Voyage

On The “Tiafau”

Piquant Memories of a Samoan Voyage

Mr. Herbert G. Shape, Of 924

Avenue M. South, Saskatoon, Canada, writes: , What Mr. Marc T. Greene has said about shipping conditions on the coast of Samoa is perfectly true.

Just exactly one year ago, to the day that the Tiafau foundered, I crossed over from Pago Pago to Apia on the same little 42ft. boat. She was a staunch, heavily built little craft, and a good seaboat — whoever built her had nothing to be ashamed of. But so small a vessel cer tainly was not fit to traverse that 80 miles in anything but fine weather.

I shall never forget that trip. The wind was terrific and it rained incessantly; and how the skipper and his crew navi gated is still a mystery to me. Visibility was almost nil and all they had to steer by was a compass about Gin. or Sin. in diameter, with an oil lantern hung above and swinging around with the motion of the boat.

The only shelter was on the roof of the engine room, which constituted the floor of a sort of deck-house. This, of course, also had a roof and was enclosed about half-way up on the front and each side, the back being entirely open.

The engine was an old Diesel which a number of times slowed down almost to stopping point, when the engineer would go down and pep her up a bit. The ex haust gases were leaking out, and we were breathing this vile sickly stench the whole way across.

I do not think that in any period of my life I ever suffered such unutterable dis comfort and misery. It was impossible to sleep or even rest. My body ached for days afterwards with lying on that deck house floor.

The charge for that trip was 7.50 dollars which was approximately 5d per mile; and one provided one’s own food. One can travel first class on a passenger ship, with every comfort, for 5d per mile.

We were 25 i hours making that trip, and never before in my wanderings was I so glad to see land.

I would like to pay tribute, however, to the skipper and his crew for their courage and skill in piloting the little Tiafau across that storm-swept sea. Stout as that little craft was, it was no stouter than the hearts of her Samoan navigators.