Rorqual was the last whale chasing built by the Perano whalechasing family in the Tory Channel in 1959.

She was built by Jack Morgan in Picton and launched with a V12 600 HP Kermath Sea Raider petrol engine in early 1960. At the time it was the fastest boat of the fleet and was involved in a few rescues in both the Sounds and Cook Strait.

In 1988 she was completely rebuilt by Geoff Bagnall and Tom Birdsall (then owner) and was converted to its current cruising launch status.

My two sons now run Rorqual  and are doing a great job of keeping her well maintained and seeing that she gets plenty of use.

See some of our cruising images below.