Yachts

» CAIRA. A 12.9 m ketch of the Trintella class was sailed to Fiji by Werner and Inge Friderich, reports Gunter Cross in Suva. They left their lomeport Wesel on the Rhine n West Germany in July 1977.

After spending a year in the Caribbean they entered the Pacific through the Panama Canal in January 1979. The first landfall was the Marquesas, then the Tuamotus, the Society Islands, Suwarrow, Pago Pago, and Vavau, Tonga. At time of writing Werner and Inge were preparing themselves at the beautifully protected anchor age of the Tradewinds Hotel, here in Suva, for the continu ation of the circumnavigation via New Zealand, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and on into the Indian Ocean. In Hivaoa Atoll, in the Tuamotus, they had a lucky escape when a shark attacked their inflatable rubber dinghy and bit a hole approximately 0.3 m in diameter into one air chamber. It happened while they were taking a friend back to the village in the evening: fortunately the only damage was to their nerves and the rubber dinghy. In Vavau they had their best time so far, and were greatly impressed by the helpfulness, hospitality and friendliness of officials as well as villagers.

• Hasardeur. From

Bremerhaven, West Germany, an 8.22 m sloop, was built by owner Gerhard Behre. With his crew, Regine Wache, he left West Germany in 1979 for a circumnavigation. After clear ing Panama they had pleasant stays in the Galapagos, Societies, and Vavau. From Fiji they plan to sail on to New Caledonia and Australia. There they plan to rest for a while before cruising on into the Indian Ocean on their way back to Germany. • MINTAKA. From the USA is

a 9.75 m Colin Archer bought

by Charlie and Nita Martin in

1977 as a bare hull and deck.

From this they built their home for a possible circumnavi gation. From Willow Creek in Montana where the boat was launched Charlie and Nita navigated the inland water ways to San Francisco and there, from the Stockton Yacht Club, they started on their first Pacific crossing to the Hawaiian Islands where they spent a year while friends from the States came for visits. In 1979 they sailed to the Society Islands and on the way Charlie, an experienced hand in off shore game fishing, had a very successful time as they sailed through the doldrums. One of the nicest places in French Polynesia for Nita was Bora Bora where they spent some weeks at the local yacht club.

The cruise went on via Suwarrow (where several weeks were spent snorkelling, fishing and socialising with other yachts), Pago Pago, Western Samoa, Vavau, and then Fiji. Here Charlie and Nita are taking it easy for a while as they prepare for their trip to New Zealand where they plan to have some work done to the Mintaka’s accommodation be cause the original fitting out was done in a bit of a rush to get going. After the cyclone season they plan to return to the tropical South Pacific to visit Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and then, after another stop in Australia, via Papua New Guinea into the Indian Ocean. Two further crew members are Callie a common or garden cat, and Coco a Siamese. They give the impression that the cruising life is to their liking also, probably not least because of the fre quent feeds of fresh fish.

• Skookum. An 8.84 M

Chuck Burns-design sloop was built by Dale and Pat Albin at their home in San Francisco in 1977. The boat is a pure sailing vessel because Dale and Pat reckon that they had had enough trouble with engines in their previous boats so to propel Skookum in an absolute calm a big sweep is used for sculling. It is normally strapped to the deck. In October 1978 the Pacific cruise started from San Francisco via San Diego, the Marquesas, the Society Islands and Vavau, to Fiji. Here in Suva the Albins are getting

ready for the crossing to New Zealand where they plan to spend the cyclone season. Pat reckons it is too soon to talk about plans after New Zealand as there are so many island groups that are just waiting to be visited. The Barrier Reef in Australia looks good too.

• Ding-Dingues. From La

Rochelle France. This is a 9m French-design fibreglass sloop of the Super Arlequin class.

She is skippered by Jacqueline and Christianne Darde, prob ably the most adventurous sisters in the Pacific at present.

