Cruising
pp. 95-97 · Read in the full issue
Yachts
• THALASSA, a 34 ft fibreglass ♦loop from Germany, arrived in Port Moresby from the Solomon Islands early in July with Bobby and £arla Schenk on board. Two weeks ater they sailed for Indonesia and South Africa. • SKYLARK, a 53 ft Sparkman ind Stephens yawl, sailed from San Francisco 15 months ago and visited iiany Pacific islands to arrive in Port Vloresby in July. Owners Bob and Kristi Hanelt and crew Robby Fouts, md New Zealander Grant Adams stayed a short time then sailed for 3ali and the Indian Ocean. • BEBINKA, a 30 ft fibreglass seawind ketch from New York, irrived in Port Moresby via Cairns, Samarai and the Milne Bay Islands in hily. Owners Scott and Kitty Kuhner sailed later for Durban via the Torres Strait and Bali.
O ARD SHOE AS, a 41 ft steel sutter from Auckland with Bob and Jhiela Millar and crew Owen Cot erill and lan Dustin sailed to Suva hen on to Port Moresby via New Hebrides arriving in mid-July, After i short stay, Ard Sholas sailed for fhursday Island, then Bali and on o South Africa. • WAHINI, a 45 ft steel ketch rom East Canada arrived in Port Moresby in mid-July from the New lebrides, stayed a few days, then ailed for the Seychelles where owners Tom and Joan Beak plan to lake their home. Japhet Grandcourt tf the Seychelles was crew.
O ESCAPEE, a 39 ft cutter from Auckland with Ralph and Alison leeves and Alistair Marshall on card sailed in the Auckland-Suva ace, then went on to Vila and Santo, rriving at Port Moresby on July 25. tfter a short stay, Escapee sailed or Thursday Island, Darwin, the eychelles then to the Mediterranean. • NIKE, 22\ ft yawl, arrived at tarotonga from Tahiti on July 3 dth single-hander Richard Konkol ki from Czechoslovakia. Konkolski, n architect, designed and built the acht himself, transported her to
Poland and sailed from Szcecin on the Baltic Sea to Plymouth, England.
He then took part in the yacht race from England to Newport, Rhode Island, US, competing against 58 other yachts. Four hundred miles out from Plymouth he was dismasted but sailed back to Plymouth under jury rig. Re-fitted, and after losing a fort night, he re-entered the race, taking 41st place and with 18 yachts be hind him. Later, he called at New York, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Panama.
Pacific ports of call were Cocos Island, all the Galapagos Islands, the Marquesas, Rangiroa and Tahiti. He plans to visit Tonga, Fiji and Aus tralia and, after the hurricane season, Indonesia, Keeling Islands, Irania, Madagascar, South Africa and fin ally home to Europe.
• Yankee Trader , 2,000 Ton
185 ft motor yacht, called at Suva late in June. She is on a round-the world tour from Miami, which will take 10 months. Before Fiji she called at the Bahamas, the Galapagos, Pitcairn and Samoa. She was once a survey ship, but has been refitted to carry passengers. After Fiji her schedule takes in Australia, Indonesia, St Helena, South America and back to Miami. The skipper is Captain Terry Bewley.
O ARAKIWA, 68 ft ketch, arrived at Rarotonga on July 12 from New Zealand, Rapa Island in the Society Group, and Mangaia in the southern Cooks. On board were owner-skipper Eddie Randle and six crew—Bob Tombs, Paul Redman, Brian Deare, Pauline Greenfield, Felicity Wells and Pauline Handyside. They planned to call at other Cook Islands, then sail to Hawaii and Canada and cruise the inland waterways of the US.
