Cruising
pp. 66-68 · Read in the full issue
Transport Briefs
• Waterside workers in Port Moresby have won improved condi tions in a new award handed down by an industrial tribunal. They will work 37 hours a week in seven-hour shifts between 7 am and 5 pm, Mon days to Fridays, and two hours on Saturdays between 7 and 10 am. They will get time and a half after 4 pm, Mondays to Fridays, and after 10 am on Saturdays. Previously the work ing week was 42 hours. Nobody has said so yet, but the extra costs in volved will sooner or later be re flected in freight rates. 9 Fiji Air Services has changed its name to Fiji Air Ltd. The airline operates a number of scheduled flights to smaller islands in the Fiji group, to small runways on the main island of Viti Levu, and charter ser vices, using Islander and Baron air craft. The Fiji Government has a significant shareholding in the airline. • Twenty crewmen from a Tai wanese fish catcher, the Yung Minh, who were stranded on rocky, desolate Matthew Island early in October when their ship ran on the reef, were landed at Noumea from a French warship, La Bayonaisse. The men lived on rations salvaged from the ship and were rescued after five days when a Russian fishing vessel saw emergency flares while sailing past the island and gave the alarm.
Towards the end of October, there was a second rescue operation, 19 Taiwanese fishermen being taken off a fish catcher the Shen Fa, which ran on a reef off New Caledonia’s east coast. • A proposed extension of Daiwa Shipping Line services to Truk and Ponape is supported by the Majuro Chamber of Commerce. Daiwa, in seeking to extend its services, advised that the additional stops could lead to lower tariffs and eventually a full containerised service. Daiwa is re ported to be losing money on the existing service with only one authority port. Daiwa services Saipan from Japan, and since Transpac broke up it has been serving Majuro. • Air Melanesiae, in the New Hebrides, is investigating the possi bility of using Fokker F27s three times a week on the Vila-Santo-Vila service. The aircraft are at present used on the Noumea-Vila route.
Cruising Yachts
• GANESH, brand-new 29 ft fibre glass yacht is in Suva with her owner designer-builder, commercial artist and marine architect Reinart Habar, of Ottawa.
He designed and built the yacht in Whan garei (NZ) but registered her in Canada.
After sailing Ganesh to Fiji single-handed, Reinart is spending a few months there working on her interior design and fit tings before he heads for Australia. He will have a crew on that trip, Melbourne girl Jenny Braun, who was shipwrecked in Fiji in July when the 45 ft NZ yacht AYEISHA hit a reef and sank off Nairai island in the Koro Sea. Jenny and Ayeisha's owners, William Sibly and his wife Pamela, of Auckland, escaped un hurt in a life-raft but lost most of their possessions. • FREEDOM, 36 ft sloop from Provi dence, Rhode Island, arrived in Tahiti on September 12. Singlehanding the Nor wegian built boat is Barry D. Loeckler, 29, who bought her a year ago and left Rhode Island in May. His trip thus far has taken him through tremendous north east gales in the Gulf Stream—where he lost the use of his engine due to frozen valves—to the West Indies, Panama, the
As fuel costs continue to rise rapidly transport operators in various fields are constantly on the lookout for ways of cutting down costs. In small boats this can be achieved by sacrificing speed for economical diesel en gines in displacement boats. An 18 ft fibreglass boat designed and developed by a Sydney manufac turer, Doning Boats Pty Ltd, may be used commercially or as a family boat.
It combines stability, maximum safety, economical operation and low maintenance costs. With an inboard diesel motor of 8 hp to 30 hp it can give about 30 miles to the gallon with a maximum speed of 10 knots.
The boat is designed for good performance in choppy seas; is easy to clean, and has ample space for two full-length bunks, a toilet and spirit stove. Two further bunks could be installed.
Apart from basic fittings a num ber of optional extras are avail able.
