Pacific Shipping And Cruising Yachts

Cruising Yachts

Two Men Admit Stealing Yacht From Lord Howe Island

After having been in the news almost every day for more han a month, the drama of the 50 ft steel-hulled Sydney yacht Zythera came to an end on May 14, when two men were re landed for sentence in a Sydney court for having stolen the Cythera from her moorings at Lord Howe Island on April 10.

IE two men are Derrick Brewin, 31, and Daniel Barrie, 25. They ; crew members of the yacht n she left Sydney on March 31 a cruise round the world. Others ;he cruise were the yacht’s own- Mr. Peter Fenton, his wife Pat , nine-year-old daughter Penelope a Sydney journalist, Charles er. tie yacht was intercepted at Nor- Island by the French freighter nado del Mar on April 17— n days after having been stolen .ord Howe. Brewin and Barrie : arrested and flown back to icy. eanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton two friends flew to Norfolk to the yacht, which had been

damaged in a collision with the Colo rado del Mar, back to Sydney.

In Sydney’s Central Court of Petty Sessions on May 14, Brewin and Barrie pleaded guilty to having stolen the yacht, which, with other possessions, was valued at £17,000.

No verbal evidence was given at the hearing, but statements made by detectives and others involved in the case were handed to the magistrate.

Detective-Sergeant B. K. Doyle said Barrie had told him at Norfolk Island on April 20 that he and Bre win were going to take the yacht to Rapa, south of Tahiti, and then to South America “to poke around for a couple of years”. They were going to change the name of the yacht to Jenny 11.

After leaving Lord Howe Island, they had been blown off course by a gale and went to Norfolk Island to make a navigational check. It was then that the Colorado del Mar

intercepted them.

Detective-Sergeant Doyle said Barrie had accused Fenton of being “Captain Bligh No. 2” and that Fen ton’s wife had told Barrie and Bre win that Fenton was going to shoot them and her if necessary.

Detective-Sergeant Doyle said Brewin, the other accused, had told him that he and Barrie had planned to steal the yacht before they left Sydney. They had dissuaded Fen ton from taking the yacht to New Zealand because Lord Howe Island was a better place to steal it.

The hearing was held two days after the Fentons and their two friends had returned to Sydney in the Cythera —after a voyage of 20 days.

Concern for their safety had been felt in Sydney for several days as there had been no radio contact with them from the time they left Nor folk on April 22, and their 900-mile voyage had been expected to take only 14 to 16 days.

Planes and ships unsuccessfully searched for the yacht until she was within 80 miles of Sydney.

It turned out that the yacht had never been in distress although she had weathered two severe storms and at one stage was blown 200 miles off course. The reason for the lack of radio messages was that

[?] ter Fenton's yacht "Cythera" anchored off Norfolk Island with the French freighter "Colorado del Mar" in the background.— Photo: Raymond Hoare.

yacht’s transmitter had been laged before leaving Norfolk and one had time to fix it. The r anchorage at Norfolk made it gerous to stay too long. lr. Fenton is now planning to ;e a new attempt to sail round world in about 12 months after her a has been thoroughly over led.

Reef Blasting: Six New

and Army engineers are to spend months in the Tokelaus blasting jat passage in the reef at Faka- Atoll. he six men—an officer, a diver, engineers, a mechanic and a :—were due to go to the Toke in early May by HMNZS aki. be men will blast a channel, it 400 ft. long, able to take a le boat at low water. At present islanders must “shoot” the reef at tide. milar channels have been blasted the New Zealand Ministry of ks at Nukunono and Atafu, the r atolls of the Tokelau Group.

Book On Boatbuilding;

: ormer P-NG boatbuilder and designer, Mr. A. Swinfield, has ;en a book on boatbuilding which » detailed instructions and dia ls for the building of 26 ft. ig cutters. lis type of cutter has been built -NG and at the Auki shipbuild training centre in the BSIP. It proved popular with islanders carrying copra and other cash s. le book has simple designs show the step-by-step construction of cutters. It has been published le South Pacific Commission and

will be on sale throughout the Pacific.

Mr. Swinfild designed the motor vessels Montana and Hiri.

• For French Polynesian

PROJECT; Mr. R. Powell, Fisheries Officer with the Cook Islands Gov ernment, will be lent to the South Pacific Commission for a fisheries project in French Polynesia in July.

Mr. Powell is regarded as an expert in traditional and modern methods of drop-line fishing. He has been an instructor in South Paci fic Commission fisheries courses.

• Trochus Fishing Re

OPENS; Trochus fishing has reopened in the New Hebrides after having been illegal since 1958, but the smallest size that can be taken is eight centimetres (about 3 in.). The fishing of trochus was made illegal because of a fear that beds would be fished out.

