Fishing rods and wetsuits are kept on board and guests can arrange to use a Hobie catamaran or 12ft sailing dinghy. "We like to supply everything - even the suntan lotion," says Allen.

After a fine meal of halal lamb, hummus and tabouli - Farry is Lebanese - and a beer or two from the well-stocked bar, e Ranui sailed off in bright sunshine and a 12-knot breeze.

With all four sails aloft it is like a craft from another age.

Ranui - or Bright Sun - was built of kauri and totara on Stewart Island by a Norwegian whaling captain along the lines of a traditional Norwegian pilot ketch. It worked in the rough waters of Foveaux Strait, freighting fish to Bluff and sometimes taking tourists around Fiordland.

In 1941 it was requisitioned by the Government to take supplies and personnel to remote coast-watching stations, keep an eye out for enemy vessels and to perform other, mysterious, duties.

When Allen bought Ranui it had been laid up for several years. He set to work. Ranui was redecked in Malaysian hardwood, and cabins and a wheelhouse were built. The air-conditioned saloon was lined with polished teak and kauri.

The result is a craft that attracts attention even in the boat-filled Waitemata.

* George Butler was a guest of Ranui South Pacific Charters.

* Whole boat charter (includes everything except catering and drinks): three hours, $1050; four hours, $1295; whole day (seven hours), $1995; overnight (24 hours), $2500; weekend $5875 plus gst. Five-day Bay of Islands, $14,000 plus gst. Offshore (subject to duration), $3350 a day. Figures do not include GST

Ranui