News of Cruising Yachts

• TAHEA, a 28-foot ketch, sailed from West Covina, near Los Angeles, May 24, on commencement of a circumnavigation.

The yacht Is manned by lone-hander Rolph Thorvaldson, ex-US Navy quarter master, aged 30. The 210 feet of canvas is backed by a 14 hp auxiliary for emergencies.

LATER: The ketch TAHEA, 83-days non-stop out of Los Angeles, arrived at Papeete August 14. A 3-months’ stop-over is planned in French Oceania waters be fore heading home again via Hawaii. • Paul Blackford, writing from Aitntaki in July reported that he and his two mates would be heading KONA for

Palmerston Island early August, thence- Pago Pago, Apia. Wallis, Suva, before turning south to arrive at Auckland probably about November. No firm plans beyond that. The 40 ft x 14 ft x 6.5 ft Block Islander is staysail-schooner rigged and also has a 37 ho 2-cylinder Kermath diesel. • LADY STIRLING, Auckland motor sailer, which arrived at Suva some time ago and has since done some inter-island sailing, was reported for sale there in August. Principal owner of the vessel, which is a comfortable ocean cruiser, is Mrs.

Manning, mother of the young skipper.

With them aboard are Mr. and Mrs.

Block, Danish immigrants to New Zealand and a Dutch woman, Mrs. van der Lipp.

Two Block children are also aboard. The party was reported seeking an island oa which to settle.

laid to be strict teetotalers, the party ised some amusement on the water nt when 18 bottles of spirits and six en of beer were noted going aboard nediately prior to departure from Suva Kadavu. ome hull repairs to copper sheathing ■e carried out there by local shipyard, i. FLAMINGO of Auckland, three days of Cairns, arrived at Samarai July 30, arting again August 3 for Rabaul, imons, thence homeward by summer, iring Auckland late last year, this hi was last reported in Sydney and ‘sale. With owner Warren McCarthy i his wife is Robert Morton, f Latest to leave Europe for the th Seas, destination New Zealand or tralia, is 21-year-old Wolfgang Kraker I Schwarzenfeld who recently left many in a home built twin-hulled,

al. two-masted, ketch-rigged craft.

hulls are joined by a light slatted form. Navigator von Schwarzenfeld lin one hull and carries his stores the other. The hulls appear to be k about 20-feet long. The name of the tis not yet known. She was in New »n, England in August, from whence course lay via France, Spain, and ;ugal to the Canaries, across the ntic and through Panama.

KERERU, little Auckland 22 ft 6 in.

Ift 6 in. yacht, has been sold to Warcel Jacquier, of Malo Island, New rides, and will be used by the family communication with Santo. This was rted by owner Ray Williamson and panions Norman Ziska and Jim Id when they arrived back in Auck

land August IS after a notable 2,500mile voyage in so small a yacht. KERERU left Auckland last summer, calling at Norfolk, He de Pines, Noumea, Mare, Aneityum, Tanna, Erromango, Pentecost, and finally Santo where an offer for the yacht was accepted. Much bad weather was experienced in the New Hebrides.

The crew appreciated the kindness shown to them all along the route.

They will sail again immediately they can locate another suitable yacht of about 30 ft, this time for Fiji. • BOUNTY, of Auckland, last reported from Suva about a year ago, called at Aneityum where the crew were employed for a time by a timber-milling company.

From there they continued to Noumea, arriving there late May. The crew were there employed as paid hands aboard the Fairmile PHILANTE 11, on which Ray Williamson, of KERERU, was employed as skipper for a time. BOUNTY was pre paring to clear Noumea again in mid- August for Brisbane where an attempt will be made to sell her. • LES 4 VENTS with lone-hander Marcel Bardiaux of France, arrived at Noumea early August after a narrow escape from loss on He Fa reef in the approaches to that port. Bardiaux, exhausted, went to sleep at the tiller and found himself on the reef, but luckily got off again. It was during the night.

Bardiaux was given an enthusiastic reception and was engaged on a series of lectures on his cruise late in August. • JAY, 35-ft Australian yacht cruising the New Hebrides, has been sold at Santo.

• CAPRICE, the yacht which held the Sydney-Noumea sailing record, is now pulled up at Noumea and may not sail again. Her owner died some time ago and it is understood that the yacht is unlikely to be sold, for sentimental reasons. • MANDALAY, American East Coast yacht, was understood to be in Apia in mid-August. No word had been re ceived of this yacht since she cleared Papeete in March. • MARINER, in mid-August was pre paring to clear Papeete direct for Apia. • HO HO 11, lying at Auckland’s viaduct wharf and for sale, lost her bow sprit when a mid-August storm caused damage to a number of local small-craft.

Owner Birger Bryhn and his wife, now

employed ashore, hope to make Auckland their home if the sturdy Colin Archer ketch can be sold. Meanwhile they live aboard. • VIKING, in which Steve and Brita Holmdahl cruised through the Islands last year, was reported back home at Sweden in July—first Swedish yacht, they believe, to complete a circumnavigation. • The well-known Australian brothers, Frank and John Livingstone, have bought

Sir Claude Plowman’s MORNA. As part of the purchase price they “traded-in” their old yacht KURREWA 111. Terms of the recent sale were not disclosed. The Livingstone brothers intend renaming the

Morna, Kurrewa Iv.

• A French couple plan to travel an estimated 15,000 miles from France to Sydney in an aluminium sail boat 11 feet long.

J. De Grange and Miss Marie Frederique recently displayed their boat on the river Seine. It is said to be unsinkable because of a series of watertight compartments.

Weighing only 99 lb empty, it is designed to float even if submerged by waves.

An outrigger is attached to the hull giving the tiny craft stability, and an auxiliary motor is available for use in calm weather.

The couple will limit each stag their voyage to less than 300 miles, plan to sail to Italy, Greece, Turke' cross Syria by rail to Allepo. and sail down the Euphrates River, will cross India by river and com the voyage along the coasts of Bu Sumatra. Java, Bali. Celebes, Molu New Guinea, and then turn south Sydney.