News of Cruising Yachts

• D’VARA IN PORT MORESBY: A note from S. E. Bradfield, owner of this Western Australian built yacht, says that he and his wife are safely anchored in Port Moresby now for the next two years.

We left them several months ago in Fre mantle, preparing to sail their 30-ft. ketch to Port Moresby. Mr. Bradfield says the voyage—north about around Australia—was good, except for a slight brush with a cyclone off the northwest of WA when they were hove-to for five days. The ketch suffered no serious damage—and the Brad fields seem to have weathered the blow alright, too.

The young couple built the yacht them selves and she was launched only at the end of last October.

Port Moresby was a busy yachting port in April when Mr. Bradfield wrote: SOUTHERN MAID was there—due to leave

shortly for Singapore; the NZ yacht.

RANGINUI also, hoping soon to clear for South Africa via Torres Strait. There was news of the catamaran, sailed into Moresby late January by two Frenchmen. H. Mal zonnier, the leader of this Very Small Ship expedition, expects to leave Moresby in a few weeks, for Brisbane—then across the Pacific via Islands for Canada.

• Mary K Has Hurricane Rest:

This yawl, owned and sailed by Australian Geoff Rawson has spent the time since February at Vavau, Tonga. Geoff and his sailing companion have been filling in this hurricane season lay-up by assisting local Morris Hedstrom manager, Mr, Geoff Nash, to build a 16 ft. runabout. MARY K and crew expected to set off again ocean cruising at the end of April. • CRUSADER, Mr. Bill Endean’s 47 ft. ketch, was recently struck by lightning while fitting out in Auckland for her pro posed trio to America via the Islands. The top two feet of her mainmast was shat

and her owner considered that the g date would be put back at least a Ight.

REVEL, 30 ft. cutter, arrived back in igaroa, North Auckland, during April an 18 day passage from Sydney, rs Mr. and Mrs. J. Smith have been 12-month honeymoon cruise which aken them to Lord Howe Is. and the er Reef.

NERIDES, 55-ft. auxiliary ketch left land on April 17 for Tahiti on the leg of a voyage to the States, ner-skipper, Ted Copsey, 56, has a of six Aucklanders, and plans to be nine months, returning to NZ via alian ports. ; ketch is equipped with a powerful -transmitter, and echo-sounder, and ;s enough fuel for 750 miles under r.

LA CANTUTA II has opened the 1959 ig season by clearing from Callao, on April 13 bound for Polynesia, is the successor to LA CANTUTA, i sailed from Paita, Peru, on Decem , 1955, with four men and a woman •d. Two weeks after sailing, the in, Natalia Mazuelos, was reported isly ill. The fruit freighter TROPIC IER on the regular run between aquil and the Galapagos met the raft a and towed her to Villamil, Isabella d. After a stay there the voyage was aed on December 27 —with Natalia aboard. Next news came in March, The raft had got out of the main

west-flowing current and was being set back eastward. On March 2, in response to a radio request, the rafters were taken off their craft by the US hydrographic survey vessel REHOBOTH at a point about 1,000 miles north-west of the Galapagos and with their stores almost exhausted.

Good radio contact was maintained with overseas amateur radio men throughout the voyage.

The crew on that occasion were Eduardo Ingris of Peru, Mirko Guerecky of Czecho slovakia, Andy Rost of Holland, and Joaquin Guerrero of Argentina, and the woman.

This time the crew is given as Ingris, Guerrero, Jaime Toledo of Peru, and Jose Matouse Richter of Czechoslovakia. • CHIMERE—aIso spelt as CHIMAERE in despatches from the Gilberts—left Betio, Tarawa, February 23 for Ponape, Guam, and Japan. The yacht suffered a broken mast in some sort of harbour accident soon after arrival at Tarawa and a new one had to be built from available timber, necessitating some alterations to sails.

Captain and Madame J. Bluche, of France, are owners and crew. • MOONFLEET ex-KONA. reported sold in Suva, is still unsold—the sale fell through. It is understood that her owner will arrange to sail the staysail schooner to Auckland about June-July. So volunteer crew-men may now form a queue. Mean while MOONFLEET is seen airing her sails on Suva Harbour on Sundays under care taker control—with PIM represented at the end of a sheet! • SHEMARA, Sir Bernard Docker’s big motor yacht, which called at Papeete after clearing Suva, cleared again for the Gala pagos, Panama, and France late March. • MANAWANUI of Auckland, originally bound for the US West Coast, was back in Papeete from Honolulu in April. From there came reports that this motor-sailer might return to Auckland before again heading for California. • WANDERER, Sterling Hayden’s 98ft. schooner, arrived at Papeete early April from California via the Marquesas.

Hayden, who has his four children and a tutor aboard, was uncertain whether he would head westward through the Islands for Torres Strait and a west-bound voyage

to Europe, or south for Cape Horn and eventually Denmark. • PUORI— also spelt PU-ORI in some reports—arrived in Papeete early February, 46 days out of Honolulu via the Marquesas, with Gene and Wayne Pettengill and Ron Quail aboard. • FAITH, 37-ft. Los Angeles ketch, with Larry and Babe Baldwin aboard, was to clear San Diego late February for the Galapagos in company with the 32-ft. ketch SERAIN II manned by Bill and Marty Lohr. • NEW SILVER GULL, of Sydney, with the Scotts, was to leave Galapagos late January for Papeete. A Mr. and Mrs. Bein joined in Galapagos. No further news. • SEA CHANTY, 36-ft. Vancouver ketch with the Kempels aboard, was to leave Vaitape, Bora Bora, for Rarotonga in mid- Anril according to January intentions, '• KOCHAB of England, with Dr. John Franklen-Evans in command, and Dick Pohe and Terry Gray both of Whangarei, NZ, as crew-men, arrived at Suva April 25. After a lengthy stay at Auckland the 39 ft. 7 in. x 10 ft. 8 in. x 29 ft. x 6 ft. yawl cleared Auckland April 4, making calls at Kawau Island, Whangarei, Whan gamumu and Whangaroa, leaving there April 18. Fair winds and good weather were experienced. Best day’s run was 165 miles. Plans are for several months crms ing in the Fiji Group before returning to New Zealand next Summer. KOCHAB, built in England three years ago, is prob ably as well finished and well kept a yacht as any cruising at the present time. She has sailed the Trans-Pacific and Sydney- Noumea Races. Dr. Fr * n^ l ®" va "® formerly owned STORTEBECKER 111 which sailed through these pages until sold some * e * TS ' a *L°i ¥TC , Wpll • FLYING WALRUS and the Wells family, at Whangarei, NZ, are understood This SS been in that port clear Auckland In May for Rarotonga and

Papeete. Aboard wil ! be atSat

Matheson and Peter Ashcroft and at least one other.

Below: The fishing vessel "Elenoa" being readied at Lautoka. Lined up for the photo, from left: Finiasi, Apinisa Momo, G. Mario, and L. Mario, At left: John Çaldwell's "Outward Boud" now at Townsville preparing for the next leg of a roung-the world voyage see special article page 67 this issue.