News Of The Small-Ships

Artemise Destroyed

Artemise, better known outside French Oceania under her former lame of New Golden Hind, was :ompletely destroyed by fire at laroia atoll, Tuamotu (where Kon iki raft finished its drift) on Feb uary 15. The news came by radio rom Makemo atoll, where captain tnd crew called en route home to *apeete.

The 80-ft schooner was originally

lilt for Mr. H, R. Jenkins, of Auck md, as a yacht—the last schooner ) be built by the late Charlie ailey, of Auckland—and she did )me Islands cruising immediately World War 11. She was squired by NZ Public Works De artment; and was sold in 1948 for lout £Stg 3,750. In 1950 she and le yacht Lady Stirling, were sold • Messrs. Rusden and Baker, pre int owners of the Philante 11. hey were reported to have re eved SUS 26,000 of Marshall Aid mds (about £Stg9,3oo) from the rench Government on behalf of sr latest owners, Herve & Cie, of apeete. As an indication of fluctu ;ing ship values it is interesting aw to learn that Artemise (as she as re-named last year) was ha ired for 3i million francs (about >tg19,500) and her cargo at time loss for an additional n mil m francs (£StgB,34o).

New Vessel For Mervin

A vessel purchased in France for . Mervin, Tahiti ship-owner, was Casablanca en route to th icific, in February. She will be ed in the French Oceania inter and trade, and is due in Papeete April.

Philante Ii Moves On

Messrs. Rusden and Baker’s motor ssel Philante II sailed for Pago igo and Apia from Papeete, Feb ary 9, ending persistent rumours at the Fairmile would probably purchased by the French Govern mt in Tahiti.

Islands Ships Coming?

After delay in Auckland, Mr. D. C.

Brown and Mr. R. P. Archer, of Rarotonga, departed for Europe late in February, to purchase a vessel there for use in the Cook Islands.

Mr. Lew Graham and Mr. Cec.

Harrison, of Auckland, were plan ning to leave for Europe to locate another vessel, suitable for Islanuo trade. They were former joint owners of the vessels Karoro, Alex ander and Scot, all known in the South-Central Pacific.

Money No Object

Tahiti reports that tobacco baron Reynolds, transferring his luxury motor-cruiser White Heron from Tahiti to West Indian waters per Caledonien, paid 157,000 francs (about £B7O Stg.) freight, and 145,000 francs for the special cradle, built in Papeete, required for the trans-shipment.

Ai Sokula In Auckland

Island Transport Ltd. (WRC’s) Steam Tug Ai Sokula arrived at Auckland from Suva on February 25 for drydocking and survey. Cap tain H. Simpson was in command with Captain A. M. Harvey (the Co’s Marine Superintendent) also aboard.

Captain Harvey recently was

appointed to this new position in Suva following services as Car penters’ port captain at Vancouver.

Ai Sokula was originally built in Japan in 1940 and captured in New Guinea waters in 1944 —then under the name of Hotu Maru. She be came the Manam, was assigned to

Artemise (formerly New Golden Hind), sported burnt to the waterline at aroia atoll, Tuamotu.

Carpenters as war reparations, and last year, delivered to Suva after a long spell in Sydney, was given her present Fijian name with great ceremony. Japanese design is evident in the very low deck-head on her side decks, men of even average

height having to stoop. Ai Sokula carries a crew of 24, all told.

Pyrenees Veteran In Tahiti

In Tahiti of late is Mr. Arthur Michel, survivor of the British

barque Pyrenees, whose end may b« recalled by the older hands.

In 1902, Pyrenees, afire at sea was beached at Rikitea, Gamble; Islands. There the fire was ex tinguished and the wreck eventualh sold for $2OO to Captain I. E. Thayer of San Francisco, who refitted her renamed her Mangareva, and toot her to sea again for many a yea] until lost by enemy actior in World War I.

Arthur Michel returned to Tahit: in 1941 as Quartermaster in th( Mariposa —and married Miss Rosa Raoulx. Now they have a young daughter. His impressions of Tahiti- The only thing that hasn’t changec in 50 years is the climate!

Peer Gy Nt In Noumea

The 30-ft ketch Peer Gynt was in Noumea at the end of February and her young Sydney owners Norman Rome and Sylvia Roach were painting and overhauling her preparatory to venturing further east. They left the Australian coast in mid-October after a severe buffeting (in which Miss Roach suf fered greatly from mal de mer ) and their announced intention is to be married in America—when they get there.

Lahara, Mr. Des Ashton’s 33-foot sloop, again proved her worth in January, when she made the return Tasman crossing from Mangonui,

FZ, to Sydney in seven days. Mr.

J. Cooper, one of the crew, and wner of the 26-ft, yawl Snow Goose, 'as to sail the latter back to Auck uid in March.

Rosita Found

M. Lacour’s 18-ton cutter Rosita, verdue on a voyage from Tikahau Tuamotus) to Papeete, as reported ist month, was located at Aratika toll (150 miles west of Tikahau) i January. One woman passenger ad suffered an injury. There was >y in Tahiti on receipt of news lat Rosita had been located with rew and passengers safe.

Aptain Lindstrom Returns

Captain E. D. Lindstrom, of the fPHC marine staff formerly taster of Kiakia in the Gilbert & Uice Group—was in Auckland in ebruary en route to Fiji, with Mrs. indstrom and their two daughters, fter spending leave in Sweden. He cpected to rejoin Kiakia.

For Maui Pom Are

Mr. Ken Windsor, formerly of ew Golden Hind, Ranui, Rawhiti, id Siren, who arrived in Auckland i February per the yacht Corsair 'ter serving for some time in a ydney trawler, was appointed adio Officer-Purser in the NZGS dui Pomare in succession to Mr. tior Gundersen, who retired from te sea.