Marquesas and Tuamotus. Barry, who be lieves he is the 4th American to circum navigate singlehanded, planned to cruise the Societies for a month and head on to Samoa, Fiji and New Zealand. • GALATEA, 42 ft Cascade sloopJ from Seattle, arrived in Tahiti on Sep tember 5 with the Gane family aboard, consisting of Mahlon and Faye and their sons Lonnie, 25, David, 20 and RandyJ 15. Galatea was built mostly by Mahlon's. father and David, and was launched ir>| 1972. They left Seattle in August, 1974 and are making a loop through the Paci fic, which will take them to the Cooks and to American Samoa, where they will stay the hurricane season. Galatea arrived at Rarotonga on October 20. 9 HOLOKIKI, Ohlson 38 ft sloop from Honolulu, left Hawaii May 4 and visited Nukuhiva and other islands in the Mar quesas before sailing into Tahiti the first week in September. Owners Jim Roy and 1 Kamuela Holman planned to cruise the Societies for three months and in April resume their sail toward the Cooks, Samoas, Tonga and Fiji. Jim cruised the Societies a few years ago in SEA CALL. • lAGO, a Rudy Choy 42 ft cata maran from San Diego, arrived in Tahiti at the end of June with owner Duane Brown, 29, and Nancy Yertson, 24, aboard. Duane, who is a surfboarcf shaper, and Nancy, who is a high school art teacher in San Francisco, spent three months in the Marquesas and two months in the Tuamotus before sailing to Tahiti. ■ ago will be anchored in the district of Mataiea until the owners form their plans. • KRAKA, 45 ft sloop built of maho gany and teak by owner Lars Jennssen of Denmark, sailed into Tahiti on Septem ber 10. With him were Jan Ostrom of Sweden and Juan Gaddiel Jaime of Puerto Rico. Lars began his circumnavi gation two years ago from Denmark, and* has since visited many countries in Europe before crossing the Atlantic to the West Indies and spending a year in Puerto Rico, where Jan and Juan joined* him. From there they visited the Domini can Republic, Panama, Las Perlas islands, the Galapagos, Marquesas and Tuamotus.
Their plans were to spend at least a month in the Societies before heading on to Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand and Aus tralia. • KWAIE'TEK, 53 ft Spencer ketch registered in Vancouver, arrived in Ta hiti on September 12 and left 10 days later for Honolulu. On board were Albert (Bert) Morrow, 64, Jeff Menze of Hawaii and Sharon Ditmer of Idaho. Bert and his wife sailed from Vancouver to Costa Rica by themselves and intended to sail to the Cocos Islands to look for buried treasure. On the way there she became ill and they returned to Costa Rica, where she flew home to Vancouver. Then
f and Sharon became his crew mem rs and they sailed to the Galapagos, rquesas, Tuamotus and Tahiti. • NEELEEN, brand-new 45 ft Reactor op built in Auckland, arrived in Tahiti September 11 with owner-captain ph Neeley, 40, at the helm. A Pan i pilot from Santa Cruz, California, ph planned to bring his family to lit! to cruise the Societies a month Fore sailing to Honolulu where he will e Neeleen. Sailing from Auckland to titi with him were Ann Hering of nolulu, Peter McKenzie and Bob Ver i, both of Auckland. • OCARINA, Westsail 42 ft cutter m Beaver, Washington, was in Tahiti ween August 31 and September 12. oard were owner-skipper Ken Laymon, »ty Way and his wife, Rica, of Los geles, and John Franke of Garden jve, California. Their plans were to to American Samoa, then to Suva, 3 and on to Australia for the Sydney bart race on Boxing Day. t PEN KALET, a 30 ft wooden sloop ned by Alain Virlouvet, 28, of Le >isit, France, sailed into Tahiti early >tember for a one or two year visit, h him were Ann Le Caer of Brittany, nee, and Rosalynn Fuerman of Denver, in left France 6* years ago in his 65ir-old boat and visited all the harbours ween France and Senegal, Africa, then ted Brazil, the West Indies and Cen- America. In Mexico he was painting bottom of his boat when it fell and shed his hips, but in a few months e he was off again to California, ere Ann joined him for the Pacific ssing to the Marquesas and Tuamotus I on to Tahiti. Rosalynn joined Pen et in the Marquesas. • PEREGRINE, 41* ft trimaran from i Diego, was back in Tahiti in early >tember, after cruising the Societies, mer Rich Jensen, 37, a shipwright.
