Fosters supplies classic teak blocks for the restoration of Ida

You may have been lucky enough to have seen the classic beauty Ida out on the Hauraki Gulf this month. Ida is a 58-foot gaff-rigged cutter and was designed and built by the Bailey Brothers in 1895. She follows the Herreshoff style with a straight, raked stem and cutaway forefoot.

Ida has spent the best part of the last 50 years living in Australia but has been bought home to NZ largely thanks to John Street, Chairman of the Classic Yacht Charitable Trust. John recognised the important role Ida plays in NZ boating history and undertook a huge restoration project starting in January 2019.

Ida has just been re-launched and can now expect to be seen on the front row of the starting line this summer season. She’s a proven winner and the team behind Ida has set about ensuring she sees smoke from the winner’s gun again.

Fosters (now a Harken company) have a proud legacy in distributing classic teak and other hardwood blocks in NZ. It is widely known that John Street was the face behind Fosters, taking over the business from his Father. Ida has around 40 new Davey teak blocks onboard throughout her running rigging and deck layout. The team at Fosters was heavily involved in deck layout plans to bring Ida back to her former glory.

With brass sheaves, stainless bindings, and roller bearings, these blocks provide a fantastic low maintenance block with the traditional look. All the expected performance without the sanding or varnishing!