[?]ws of Cruising Yachts

RUBIA is the name of the unidentified mentioned in February “PIM” as ig sailed from Hongkong for Spain on ary 17. With the six Spaniards— ;s still unknown to us—is a 19-year "hinese boy, Joseph Loui. who is work ers passage as cook. Route still un n.

ANNETTE, the Honolulu ketch lost on

Dibbles Reef in the Northern Lau Group of Fiji last September, still lies with her mast visible and in about the same con dition as when found submerged, accord ing to a Fiji report. No action has been taken by the next-of-kin of the Tanners, presumed deceased, to initiate any salvage through the Suva Receiver of Wreck. • TE RAPUNGA, bound for Brisbane from Auckland via Whangaroa, NZ, was

missing: north of New Zealand following the violent depression of mid-March which passed close to the 32-ft. ketch’s last known position. Aboard with owner- Captain George J. Dibbern were Messrs.

Roderick J. Buchanan of Greymouth, NZ, T. Cole of Auckland, and an Australian, D. Bullock. The yacht cleared Whangaroa March 12 and was 20 miles north of North Cape when the storm centre crossed the area on the night of March 14. No radio transmitter was carried.

An air search for TE RAPUNGA was commenced on March 20 along a line be tween Cape Reinga and Lord Howe Island, but before it was fairly under way the yacht was intercepted in dismasted con dition considerably to the south-east, 30 miles north of Cape Brett, by the Japanese freighter TOKUWA MARU bound for Auckland from Yokohama, and was towed in by that ship.

Captain Dibbern said the yacht had made good progress until the morning of March 14 when the wind and sea In creased. That afternoon the yacht hove to and a sea-anchor was streamed.

About 4 p.m., under very heavy con ditions the yacht was overwhelmed by a huge sea which threw her on her beam-end and carried away the mizzen mast, dinghy, and spare spars.

Captain Dibbern was washed overboard but regained the deck with the assistance of the crew. At 10 p.m. the yacht was again hit by another very big sea which caused havoc below, a great deal of water being taken aboard. To lighten the vessel all removable gear except foodstuffs was thrown overboard and as the storm raged an attempt was made to bail with buckets.

The next morning conditions were improving but all hands were exhausted.

However they rigged sail on the remaining portion of the main-mast during that day and made slow progress back towards New Zealand. In the following days three ships

ed at no great distance, but failed to ; the derelict. When the TOKUWA ;U was sighted coming up astern at 1 p.m. on the night of March 20 a was lit and sighted after two rockets apparently failed to attract attention, plain Dibbern lost his old diaries and Dgraph albums, treasured records of past wanderings—but one thing he tot lose was a carefully wrapped birth cake given to him by the wife of the our Master at Whangaroa before sail- The birthday—his 70th—was cele ■d in Auckland instead of at sea, on h 26.

JANIS, blamed for a mysterious dis call in Cook Strait last December 12 arriving at Wellington from Sydney i charge was firmly rejected by lone er Anton Slovacek who said he had idio transmitter aboard—was again in ile on March 21, when she was near- Luckland from Wellington on the next : of a cruise to the Islands. about 1 30 p.m. on a fine day, the t and the 11,000-ton British freighter FOLK came into collision in open r 10 miles south of Little Barrier d. Slovacek, a Czech, formerly on a jr plantation in Papua, said that the t was sailing itself in a light breeze, aw NORFOLK coming up astern and ned that JANIS was clearly visible, ent below to shave. Next thing the t was grinding along the side of the The rigging fouled some projection iown came the top 12 ft. of his single He immediately fired a flare which sighted. The ship turned, and towed in to Auckland.

RANGI of Auckland, with owner Mark ony, will be sailing later this year for >lk, Lord Howe, and the New Hebrides, le first stages of a west-bound world e. Mr. Anthony skippered the three rs’ Trust Board vessels delivered in 58 from Auckland to the Solomons.

HALCON ROJO, a 37-ft. schooner fly the Chilean flag, arrived at Papeete December, 64 days out of Valdavia, two aboard—names as yet unknown, yacht had sailed as far north at 12 es South before making her westing, report reached us. like some others, the Slocum Society headquarters at y Side, Md., USA. No direct report his yacht has been received from ete by “PIM”. The name translates nglish to RED FALCON.

MANAWANUI of Auckland will prob be in Papeete when this appears in . A controlling interest in this motor • is now held by Mr. Brian Neill, one te crewmen aboard when she sailed Auckland last September 24. Mr. flew back to Auckland from Hono in February and planned to rejoin racht at Papeete where she was pro ng via Kailua, Kona, and the Tua s. Skipper Athol Rusden will then n to New Zealand. On clearing from lulu in February those aboard also ded Mr. and Mrs. lan Johnson of land, Unga Koloamatangi of Tonga, :r E. Duncan—a retired USAF Colonel loomington, 111., Jack Ward—a Yale mt of Polynesian languages, of er. Col., Dr. William Parks of Los les, and Anne Brisbin of Rutherford, It is not clear whether this craft will i head for the US from Papeete, or n to Auckland first.

VENATA, a 30-footer, with Chartier Daniel Persem aboard, was in the ry Islands late 1958 bound for the ic.

EOLO —presumably no connection with 57-ft. Sydney cutter which passed igh the Islands bound for the US last

year—was also in the Canaries bound for the Pacific last November with Guy Louis Clabaut lone-handing. • PAGAN, formerly sailed through the Islands by Bill Weld of the US, is head ing this way again in the ownership of Richard Colahan. Present whereabouts un known, • YANKEE, purchased from the Irving Johnson’s for $BO,OOO at the conclusion of her last world cruise by Lieut.-Commander Reed Whitney, USN Ret., has been classi fied now by the US authorities as a com mercial vessel and will have to undergo considerable expensive structural altera tions below before she again appears in Pacific waters. Presumably it is Mr.

Whitney’s intention to use the vessel on a purely commercial basis.

• WHITE SEAL, unreported for a long time, has added to her crew at Brisbane— a daughter, Tracy Lynn Trobridge. Plans are to sail about May in continuation of the west-bound passage, via Torres Strait.

Also in Brisbane, MERIDIAN, with Richard and Abbie Stafford. • WINDSONG IV: After 9M> months cruising and 9,000 miles in the Pacific— including Tahiti, Tonga, Cooks and Samoa —this 48 ft. ketch tied up at her home port, Williamstown, Vic., at the end of February. Skipper J. E. Walker, former Port Phillip pilot, who built the vessel in his back yard over seven years, was ac companied by Geoff Soames, Basil Chip man, and Tom Jones, all of whom had sailed out of Port Phillip with WINDSONG nine months ago. Only one original crew member dropped out along the way, which is something of a record.