Not only are they enjoying their trip around the world but they make it a point to visit the more remote island groups. The cir cumnavigation started in September 1978 when Ding- Dingues left France to sail via Madeira, Canary Islands, and the West Indies to Panama. In March Jacqueline and Christi anne set out on their Pacific crossing with the first call at Easter Island where they spent 35 days to experience for the first time the friendliness and hospitality of Pacific Islanders.

Then on to Pitcairn Island for three days and Gambier Island for six weeks. After that up north again to the Marquesas, Ahe Atoll in the Tuamotus, and finally Papeete, in March 1980.

The cruise went on through the Society Islands, Suwarrow, Pago Pago, Western Samoa, Wallis Island, and Fiji. Here Christianne and Jacqueline plan to have a look at the outer islands before setting off for New Zealand for the coming summer to do some refitting to their cruising home. After the cyclone season the voyage is to go on to New Caledonia, Australia, Papua New Guinea and into the Indian Ocean for a slow trip back to France.

• Moana Nui. A 13.7 M

James Warren-designed cata maran and was built in Auck land in 1972. Dick Zohrab bought the boat in 1979 for a cruise through the South Pa cific and to Australia. He left Whangarei, his homeport in New Zealand, in June 1980 with New Zealander Bob Laurie, and Paul Toth and Bill Caplin from the USA. Their first stop was Raoul Island in the Kermadecs where they spent five days enjoying the hos pitality of the New Zealand meteorologists who are

stationed there. The trip went on to Fiji where in Suva the crew left to look at the islands at their own leisure and Dick was joined by his son Glen who flew out from New Zealand.

Together they cruised exten sively the Astrolabe Reef and northern Kadavu. But soon the time came to set sail again via New Caledonia for Australia because the cruising funds are running low and Dick plans to look for work in Queensland. • HOPE. Was built in 1938 in Dunedin, New Zealand, an Ericson Class 9.75 m Colin Archer. Skipper Graham Wright bought her in 1977 to be his floating home. The present cruise started for Graham and his crew Claudin Gorden and young Robert on April 15 when they left the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, bound for the Society Islands.

But that was not meant to be: after battling easterly gales for 28 days, and experiencing one serious knockdown, they de cided to go to Pago Pago instead. From there Hope sailed on to Apia and Asau in Western Samoa, then to spend two months in Vavau, northern Tonga, and now here in Suva Fiji Graham has plans to sail home to New Zealand for the coming summer. • FOREVER. From San Francisco, was a stock Columbia 8.7 m when skipper Bill Howell bought her in 1978 and started to modify to his own specifications the accom modation and standing and running rigging, and generally to strengthen the craft for extended cruising. Amongst other things Bill took out the engine and now Forever is a pure sailing craft, something to be found less and less often among modern cruising yachts. Fourteen days before departing San Francisco in November 1979 Bill secured his crew by marrying Laura, and they set off on a honey moon cruise via San Diego to the Society Islands and Vavau to Fiji. The only plan Bill and Laura have at present is to sail to Sydney in the next month or so, and once there it will be soon enough to decide what to do next. • VINGILA. Was designed by Brian Lello of South Africa, a 14.6 m steel ketch. When skip per Frank Stilwell bought her

she was about half-finished and he with his family, wife Marien, son Robert and daughter Nicky finished her off for the launching in June 1977.

After more preparations they left their homeport Durban in January 1978 for a circumnavi gation. Leaving South Africa from Capetown they stopped at St Helena, the Ascension Islands, spent several months in Brazil and some time in the Caribbean before crossing through the Panama Canal into the Pacific. After visiting the Las Perlas Islands on the Panamanian coast Vingila sailed down the coast of Ecuador, then to the Galapa gos Islands, the Marquesas, the Tuamotus, Society Islands, to Penrhyn in the northern Cooks, Suwarrow, Pago Pago, Western Samoa, Vavau, and at present are well anchored here at Suva in Fiji. For the coming cyclone season Frank and Marien want to visit Australia, but next year they plan to come back to have a better look at the Fijian islands before carrying on with the circum

navigation via Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and so on into the Indian Ocean. • LEMON BUTT. Was orig inally a ship’s lifeboat but in 1975 conversion started to make her into a 7.3 m yacht.

