News of Cruising Yachts

• BENN GUNN, 41 ft ketch, with skipper Hank Horn, his daughter Khysie, and Elise Siess, of the Hawaii Yacht Club, arrived in Honolulu from Tahiti in November. • BLUE PETER, American ethnologist Bill Phillips’ 40-ton motor yacht, which was a familiar sight in Suva for many months last year, is still going through a run of bad luck.

After having been towed back to Suva from the Koro Sea in August because of engine failure, she set off again in late September, only to suffer more engine trouble. She was

towed back to Suva again on Novem ber 14 over devious routes from the vicinity of Canton Island.

With Mr. Phillips when the Blue Peter sailed from Suva in September were his wife Evalina, Domingo Cristobal, mate, of Zamboanga, Jose Paglinawan, steward, of Manila, John Bower, quartermaster, Suva, and a deckhand, William Smith, also of Suva.

Describing Blue Peter’s latest ex periences, Mr. Phillips said that after leaving Suva she called at Apia and Pago Pago, and then got as far as Canton Island when the engine gave out. This was on October 10.

No one answered frequent calls for help because the Voice International

Distress and Calling frequencies we not guarded on many Pacific Islanc There was nothing for it but resort to emergency sails. Hea; winds soon tore these and the ere had to keep repairing them.

Their course all the time w roughly in the direction of Funafi in the Ellice Islands. When they g within 60 miles of Funafuti, Japanese fishing boat took them tow.

At Funafuti Mr. Phillips found impossible to get the engines repaire but the Catholic Mission offered send its ship Santa Teretia II fre Tarawa to tow Blue Peter to Suv The Santa Teretia II was going Suva anyway to go on the slip.

Mr. Phillips said that when thi set foot on dry land in Suva aft tossing about for six weeks his wi became landsick. “After six wee! some of the time in fairly rough seas, he said, “Mrs. Phillips got used balancing herself. Now she car understand why the sidewalks dor move”, Mr. Phillips added that he hop« to get a tow from Suva to Ne Zealand so that Blue Peter could g “proper repairs”. • FORTUNE, American yac with Dave and Nellie Goeffn© reached Niue from Rarotonga ♦ October 21—the same day as tJ Australian ketch Larapinta. Duri:i her stay Fortune split her bowspc and the forestay of the mast broc when a sudden squall caused hig choppy seas. Later, when bo: Fortune and Larapinta put out to S 8 to avoid running on to the Larapinta’s steering gear was dafij aged. The damage to both yacH was temporarily repaired, and the sailed for Vavau on October 25.

Dave Goeffney and his wife as both of Honolulu. They plan visit Australia and then return Hawaii. According to the NiK

"Blue Peter"

wsletter, Fortune is fitted “with manner of luxury items, a stereo im, a deep freeze and an automatic ■it being some of the accessories”, further details of Larapinta’s /age are given below. t GENEVE , 25 ft Marconi rigged op, left Tonga for Suva on Decem 5, single-handed by Michel irmod, of Geneva, Switzerland, irmod built the craft in Callao, tu, and on reaching Tonga he had icd 7,100 miles solo, having called the Galapagos, Marquesas, nmotus, Society and Cook Islands, ; purpose of his trip is to further studies in sociology. His final dnation is Marseilles, France. ft GIT AN A, 34 ft yawl, with Bill I Linda Taylor and their children xci, Jeff and Terry should have n in Tahiti by the beginning of :ember. PlM’s Honolulu cores ident reported on December 1 that y had left Honolulu “some time after a stay in the Hawaiian ■ital following a trip from San ;go, California. ft LARAPINTA, Peter and Lesely lunsey’s 37 ft ketch, was given an husiastic welcome home by mem s of Sydney’s Middle Harbour cht Club on Sunday, December 8, jr completing a 32,000-mile 'age round the world.

Hie Mounseys left Sydney for gland in 1959, and reached London the Cape of Good Hope after a 'age of 14 months. They lived >ard the ketch in London for 18 nths, working at various jobs, be e returning to Sydney via the lama Canal and Pacific ports, n the Pacific, they called at the lapagos, Marquesas and Society inds, Rarotonga, Niue, Vavau and i. except for a collision with a 45 whale and having to heave-to

seven times because of bad weather, they had an almost trouble-free voyage both ways.

The collision with the whale occurred between the Galapagos and the Marquesas when Larapinta was sailing at about seven knots.

