Impressions of Across-the-

Pacific Yachtsmen

From Our Own Correspondent

Honolulu, Jan. 19.

HERE are some of the South Seas observations given to the U.S. press by Messrs. Gerry Mefferd and Ray Kauffman, young Americans who, from 1935 to 1938, sailed around the world in their home-built ketch, “Hurricane”.

The secret of seafaring, as they dis covered, is a good front, so whenever they made port they’d shave and put on clean linens and shine the brass. Thus esteem was established!

After passing through the Panama Ca nal (tolls at *75 cents a ton totalled four dollars and 50 cents!), they made the Galapagos Islands, where they hobnob bed with now famed Heine Wittmer, his wife and two sons, last survivors of the romantic German self-exile colony. All that the Wittmers obtain from “civil isation” are cartridges and bullets for firearms which greatly aid in securing food.

Most “dreams-come-true” angle of the long cruise was experienced at hospit able Bora Bora, in French Oceania, where the chief made the Americans his guests for two months.

The voyagers were intrigued by the U.S. Navy Administration’s policy in connection with the Manua Islands of the American Samoa group. According to them, the Navy bans ail whites from these isles except one doctor, his wife and a radio operator. Observed the voy agers; “There’s a good emergency naval harbour there. Besides, we think the Navy has an experiment on. They are letting the natives go back to their orig inal culture and already they are weav ing their own cloth and reviving the old native dances”.

Of course, these young men against the sea had the inevitable escapes from disaster in shark infested areas, etc. Ac cording to their statements, once they ran high and dry on a reef in New Guinea waters, and head winds pulled the shrouds off their mainmast in the Mozambique Channel, off East Africa, but in each case unexpected help came in time’s nick!

Mr. R. Pleasants, secretary of O. F.

Nelson and Co. Ltd., Apia, has left Sa moa. He reached New Zealand by the “Matua” in mid-January.

Mr. C. A. Drury, who arrived in New Zealand four years ago to live in retire ment after having spent a life time in Fiji, died at Palmerston North recently, aged 66. A son of the late Mr. C. W.

Drury, one of the early Fiji pioneers, he was born at Levuka and was for some years with the C.S.R. Co. at Rewa.

Later he was on the staff of the for mer Suva Municipal Council.

Mr. and Mrs. J. Kruttschnitt arrived in Sydney by the January “Bulolo” after an inspection visit to the working of New Guinea Goldfields Ltd. on the Mo robe goldfield. He is chairman of direc tors of N.G.G. Ltd.