Norfolk's Weather Gives

"Wanderer's" Wanderers The Run - around

From Ken Mullen on Norfolk Island Fickle weather at Norfolk Island caused the 36 ft. New Zealand cutter Wanderer to live up to her name when she visited the island in November to examine the possibility of establishing a yacht racing course between Norfolk and New Zealand.

IREWED by four members of the ' Royal Akarana Yacht Club, anderer left Auckland on Novem r 3 and arrived at Norfolk six ys later.

The crew were Tom Buchanan, ipper, Des Seager, Len Migounaff d Ken Pragnell.

Interviewed soon after his arrival, ipper Buchanan said the projected :e would be non-stop from Auck id and return and that an observer mid probably be stationed briefly Norfolk Island to check passing chts. “It would be an excellent test navigation,” he said.

However, after experiencing some Norfolk’s Jekyll and Hyde weather tterns, the crew of the Wanderer ly now view the proposed race with somewhat jaundiced eye.

Late in the afternoon of the day :er their arrival, the weather de corated while the Wanderer was Dored off Kingston, and Tom ichanan, who was ashore with two his shipmates, went out in a aghy to join Pragnell who had lyed on board.

That night, a strong south-easterly gw up with heavy rain squalls and

continued overnight. Early next morning, Wanderer lost her anchor and the two men aboard had to put out to sea.

After circling the island, they put into Anson Bay and Pragnell rowed ashore in the dinghy to find his ship mates. However, when he was 50 yards from the beach, the dinghy grounded on a sand bar and turned turtle.

Pragnell then swam ashore, enlisted the aid of a man fishing on the beach and managed to salvage the dinghy.

But when he tried to return to the Wanderer, he could not get the dinghy through the breakers.

After being dissuaded from swim ming to the cutter (Anson Bay beng a favoured cruising ground for sharks at this time of year), he harnessed some local manpower to take the dinghy to a nearby fishing spot known as Jacobs Rock, where it could be launched into clear water.

The dinghy was manhandled up

300 ft cliffs and manoeuvred half a mile round the coast.

However, on seeing the dinghy be ing carted up the cliff, Skipper Buchanan assumed that the men were heading for Kingston, so he decided to go there too.

The irate dinghy-wallahs lit a fire on top of the cliffs to try to attract his attention—but without success.

When Buchanan reached Kingston and found that the dinghy had not arrived, he sailed back to Anson Bay where he remained until the follow ing day.

Meanwhile, the dinghy was launched in rough weather at Puppy’s Point, and Des Seager scrambled aboard and cast off while the craft was held on a line by his two ship mates.

After reaching the Wanderer.

Seager and Buchanan put out into deeper water as the south-easterly was still chopping up big seas.

When night fell, Migounaff and Pragnell asked the Department of Civil Aviation to turn on the revolv ing beacons on top of Norfolk’s Mount Pitt and Mount Bates as navi gational aids for their two mates at sea.

Next morning, when the two crewmen on shore drove round the island in search of the Wanderer, she was not to be seen.

Calling at the TEAL agency, they ruefully booked seats on the next sky master for New Zealand; but next day, in better weather, the Wanderer turned up again and the two men were able to get aboard.

They sailed for New Zealand the same afternoon—without making fur ther comments on the possibility of the New Zealand-Norfolk race.

AT OPENING OF SHOW: The Administrator of Norfolk Island, Major-General Words worth (second from left) officially opened Norfolk's annual Agricultural and Horti cultural Show on October 17. He is shown here arriving for the opening with his wife, Mrs. Greg Quintal (left) and Mr. Quintal, who is president of the Show Society. (For report, see p. 105.) —Photo: Ken Mullen.