“It stopped us instantly and the impact stunned the whale,” Mr.

Mounsey said in Newcastle, Larapinta’s last port of call before reaching Sydney. “We skidded along the whale’s side and could have stepped from the yacht on to its back. Had it flicked its tail at that stage we would have been in serious trouble.” • MEDLEY, 37 ft American

staysail schooner, left Suva for Sydney on November 23 with owner skipper Dean Harrel and John Roe, both of Los Angeles, j n Sydney, plans were to ship the schooner back to the United States, The Medley was in Rarotonga in October. Her skipper’s name was then reported as Harold and Mr.

Roe was Rowe. MONSOON, 47 ft San Diego registered yacht, arrived at Suva on November 22 en route to Auckland, On board were skipper Herb Hope, G f Los Angeles, cook-deckhand Barbara Boulter, of San Francisco, and two merchant seamen, Andy

47-ft. San Diego yacht "Monsoon".

Photo: Stan Whippy.

Cooper, a Scotsman, and Barry Ryan, an Australian.

The Monsoon is on an 18-month cruise round the world. Before call ing at Fiji she had visited the Marquesas, Tuamotus, Cooks and both Samoas.

The yacht was to stay at Suva for about a week, and then spend about four months in New Zealand and Australian waters.

At the end of the hurricane season she will sail through the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait to Indonesia. The itinerary after that will take her through the Suez Canal for a cruise in the Mediterranean.

Present plans are that she will reach the Californian coast about Christ mas, 1963. • NORDLYS, 71 ft American schooner, which was recently in the South Pacific, has been bought by Harold F. Palmer, of Honolulu. • SEA WIND, 38 ft San Diego ketch, which has been cruising in Pacific waters for about 18 months, arrived at Suva on November 28. On board were her owner and skipper Malcolm Graham and his wife, and J. A. Castille, who joined the ketch in Pago Pago.

The Grahams are on a leisurely cruise round the world. Since leav ing San Diego they have cruised off the Pacific coast of Mexico, and have visited the Marquesas, Tahiti, Pago Pago, Apia and Niuafo’ou.

The Sea Wind went on to the Government slip at Suva for repaint ing soon after her arrival. Mrs.

Graham said she did not know when the voyage would be continued, but their next destination would be either New Zealand or New Cale donia. However, they did not want to be at sea during the hurricane season.

Mrs. Graham added that she would like to spend three months in Fiji cruising round the Islands. ® TERE, a new 48 ft ketch, arrived in Honolulu from Hongkong by freighter in November for delivery to Louie and Marge Valier. Louie cruised the South Seas extensively some years ago in his first Tere, a 34 ft ketch. He plans to return and renew old friendships there in the near future. • TRINUI, a 30 ft trimaran, left Fowey, Cornwall, on October 10 for Las Palmas, Grenada, Panama, Pacific ports and Auckland. On board were Alex Grimes, skipper, and R. Garside, a 21-year-old ex-third mate of the City Line. Mr. A. H.

Leyland, of Auckland, who supplied us with this information, said in a friendly note: “Alex Grimes is well known around the Auckland water front, as he was chief officer of the Northern Steam Ship Co. prior to going home to see his folks and make this trip”.

The ingenuity of a local boat building and engineering establish ment at Suva in making a large steel impeller recently for Emperor Gold Mines at Vatukoula resulted in a saving of much time and ex pense.

Messrs. Millers Ltd. at Suva were asked if they could cast the impeller in one piece. This first necessitated a wooden pattern be ing made as a mould. The pattern was made in the boatbuilding sec tion by laminating sections of wood which were then adzed to shape.

When planed and sanded, the pattern was sent to the works and foundry where a casing was built round it. Molten metal was then poured into this and the result was a impeller which fitted the requirements. • Top picture shows blades of the pattern being formed of lami nated wooden sections. • Centre: Rough spots on the casting being ground off with an abrasive wheel. • Bottom: The 8-ft. diameter pattern being encased in a steel box at the foundry in preparation for the pouring of the molten metal. The steel casing was welded

together.

Photos: Rob Wright.

In Suva for several days in late November were th ese crew members of the San Diego yacht "Monsoon". They are (from left) Barney Ryan, Tony Horton, Herb Hope (skipper), Barbara Boulter (cook-deckhand), and Andy Cooper. —Photo: Stan Whippy.