Pacific Shipping And Cruising Yachts
pp. 67-116 · Read in the full issue
[?]s Month's News of—
Happened One September
Ith the search for Pacific nds sources of guano and phos be again in the news, we turn : to the days when there was a regular trade in the products l many unimportant little islands me of which were apparently secret. >w else can we explain the fact on September 25, 1865, when 52-ton Auckland schooner Coral in, Captain S. H. Trayte, arrived hat port with a full load of ms of guano, the loading place entered with the Customs as al Queen Island.” far as we can discover there r was an island so named, ally; but on examining Coral ■n’s movements more closely i is good reason to suspect that ictually loaded at Flint Island, ading had taken six days, the 1 cleared the island on August rrived at Rarotonga, September id sailed for Auckland three later. ler vessels had lately been ig at Malden Island, that name given in the Customs entries, the sailing times given above appears the most probable e.
The records show that that island was extensively worked for guano by Houlder Brothers & Co., of Lon don, between 1875 and 1880, after which coconuts were planted. To day, Mr. Lionel Bambridge and 25 Tahitian labourers are stationed there making copra.
A^f
Ss£?E:
° n week-days there will be f enalt y of 10/6 for entry and £l/1/.. nnhi J lea £ a vS e; on Sun days and g ub Jl c J hollda ys the penalty is doubled.
There are also some other small charges.
CARONIA GUTTED bv ftbf
Tn Fire
September, 1954, PIM published
LEFT: Photographed on board the yacht " Vara " prior to departure for Rotuma from Pago Pago ion July 25. Left to right: "Life" photographer Elliott Elisophon, yacht owner and writer William A. Robinson, and Dr. D. D. Bonnet, of tahiti. Financed by the Peabody Institute and "Life" Magazine, the trio are visiting Rotuma, the Santa Cruz and Solomon Islands and proceed ing eventually to Bangkok. Dr Bonnet is obtaining blood samples to test the periodicity of the microfilarial specimens. RIGHT: capt. (Flight-Lieut.) Francis Bottoms of "John Williams VI" (see story).
de tai 1 s of a big scrap-salvage operation that was being under taken at Canton Island on the wreck of the liner President Taylor by two American syndicates, North Coast Corporation, and Taylor Salvors, of Seattle.
That work has been proceeding ever since, but it was reported briefly from Tarawa recently that the headquarters salvage vessel, the 296-ton steel motor-yacht Caronia, was gutted by fire in the early hours of July 11. PIM is seeking further details.
Vasu Inquiry
The formal inquiry into the loss of the Vasu, which foundered north of Tonga on June 14, opened in Suva on September 5.
Mr. M. Saunders, Senior Magis trate, was Chairman, with assessors Captain M. Harvey and Mr. A. A.
Ragg. Mr. Justin Lewis appeared for the Fiji Marine Board, Mr.
H. M. Scott for the master of the vessel (Captain W. F. Darling) and Mr. J. N. Falvey for the owners (Burns Philp SS Co.) Finding was that sinking caused by a leak in the hull aft in a moderate sea resulting in water entering the engine-room and passing through a "watertight” bulkhead to flood the hold, forcing off the hatches.
The master of the vessel was not guilty of incompetence in his handling or general navi gation, but censured for failing to take steps to discover the cause of the leak as soon as he was informed of it. The owners were guilty of negligence in that they knew of a
defective bulkhead and a leak in the stern and did nothing about either.
A Better ’Ole
HMS Telemachus, submarine on loan to the RAN, returning to Syd ney from a Pacific cruise reported having taken instrument soundings of the Tonga Deep to as low as 34,050 feet—6,ooo feet deeper than shown on present Admiralty charts
and only 1,200 feet shallower tha known depths in the Mindam Deep off the Philippines.
Demonstration Voyage!
Movie news-reel in August we showing a new Danish-desigm ship’s lifeboat, completely decbl over, of metal construction, and b signed to float free of the ship it sinks.
The prototype, named Dcd
iger, is leaving on a voyage id the world to demonstrate its ntialities.
