MEDIA RELEASE
Friday 9 January 2009

Anniversary gift - prized ride aboard a racing tugboat

Ports of Auckland is offering a prized ride aboard one of its three racing tugboats as an Anniversary gift to Aucklanders.

One winner and a friend will enjoy a ride on reigning champion Daldy when it takes a break from its daily chores of shifting ships to compete in the Oceanbridge Auckland Anniversary Regatta’s Tugboat Race.

In addition to the thrill of zooming across the finish line, the winner will also have the chance to tour and explore the three-story, water-bound workhorse, learning more about the Daldy and its 34 year history at the Port.

To enter the draw, send the keyword ‘Daldy’ with your name, address and contact phone number to tugboat@poal.co.nz or post your entry to Tugboat Race prize draw, c/o Ports of Auckland, PO Box 1281, Auckland.

All entries must be received by 9am Wednesday 21 January 2009. More information and terms and conditions are on the Ports of Auckland website at www.poal.co.nz.

The third annual Tugboat Race starts at 10am on Monday 26 January off North Head. The fleet then will round Narrow Neck Buoy to finish off Torpedo Bay. The best public vantage points are North Head and East Coast Bay beaches.

Following the race, the fleet of tugboats will parade up the Harbour, past Princes Wharf, and the Ports of Auckland tugs will celebrate with a dance and water spraying display. Some of the other participating tugboats will berth in the Viaduct to allow members of the public a closer look.

Daldy will be racing other Port tugs, ‘terrible twins’ Waipapa and Waka Kume, and water-spraying Tamaki – as well as a host of other tugs from through the ages, including former Ports of Auckland steam tug the William C Daldy.

This ‘grandfather’ steam tug, named after the first Chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board, first served Auckland and its Port in 1935 and once helped avert disaster during the construction of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

The main centre section of the bridge was being floated into place when winds, exceeding 40 knots, began to batter the 1200 ton, 580 foot long steel structure. The William C Daldy came to the rescue of the unstable barge and maneuvering boats, providing a sustained pull for 36 hours non-stop to hold the massive bridge section in place until the winds subsided. The mammoth effort required round-the-clock stoking and consumed more than 40 tons of coal.

Visit the William C Daldy Preservation Society, which Ports of Auckland sponsors, at www.daldy.com for more information.

ENDS

Ports of Auckland is New Zealand’s largest container port by volume, handling around 840,000 TEU (20ft-equivalent units) and 3.6 million tonnes of break-bulk (non-containerised) cargo per annum. It is New Zealand’s major import port and a key partner to export industries. Ports of Auckland is 100%-owned by Auckland Regional Holdings.

In addition, Ports of Auckland provides marine services including pilotage, towage and line-handling for more the 1700 ships calls each year – four or five vessels everyday.

The Waitemata marine services fleet includes five tugboats and two pilot boats, as well as a hydrography vessel for surveying the marine floor to ensure safe passage.

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