It this one-of-a-kind trimaran in five irs. It is the fourth boat Rich has built. left San Diego two years ago and nt one year in the Sea of Cortez, n sailed to the Marquesas, where he ted all the islands and then five of atolls in the Tuamotus before arriv in Tahiti in March, 1975. Rich planned remain in Tahiti during the hurricane son and then head west to the Cooks, lerican Samoa, Fiji, and maybe around world. • REJOICE, 56 ft staysail schooner It in 1931, arrived in Tahiti early >tember carrying seven people: ner-skipper Larry Brennan, 47; Katy Met, Paul Krier, first mate; Ivan Bott- John Landry; Mike Frazier and Bar a O'Connell, all of California. They \ Los Angeles on July 13 and plan to for a year. Their ports of call so far re been several islands in the Mar
quesas. After several months in Tahiti they will visit the Samoas. • TARGA, 40 ft ketch from Sete, France, was built in 2* years in the garden of owners Ivan and Danielle Desfour, who arrived in Tahiti on August 22. With them are their three sons: Pat rick, 16; Jerry, 15; and Renaud, 8. The family left France two years ago and spent the school year in Martinique be fore sailing on to the Marquesas, Tua motus and Tahiti, where they planned to remain for one or two years before going on to New Caledonia and around the world. • VELA, 41 ft Alden design ketch from Honolulu, carrying the Fielding family, left Tahiti late September for the Tuamotus before returning home to Hawaii in mid-October. Mel, wife Ann, daughter Emily and 8-year-old son Bren nan left Honolulu in June and arrived in Tahiti on July 25. They cruised the Societies and lost their dinghy while en joying a moonlight picnic in Moorea's Opunohu Bay. It was found by a fishing boat five miles out to sea and eventually returned to the happy owners. • MATHEW, a 31 ft Tahiti ketch, arrived at Rarotonga from Niue and Pago Pago on October 14 with owner skipper David Irvine, his English-born wife, Edna May, and their 10-year-old son, James. Their cruise started from San Francisco in 1970 and took them to Mexican ports, Hawaii, the Line Islands and Samoa. They stayed in Samoa for four years and plan to spend the hurri cane season in French Polynesia. • TAIPAN, a 33 ft sloop-rigged motor sailer, registered in Savannah, US, arrived at Rarotonga on October 14 from Bora Bora with John Haley of Annapolis, cap tain, David Shipp and Frances Hermann.
Their next port of call was to be Auck land where Taipan will be handed over to her new owner, James Dirksen, of Wellington. • LANDFALL 11, a 27 ft sloop regis tered in Wellington, NZ, arrived at Raro tonga from Papeete with Robert Rose
and Jolene Rose. They left for Russell, Bay of Islands, New Zealand, on October 11, after spending six days in Rarotonga. • VOORDEWIND, 32 ft teak ketch and her owner/skipper Lawrence Velle man are resting in Fiji before making the long voyage back to their native Belgium.
Lawrence, from Ghent, has been sailing single-handed since his retirement a few years ago and has been cruising in the Pacific for the past two years. He will be calling at New Zealand some time in November before heading home via the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal. • GYPSY COWBOY, 40 ft ketch, is In Fiji, soon to leave on the return leg of her circumnavigation from Miami, USA, with Americans Carl Ericson (skipper) and William Duncan (owner). They left Fort Lauderdale, Miami, in February last year and are heading back via New Zealand, the Indian Ocean and will be spending some time in the Mediterranean before going home.
O SEESCHAUM, 40 ft sloop visited Fiji in October. On board are her owner/ skipper John Foster of Auckland plus fellow-New Zealanders Keith Anderson, Jack Englehart and Randy Baier and Paul Koroi of Fiji. Seeschaum left Auckland at the end of July for a four-month cruise around the Fiji Islands. On the way to Suva she lost her rudder on a reef in the Somosomo Strait. All on board spent an anxious night anchored near a village, but the rudder had been washed ashore and was returned by the villagers the next day. • INTERLUDE I, 33 ft steel sloop, called at Suva in October on her way home to Auckland after a round trip voy age to Rarotonga, Hawaii, the Fennick Islands, Christmas Island and Fiji. On board are her skipper/owner John Mc- Kenzie accompanied by fellow New Zealander Craig MacAulay. • ZIGEUNER, a 60 ft yawl, made her first visit to Fiji in October with Ameri cans Eric Jensen, Harry Butler, Tom Sleight, Alison Warren and two-year-old Simon Russel, plus Britisher Dave Bur
chett. Also on board is her owner and Simon's mum, Linda Russel of Denmark.
The group sailed from Jamaica two years ago and is aiming for America. They are cruising the Pacific at the moment with New Zealand as their next destination. • DAUNTLESS, a trimaran which American Errol Christen built in the United States 10 years ago, left Vila in October with Mr Christen en route for New Zealand to join his wife Erica, a New Zealander, who flew home to have her baby a week before. Errol was on his way around the world when he met his wife in New Zealand. They married and sailed to Vila three years ago. He worked with a Vila firm of architects and his wife taught French at the British
Secondary School.