Chasing Cosmic Rays
om Washington, DC, it was rted that the 4-year-old, 4,310- Swedish Translantic Co. vessel maren was to clear Gothenburg r September to chart a cosmic map of the world, le expedition is financed by the rican National Geographic Jty. ws despatches on the subject far from clear, but it seemed the research team might switch ther vessels on different trade 2s to complete the work gradu and that the Lommaren was specially chartered for the sur which is required to cover areas r previously surveyed by cosmic researchers.
Busy Road To Nauru
uru Island is a dot in the ic Ocean, but is certainly a busy )ing port. Fourteen overseas titers were scheduled to load phosphate cargoes there in and nineteen in August, arby Ocean Island, with slower ng methods, handled five in month. lereas for years all phosphate these islands went to Australia New Zealand, there is now a ly quantity flowing to the 2d Kingdom—five of the 33 Is which were to load at Nauru, d for the UK.
Out Of Retirement
ptain Van-Ness Budd, living in ;ment at Muri, Rarotonga,
polished his sextant and put to sea again in July-August as relieving master of Mr. D. C. Brown’s recent acquisition, the auxiliary ketch Inspire, on a voyage to the northern atolls. Captain Budd is an Ameri can and has made some lengthy Pacific yacht cruises between the Wars. Trained in sail, he com manded US military supply vessels during the Pacific war.
A New Southern X Too
Costly
The Melanesian Mission, follow ing receipt of tenders for the build ing of the projected Southern Cross VIII, has decided not to proceed with construction at present due to high cost.
Mission personnel will travel by
|Ph\ r d al ßad^4 n tui h \ r a e nd t le NewHebrYles groups the Solomo " s - She was to clear Australia for the Solomons early September.
The Lepers Trust Board-financed i?nH h ’ "“ ly building in Auck land, should also be operating in the Missions service by the end of the year. french ship in trouble off
N. Britain
A French Navy 1,200-ton LST limped into Rabaui; NG, in mid- August and so provided that town with its first post-war French Navv visitors.
T, he ship was on its way from the Philippines to Noumea when its
Marcel Marinacce's "Deutgan", at Mort's Sydney, in August. Formerly a trader [?]ew Hebrides waters, she is now up for at £25,000. (See August RIM).
oard engine failed about 130 from Rabaul, vnspeople turned out to wel the Frenchmen and the Corn health Bank made currency ible so the crew could get e.
Uh. Qld. Sea-Beef Run
Extends To Ng
i 600-ton landing barge Wewak, ioned in these columns pre y, will extend its cattle trans business to take in New 3a. three years the ship has been red in running supplies from s to isolated properties in Cape Peninsula and to Thursday id returning to Cairns with fat Wewak has carried about cattle out of the Peninsula since it began operating. The island Government subsidises
these operations to the extent of £lO,OOO per year.
The Marine Towing and Con tracting Co. {Wewak’s owners) charges £3 a head for cattle shipped to Cairns, and will charge £3O a head for cattle shipped Cairns-Lae.
The New Guinea extension of the service is not expected to interfere with North Queensland business as most of the former will be done November-March when things are slack in Cape York. Cattle are ex pected to be shipped to NG in lots of 200.
Six-Days Ordeal When Stc
Scow Wrecked
The 56-ft copra-scow Kari, owned by Steamships Trading Co., of Papua, ran on to a reef east of
Normanby island, on August 6 Two European passengers and nine natives subsequently spent six days on a small uninhabited islet U^ri a v °y a ee between Woodlark Island and Samarai when ro6f in bad weat her, at night. She was not equipped with ladl °- (Over)
[?]: Sir Hugh Ragg's "Tropic Bird" at Suva [?]y after a fishing trip. Built at Suva [?]. A. Lee, she was converted early this [?]or big-game fishing, to the specifications [?]. and Mrs. Hayford, an American couple with Mr. Harry Terry as skipper, fished [?]vely in Fiji waters for about two months.
