Suva Yacht Stolen: "Seafarer" and Four Indians Disappear

Island Trade

Suva Yacht

STOLEN “Seafarer” and Four Indians Disappear From a Special Correspondent SUVA, January 1.

Reminiscent of the “bad old days” was an incident on the morning of December 28, immediately after the Christmas vacation, when the well-known local yawl-rigged yacht Seafarer was stolen from her moorings in the harbour and taken to sea.

Residents about 8 a.m. noticed the craft well outside the reef, but as it was known that the Seafarer had been to Beqa for holidays, it was at first thought that she was late in getting back. However, it was soon noticed that she was making for sea and not for the harbour, and inquiries showed that she had returned from Beqa the previous night, and that none of her owners were on board her, nor did they know who the occupants were.

The matter was reported to the police immediately, and, later, the Harbourmaster’s launch Mona set out in pursuit.

However, when she got outside the Seafarer was out of sight from her low deck, and she returned to port.

The Seafarer was last seen heading for Kadavu and radio messages asking for information about her were broadcast, in the hope that they would be picked up by residents of Kadavu.

All sorts of rumours went the rounds of the beach, but it was finally ascertained that four Indian youths have disappeared from town with all their belongings.

Considerable criticism has been expressed by residents concerning the seeming apathy of the authorities in not taking action more quickly. It was some hours after the first report of the matter that the Mona put to sea. The opinion has been expressed that the Government vessel, H.M.C.S. Pioneer, which costs thousands of pounds annually in upkeep, and spends a great deal of her time alongside the wharf, and was in port at the time the Seafarer put to sea, should have been despatched immediately. Had prompt action been taken, the Seafarer As it is, she has disappeared into the blue.

The unfortunate owners of the missing yacht are Messrs. G. V. Langdale, R. W.

Sellars, W. Ross, and H. A. Ragg.

They are not the only sufferers, for at the same time another boat disappeared from the harbour, a 16-ft. outboardmotorboat, belonging to Mr. N. Gumming.

The motor was not on board at the time. It is thought that the people who took the Seafarer took this light craft to serve as a dinghy.

The Seafarer was particularly well found at the time of her theft, for there was water in her tanks, and provisions, charts, and navigational instruments were on board. It is thought that the thieves will probably call at some outlying island and supplement their food and water supplies.

A radio message was sent to the Matua, then on her way from Apia to Suva, but she did not sight the yacht.

The Seafarer is a 38-ft. gaff yawl, and, since her launching 10 years ago, she has had an adventurous career. She was built by local amateur yachtsmen after the design of Harry Pidgeon’s ship of the same name, and has sailed twice to Auckland and once to Tonga, as well as making numerous cruises in and around the Fiji group. She has never completely changed hands, though her part-owners have sold their shares at different times.

Three years ago, when returning from Lautoka, she was dismasted and ran on a reef. She lost her false keel, and had to be towed back to Suva. In the 1931 hurricane she broke away from her moor-