French Scientists
pp. 41-42 · Read in the full issue
Voyage Through South Seas in a Catamaran
HAVING sailed across the Pacific from Hawaii to So'urabaya in a catamaran, Captain Eric de Bisschop and his com panion Joseph Tatibouet completed an other stage of their voyage to France when they arrived at Capetown, South Africa, on August 29, after a 61-days journey through the Indian Ocean.
These two French scientists have spent three years in the South Seas, doing research work in connection with the origin of the Polynesian race. Captain de Bisschop holds the ethnological theory that the Polynesians came from America, and not Asia, as is generally believed. He bases his contention largely on a study of ocean currents, which he says are from east to west in the Pacific. The currents move with such force, he states, that it would have been almost impossible for the early voyagers in their primitive canoes to have sailed directly against them.
After an earlier abortive attempt to cross the Pacific, the two adventurers left China at the end of 1934 in a queer junk like vessel, the Fou Po 11. They called at the Caroline Group, Thursday Island, Papua (where their craft was driven
ashore by south-east seas onto the Gulf of Papua), the Solomons, and Jaluit (Marshall Is.). Then for months they battled unsuccessfully with the currents in an endeavour to sail eastwards —thereby strengthening their migration theory.
Eventually, their boat was wrecked at Molokai Island (Hawaii) in December, 1935 led ? pr ! Z h e % 6 - 00 ° francs f< T his ! researches by the French Geographical Society, Captain de Bisschop set about building a catamaran on a Hawaiian beach. In eight months he and his companion had their vessel ready for launching. It consists of two 30ft. canoes joined by decking, on which are two masts.
There is a small cabin in each canoe, and the craft is propelled by bat-wing sails similar to those of a Chinese junk.
Late last year, the French Geographical Society asked them to sail westward across the North Pacific, and until they reached Java some four months ago, little was heard of their progress. After a rest at Capetown, they will sail direct to Cannes, in the south of France.
Captain de Bisschop intends .to return to Hawaii to marry and settle down.
Mr. A. B. Brewster, a Victorian, who was for 40 years in Fiji during which he was Governor’s Commissioner and Com mander of the Native Constabulary, has written an interesting book about the early days of the Colony. Published by Messrs. Robert Hale & Co., London, it is entitled “King of the Cannibal Isles."