H. Terry, of Suva, is Fiji representative International Gamefish Association, which [?] headquarters in the Museum of Natural [?], New York. "Tropic Bird", shown here Mr. Terry standing on the prow, is the
[?]unch in Fiji fully-equipped for big-game
Photo: Jack Thornton. [?]ER: After the G&EIC Wholesale Society's "Tuvalu" damaged a propeller at [?]ea's south lagoon in March it was de [?]to fit the ship with a new propeller in [?]bert Is. instead of voyaging to Suva for [?]. The ship was beached at Betio on one tide, and after the new prop had been the ship was refloated on the next tide. It was the first time since the at a ship of this size has been beached [?]pairs in the Gilberts. This photo, by [?]. Ward, master of the "Tuvalu", shows [?]ip beached at Betio, with interested [?]ese boys, some of them naked, looking hull.
She is one of half a dozen similar vessels that have been supplied to STC by Bjarne Halvorsen Ltd., Syd ney boatbuilders. Kari was the first—delivered to Moresby about five or six years ago. These ships have a two-berth cabin and a galley for European passengers aft; and quarters for about half-a-dozen natives forward.
On the morning after the wreck, those on board managed to get ashore with gear and food, and set up camp. While they were still re moving gear from the ships, a RAAF bomber flew over—according to the European survivors, at about 200 feet.
On the next day they were against visited by a bomber — but evidently no report of their position or their predicament was made. MV Muriara left Misima to search when Kari had not arrived in Samarai by August 1 A couple of days later, Muniara located Kari.
The passengers and crew were taken aboard and it’s understood the Kari is a total wreck. Her cargo, 300 bags of copra, plus a small quantity of shell, had also been lost.
And Heading For Trouble
The ship that Mr. Willie Schutz, of Tarawa, was serving is an Second Officer (a freighter on the Atlantic run), was requisitioned August 16 by the British War Office; it went to Barry, Wales, and with a number
of other ships, was being fitted as a trooper as a result of the Suez crisis. Mr. Schutz reports that Cap tain Max Stanton, well known in the Pacific Islands small-ships de livery business in post-war years, is now an officer in one of the famous Mr. Spyros Niarchos’ tankers, World Glen. His address is c/o
Niarchos (London) Ltd., 41/43 Pan Street, London, W.l.
Raf Type In Command Oe
Mission Ship
The LMS’s ship John William VI is ten years old this year, am has had eight years of Pacific ser vice.
Built in Britain in 1946, the ship s first named Empire Sloan and s converted for mission work in tB. She was renamed by Princess irgaret at a ceremony at Tower idge Pier on August 5. of that ir.
Mter her conversion, the John lliams VI, commanded by Cap n Williams, showed her flag at itish ports. Captain McKenzie mght the ship to the Pacific. She •ived at Suva on December 14, [S.
Captain S. Page, who had previ ;ly commanded the John Williams
V, was appointed to succeed Cap tain McKenzie. Since then, masters of the John Williams VI have in cluded Captains Ward (now in the G&EIC marine service) and Gosling others have served for briefer periods as relieving master.
The mission ship now has the distinction of being commanded by a Royal Air Force officer— Flight-Lieutenant Francis Bottoms, MBE, master mariner. (See photo page 65).
He still holds a RAF commission.
He is, in official terminology, “on RAF release” while serving aboard the John Wiliams VI. He can be recalled to active RAF service at any time.
Captain Bottoms who hails from Lancashire, has held a master’s
ticket since 1928; his first com mand was in 1930 when he tooh ships on an expedition t( Baffin Bay, west of Greenland Or another occasion he took a shin tr within 700 miles of the North Pole in December. He retains vivic memories of seafaring in and around the Arctic Circle.
In 1938, Captain Bottoms joined the Royal Air Force. Of the next 10 years he spent six in the air sea rescue service, mainly com manding flotillas of high-speed launches. He was officer-in-charge of a flotilla at Tobruk, but spent eight of his RAF years in the Arctic.
