Cruising

Yachts

• WESTWARD, 87 ft motor yaq'nt built in 1924 in Seattle and owned by Don and Ann Gumpertz of Toluca Lake, Cali fornia, visited Tahiti between December 15 and January 5, then left for Raiatea, Bora Bora, Hawaii and Los Angeles. This 100-ton vessel is equipped with a wheel house complete with Loran and Omega,

a recording fathometer, hydraulically

operated stabiliser fins, huge galley with two electric ovens, a walk-in freezer,

wood-burning fireplace, king-sized cap

tain's cabin and two guest staterooms, water-making equipment, two launches and a 12 ft sailing boat, a giant-sized freezer and crew quarters to sleep six, complete with a commercial washing machine and dryer. They carried a crew of three, and were just finishing a round the-world trip that took them to every continent and innumerable islands, where they travelled inland by land and air. • Z. RENE, 30 ft trimaran owned by Frank Cline, 30, of San Leandro, Cali fornia, went on a reef in the Austral Islands in October and Cline spent 40 days alone on the uninhabited island called Maria or Hull island. He lived on coconuts and rock scallops and the few stores he had on his boat until the copra workers arrived. Unable to salvage the boat, Frank burned it and left with the copra boat, arriving in Tahiti in Decem ber. His future plans include building another trimaran just like Z. Rene. • ISLAND HUNTER, 38 ft gaff-rigged ketch from Ventura, California, was wel comed into Tahiti in late January. Built in their backyard by owners Paul and Karin Stead, Island Hunter was launched in March, 1975, and the Steads sailed away in November, accompanied by daughter Tove (10), son Hans (5) and Annelin Hammer of California. Their plans were to remain in French Polynesia until May, visiting the Marquesas, Tuamotus and Society islands extensively, before sailing to Hawaii. • JELLICLE 11, 25 ft folkboat sloop, owned by well-known Pacific navigator, Mike Bailes, arrived in Tahiti in January for her second visit. Sailing with Mike is 22-year-old Bill Fehoko of Tonga, who did all the navigating from Auckland in 33 days with a stop in Raivavae, with no engine and light winds. Mike, an Englishman, spent some time in Tahiti in 1967 when he first brought Jeliicle II to French Polynesia. Their plans were to

spend about three months in the area before sailing to Rarotonga and bade to New Zealand. • CANDIDE, 84 ft two-masted gaff rigged schooner from El Dorado, Cali fornia left Tahiti late December for Seattle, after spending many months in French Polynesia. Owners Jon and Penny Stegenga and son Will, planned to remain in Tahaa while crew members Neil Alexander and Phillip LaFrance of the US, Nigel Adams of England, Brian Wylie of Scotland and Girard Bargel of France sailed Candide to the US West Coast, where Jon plans to sell the boat he built and that carried him and his family to many islands in the South Pacific over a period of 3i years. • CAPRICORN, CAL 234 sloop from Seattle, arrived in Tahiti in December, after cruising from the US West Coast to the Marquesas and Tuamotus. Owner Ted Culp and his son Robert made the trip together to Tahiti, where Robert joined BORN FREE for a late December de parture to Hawaii. Ted was awaiting the arrival of girl-friend Voncile Scifers in early January. Their plans included a Tahitian wedding before sailing to the other islands in the Societies and on to Fiji and New Zealand in April. • DESTINY 11, Santana 37 ft sloop from Hawaii, arrived in Tahiti in Decem ber for a five-month visit to French Poly nesia before returning home. Aboard were Marshall and Missy Saunders, their eight-year-old daughter Tiffany, and Bob Branch and Cynthia Nakai, all of Hawaii. • FANTASIA, 32 ft cutter built by Jim Slatt in San Francisco and owned by Win Charlebois, 33, and Linda Hoppel, 29, is spending the hurricane season in Tahiti. They left San Francisco in October, 1974 and spent nine months in Hawaii before cruising to Tahiti. Their plans in cluded going to the Australs in Feb ruary, then to the Cooks and New Zea

land, where they hope to be by No vember, 1976. Also aboard were Scupper and Boomkin, the ship's cats. • LUTETIA, 37 ft Carol ketch from Charlotte Amalie, owned by the Alexan der du Prel du Chapois family, prepared to leave Tahiti mid-January for Bora Bora, where they will be living for at least two years, while Alexander works at the Hotel Bora Bora. • MATRIX, custom-built 26 ft fibre glass sloop owned by Andy Butler, 20, of San Francisco, sailed into Tahiti in No vember from Hawaii, where Andy had been living for a year. Andy started building Matrix himself at the age of 15 and left home when he was 18i for Japan. He got to Hawaii and heard stories about Tahiti; so he and his "crew mate", a kitten named Fur set out to discover "Paradise" for themselves. In raging seas between Hawaii and Tahiti the forestay broke and Andy had to go to the top of the mast to repair it, where, he claims, he saw a mermaid in the dark and misty night. Andy's plans may take him to Saudi Arabia where his father lives. • NAIK, one of a kind 35 ft steel ketch built in Belgium and registered in Guadalupe, left Guadalupe in May, 1975 and arrived in Tahiti in November with the Mancini family on board. Jean- Claude, Dominique and sons Stephane, three, and Thomas, 20 months planned to be in Tahiti for a year and then sail to New Caledonia and, maybe, to Australia.

• Two girls with experience in ocean racing and sailing duties seek crewing on a yacht sailing Pacific or anywhere. A note to Miss Z. Wilson of 80 Wolseley Road, Point Piper, N.S.W. would be welcomed.