nicfia&a«irool«:

That Texan and His Floating Family Outward Bound Is Still Bound Outward

Ve said good-bye to John Caldwell ‘TIM” in July, 1958, when he I his wife, Mary, and their kids led out of Sydney on their 45-ft. ch "Outward Bound”. Since then, word-till now. They haven’t got far in those nine months—just Townsville, but they appear to 1 e been having their own Caldwell nd of fun. ohn Caldwell is obviously an in able romantic. After sailing fits back and forth across the ■iflc for 12 years he can still te about it and make it sound ’ a travel brochure; or the first ed-and-tried recipe for getting ly from it all. Arid the strangest ig about it is that he probably ins it. his is what he has to say, from msville (shorn of some of his >t lyrical adjectives): |0 your wife and kids like the ’ life you live, sailing around the world on a small boat?” I am n asked. [y answer is: I wouldn’t leave of them behind. Nor would I ?ame to tell any of them they idn’t go with me. It would mean i mutiny! urs is a carefree life of ad ture. Of escape from the merci commonsense of convention, built our 40-ft. auxiliary ketch Sydney—l and my crew, consist of my wife Mary and our two 3, Johnnie 11 and Roger 6. The ding took two years and three iths. mostly part-time and week s. r e finished the boat one day and 3d the next—July 27, 1958, to Barrier Reef —on the first leg mr world voyage, fou live but once; you are young once,” is our cry. “Do what you t to do to have a bit of fun, what you don’t want.” ut , , . our departure wasn’t h fun. What started as a light erly breeze, grew surprisingly he afternoon, and with night we were deeply reefed in a bled sea, with winds of 40 knots, h seas exploding off our bilges, ran to Goff’s Harbour in the time of 49 hours, with ship and 7 in good order on arrival. itward Bound sails with arrogant lity in a kicking sea. e ran next to Gladstone, rted by schools of whales, until DUtheast gale blew up, driving wallowing and sea-swept into cozy nook of Bustard Head

Creek, where Cook had once anchored.

We lounged among a gem-like group of islets in the Gladstone area for a month—fishing, swimming, hiking, exploring, and just plain loafing and from now on the trip became yachting, of the text-book, yacht club verandah type: warm, fresh sun-brown days, and soft, cool evenings.

On the Queensland coast, near Broad Sound, we found a niche in the rugged shoreline and felt our way through a narrow pass to discover Island Head Creek. A bleak name for so enchanting an inlet, with its miles of glistening beaches. 001 For nine days we lazed in this rarely visited anchorage. Fishing and swimming was the best, with fat oysters abounding by the barrel load on the shore rocks.

Again at sea, we flew north to find more islands —the Percy Group St Bees, Brampton, Lindeman Then that prize of the Barrier Reef the Whitsunday Group: A miniature of the Hawaiian islands.

The following weeks were memorable At our feet lay a yachtsman’s

Saradtee-Tsparkling patchwork of

sandfronted isles with fascinating SS^ s and inlets of

nicfia&a«irool«:

a*picture-card islet, where Johnnie

and I shot a fat juicy piglet, which we spitted and barbecued, sizzling and succulent on the white beach, And Nara Inlet, a three-mile ribbon of gleaming water which pokes into the heart of Hook Island, ending in a placid basin overtopped with kingly hoop pines, craggy cliff-face, and a hurtling waterfall. We had careless days of convivial fellowship with holidaying guests at the resort islands of Happy Bay, South Molle and Hay man. .

The only discord to shake the tropic calm comes daily from the boys, when they are called from shore to their correspondence lessons. What? School! they groan.

As December ended, we sought a safe all-weather anchorage for the cyclone season—roughly, January to May in these waters. We chose the bustling port of Townsville and dropped anchor in Ross Creek, near the foot of Castle Hill which piles up nke a battlement over the city, The hospitality of the north is a sleep-shattering reality in Towns ville. Whisked into a gay round 0 f dinners, parties and 9Utings, six evenings out in a week is not rare.

And now, yawning and a trifle weary. we lie waiting and preparing ship for the next leg of our world voyage, which is Darwin via Cairns. Cook-

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witching horizons

The crew of “Outward Bound” on arrival in Townsville after their leisurely five months cruise from Sydney through the Barrier Reef. From left to right: Johnnie aged 11, Mary, Roger aged 6 (born in Tahiti), and Skipper John.