News of Cruising Yachts

• Bounty, Auckland ketch with owner K. Furley and crew, met trouble in June en route from Auck land to Nukualofa on the first leg of an Islands cruise. She arrived in the Tongan port with both masts snapped and under a jury rig. Very heavy weather had been experi

enced — Ada, in the same area re ported winds of force 10. It is likely that new masts will have to> be obtained from Auckland before resuming the voyage. • Sundance, American ketch, purchased in Auckland and heading Statesward, was reported at Aitu taki in June-July, and preparing for the next leg to Papeete.

• Philante 11, converted English Fairmile, which has slowly worked her way westwards, was reported to have finally changed hands at Noumea in July. Said to have been sold to M. Leconte, a mining man, for use as a house boat. Price be lieved Ih million Pacific francs (£A10,700). • Captain George Dibbern, of Te Rapunga, prefers a feminine crew.

He made headlines in July when he reported from his Hobart anchorage that he won’t be heading seaward before December, but then with an all-girl crew. Eileen Morris, of New Zealand, has been his ship mate in past cruises but the 64year-old German master-mariner will enter Te Rapunga in the Auck land-Sydney Trans-Tasman Race next January with others in addi tion. He plans to cruise to Auck land via south of New Zealand and the east coast in the 32-foot veteran ketch. An Islands cruise will follow later. • • Skyline, 36-ft cutter, cleared Auckland end of June for Papeete.

Owner Dennis Ryan built the vessel with assistance. He and one other member of the four-man crew (Ken Searle) are experienced yachtsmen.

The other two, Bryan Dabeth and Len Goodsall, are Dargaville farm ers, heading for Canada. Cruise will probably occupy 6 months in the Eastern Pacific groups before returning to Auckland. • During July, the 33-ft ketch Viking made a short stay at Port

Moresby. Its owners, Mr. and Mrs.

Sten Holmdahl, of Sweden, were already one year out from their home port, and expected to be at sea for another twelve months be fore returning to Sweden.

Viking has no auxiliary engine and since leaving Sweden in June, 1952, for England, has called at ports in France, Portugal, the Canary Islands, the West Indies,

Panama Canal, Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, Fiji and the New Hebrides.

From Port Moresby, next ports of call will be Darwin, Capetown and back to Sweden.

To make their two-year voyage around the world, the Holmdahls sold their home in Sweden, which they built themselves, bought the hull of the Viking, fitted it for the long trip, stocked up with supplies

and gear, and set off. When they get back they will re-establish them selves by selling the ketch and buy ing another home. • Sohrina, Col. Frank Royce, of Honolulu, again cleared Papeete northbound, July 23, with planned calls at the Marquesas and Line Islands. • Wanderer 111, with Eric and Mrs. Hiscock aboard, arrived in Suva July 13 from the Eastern Pacific. They plan to remain in Fiji waters until the New Zealand spring, when they will head south for Auckland. • Wakaya, of Auckland, arrived in Suva July 16. • Sundance, which had moved on from Aitutaki to Rarotonga, was chartered there July 14 by Mr. D. C.

Brown to run some supplies north to the 22 Manihiki pearl divers currently employed in exploratory diving at Suwarrow (Suvarov) atoll. (See elsewhere this issue). • Bounty, double-dismasted, en route Auckland-Nukualofa, was again in trouble late July, when word was received from Vatoa Island, Fiji, that she had arrived there again dismasted. It is assumed that the yacht may have had a temporary rig while bound for more permanent repairs at Suva, and that this gave trouble when more bad weather appeared.

Purple Sea In Bsi

The ocean-going yacht Purple Sea (Capt. R. E. Johnson) with a crew of one (Mdlle. Marcelle Joveux) arrived in Honiara on July 2, from Sydney. Rough weather was en countered on the way up, and the crew was very seasick.

Capt. Johnson, who was born in

Essex, emigrated to Australia at the age of 17, and his adventures have previously been recorded in PIM, His first sailing venture was from Auckland for Tahiti in a newly acquired 60-footer, the Thelma with one companion, having onlj once before been aboard a yacht and then as a passenger. He reached

Tahiti. Later, he sold the Thelma to the United States Navy in Hono lulu. In 1947, he bought an engine less submarine chaser, the SC 671, in Honolulu, and arranged for a tow to Tahiti. The towing hawser broke during rough weather. Captain Johnson refused to abandon his ship, and after drifting for four months and surviving several storms, his vessel was blown by the southeast winds into the Fiji waters and both were rescued.

Captain Johnson said in Honiara that being adrift in the Pacific was pleasant enough—no work, no worries, no responsibility, and plenty of peace. He has no fixed itinerary for his present voyage, but hopes to do a little inter-island cargo and copra-carrying, and to get some photographs. The Purple Sea left Honiara for Gizo via Yandina on July 12.

In describing how castaway air men may live off the New Guinea jungle, a writer in a British news paper refers to the “Guria pigeons and their eggs (in underground nests).” I am afraid he got a little astray (writes SHC). I suppose he meant the Gaura (sometimes incorrectly spelled Gauri) pigeon.

A Guria, of course, is the common earthquake. I have seen hundreds of nests of the Gaura Coronata pigeon in the lower branches of trees, where they lay their white eggs.