In 1946, he commanded the RAFA Cawley, and was then appointed
(Continued on Page 105)
[?]wo Auckland-Suva yacht race entrants were Noumea, New Caledonia, in August. They shown here, ''Daydream” (top) and [?]enis” (lower). "Daydream" was the only [?]tralian entrant in the race. She is owned sailed by Mr. Peter Fletcher, of Bondi. He [?] spend some months cruising about Queens [?]d's Barrier Reef before returning to Sydney. [?]'Glenis" is owned by Mr. Jack White, [?]ppered by Mr. Don Coulam of NZ. They do expect to return there before year's end.
Photos: F. E. Dunn.
mding officer of the RAF at ordon, Scotland. Two years te was granted a release, and south to serve with the LMS Pacific. In command of the Dyaging mission ship, he has Lore Pacific Islands than have eafarers.
Her Lost In Ng Waters
motor-vessel Jabiru, owned j Jabiru Trading Company, bandoned at sea August 21, les south-east of the Ninigo i, New Guinea, dio message from MV Josey that morning said she was ig by Jabiru, which was mak ,ter with all pumps working, gers had been transferred that stage her Master, Cap lorgan, was standing by on iking vessel. first report indicated that the had struck exceptionally bad r which had washed out some caulking. equent reports stated that i Morgan got away just be te vessel sank. u (then spelt Jaberoo) was this column in March, 1955, •eported that she had had a escape from a reef off the g coast when the engine iown.
Zon In Bougainville
American vessel Horizon, by the University of Cali and carrying a team of eight ts and 21 crew, anchored at Bougainville, August 19. had been carrying out an graphic and hydrographic in the equatorial belt.
1 Of Cruising Yachts
Timaru, 24-ft yawl of Hono tiome-built by 38-year-old nder Florentine Das, was in i March. The voyage com- May 14, 1955. A month later, onape with the yacht leak as accepted an offer of a Dm a Japanese tuna-vessel; mined there until February 5. Next stop was Truk and tion is given as the Philip then back home. Mrs. Das ght children watch events [onolulu. :a, of Victoria, BC, is another lipped through our guard. 01 ft x 18i ft x 6S ft x 4J ft -sheer yawl, manned by mder John Guzzwell, arrived Wand, June, 1956. The yacht Victoria, September 10, 1955, at Honolulu and Fanning. > a brand-new modern-type ad has created much interest kland yachting circles.
Varua, W. A. Robinson’s schooner yacht, west-bound from Papeete on medical research work, as reported last month, touched at Rotuma, August 6.
Tahiti , Tahiti-type Honolulu ketch, was preparing to head out for Papeete and Honolulu from Auckland in late August. Since arriving November 3, 1955, the yacht has had an extensive refit —new rudder, rigging, roller reefing gear, sail tracks, sails, pressure stove, and other general repairs and improve ments. Owner Lorrin Smith has taken on American Ted Grant to replace Philip Schroeder, who re turned to the States. Grant formerly owned the Honolulu 34-ft schooner yacht Penrhyn and was one of the
crew of the big luxury yacht Te Vega on her initial voyage to Papeete and Honolulu from the Pacific Coast after her big refit a couple of years ago. Grant arrived in Auckland in the liner Orcades last September, and, like Smith, has heen working there since. Depend ing on winds, a call may be made in the Australs, en route to Papeete.
Miranda, Auckland yacht, has heen purchased by Australian John O’Donnell, and he plans to cruise to Tahiti next winter. O’Donnell, who was employed as a radio grapher in Pago Pago for a time, arrived in Auckland as a member of the crew of the Seattle ketch Mariner.
Mariner will remain in Auckland until next winter at least, then owner James G. Robinson may head for Queensland waters and New Guinea. George L. Karl, former partner, left Auckland last De cember by normal means of travel and was lately reported in Scand inavia seeking a double-ender pilot vessel type of craft in which to do some more cruising.
White Squall, of Auckland, which cruised Polynesia in 1953 and planned US Pacific coast cruise this winter, will not undertake the trip due to ill-health of Ross Norgrive, owner.
Jellicle, trim 20-ft English sloop, still lies in Auckland for sale.
Owner Lieutenant Bailes is back with the Royal Navy in UK.
