Turns Up After

Lost Yachtsman Turns Up After Four Months

Prom Ed. Johnson in Pago Pago After no word had been heard from him for four months and eight days, David Meigs, a 23year-old American yachtsman, turned up in Pago Pago late on August 20 in his trimaran “Ex tended Adolescence”.

Meigs left Pago Pago on April 12 to sail solo to Honolulu, and nothing was heard from him from then until his return to Pago.

Meigs came ashore in Pago with long, unkempt hair and a beard, and in very ragged clothes, after spending all day beating into the harbour. His trimaran had been much battered by the weather.

After communicating with his mother in Atherton, California, taking a bath, and having his excess hair removed, Meigs re vealed that he had got as far as Kingman Reef in his voyage to Honolulu, but had then been forced to backtrack to Pago be cause of westerly winds and bad weather.

He said he had had ample provisions throughout his voyage and no water problem, but that

he had done “funny things" at times.

On one occasion, when he was down to his last needle for making repairs to his canvas, he sud denly tossed it overboad.

This was the second time in less than two years that “Extended Adolescence” was virtually given up for lost in the Central Pacific.

Early last year, with a crew of three, including Meigs, the tri maran became overdue on a voyage from Tahiti to Honolulu.

She was finally located 165 miles south-west of Honolulu by a US Coast Guard vessel and towed in to port ( PIM, Sept., 1964, p. 105). That voyage took 149 days instead of 30 as expected.

David Meigs.