Idle Along (1930) – the yacht that gave its name to the class – sits outside Alfred Harvey’s home in Petone, Wellington. Harvey built the boat in his shed with Roy Beal and Ray Rogers.

Photographer unknown, reproduced courtesy of Worser Bay Boating Club

Romance Jnr (1937) was the first Idle Along built in Auckland – for Len Hodgkinson by boatbuilders S. F. Ford.

Photographer unknown, reproduced courtesy of Auckland Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira, Marine Photos Collection (C36265)

The Idle Along Conflict racing on Lake Rotorua in the Moffat Cup, 1968.

Photographer unknown, New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui Te Ananui a Tangaroa (1999.121.1)

ALFRED ‘UNK’ HARVEY

(1891–1966)

Yachting personality ‘Unk’ Harvey was best known for his design of the Idle Along Class yacht.

Starting with sails

Alfred Harvey, widely known as ‘Unk’, was a keen yachtsman from youth. Before World War I, he worked as a sailmaker, fitting out many famous Auckland yachts.

Wellington waters

After serving in the war, Harvey settled in Wellington. He was a founding member of the Worser Bay Yacht Club in 1926.

A year later, he sketched the design for a 12-foot (3.66m) centreboarder on the floor of his tiny house. He had Wellington’s often-boisterous conditions in mind, hence the boat’s broad beam for stability. In 1930, after some experimentation, he and others built two prototypes – Idle Along and Rongomai.

ALFRED HARVEY

Idle Along ‘like wildfire’

Idle Along gave its name to the new class of small racers, which ‘took on like wildfire’ in Wellington. In 1936, the Moffat Cup began – a hotly contested series for the class. At its peak, the Cup had over 1,300 boats in regular competition.

ALFRED HARVEY

Revolutionary design

The Idle Along was revolutionary for its time. It included a 6-foot (1.82m) beam, significant sail power, and watertight compartments.

When new designs threatened the class, Harvey agreed to John Spencer modifying the hull for plywood construction. And so the class continued.

Harvey was always looking to improve performance. His sailmaking skills and technical advice were invaluable to local sailors and the wider yachting community.

ON DISPLAY

See the Idle Along yacht Duet in the Gallery of Yachts.