Solace was still undergoing refit in August at Auckland, but owner Commander Victor Clarke, DSC, RN (Retd.) hoped to clear for Palmerston Island before the end of September. He recently flew to England and back. The yacht may spend the hurricane season in the Cooks, or she may be headed back for Auckland for at least part of
the summer. West Indian SI Mathurin is still right-hand and Tuatai Marsters, of Palme will return to the Cooks in the ing ketch Inspire. The yact been replanked on the stai side, fitted with a new Victor diesel, and given a g overhaul. The planking, whic done at Palmerston, foil
ng there, was replaced in ad. i, Auckland 20-footer, which to Sydney via Lord Howe inter, has since been to and back. She cleared for Brisbane late July, and cruise Barrier Reef waters, home, possibly via Noumea, ; hurricane season. m, of Auckland, bound for S, cleared Rarotonga for i July 23, and was to head Papeete after a couple of lice, 20-ft Sydney cutter, in Frenchman Maurice de I made two abortive at to reach Lord Howe last nally made it recently. With teuil is Peter Clifford, 26. d Polo, of Auckland, bound the world, was at Miama, , in August. Messrs. Armit )e plan to head north for for a while, but should enter ufic again via Panama next on the homeward leg. a was the only yacht of the ngeles-Papeete Race group ng at Papeete by early It is assumed that the have all headed directly Stirling, Auckland motor aound round the world, was bane early in August after \ the Tasman. e, of England, Danny Weil’s one-man radio amateur ex 1, touched at Ocean Island , leaving again the same day iru.
Gemini, Jack and Leah Wheeler’s 34-ft Honolulu ketch, which cruised to French Oceania in the winter ot 1953, and caused much interest or overseas radio amateurs-Jack is a radio ‘ ham’’—is coming south again, this time with a new crewmember, 9-months old Sharon. The yacht was to clear Portland, Oregon, for the Islands in August.
Taurangi of Auckland, one of the Auckland-Suva R ace entrants, arrived back at Whangaroa, NZ, on August 22.
Daydream, Sydney entrant in the above race, arrived in Brisbane from Suva via Noumea on August 21.
The passage from Noumea took 10 da .X?; rr j. , . , „ White Hart, in which Tony and Bridget Reeves and 3-years-old son
Michael of Victoria bp avp Ing to NewZealandarrived at Rarotonga from Papeete August 20*
Coonglola, Wellington! NZmotor
sailer, reached Sydney in and will work up the coast to Brisbane and beyond Sari Marais, of Australia with Charles and Janice Ramsom was reported at Fort Lauderdale Florida, last May. This yacht, con tinuing her round-the-world voyage, should enter the Pacific via Panama next winter.
Viajera, Tahiti-type ketch owned by Bill and Sue Rorison was planning to leave the Pacific Coast of the States for Honolulu this winter, and may be seen further south, bound New Zealand, next winter. (Gver)
[?]e went to a lot of trouble to be [?]ith this old slime-covered lifebuoy this picture, and found by a fisher the shores of Botany Bay, Sydney, on [?]3. it was reported then that the Fiji [?]nt had asked that inquiries be made [?]. However, Dalgety and Co., Ltd., [?] Sydney for the Fiji Government, [?]d [?] that they had received no instruc [?]m the Fiji Government, and did not action. The whole thing was too a hoax. —Sydney "Mirror" photo.
Wanderer Ill's 1953-54 wander across the Pacific and round the world is covered in Eric and Susan Hiscock’s Around the World in Wanderer 111, just published.
Moana’s 1954- 56 cruise round the world from St. Malo, France, is related by Bernard Gorsky in Moana: The Vastness of the Sea, recently pub lished in an Eng lish edition and well received by reviewers.
Hope 30 ft Auckland ketch, with *: Norris and companions, called at Rarotonga between August 2-11, clearing thence for home. Leaving Auckland in May, the yacht called at Raivavae, Papeete, Moorea, Bora bora, and Huahine before reaching Rarotonga.
Quest, one of the Los Angeles- Papeete Race contestants, returned
UPPER; A scale model of the bamboo raft “Tahiti Nui", not yet launched in early Sep tember.