Jate For Southern Cross

Mr. A. S. Lewis joined the Mel lesian Mission vessel Southern r oss in February during survey in ickland, replacing Mr. R. A. oods as Chief Officer. Mr. Woods, all known in Island vessels over any years, plans to retire.

Mr. Lewis recently arrived in NZ ter 20 years on the China coast, e was interned by the Japanese Hongkong during the war, and om his normal 160 lbs dropped 90 lbs weight when released by e Royal Navy.

New Wphc Vessel Soon

The WPHC’s new auxiliary vessel, similar design to the Tongan )pra Board’s A’oniu, probably will launched from the Whippy yard Suva in March. Captain A. sckharn, lately of WPHC’s Tuvalu, 11 take command, his place in ivalu being taken by Captain P. Ward, formerly of the mission ip John Williams. Captain Ward is been away on leave.

Arine Light For Aitutaki

Phe Maui Pomare’s cargo, outward iund from Auckland in March, is expected to include the equip mt for an automatic marine light " Maina islet, at the south-west rner of the Aitutaki lagoon reef, issels from Rarotonga approach e main passage around Maina et. The Alexander was wrecked ere two years ago.

Aitutaki-Rarotonga Link?

Mr. Hugh Williams, owner-skipper of the converted yacht Inspire, lately in Papeete, may establish a regular passenger service between Aitutaki and Rarotonga to connect with the TEAL service. If agree ment is reached with NZ Island Territories Department, TEAL, and the Cook Is. Administration, Mr.

Williams will build deck accommo dation aboard Inspire for air passengers. Air passengers to and from Rarotonga now have to avail themselves of whatever transport offers, and frequently wait weeks at Aitutaki.

Southern Cross Away

Again

The Melanesian Mission vessel Southern Cross left Auckland in early March for Vila and Honiara, with stores, building materials and a dozen Mission passengers. She will call at Tikopia to pick up Pro fessor J, Spillius, who has been do ing anthropological research there for a year. Dr. Raymond Firth was with him until August.

Southern Cross will make trips to Vila and Honiara and return to Auckland in six months.

Plans for the next Southern Cross

(Continued on page 81)

Small Ships’ Section

-seventh of the line—call for a issel longer by 50 feet. Of the qpected total cost of £lOO,OOO, the ishop hopes to raise £30,000 in NZ.

News of Cruising Yachts

71SITING yachtsmen at Papeete r have recently found themselves in trouble with the efficient ahiti Customs service.

First (as reported last month) was ill Howell, of Wanderer 11, who moved bonded ship-stores ashore ithout first filling in the necessary ;claration. There was clearly no tention to smuggle goods into the >untry, as Mr. Howell had obtained irbal permission to land the stores, owever, the letter of the law was )t complied with. Result: 3,000 ancs fine —about £2O Aust.

Next in trouble was Mr. Athol usden, charged with making a ,lse declaration about the value a movie projector which he un ited from Honolulu on his recent sit there in the Fairmile Philante . Customs declared the machine is worth double the declared Jue, and a fine of 5,000 francs was iposed. Mr. Rusden, denying the istoms valuation, then asked that i be charged duty on that valua m, rather than pay the fine. Duty is charged accordingly and the le (still imposed) was reduced to 0 francs.

Mr. Tom Hepworth, owner of 'thur Rogers, was also in trouble, iring a period of heavy weather me time ago his yacht, which was ichored near the Royal Tahitian )tel, Pirae dragged her moorings id narrowly escaped destruction file the owner and crew were sent. Informed of the danger, e pilot, Captain Bailly, proceeded all speed and towed the yacht safety. Then, says our Tahiti rrespondent, “Mr. Hepworth made howl when he found himself pre ited with a bill for 5,000 francs bout £3O) for use of tow-boat and )our involved.” The bill was later iuced to 3,000 francs—which jms very fair, when the yacht ner might have had to meet a Ivage claim. * ♦ * Wanderer II has now passed to b sole ownership of Mr. Bill >well, according to advice from •hiti. His partner on the voyage >m England, Frank McNulty, has parted for Sydney (the yacht’s stination) by ship. (See earlier M’s). * ♦ ♦ Corsair, George Hunt’s steel cutter, rived in Auckland from Sydney, 1 Lord Howe, on February 19. ternate calms and gales were en intered. Sails suffered some mage, but the yacht appeared ic and span, with no trace of st —a tribute to the zinc-sprayed

At least six Auckland cruising yachts are reportedly planning to head Islandwards soon—the 54-ft cutter Leda; the 30-ft Taurangi; the 38-ft Aloha; the 33-ft White Squall; the 29-ft Ghost, and the Bounty (which went to the Island two years ago). Another probable starter is Wakaya, recently back from Tonga.

Taurangi and Aloha were launched only this season. In addition, Corsair, from Sydney, and Te Rapunga, from Tasmania, will take off soon from the Islands, from Auckland.

Bill Murnan, of Seven Seas II (see last month) reports from Florida that the yacht Nellie Brush, with a crew of three young men,

left there some time ago for Tahiti and other Islands ports. ♦ ♦ * Miru, the stout 48-foot ketch in which the Davis family, of Raro tonga, voyaged from New Zealand to Boston via Peru and Panama last year, is now for sale in Boston —reports Neil Arrow, one of the crew, who returned in February.

The yacht was formerly known on NZ coast and Cook Is. as Soubrette, and was built in Auckland in 1936.

Mr. Arrow plans to write a book on the Miru voyage. (See “Small Ships’ Radio Schedules” on another page.) A new lighthouse at Cape St.

George, at the southern end of New Ireland was completed during Feb ruary, and went into operation.