A recent Joint Regulation, legalis ing the taking of trochus, also altered the smallest size of green shell that could be taken from 17 centimetres (6i in.) to 15 centimetres (nearly 6 in.) because the bigger shell was hard to sell. Fishing for green shell was also made illegal in 1958, but was legalised again in 1961.

• Charter Proposal For

BANANAS: Tonga’s Premier, Prince Tungi, is to discuss proposals for chartering ships to carry Islands bananas to Japan during his current trip to Europe and Japan.

An agreement to charter ships for this purpose was made on April 26 when Western Samoan, Tongan and Fijian representatives met in Apia to discuss banana shipments.

Western Samoa’s Minister of Fi nance and Economic Development Mr. G. F. D. Betham, said after the meeting that it had also been agreed that the three buyers in Japan should be responsible for any charter agree ment because the sale and purchase of bananas was on an f.o.b. basis, As loading at Fiji, Tonga and

R. Powell, Cook Islands Fisheries' Officer.

;stern Samoa would entail about days in a single voyage to Japan, was agreed that charters should confined to two loading ports in : South Pacific and one discharge rt in Japan.

Vlr. Betham said it was proposed hold a further meeting in Apia early July when it was hoped all pers would be present.

Te added that Western Samoa was only Group with surplus bananas present, and that the Government s anxiously awaiting a report from Crusader Line, rhe representatives who attended Apia meeting were Prince Tungi, . Betham, Mr. P. France, of the i Development Corporation, West- Samoa’s Minister of Agriculture, :ata Western Samoa’s lancial Secretary, Dr. P. Heller, istern Samoa’s Director of Agri ture, Mr. B. E. Parham, and a I technical adviser, Dr. Van der os.

» Tulagi Slipway Plan: A

plementary grant of £l,OOO from lonial Development and Welfare ds has been approved to provide litional equipment, including new die wheels and improved haulage angements, for the slipway at lagi, BSIP.

» Cutter Catches Fire:

irteen people were injured when motor cutter Tortue, belonging Mr. Draghicewicz, caught fire on ril 28 when about to begin a r age from Malo (New Hebrides) Santo. The fire began when a rk from the motor ignited a king drum of gasoline in the deck go, causing an explosion.

Jeven of the victims were taken to French hospital in Santo. Among m were two New Hebridean Idren who later died. The other dms are reported to be improving.

» Bsip Beacon Plan: A Pub

notice issued by the BSIP Marine partment says it is hoped to erect icons in Munda Lagoon and Kia isage this year.

Hie entrances to Gizo Harbour re already been beaconed and the tern of topmarks adopted at Gizo 1 be used at Munda and Kia.

• Aratoba Sold: Mr. A.

irdoch, of Betio, GEIC, has bought AK Aratoba, which was formerly Sacred Heart Mission vessel and n a Co-operative trading ship in

Geic.

• Survey Of Malekula:

e Royal Navy survey ship HMS

Cook is expected in the New Heb rides late this year to survey parts of Malekula, particularly Port Sand wich.

• Stranding Of Kilinai

LAU; A marine inquiry into the stranding of the 113 ft MV Kilinai lau opened in Rabaul on April 29 before the Acting Customs Collector, Mr. A. Patterson, assisted by the Rabaul Harbourmaster, Captain S.

O’Donohue.

The Kilinailau (formerly the Melanesian Mission’s Southern Cross ) ran aground on a sandbank about two hours’ steaming from Wewak

early in the morning of March 25.

Owned by the Bismarck Shipping Company, the ship was reported to be carrying two European and 140 native passengers.

Her master, Captain Allen Burns, gave evidence that the Kilinailau had left Wewak for Rabaul at 2.30 a.m. on March 25. Two hours later, she had been found to be about a mile north of her course off Cape Richt hofen.

Correction had been made with land about five or six miles away to starboard, but at 4.40 a.m. the vessel had run aground in 9 ft of water on a falling tide, with land

ut one and a half miles away.

Vhen the Mission ship Morova le to the Kilinailau’s assistance .0 a.m., the Kilinailau had dragged tore into the inner surf line. The rova could not get closer than )0 ft as she was beginning to :h bottom, and a towline could be provided to bridge the gap. he company’s other ship, Piri, ch arrived later in the day, also Id not get close enough to be assistance; and after all attempts move the Kilinailau by means of hors failed, she was abandoned.

Questioned by Captain O’Donohue, >tain Burns said he could not duce his certificate as this had n lost when the MV Inaha, of ch he was master, sank without ; of life earlier this year.