LOWER: The three crew members who are building the raft under the direction of Captain Eric de Bisschop Michel Brun, Francis Cowan, and right Alain Brun, standing beside the raft (see story page 110).
to Papeete on August 18 for engine repairs. The yacht had been 700 miles out on the way home to the US.
Maloni, owned by N. McEnnally, of Sydney, returned to home port on September 2 after a two months’ cruise to Lord Howe, Norfolk, Noumea, Suva, Noumea. Crew: Bruce Perry, David Lockhart, Eric de Chateaubourg. Lockhart had to fly back to Sydney from Noumea and his place was taken by Michael Laubreaux, of Noumea. Bad weather in last stage of voyage prolonged the trip from Noumea to Sydney to 15 days.
Tahiti Nui Takes Shape
Preparations for the Tahiti Nui raft voyage from Papeete to Chile and return are progressing well, according to a Tahiti correspondent, and the expedition, headed by Cap tain Eric de Bisschop, should be on its way on time.
This raft voyage, like all the others before it, is expected to prove something—to the satisfaction of the voyagers if no one else. de Bisschop believes the Polynesians sailed to South America—not the South Americans to Polynesia as the Kon Tiki raft voyage was sup posed to prove.
The Tahiti despatch says con struction of the 40 ft x 16 ft raft commenced May 15, after lengths of selected bamboo had been tested for their ability to retain buoyancy in sea water over a 6 months period.
The construction has been carried out by three of the expedition, Francis Cowan and Michel and Alain Brun, under the supervision of Captain de Bisschop, who de signed the raft and constructed a scale model to test its behaviour.
Over 400 bamboo poles were selected from one of the best stands of bamboo on the Mutovini Estate.
As the photo of the model shows, the raft will employ two large triangular woven pandanus sails, and will have no rudder, steering being adjusted by two centreboards which can be lowered.
No nails or bolts have been used in construction. There will be
seme carving and decoration sirr to old-time Polynesian craft. ■
TOP LEFT: Papeete volunteers helping to fight the fire which broke out aboard MV "Benecia" during 14th July festivities. The ship suffered extensive damage to super structure and accom modation. Photo: Studio Mackenzie.
Top Right: Mr. Ted
Kistner's graceful stay sail schooner "Dwyn Wen", lately visiting Papeete with a party of guests from Honolulu.
Photo: Courtesy Mr.
Kistner.
Lower Right: The
yacht "Vacua" leaving Pago Pago on July 25.
This yacht, which cost 575,000 to build, is 66 ft. long, with a draft cf 6 ft. 6 in., and a beam of 16 ft. 2 in. (See also page 65).
Photo: Pan American Prints.
>r to departure the raft will iled off the Tahiti coast and arough her paces in the first of rough weather to see how shaves. Any necessary adjust , will then be made before final ture late September or early er. crew, says our correspondent, a “perfect state of strength aoral and physical condition” there appears to be some as to the fifth member of the who was to be radio operator, h it is hoped that radio con vill be maintained throughout cpected 4-month passage from te to Valparaiso. ; raft will he headed south to )th or 35th parallel of latitude k up favourable winds for the >ound passage. The return run be by the Kon-Tiki route ;r north where winds and its move westward. ie expedition will be clearly mtific one, much difficult and e work being done,” says our ipondent. Modern electronic me nt will be carried for idi n g the depths. Winds, its, and other data will be led. Captain de Bisschop be that Polynesians sailed from i to South America about 500 lour and black-and-white s and still photos will be taken f all goes well a scientific book ie voyage will be published as as another book for popular imption dealing with the human ts of the voyage.
R Uniwai— On And Off
; Fiji Medical Dept.’s vessel oai spent about 10 days on a lear Kaba Point, SE Viti Levu, August. 3 PWD tugs and Shell 40 suc d in refloating her on st 31.
Jook’S Have Record
Fishing Season
ae- strange craft were reported ag night into day with brilliant in Northern Cook Group ■s recently by the inter-island ig vessels Taveuni and lotte Donald. early August they were con d by an American source to be lese fishing vessels, based on »a.
