Voyager

Notable Open Boat

Suva, Nov. 1.

50-ft. yawl, the “Reine-d’Arvor” ar rived here recently on a voyage from the Channel Islands, Europe, to Sydney and we were interested to find among the company aboard, an old friend in Fred. Rebell, who several years ago made a very remarkable voyage in a small boat from Sydney to San Fran cisco, Rebell originally came from Latvia, and he spent 25 years in Australia. Then he acquired a feet long and 7 feet beam—and he spent months in the Sydney libraries, studying navigation. He made his own navigation instruments and bought a few maps, and one day in 1931, without saying anything to anyone and without clearance papers, he sailed out of Sydney Harbour by himself and headed out into the Pacific.

A considerable time later he found himself among the Southern Fiji Islands —he was not able to identify them be cause his maps were not good enough— but he eventually got into Suva. Thence, he went leisurely on to Samoa, the Northern Cooks, certain Central Pacific islands, and Honolulu. Eventually, he made his way across to San Francisco, where he arrived one year after leaving Sydney—probably one of the most re markable open-boat voyages in the his tory of navigation.

He had several adventures with boats later in European waters, and attempted to sail another small boat out from Europe to Australia, but failed. He is looking forward with eagerness to his re turn to Australia, where he intends to settle again.

Mrs. W. H. Stuart, wife of the Chief Justice of Tonga, arrived in Suva, Fiji, from Nukualofa at the end of October to spend a short holiday before proceed ing to New Zealand.