Tie Second Engineer, Mr. K. jrler, who had been on watch ;n the Kilinailau ran aground, said did not have an engineer’s certi te, but had been studying a Ter ry “A” Course during the pre js three months. d a later hearing, the Kilinailau’s fey certificate was produced. It ied the expiry date “27/3/63” and tained the addendum: “Not more i 56 persons, passengers and crew, be aboard at one time until itional lifejackets to comply with 'T requirements have been placed ard.”

Captain Bill Cunningham, part ler of the ship, told the inquiry ; he had been on board the EHza i Helen on March 25 and had rd of the Kilinailau’s plight by °ifter arriving at the scene and issing the situation, he decided ; refloating was impossible with available equipment and that cost of procuring effective equip it would be “prohibitive”.

He said he told Captain Burns to call off salvage attempts, and appointed the Elizabeth Helen’s master, Mr. M. O’Connor, as care taker with two native assistants.

Mr. O’Connor had been instructed to maintain daily contact with We wak by radio.

On May 9, the inquiry was ad journed for several days to enable Mr. O’Connor to fly to Rabaul to give evidence.

This followed a report that the Kilinailau had caught fire and had been completely burnt out on Sun day, May 5. There had been a series of explosions. Mr. O’Connor had es caped unhurt.

• Slipway For Levuka

MOOTED; The Fiji Govt, may erect a slipway at Levuka for the Pacific Fishing Co. In a recent letter to

the Levuka Township Board, the Colonial Secretary, Mr. P. D. Mac donald, said the Government thought the company would be better served if it slipped its ships at Suva, but if the company decided Levuka was the better place, then the Govern ment would install a slipway there.

• Suva Wharf Project

FINISHED: The Governor of Fiji, Sir Kenneth Maddocks, will officially open the fourth and final stage of the new Suva wharf on June 7.

• Cutter On Reef: The Fiji

cutter, Tui Valavala, went on Maba lico Reef, near Gau Island in the Lomaiviti Group on May 12, and a few days later hope was almost aban doned of salvaging her. The Tui Valavala started to break up in the heavy seas. (Over)

Lightweight Boat

This 62 ft. vessel, "Lady of Fatima", is playing a big part in Western Aus tralia's crayfishing industry. She is built of Australuco corrosion-resistant aluminium alloys, a product of the Australian Aluminium Co. Ltd. The manufacturers claim that the use of aluminium means lower weight, and therefore reduced draught and easier docking; maximum economy in the use of power; a high degree of cleanliness; and virtually no maintenance to the hull as marine growth is simply scrubbed off.

mother cutter, the Adi Talei, went he assistance of the passengers and v. The Adi Talei took the passen i off and landed them on Gau nd. The crew left the Tui Vala i in a punt and rowed to Gau, ch is about six miles from the /hen the crew of the Adi Talei :hed Suva, they said the Tui Vala i was lying on her starboard side, i up on the reef. Her gunwales part of her hull were breaking up, they considered salvage im dble. The cargo, mainly flour and ed goods, remained in the hold, he Tui Valavala left Suva on May for Gau and the Lau Group. She also carrying mail for the small nds of Yacata and Vicia. Al ight wet, the mail was salvaged was to be returned to Suva.

Tie Tui Valavala was owned by Mohammed Sadiq of Samabula.

T Engine Explodes: Two

i were badly burned when the ine of the launch St. Peter Mama exploded off Tenaru, BSIP, on

May 9. They were taken to the Central Hospital, Honiara, where their condition waS later reported to be satisfactory.

Captain C. K. Taylor, who towed the launch back to Honiara, said it had suffered very little damage.

• Russian Ship In Suva:

The Russian meteorological ship Voeykov spent a weekend in Suva early in May on her way back to Vladivostok after a study of atmos pheric processes and hydrology in the Pacific.

The Voeykov left Vladivostok on February 27. This was her third visit to Suva, the last being in 1960.

She carried a complement of 52, including four women.

The Russians relaxed security re strictions, which were rigid on her previous visit, and allowed visitors to move freely about the shin. The crew, in fact, invited Fiiians on the wharf to look over the ship.

• Holed On Reef: The 11-

ton trading vessel Moisana, owned by Brutnall and Jacobsen, went on the Hap Hing slipway in Rabaul recently for repairs to her hull. The ship was holed on a reef near Iboka Plantation, New Britain, on March 31. After the crew, in fact, invited Fijians on the vessel made her way to Rabaul.

Sign Of The Times: When The

Russian meteorological research ship "Voeykov" visited Suva be tween May 3 and May 6, a leading Indian shopkeeper in Suva quickly got his signboard written up to attract the crew. Don't ask us what it means but it certainly got its message across because the shop keeper reported a good sale.

Photo: S. A. Whippy.