Stolen-One Brixham Trawler

sal Spree in the Cooks

By Gordon Russell

ibout 730 p.m., on Saturday sning, October 6, the well awn Cook Islands inter-island ; vessel Inspire stole out of nga’s pocket harbour of bound goodness-knows e” is the word, for her motor en started and her moorings by some persons unknown— time. age-old surge that courses i the veins of all true men, a moorings and away,” had I at that time and place, and and adventure was on. owly dawned upon the few oted this departure that it very silent affair, lacking the garlanded background of ir, tears, chitchat and down ibaldry. born, the horrible suspicion from mouth to mouth and, ly enough, brought the police scene. members, whooping it up ay-night style in favoured were peremptorily interro- Three of the crew, familiar le vessel, but weak on navi

gation and mechanical knowledge, were found to be missing.

Outrigger fishermen, dreaming on the end of tuna lines, had reported that the vessel passed them bound north-east, no lights showing, and under—t hey thought—one motor only. There had been talk on board the same day, it was said, of mak ing a private trip to Aitutaki, for which island the vessel was all ready loaded and due to depart, officially, the following day. Maybe the “boys” just wanted to hurry things along for the owner.

Were their girls on board? As it is impossible to trace the movements of all single, foot-loose, starry-eyed maidens in Rarotonga, the question remained unanswered. Those who secretly envied these lusty young ship-stealers felt that there should be girls on board. Things would be more comfortable that way.

There was much coming and go ing that night. Known facts were flashed to Island Territories, Well ington. The Wairuna, due in Raro tonga the following morning for tomatoes, was alerted and for some hours scanned the inky waters for

a radar reflection of a 70-ft wooden hull; no reflection.

John Harrington’s little steel hulled Manu arrived from Aitutaki the following day; nothing sighted.

The Charlotte Donald, then at

"Inspire”.

?, was asked to keep a * eye open and reached Raro- Junday evening; no news, ent Agents at Lower Group also alerted by radio, had to communicate, his time the stolen Inspire ief headline news in New [ papers and all ships in the tew the story, amongst them > Endeavour, the NZ Ant- Ixpedition ship, south bound ’ahiti. The RNZAF Search jscue organisation at Suva, rted from Wellington, spoke b kept informed. They were, ay, as it happened, was lation Day in the Cook rounding off a long week vhich rumour held full sway 3 weather, fine and settled ight to moderate north ;s, suggested that, if that topped, as was likely, in in iced hands, Inspire would lake Aitutaki, or much east where. ay, with the Charlotte and andy for surface operations, the right moment to seri msider a call upon the Fiji- AR aircraft and appropriate were despatched, evening the British freighter bound for New Zealand, [ sighting a small craft sail about 300 miles ENE tonga, making westward. A r ith Tahiti revealed no pri

vate yachts or balsa rafts bound this way, to their knowledge. It was a “possible,” and Fiji Search and Rescue were duly informed.

But at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, a sail was sighted to the southwest of Rarotonga and lookouts soon confirmed that it was the good old Inspire beating up to her home port in a moderate easterly.

Bundling in to the Union Com pany’s lighter launch, the police were soon up with her, to arrest the three culprits—one sailor, one greaser, one cook—and allow the legitimate captain and engineer to bring her in and tie her up snug in her old possie.

The nautical spree was over, and the outside world advised.

Never has the Inspire received such a welcome. Delighted crowds hailed the trio —heroes all —as they came ashore, spruced up in clean attire, hair groomed, modest about the acclamation, and in safe custody.

And the little ship? Quite ship shape; stores untouched; Her Majesty’s mails intact; everything “as was.”

THE age-old urge referred to, aforesaid, was, in this instance, stimulated by a goodly potion of local brew, on that pleasant Saturday evening.

The initial act was perpetrated by the two more irresponsible citizens, while the third (and unwilling)

party was sleeping it off. The fol lowing morning, No. 3 took over tried to make Aitutaki, was set to leeward, and had to beat back home again to Rarotonga, with inter mittent help from one engine.

Number three is now a free citizen, reinstated. The other two languish in Rarotonga’s spacious new gaol, with lots of time to dream about going down to the sea in ships.

So ended an interesting and ex tended week-end, stimulating to all.

Officials kept their heads and acted wisely and well, when and where it mattered most. But the outcome could have been very different— another tragedy to add to the recent

spate of smallship disasters in the South Pacific.

Folk hereabouts say there were extenuating circumstances in the Inspire affair. There is never any lack of labour as crew for inter island craft in the Cook Group and some local shipowners take full ad vantage of the abundant supply of young bloods only too happy to go places for an occasional square meal.

And, some add, Hollywood points the way with its visual-aid educa tion, dispensed at three local cinemas any night in the week.

Here, at 1/6 a seat, nothing is sacred, and all the finer points of sin, including piracy, are there, in technicolor.

There is likely a moral here, but why point it, and so mar the dis tinctive flavour of life in the “Cooks?” t Under the direction of M. Munier, work on the construction of a new bridge across the Fautaua River, Tahiti, was completed in October by the firm of Jean Bres & Co. The bridge replaces an old structure. t Formation of an average unsealed 20-ft road in Western Samoa costs £2,000 per mile; and tar sealing costs a further £3,000 per mile

Mock Raid Over Rabaul

A JET plane which swooped and dived low over Rabaul early November caused no consterna tion.

The plane, from the carrier HMAS Melbourne, was carrying out a mock raid and the people had been warned.

The carrier, in company Tobruk and Quadrant, wen Naval exercises in Territory w At Lorengau, in the Manus i the landing of a Naval helio on the Reserve caused great e:e ment and a crowd quickly gatl The helicopter was flown by 8 Officer, who arrived to return on the District Commissioner;