• CANDIDE, a 58 ft schooner powered by an 85 hp diesel, arrived at Rarotonga on July 7 from the Tuamotus with skipper-owner Jon Stegenga, his wife Penny, their son Wil, aged 8, and three crew, Bruce Partridge, Bill Baird, and Marie Kennedy. They left Los Angeles in June last year and called at all the Marquesas and Tuamotus islands. They are sailing west around the world and after a spell in Raro tonga plan to visit Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. Jon Stegenga, a designer of stage sets, built the extremely sturdy vessel himself, and made the sails, a feat that took him five years to complete. • CASSIOPEIA. 27 ft fibreglass sloop, arrived at Rarotonga from Bora Bora on July 10 with owner skipper Erik Jorn, his wife Christiana, their 2i year-old daughter, Katharina. Leaving Hamburg in June last year they called at Las Palmas, the West Indies, Panama, and the Galapagos and Marquesas Islands. After a week in Rarotonga they intended sailing to Sydney via Tonga, Fiji and New Caledonia, hoping to sell Cassiopeia in Aus tralia. • SANTA LENA. 36 ft sloop with owner-skipper Ted Warner and Jenny Aldridge, both English, and German Roland Schubert, arrived at Raro tonga on August 1 in a rather un usual fashion, although the skipper
Candide, Jon Stegenga's 17.5 metre (58 ft) schooner, which took him five years to build.
>elieved he was doing it according to ioyle. His charts told him that Avarua was Rarotonga’s main port, md he saw the beacon lights indicated m the chart. So he entered with con idence after dark, not knowing that Watiu had become the island’s main >ort some years ago, and that Avarua larbour, no longer used, had silted ip. A strong current set him on the eef at the harbour entrance, but 'anta Lena glanced off it with no isible damage then, shortly after wards, the yacht grounded when only :0 yards from the Union Steam Ship Company’s lighter berths. However, within 10 minutes, Santa Lena floated ree, because the tide was rising and he yacht draws only 4 ft 6 in. Next lay she was safely berthed at Watiu’s overcrowded harbour. Ted Varner sailed his sloop from England our years ago on a circumnavigation, •orts of call were Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, the West Indies, •anama, the Galapagos and Mar [uesas Islands and Tahiti. Next port if call is Tonga. • KILAKILA, 45 ft ketch, arrived t Rarotonga on July 26 with American owners Roger and Beth lath. They built the ketch themselves nd launched her last September. The laths called at Rarotonga in their •revious yacht, AUALI-KAI in 1963.
Tieir plans were to sail Kilakila o Tonga and New Zealand. • CAMELOT, 32 ft sloop, ar ived at Rarotonga on July 26 with Charles and Laura McCrane. Mr dcCrane, a retired Los Angeles heriff, bought the yacht in 1965 fhe McCranes cruised down the Californian coast and are now on a ircumnavigation expected to take Ive years to complete. • KAWAMEE, 63 ft ketch, spent our days at Rarotonga from July 4 md then left for Tahiti with owner kipper Rockne H. Johnson, his son Dane, daughter Moani, and three :rew members.
• FIONA, 42 ft gaff-rigged ketch, arrived at Rarotonga on July 17 from Papeete with owner-skipper Jo Menell and Brian McGary, both English. They sailed the 61 year-old yacht from England to Madeira, Panama, the Galapagos and Marquesas Islands and plan to reach Singapore, via the New Hebrides, by Christmas Day. • TYCHE arrived at Rarotonga on June 27 and the SWIFT CURRENT on July 2, both from Papeete.
• The Ron Of Argyll, 50
ft ketch, arrived at Rarotonga on July 6 from the Society Islands with owner-skipper Larry F. Bryant, Michael Flynn, Barbara Flynn and Joyce Gertler. Their voyage started from San Francisco and took them to the Marquesas and the Society Islands. Plans were to call at Tonga and Fiji. The yacht was built in
Scotland in 1928 near the town of Argyll, where seals are said to be numerous. Ron is the Scots name for a seal.
In the Solomons
The BSIP Government has pub lished a guide to customs and im migration requirements for yachts and other small craft visiting the Solomons.
It lists the prescribed ports of entry for ships as Honiara, Gizo, Yandina, Nila (Short land Harbour), Ringgi Cove, Graciosa Bay and Kira Kira.
All owners are required to provide security for the import duty on their yachts while in Solomons waters as yachts not exceeding 18 tons (gross) attract import duty of 20 per cent ad valorem if from Commonwealth territory or 37i per cent if of foreign origin.
The normal period of stay is four months or for the duration of the visitor's permit. The amount of security required will be calculated on the vessel’s value at the time of leaving and in the country from which it departed immediately before sailing to the Solomons, or will be based on a valuation made by a Solomons marine surveyor. All deposits will be refunded provided the yacht has not been sold or dis posed of in the Solomons and is leaving within the time allowed. £ Bad-mannered yachties—see Editors Mailbag, p 33.
The Ron of Argyll leaving San Francisco.