Sailing Ship

Another Famous Sailing Ship Wrecked

The 96 ft topsail schooner Wanderer became the second big sailing ship to be lost in the South Pacific this year when she went aground on the reef at Rangiroa in the Tuamotu Archi pelago of French Polynesia on November 1, about 36 hours after leaving Tahiti. Rangiroa is about 200 miles north-east of Tahiti.

Wanderer was the same size as, but 20 years old than, the beautiful brigantine Yankee which was wrecked on Rarotonga’s rugged coral reef on July 24.

She was built in the last decade of last century as a pilot boat for San Francisco and was then called the Grade S. In recent years, she has been used as a luxury cruiser in the Pacific under the command of Captain Omer Darr, and has been a familiar sight among the yachts tied up to Papeete’s waterfront.

On her last ill-fated voyage, Wanderer was commanded by Captain Bill King, who, following the advice of Captain Darr, made for Rangiroa to fix his position after leaving Makatea during a cruise through the Tuamotus en route to Panama and Miami.

The atoll was sighted well before nightfall, but apparently one point of the reef was mistaken for another, and the schooner went aground soon after 8 p.m.

The schooner’s crew of 11 reached one of the islets on Rangiroa’s reef in two dories, and six of them re turned to Tahiti on November 6.

Hope for "Yankee"

A few days earlier, two boat builders and salvage experts arrived in Rarotonga by air from California to see if they could devise a means of getting the Yankee off the reef.

The two men, Messrs. Bud Sperber and Kent Langley, made it known that they were sure it could be done —which brought a happy smile to the face of Mr. T. F. Lowe, of Auck land, who had been keeping a dreary vigil over the vessel from the verandah of the hotel for some weeks, as representative of Lloyds of London.

Mr. Lowe’s vigil began because,

after the Yankee went aground, n< one seemed to know who wa financially responsible for her or wha should be done about her.

The Yankee arrived in Rarotong; early in July with a party of tourists ( PIM, Sept., p. 65). She anchorei outside the reef opposite Avarua— an unsheltered spot where norther! 1 and westerly gales can spring ui suddenly, and where the ugly ree holds the bones of many vessels tha have been caught unawares. £BOO Paid A storm came up suddenly in th( early hours of July 24. Yankee ’ anchors failed to hold, and the shi] was thrown on the reef.

After the ship’s company go ashore, most of them were ac commodated at the Administration owned hotel.

The tourists insisted that thei] sustenance and repatriation were th( responsibility of the Yankee’s owners Windjammer Cruises Inc., but thi; syndicate appeared to have no fundi available.

It was supposed that the owner; would abandon the brigantine to the underwriters. But the ship, while out on top of the reef, was nol seriously damaged, and seemed salvageable. The owners wanted tc retain possession, and argued the point with interests overseas.

The Administration demanded pay ment for services rendered to the Yankee company, especially food and lodging, and there was apparently a three-cornered argument extending over weeks between owners, under writers and Administration.

Finally, the Administration took legal action to recover £BOO from the Yankee’s owners—and what was called a “plaster” was put on the ship. This meant that the ship could not be sold or removed until the £BOO was paid.

The Yankee’s unfortunate pas sengers were shipped away; a repre sentative of the owners took up inconspicuous residence on Raro tonga; and the unlucky Mr. Lowe, from New Zealand, kept watch on the ship from the hotel.

In September, the £BOO was paid, and the “plaster” was removed. But Mr. Lowe was still there in October, awaiting a decision as to whether the Yankee should be sold by the owners for salvage, or abandoned to the underwriters.

After Messrs. Sperber and Langley arrived, the local experts seemed to think that Yankee would sail again, and Mr. Lowe was counting the days until he could go home.