Rarotonga correspondent com ing on this, says: “These litous harvesters of the sea the moment to strike. Not for ag time have Cook Islanders so much marine life, grappled such monsters, or enjoyed so i sea food as over the last : months. imdreds of fat tuna have been at by canoe fishermen in this
period, and in late July great schools of wahoo made the water boil off Rarotonga, the local canoe fleet being equal to this exciting occasion.
“Lesser breeds such as flying fish have been scooped up by the thousands and seasonal runs of in shore fish have been heavy.
“There has been a spate, too of interesting marine visitors. Most unexpected of all, a seal turned up one day in June at Arorangi, Raro tonga—a ridiculous place for an Antarctic mammal to be. It was soon in the local pots.
“Next star catch was a huge swordfish, which kept a small fleet of canoes fully engaged for six hours.
“And now the whales are cavort ing offshore. Rarotongan tuna fishermen had grandstand seats on August 10 as six whales surfaced and swam lazily about, at times within throwing distance of the assembled canoes. Reports from outer islands suggest the biggest seasonal movement for years.
“There was a time when, on whales being sighted off Rarotonga the lookout would blow his conch, boat-steerer and seasoned crew would spring to launch the waiting whaleboat, and, if a harpoon found its mark, the whole population would follow the leviathan struggle round the coastline.
“To-day one opens another tin of meat and counts the whales go ing by.” (Over)
Suva Breeze Ex Ron A
C o l°m a l Sugar Refining Co.’s 6 341 GT steam molasses tanker Ronu very well known in Fiji waters— she was on a reef for a while there in March—has been sold and re named Suva Breeze. The pur
[?]ain Fred K. Klebingat writes from San Pedro, Calif., that while recently in San Francisco the loan of a scrap book belonging to Mr. F. R. Bowes, of Bowes & Andrews, formerly [?]f the "Tropic Bird", "City of Papeete" and "Galilee", sailing vessels engaged in the [?]cisco-Tahiti mail run, and that he found the following item about the barquentine "Tropic [?]e says that it appears from the old scrap book that "Tropic Bird" arrived in Papeete [?]y, 1894, 17 days and 20 hours out from San Francisco—impressing the merchants of Papeete [?]an extent that they presented the skipper with a flag with a rooster sewn on it. Captain [?] thinks that she probably beat the "City of Papeete's" record of 17 days on this as it was customary for "Tropic Bird" to make a 24 hours' call at Taiohae in the [?]s. The photo shows "Tropic Bird" ready to sail from her buoy in Papeete Harbour. [?]m a book called "Sunshine and Surf", by Douglas B. Hall and Lord Albert Osborm, [?] in London in 1901. Both writers had made a trip to Tahiti in "Tropic Bird" about 1900.
chasers are John Manners & Co., of Sydney, and the 38-year-old vessel will be operated by a subsidiary, Cambay Prince Steamship Co. Ltd., of Hongkong, The reported pur chase price was £ABI,OOO.
As Suva Breeze, the old ship thus joins other old-timers with the Breeze suffix already trading south from Hongkong, though it is not known what service this latest pur chase will be put to.
In the past the vessel has carried molasses and crude sugar from Fiji and Queensland to New Zealand and Australian ports. CSR recently ordered a new 6,000-ton vessel from a British ship-yard.
Still In Sydney Dock
The 600-ton Melinga, owned by Bern Shipping Pty. Ltd., expects to be out of dock by the end of October.
She was towed to Sydney in July by the NG Australia Line Shansi from Port Moresby, where she had been under charter to the Aus tralasian Petroleum Co.
Her future movements are un certain.
No Christening Yet
Captain Emile Sovoie’s new pur chase, the 800 tons Comara, is currently on a voyage from Fre mantle to Darwin: she will go then to Tasmania and does not expect
to enter service Sydney-New Caledonia until late October.
The 64-dollar question as to whether she will have a name change to bring her into line with the rest of the Savoie Del Mar
family, is as yet unanswered. I Sydney agents say “no decisionc —but it’s probable.”
We understand that ano: Savoie ship, Maria del Mar, is for sale.