A Holiday In Fiji

HE master of an overseas vessel recently in Suva had an ex pensive stop-over in that port; i he visited a popular hotel the south coast of Viti Levu ih hred taxi.

The good captain decided, after a little liquid refreshment, that he would like to put the car through its paces, while the Indian driver dined. At some distance from the hotel the car left the road at high speed. It smashed a number of coconut palms, and finished up at the bottom of a steep guliy, very ex tensively damaged.

According to “coconut radio,” the gallant captain had to supply the Indian with a new taxi. The wrecked car is being repaired and will eventually be sold to help pay for the holiday in Fiji.

Wreck Of Methodist Mis

SION LAUNCH—Six people had a narrow escane when the 40 ft Methodist Mission launch Muroro

is wrecked 50 miles north of jckhampton, Qld., at the end of igust. They were Captain P. rrne (who was engaged by the Ission to take the boat to Sama l); Mr. D. J. Bardwell (of the pua District); Mr. and Mrs. R. J. ims (newly appointed mis maries to the Papua District); :. F. James (the father of Mrs. ms), Mr. H. Paine (a friend of •. Bardwell).

The launch was on its way from Sydney to Samarai, Papua, and all went well until north of Brisbane.

Describing their experiences, Imms said that they then ran into a cyclonic storm, and about Bpm on August 28 the vessel went on the rocks, in raging surf.

Bardwell got ashore with a line and all succeeded in following him.

All they were able to take with them was a sail, two blankets, a tin of biscuits and a packet of cheese.

They waited on a headland for five days and when no rescue party arrived, two of the party walked south until they came to a fisher men’s hut. The rest of the party

was then rescued and taken to Teppoon, near Rockhampton.

The Imms will go on to Papua later. The others returned to their

[?]e Honolulu-Tahiti Race (top to [?]m):— [?]stress, winner on corrected time. [?]ouette II made fastest time, gaining days on Mistress. [?]riqui had ill luck but finished the [?]e.

homes in various Australian States.

The Mission boat is a total loss.

ADA RENAMED Tasman Steamship’s Ada was renamed Vasu, when she returned to Suva from the Gilberts in August. The small tramp ship was outbound from Auckland for Tonga on her second Pacific sortie late Septem ber.

Te Matapula Homeward

BOUND—With Funafuti painted out, and Tarawa replacing it as port of registry, the GEIC vessel Te Matapula cleared Suva, August 29, for Funafuti and Tarawa. The new ship was to return to Suva in October for replacement of pro peller, on order from overseas. She will be based on Funafuti.

Face-Lift For Kia Kla—Kia

Kia, GEIC vessel lately on survey in Suva, has had her profile changed completely. The hollow masts have been replaced by solid masts each 13 ft shorter—6o ft and 52 ft respectively—and she is now gaff-rigged, to maintain the sail area.

Nukulau On The Way—After

lengthy delay in arranging trans fer from Italian to British registry, South Pacific Shipping Co’s Nuku lau is finally heading for Suva from Cyprus. She was expected at Bom bay in September and calls were then scheduled at Colombo and Singapore, whence a direct run would be made to Suva. It is un derstood that she is carrying tex tiles and general cargo from India.

Captain Boulton—Captain

L. C. Boulton is retiring as master of the well-known Maui Pomare at the end of the year after 24 years’ service in this NZ Government ves sel, and nearly 50 years at sea.

RANUI —Many in the Cooks will be interested to know what hap pened to the 66 ft GT ketch Ranui, which NZ’s Islands Department operated in the Cook Is. trade, and which also supplied Campbell Is. and the Kermadecs for a number of years. Advertised in the Islands and elsewhere last June, she was sold to Okahu Fishery Co., of Dune din and Bluff NZ, and is now em ployed by the Maori company in carrying crayfish tails from the West Coast Sounds to Bluff. Price paid was reported to be £NZ7,500.

News of Cruising Yachts

Tongan Warning To

Yachtsmen

The New Zealand agents of the Tongan Government have asked that the widest possible publicity be given to the fact that yachts wishing to call there must first apply to the Prime Minister at Nukualofa for a permit, either by letter or telegram, from an earlier port. Even when permission is granted such yachts and all other vessels must comply with the Rhinoceros Beetle Regulations.

Yachtsmen should make them selves aware of the islands in the

Pacific which are so infested, atj areas which are not infested i certain regulations which pre£ vessels from infested areas fronu maining alongside a wharf at nij All vegetable matter, such as roots, etc., may be destroyed! arrival. This may involve loss ship stores.

The rhinoceros beetle means nr ing to the wandering yachtsn but its introduction to a “cld area may cost thousands of pov< in damage and in counter-meas?; By knowing and complying withr quarantine regulations yachtsa will experience no difficulties..

Generally speaking, though Vs' is a port of entry, the Ton authorities at the present ■

li prefer that yachts first call Nukualofa and other “clean” ids before calling at Vavau. itsmen should also realise that have not the right to call at island—where they may go is ely up to the Tongan Govern t.

Lonolulu-Tahiti Race

te quality of the handicapping le Honolulu-Tahiti race was in ;ed by the fact that though

Mistress, winner on corrected time, left Honolulu two days ahead of the other boats, there was only a difference of 16 minutes in the times when the two leading boats crossed the line at Papeete at the end of the 2,500-mile run.

Silhouette II made fastest time.

Chiriqui put in to Bora Bora for sail repairs but eventually com pleted the course.

The wives of some of the con testants had flown to Tahiti via Fiji and were waiting on the wharf when the race finished.