• SALTY, 34 ft Alden cutter, after grounding on a south Santo reef in the New Hebrides on September 16, is now being rebuilt by owner Chip Anderton, at Santo. Salty left Santo two days earlier for New Zealand, but had to turn back because of violent gale force winds from the south-east. Anderton, and Michael Mallard, his crew, escaped with minor injuries. Mallard later sailed to New Zea land. Anderton, in a note to PIM, said Salty was not a complete loss. What was left was refloated and towed to Santo.
Anderton may be reached at Luganville Marine Centre, Santo. • SUPER SHRIMP, 18 ft sloop regis tered in London, arrived at Rarotonga in late October with owner-captain Shane Acton and his Swiss companion. Iris Derungs, who joined the yacht in Pana ma. His voyage has taken him to the Canary Islands, Barbados, Panama, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands and Tahiti. They hope to spend the hurricane season in Rarotonga then sail to Austra lia. • MISTOULET, 30 ft sloop of Swiss registry, arrived at Rarotonga from Pa peete on October 21 with owner-captain Alain Bassin, a Swiss, and American Michael McCright. They left for Whanga rei (NZ) on October 23. • CHINTA, 32 ft sloop owned by German brothers Dr Wolf Muller-Fabian and Uwe Muller-Fabian, arrived in Tahiti on October 8 from Rarotonga and planned to sail for the Tuamotus, Marquesas and Hawaii after a three-week stay in Tahiti.
Nicknamed the "Crazy Chinta Brothers" because they claim not to be real sailors, but are just using the boat as a method of transportation to see the islands, they have tested their luck many times by sailing against the trade winds. In June, 1974 they rolled over completely in 10 metre waves and 70 knot winds 150 miles north of the Bay of Islands. They feel they will have had enough of the sea by the time they reach Hawaii, and
plan to sell the boat there and travel by land across the US. • DIOGENES, 50 ft ketch registered in Portland, Oregon, sailed into Tahiti in mid-October, after what they believa may be a record passage between Bai* Elizabeth in the Galapagos to Fatu HivJ in the Marquesas, which they made in 17i days. Aboard were owner-skippel Gus Wolmar of San Francisco, John Goii ing of England, Andy Price of Wales!
Penny Steele of South Africa and SteveJ Minden of New York. • Two yachts mentioned in the Sep* tember issue have been reported enl route to Hawaii from EIO in the Marl quesas in mid-October. They are HONEY-j MEADE, 45 ft ketch from Brisbane, wit™ owners Chester and Norma Lemoii aboard, and RASCAL, 28 ft Wollacotl Truant sloop from Wellington, with Red McDowell and Nance Lowe aboard. • HORIZON, Out Island 41 ft ketclj owned by Earl and Betty Hinz of Los Angeles, mentioned in the September issue, wrote on October 1 from Nukuj alofa that they spent two delightful weeks in Bora Bora, had a nine-day pass] age to Samoa, visiting Pago Pago andl Apia. Then they sailed to Vavau in three! days for a weeks' stay, then to Nukuj alofa. They planned to leave on Octobej 5 for the Bay of Islands. • PIM also heard from SWEET THING reported in September issue. She is inj Pago Pago and skipper Jim Wilson wasij planning to sail for Tonga in October, then to NZ. • RENEGADE, 43 ft fibreglass sloop] left Monterey, California, on July 7, 1975, and arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in July. After cruising among the islands for a few months, skipper Richard Bonvicino, and his family; May, Toni, and Dawn, arrived at Honolulu on September! 10. After refitting, they left for the Mar quesas and Society Islands at the end of
September.
• EVENING STAR, 42 ft wood ketch with skipper W. A. Corley, wife Jeannie, and daughter Susan, arrived in Honolulu on September 18 from the Nbw Hebrides. • DOVE, 33 ft fibreglass sloop, with David and Suzanne Alfson, and crewman John Reinhart, all of Pasadena, California, arrived in Honolulu on September 21.
They left Bora Bora on August 6, and had a fast 18-day sail to Hilo, Hawaii, a • ELLA, 32 ft fibreglass cutter with Walt Poitevent, the owner, and Sherri Goddickson, stopped at the Hawaii Yacht Club on September 22. Walt, of Honolulu, and Sherry from Costa Mesa, Calif, left New Zealand in June arriving in Hilo, Hawaii, in September, after stops through out the South Pacific.