Yachtsmen And

Yachts

The "Idle Hour" Again

INTERESTING news of yachtsmen who are known in the Pacific, or are headed for that yachtsman’s paradise, is contained in a letter from Mr. Dwight Long, the American lad who, a couple of years ago, earned fame by sailing his little boat, the “Idle Hour”, around the world. It will be remembered that after he completed his journey, the “Idle Hour” was caught in the New England hurricane—the worst for 115 years—and was badly smashed up in Long Island Sound.

Mr. Long says that he has been eleven months rebuilding the “Idle Hour”, and she recently sailed from New York to

Bermuda. He intended to rejoin her in Bermuda and go on to the Panama Canal in December, and thence on again into the Pacific.

He had just received word that the “Idle Hour” had successfully ridden out a hurricane in Bermuda, which attained 126 miles per hour. This, he says, is “Idle Hour’s” third hurricane. The first carried away her mainmast, when she was sailing between Pago Pago and New Zealand; the second was the one which smashed her up in Long Island Sound: and the third is the recent experience in Bermuda.

The “Yankee”

Mr. Long says that on October 31 the schooner “Yankee”, 92 feet long and owned by Irving Johnson, sailed from Gloucester, U.S.A., on her third world cruise. Including Mr. Johnson’s family, there were 21 persons aboard.

The “Yankee” passed through Panama Canal on November 26 and headed west for Pitcairn Island, where Captain John son proposes to take under-water col oured moving pictures of the remains of the “Bounty”. He is accompanied by Mr.

William Beeby, a famous under-water

Dwight Long’s famous boat “Idle Hour”, in which he sailed round the world, sailed out of New York recently en route for Bermuda, the West Indies, and Panama Canal. He will be seen in the Pacific again—probably in Tahiti — next winter.

photographer of fish, who was his tech nical adviser in fitting out the “Yankee” with special equipment for taking under water photographs.

Sterling Hayden, who at one time was first mate of the “Yankee”, left New York, in November, for Panama with six shipmates to pick up the yacht “Aldeba ran”, which formerly was owned by Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany. The “Alde baran” was to be sailed to Hawaii in December, and from Hawaii will start on a cruise to Tahiti and other Pacific Islands.

Fahnstock Enterprise

Bruce and Sheridan Fahnstock have been fitting out their new schooner “Schen”, 137 feet long, formerly a three masted Gloucester fisher-boat. They pro pose to take a party of scientists from New York to the Panama Canal, and thence on an extended cruise in the Pacific. The “Schen” is bigger than the “Joseph Conrad”, and carries an aero plane and a power-launch. There will be 14 in the party, including Mrs. Fahn stock, the mother of the two boys. Mrs.

Fahnstock and the two boys sailed through the Society Group to Fiji on their vessel “Director” in 1936-7. The cruise ended in Manila where they sold the “Director” in 1937.

In A Spot Of Bother

The German-owned 32 feet ketch “Te Rupunga”, with George Dibbern, a Ger man, and a New Zealand girl, aboard, has been lying in San Francisco for some time, in a condition of embarrassment.

If the ketch is headed for French Ocea nia—which is what Mr. Dibbern wishes — the owner will be seized by the French and interned; if he heads for South America he must face the desolate west coast of that continent—thousands of miles with no harbours. And, in the present circumstances, he cannot remain

in the United States for more than 6 months at a time.

The “Te Rupunga” sailed out of Ger many over six years ago, and visited Tahiti, Samoa, New Zealand, Sydney, Fiji and Tonga, and wintered last year in Vancouver. While they were in Van couver, the party tried to take out Cana dian papers—even buying a piece of land in order to give them a local standing— but they were not successful.

The famous French yachtsman Alain Gerbault is still cruising among the Society Islands. He has written a new book which was about to be published in London when war broke out—its publica tion has now been postponed.

A Mr. Kelly, of Baltimore, with a party of four, is sailing through the West Indies on a cruise around the world on their yacht “Fidler’s Green”, a 58 feet schooner. They are expected in the Paci fic shortly.

The schooner “Yankee”, sailing out of Gloucester, U.S.A., on October 31.