The newly constituted Tahiti Yacht Club, under its president, Martial lorss, welcomed the guests in true Tahitian style, with a feast at Tautira, and various other enter tainments. The Acting Governor

[?]rds are fashionable aboard yacht Water: Left to right, Norman [?]t, Henry Gordon, Doug Duane, [?]ald Johnston sold his Sydney cutter [?]e Sea to a Chinese buyer in the [?]ons. [?]iad I, A. W. Flitton’s big ketch from Town, at Apia.

French Oceania presented pearl ill trophies to the participants, 1 a Tahitian model racing-canoe the winning skipper, Walter ihson, of Mistress. M. lorss, aking at the presentation, re ed the last race in 1925, from l Francisco to Tahiti, when four hts —Mariner, Shawnee, Idalia, \Eloise —took part, he celebrations over, Chiriqui arted on September 5 for Man -sva, Pitcairn, Easter Island and le: and Mistress sailed about [ same time for Honolulu, via irea and Bora Bora, nly three vessels took part in : year’s race which was sailed er easy conditions throughout. nqui seems to have been un unate in first being becalmed light of Honolulu for about 36 rs, and then suffering damage •acing sails in a squall later, is hoped that the event will me a regular follow-on to the nial Trans-Pacific Race, which established first in 1906.

The 40-ft. US ketch KONA, with r Bob Hootz and two companions, expected to clear Honolulu during imber for Tahiti and other E. Pacific Is.

DWEN WEN, 110-ft. staysail schooner tronado, Cal., with owner Pratt and anions, was also reported preparing ■ulse Polynesia in August.

LADY STIRLING, of Whangarei, NZ, i went to Fiji on loan to the Catholic on last year, is reported sold to a

New Zealand buyer. She is at present in northern NZ waters. • ARTHUR ROGERS, now at Nukualofa and awaiting: the return of Queen Salote from the Coronation, took on a new crew member In September when American Kim Fletcher arrived from Honolulu after crewing the big Trans-Pacific race winner GOODWILL. Skipper Hepworth plans to head for Auckland in mid-October. • WANDERER 111 cleared Suva Sep tember 1 for a northern NZ port, where Eric Hiscok and wife plan to linger until summer. • BOUNTY, Ken Furley’s unfortunate wish-bone ketch, re-rigged as a cutter and with a new solid mast stepped 12 hours before the tidal wave hit Suva in Sep tember, was again dismasted when she fouled another vessel. In falling it demolished the dinghy. With the crews

Of White Squall And Taurangi

assisting, the new mast, again spliced but 10 feet shorter, was ready for stepping on September 22. Soon there after BOUNTY expected to head for Noumea and Brisbane. • TAURANGI, of Auckland, and

TROPIC SEAS, of USA, both planned to clear Suva September 22, the former for Auckland and the latter for Noumea, • WHITE SQUALL, which had a narrow escape in Suva during the tidal wave, expected to clear for Noumea early October. Owner Norgrove was uncertain whether next port would be Brisbane or Auckland, • PURPLE SEA, of Sydney, was sold to Chinese buyers In the Solomons by owner Ronald Johnson in August. John son flew from Honiara to Rabaul and Australia in search of another vessel.

In an interesting letter he tells of the terrific currents in Solomons waters and of the dangers involved to a yacht with no motor - Anyone seeking a man to deliver a vessel to the Islands will find Johnson at Box 5214, Sydney. • SKYLINE, Auckland 8-tonner, arrived Papeete, August 27, from Rarotonga.

Owner Len Goodsall and his two corn panions will clear next for Honolulu via °"a"‘a . wakaya ..mpwed her 1953 crobe, arriving safely home at Auckland from Suva. George Jarratt, crew member, a

essional seaman, promptly joined nan Steamship Co’s. VASU (ex ADA) chief officer and headed north for fa late September.

CARIAD I, A. W. Flitton’s big 81-ft. b from Cape Town, dropped in at , September 17, and from there was rted Suva-bound on her second unnavigation. She was through the fic in 1949.

WANDERER II has about-turned i last report. Sold to a Vancouver sr, she headed south from Honolulu Papeete, late July, with former owner Howell, of Sydney, as crew. In the ftiian group she received a hammer which discouraged her dry-land r, who put back to Honolulu and ed home by air—leaving Howell to er the yacht to him at Vancouver e there are more sheltered waters.

BEYOND arrived in Auckland from early September. Owner T. C. h and wife will soon clear for ey but Mr. and Mrs. Taylor will in in New Zealand.

BLUE WATER cleared Niue Sep er 9 for Nukualofa and probably land.

GHOST, Ken Brown’s Auckland , arrived in Apia on September 8, lays out of Honolulu. She again ed for Vavan and probably Suva on imber 14.

When SUNDANCE arrived safely at lulu from Auckland via Island ports September, Alan Draffin, crew >er, returned home to Whangarei, »y air. American owners are Clayton 0 and his wife.

TERN 11, Lieut. B. C. Fester’s 39-ft. ar-old yawl, finally cleared England Luckland via Panama August 30.

Sydney - Noumea Race Placings: cted times placed IRENE, first; "E CLOUD, second; and KURREWA, Fastest time of 7 days 17 hours ins. 39 seconds was made by WHITE ID. IRENE’S corrected time was rs 7 hours 7 mins. 13 secs, but her 1 elapsed time was 7 days 10 hours ins.

VIARINER, 34-ft. Seattle yawl owned 11m Robinson and George Karl, ■d the home port for the South c on June 1, destination Australia.

NOVIA is likely to remain in Tahiti s for some time, as American owner jregg, former US Air Force officer, ported to have obtained a position Air Tahiti.

TEMPTRESS, owned by RNZAF Sells, based at Lauthala Bay, Suva, sail for Auckland October 18. Crew the passage—Fit. Sgt. Tiller and try of Works foreman Chris, lin.