Small Ships News

uf R. TOM DAVIS has renamed his 38 foot ketch Miru for his lanned voyage to Boston, U.S.A. om Wellington, N.Z., in accordance ith the Maori custom of changing

ie name with change of ownership,

Miru was put through her paces hen Dr. Davis recently sailed her om Wellington to Lyttelton to pick ? his wife and two sons who came )wn from Rarotonga to join the cht by the last trip of Maui Pomare.

Miru returned to Wellington and ence sailed on the first long leg of e voyage early in June. First stop anned is Rapa Island, then on to alldo, Peru.

The ship’s company for the voyage, addition to Mr. and Mrs. Davis

1 sons John, (10) and Timothy, ) includes Christchurch yachtsman -1 Arrow, and two kittens.

Phe voyage received favourable blicity in NZ. Auckland Herald, a leading article entitled “Spirit Adventure Still Lives” drew a nparison with the motives which pired the Kon Tiki voyage across a rtion of the same lonely ocean, s. Davis is writing a series of ides for the Herald.

Fhe 35-foot Dutch yacht Anna

Elizabeth (PIM, Aprii, page 120) arrived at Penrhyn, Northern Cooks, from Papeete on May 24, in contin uation of her cruise round the world.

Owner Lamberty was accompanied by an Englishman and a Canadian on arrival at Tautua, Penrhyn.

Mr. Athol Rusden, of New Zea land, former part-owner of the Tahiti schooner New Golden Hind, is re ported en route from England with a converted Fairmile motor vessel named Philante 11, which he recently purchased there. He went to England after the Golden Hind was disposed of in Tahiti.

Jagger & Harvey’s auxiliary schoo

The Makatea Phosphate Company’s [?]ceful steel schooner Oiseau des lies the slips at Auckland undergoing [?]airs (see elsewhere).

Captain Bernard Pirrault, master of Oiseau des Iles.

ner Te Aroa arrived back at Raro tonga, May 10, after a good passage from Auckland. The vessel was re fitted ia Auckland during the hurri cane season.

The 230-ton twin-screw vessel Aliair, well known in New Cale donia* waters, has been sold by her preseat owners, Societe Commerciale

et Maritime, to Morris Hedstrom Ltd. for use in Fijian waters.

Again The Mahurangi

When the Fairmile Mahurangi left Rarotonga for the Lower Cooks, under charter to Mr. D. C. Brown, one of her twin diesel engines was out of commission. Some time later,

the other engine failed. The brows of owners and charterer for days were furrowed with care, but the engineer! managed to make repairs at sea, and the ship eventually got back to Raro tonga, on May 15.

This was not the Mahurangi’s first! adventure. Late in 1949, when 70C miles north of Aitutaki, both engines went “out.” It was a hopeless break down, so the Fairmile broadcast dis tress signals. She was towed to by the freighter Waitemata.

Oiseau Des Isles

The Compagnie Francaise des Phosphates de I’Oceanie’s 350-tonc steel 3-masted schooner Oiseau des. lies arrived in Auckland on May 8, under command of Captain Bernard Pirrault, for an extensive replacement! of bottom plating.

She is well known in Auckland..

Her three 7 5-foot Oregon masts were replaced there in the summer oft 1947-48. In mid-1948, whilst carry ing labourers from the Cook Islands to Makatea, she went aground at night on Mopelia atoll and, aften temporary repairs in Papeete, went to Auckland. The following yean she was fitted with a new engine in: Auckland. She is likely to be in port this time for three months.

Captain Pirrault was Commandant de la Marine in Papeete from 1943-

) after which he was transferred to ngland, where he married his nglish wife. He decided to return Tahiti after the war and has been

in command of Oiseau des lies since after her stranding. He recently acquired a property at Pirae, Tahiti, on which he is establishing a new

Some Fish!

While Preben Kauf tan, a Danish yachts [?]an who recently sailed ngle-handed across the acific, was in Tonga in [?]ay, he took Prince [?]ugi on a fishing ex [?]edition between Tonga [?]bu and Haapai. They sed a Jap fishing [?]eihod pounded fresh [?]sh tied in muslin bags

first dragged along through the water be fished, then the same area is gone [?]er with baited lines. The results (top) [?]eak for thtemselves. In lower photo

the fishing party - Prince Tugi, shown sitting, at back; Mr. Kaufman im mediately in front of him. —Photo by Hettig.

ome. He is again accompanied by I. Columbani, who has been Chief ngineer for a number of years.

Oiseau des lies, while not noted for >eed, is probably the most attractive spearing relic of the sailing-ship era ill operating in the South Pacific, tie was built in France for her resent trade transport of stores id staff between Papeete and takatea, 140 miles away in the iddle 1920’5.