Cruising

Yachts

• Clarry Bradley, one of the “old timers” in the development of the big Bougainville copper project, dreamt of building a concrete yacht while working for the CRA explora tion team as a first aid man in 1966.

He drew up his boat plans full size on the concrete helicopter pad at Barapina, near Kieta, built the boat frames and had them transported to Nairovi (the old Snowy River camp) in Easter 1967. All the reinforcing was assembled there and the keel was cast that Christmas. Concreting of the hull ended the next year.

When the first access road was built from Loloho, on the coast, to Panguna. in the mountains, Brambles, the contractors, transported the boat to Panguna, using her as a trial load on one of the first semi-trailers over the mountains.

The 30 ft six-ton yacht was clearly visible from the road and there was plenty of advice for the “idiot with the cement boat on top of a moun tain”. By early 1971, she was nearly ready, and the Duke of Edinburgh showed interest in her during his visit Last August she made yet an other trip down the port-mine access road. In March she was finally launched by crane from Loloho wharf.

• VELARIS, 50 ft Canadian sloop with owner John Hyndman, Bette Thompson, Craig Mauer and Craig Cooper on board, arrived at Rarotonga from Mangaia, Tahiti and the Society Islands on April 14.

Bette Thompson is a free-lance journalist and travel writer; Craig Mauer of Kansas was recently in the U.S. Army in Vietnam; Craig Cooper is a student, and John Hyndman is in the communications business.

The voyage began in 1970 from Vancouver and calls were made at Hawaii and Christmas Island before reaching Tahiti. Mr. Hyndman is making a travel film of the cruise and planned to stay a fortnight at Rarotonga before sailing on to Aitutaki, Palmerston, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and New Zealand. • SUNSET SUE, 36 ft American ketch with A 1 Crocker, his wife Nancy, and daughter Sue on board, left Rarotonga for Florida via Tahiti on April 15. • BOLERO, 32 ft sloop with Bill Schmidt and his wife. Sue, on board, arrived at Rarotonga from Tahiti on April 10. Mr. Schmidt was a marine engineer at Pearl Harbour, Honolulu, and he and his wife have lived on board Bolero for five years. Plans are to visit New Zealand, with stops at Niue Island, Western Samoa, Tonga and Fiji.

O ROCINANTE, 30 ft trimaran, arrived at Rarotonga from Tahiti on April 24 with Charles du Pont, his wife Helen, and their son, Charles Jnr., 13, on board. The du Ponts started building their tri in 1962 and completed it in 1967. They lived on

Clarry Bradley

launches the "Tohun ga" in Bougainville in March—after six years. With him is Mrs. Betsy Bishop, wife of Colin Bishop, assistant to Bougain ville Copper's gen eral manager. Tohun ga means "witch doctor" after Clarry's first aid days.

board for three years before starting their voyage from Florida in 1970 to the Bahamas, Jamaica, Panama, Ecuador, the Galapagos, Marquesas and Society Islands. A school teacher, Mr. du Pont gives his son lessons on board. They plan to visit New Zea land with calls at Aitutaki, Suwarrow and Fiji. • According to Lou and Carol Blake of the BAHIA, last reported at Rarotonga after a lengthy stay in French Polynesia, the French authori ties are limiting yachtmen’s stay at Bora Bora to a six months maximum.

© TAUREE, a 50 ft ferro-cement ketch on a cruise to Brisbane from Kieta via the Solomons, New Heb rides, Fiji and New Caledonia, was at Honiara in April and then moved on to the New Hebrides. The skipper is Bob Freer, of Brisbane, who has his wife and two daughters with him, and the crew is Bob Nash and Brian Machry, both of New Zealand, Neil Goedhart, of Brisbane, and Russ McLean, of Melbourne. • REBEL, an American 35 ft

Lodestar trimaran with Ann and Marvin Glenn on board, has also sailed out of Kieta and, after a fair trip, has anchored at Port Moresby.

The Glenns will stay there for a short while before making for Thurs day Island, Darwin, Indonesia and across the Indian Ocean. © MALULU, a 36 ft steel sloop, no longer belongs to Peter and Maggie Dawson. The Dawsons, from Sydney, have sold Maliilu in Durban, South Africa.

d There has been a general exodus of yachts out of Durban. The atmos phere has not been as salubrious since mooring fees were shoved up to $2O a week. Among those that have sailed away are OPHELIE,

Mistral, Island Childe,

Wind Call, Dorothy Lou,

Youth, Bachelor’S Wife,

Fox Trot, Ghost Rider And

Resolution.

Good Samaritans of the sea . . . Mr. and Mrs. Ross Norgrove, of "White Squall II" photographed at Suva in April with, of course, Clancy, their pet Schipperke.

The Norgroves were in the news when they started an international radio hook up to bring help to a sick woman on the island of Ogea in Fiji's Lau Group.

"White Squall II" was at Ogea when the woman was taken ill with a seriously infected foot wound. They radioed Suva but got no reply. Their call was not lost, however. It was picked up by the United States Coast Guard ice-breaker "Staten Island" which was 325 miles nor'east. Transmitting stations in Honolulu, Sydney and Auckland also responded and eventually Sydney got through to Suva but when Suva Radio tried to contact "White Squall II", the Norgroves were unable to make themselves heard by Suva and the message was relayed via the "Staten Island". But, all was well and the woman was soon in hospital at Lakeba in Lau.