Hinemoa was built by Chips Gronfors in 1938 for Newcastle optometrist Major Clem Walsh at Marmong Point Lake Macquarie. Clem Walsh was member of the Lake Macquarie Yacht Club and wanted a fast cruiser-racer for Lake Macquarie.

This is the story of a classic wooden yacht with many lives. 

Unfortunately many boats that are more than 70 years old, and have been passed on to as many owners as Hinemoa, rarely end up in the care of a custodian, like Colin Grazules, who has not only lovingly restored this fine historic vessel, he has painstakingly researched her history to fill in the gaps and missing years. This is a brief recount of Hinemoa's history.

If you wanted a yacht, launch or speed boat designed and built around Newcastle and Lake Macquarie in 1938 then Ivar 'Chips' Gronfors and Les Steel (buider of Rani) were the best builders in the area.

Chips Gronfors was a Finnish boat builder and designer. His nickname 'Chips' was bestowed upon Chips in Australia for the amount of wood chips he created with the use of adze and hand tools when building boats.

‘Chips’ was born in September 1885, the son of a Master Mariner and trading ship owner, Matheus Grönfors. Chips served his ship-wrighting apprenticeship at a Turku (sic) shipbuilding yard, and he had already sailed many sea miles with his father before arriving in Australia.

Chips Grönfors jumped ship from the sailing vessel Thomasina in Newcastle during 1909/10 (illegally). Apart from Chips’ Lake Macquarie, Newcastle and Port Stephens activities, he also built classic wooden vessels in Tasmania, Fiji and New Guinea.
  

This beautiful, hand tinted photograph of Hinemoa racing downwind in a mixed fleet on Lake Macquarie in 1952. 

In designing Hinemoa Chips used his knowledge of yacht design and experiences gained through his years working with Tasmanian One Design yachts, and building the Restricted 21 footer Tassie with Charles Lucas in 1925.
Chips had also travelled in 1936 to New Zealand and was inspired by the boat building that he had observed in Auckland.