News of Cruising Yachts

• MERIDIAN and NANI, both pre ously mentioned in this column, ere last reported as being at Moorea. • KOCHAB, Dr. John Franklen irans’ new 39*-ft Bermudan yawl, st reported at Balboa, continued i to the Galapagos and from there ade a 47-day passage to Los ngeles. This yacht was to be an itrant in the Trans-Pacific (Los ngeles-Honolulu) Race and will len continue on to Auckland via land ports. • PHOENIX, of Honolulu, with irl and Barbara Reynolds and ipanese University student crew, as last reported at St. Thomas, r est Indies, having arrived by way ' Capetown and St. Helena Island . May. Next stops: Brazil, Miami, id Annapolis, where a lengthy stay likely. • MARCO POLO, of Auckland, est-bound on the latter stages of ;r cruise round the world, left arotonga August 9 for Aitutaki, id was at the latter island still on ugust 11. • MIRANDA, of Auckland, which b reported as having sailed June I for Papeete, put in to Rarotonga , days later and was reported still i be there in mid-August.

• Seven Seas Ex Scaldis, 41-

steel ketch, which Andre Boun tester sailed to the Cook Islands om Holland in 1955, and sold there illowing a nervous breakdown, is jain up for sale. She was pur lased in August, 1955, by trader >hn Harrington, of Aitutaki Is., mverted to trading purposes, and inamed Manu o Aitutaki. Mr. arrington spent a good deal of ioney on this craft, ins ailing a )od motor. When finances were w in the Canary Is., Meester sold le original motor and continued le cruise under sail. He was last sported in New Zealand late 1955. • ASTRID, the 24-ft cutter from ew Zealand, arrived in Suva on ugust 4, -ex-Tonga. The cutter eared Mangonui on May 13. Mr. inton Panther is owner-master and as with him as crew member Miss , Fostern King, of the United tates. Mr. Panther proposes to ;ay in Fiji about six weeks and will len return to New Zealand. • SOLUS, a 33-ft yacht, owner laster Commander Victor Clark, N, (Retd) arrived in Suva on ugust 2. Commander Clark was xecked on Palmerston Island, in le Cook Islands, and his programme ’as delayed a year as a result. The ook Islanders hauled his boat across le reef and worked on it for months ‘pairing the side. They refused any ayment for the work. Solus then r ent to Auckland to refit. Com lander Clark returned to Palmerston

and then to Fiji by way of Tonga and Western Samoa. From Fiji he will go to Tanna, in the New Hebrides, and from there to the Solomons, Samarai, Torres Strait and South Africa, where he hopes to arrive by Christmas. He will then return to England via the West Indies.

His only comDanion is a West Indian, who shares watches and does the cooking. « FIDDLERS GREEN, Tahiti-type ketch, manned by professional base ball player, radio “ham” George Boston, 35, was at Bermuda in July, bound round the world, and will probably enter the Pacific about now. The yacht has a Red Wing petrol auxiliary motor and another small motor on deck providing power for the radio transmitter. • TZU HANG, of Japan, with the Smeetons and John Guzzwell (ex Trekka ) aboard, was still at Tal cahuano, Chile, when last heard of.

There the yacht is repairing con siderable damage caused when struck by a freak sea 50 days and 5,000 miles out of Melbourne bound for the Atlantic via the Horn. She made a 1,350-mile jury-rig passage to her present port. • JELLICLE, which was sailed from England to New Zealand last year by Lieutenant-Commander Mike Bailes, RN, and has been hauled out and for sa,le at Auckland since July, 1956, was recently purchased for local sailing. Bailes flew back to his job in the RN soon after reaching Auckland. e TAKI-O-AUTAHI, 21-ft cutter of Poole, England, which sailed for New Zealand via French canals, Tangier, Casablanca, and the Canaries in October, 1952, cleared Balboa trans pacific bound on Augus: 6. Owner

builder Bill Mangan, of New Zea land, and sailing companion Rick Mohun, who joined at St. Thomas, BWI, will make calls at French Oceania and probably the Cooks en route to Auckland. Plans are to continue west-bound to England

later to claim the award of “shortef craft ever”. ■ * HAVFRUEN 60 ft x 17 ft m. x 8 ft 6 m. ketch of Southampta England, cleared Balboa for Pol. nesia, July 23, on a similar circun navigation. With owner T. H Caj is his wife and three other persor Built of teak, in Norway, in 18S the craft is claimed to be the large genuine Colin Archer-type vess ever built.

• Princess Waimai (Also R

ported as Princess Wymia— we belie; the former spelling correct) still lii m Miraflores Lake, Canal Zor burdened with some $20,000 in wrii It will _tae recalled that Polish-bor one-time NZ University lecturer E Bohdon Cwilong, planned to use’th 74ft, 48-year-old craft, and anothi non-magnetic yacht, in a magnet survey of the Pacific, extending ov' several years. The yacht clean England in November, 1953, but ere and other troubles halted plans Panama. Cwilong and his wife we; repatriated two years ago, with tl avowed intention of returning whe more finance had been raised. • CELESTE, 40-ft steel cuttfl cleared Balboa late July, believe heading Islandwards, though no di tails were available. She may she up at Tahiti, though the Balb* betting was that she would arrii back at that port or elsewhere ni far distant. • JENKO 11, of Norway, with ui named skipper, and two NZ ere men, Jim Bothwell and Daw Dempsey aboard, caused some e; citement in the North Sea in Jn when the skipper appears to ha; gone: berserk while ill. The ere radioed for assistance and a polii launch towed the fishing vessel to Harwich. However, the voyajj was later continued towards NZ w Panama, and this craft shorn appear in Polynesia later in tl year. It is possible that this vess is owned by the same Jensen famir who brought out Jenco (differs; spelling) to Napier, NZ, some tin ago, as the present craft is all bound for Napier. • VIXEN, a 35-ft auxiliary yach arrived at Suva late August froc Pago Pago. On board, Mr. and Mi: T. Stark, who have been away froc their home in Miami, Florida, fi 2 i years. They spent 13 months Tahiti and the surrounding islam taking motion pictures, and planmi to take moving pictures in Fiji, als They plan to leave there October*: for Brisbane. t Mr. J. W. Deegan, Depui Inspector-General of the Colonii.

Police Forces, arrived in Fiji o July 27 for a 15-days tour inspection of the Fiji Police Foro