Pat Synge and Silvia Merope bought her in 1977 at St Vincent in the West Indies after sailing there from Europe in

their 5.5 m yacht. Completing

the conversion and sailing for some months in the Caribbean they entered the Pacific through the Panama Canal at the beginning of 1979 to sail on to the Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Suwarrow, Pago Pago, West ern Samoa, Wallis and Futuna, Fiji, and New Zealand where they spent last summer. This year Lemon Butt was sailed back to Fiji because Silvia and Pat wanted to have a better look at the group. But now at the end of the cruising season they are making plans to sail to Australia with the aim of build ing a bigger boat there.

• KERAMOS. An early arrival in New Zealand this season was Keramos, an Ocean 75’ flying a British flag, after a weeklong passage from Suva, on the wind in 20 to 25 knots all the way, reports Jane De Bidder from New Zealand. The Van de Staadt-designed

22.86 m fibreglass ketch is one

of the world’s largest fibreglass production yachts, exceeded in size only by the ‘Swan 76’ and a series of 24.39 m now under production in Poole by the British company which built Keramos, (Greek for ‘cer amic’). Keramos is a fitting name for the vessel which belongs to Henry Podmore whose Stoke-on-Trent com pany provides all forms of pottery supplies everything from firing kilns to cups and saucers to firms the world over. Keramos left the UK in March of ’79 for a proposed three-and-a-half-year cruise.

She is powered by a German MAN 156 hp 5-cylinder diesel, steered by Neco auto pilot. All systems are electric, including cooking. After a New Zealand refit, plans are to carry on to Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and the Indian Ocean, skipper John Kemish said. The yacht sails with owner, skipper, and crew of three young men Nick Allen engineer, Arthur Lane cook, and Simon Davis, the only remaining member of the orig inal ship’s company.

• Silverheels. Is A

Sparkman and Stephens ‘Yankee 26’ sailed to New Zealand by Dave and Pat Mancini. They were joined by a tiny crew member in the Bay of Islands Sara Mancini. An entire quarter berth is now filled with baby gear, including a sheepskin-lined cradle. Dave admits that he never dreamed one extra person could take up such a lot of room. Dave bought Silverheels (‘she shows her heels and leaves a silver wake’) in San Diego in 1974.

He and Pat left California in 1978, sailing the engineless yacht to the Marquesas and Tahiti, the Samoas, Tonga and Fiji. They spent a full year in Polynesia. Vavau was their favourite stop, though they feel it is not an area where they would feel comfortable staying

any length of time, for the people of the Friendly Islands are so poor, yet so giving, that it becomes difficult to know how to say no. Cruising on a small boat with no head and no engine is ‘the only way to fly’, Dave and Pat agree. Dave said: ‘A head is a contrivance our technological civilisation has foisted on us. When we think of the time others spent on maintenance while we were snorkelling!’ While the Mancinis cooled their heels during the southern winter after the departure of most fellow cruising yachts, they enjoyed the company and hos pitality of offshore voyager and Opua resident Celia Reed with whom they had cruised for many months. Celia sailed her own 7.9 m Manu Iti II to Tahiti and back in ’7B-’79, much of the time capably single-handing her yacht. Dave and Pat feel that the wonderful camaraderie among blue water voyagers is ‘what cruis ing is all about’.

• Cameo. A 10.43 M

wooden-built ketch arrived from Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand, reports Don Travers in a delayed report from Tubuai, Austral Islands.

On board were owner-builder Lionel Jefcoate, daughters Anne and Jennifer, and friend Owen Byfield, all of New Zea land. They left for Raivavae and Tahiti and the Society Islands, with plans to call at other islands to the west as they return home to New Zealand. • SIMPLA. A Belgian registered sloop, 8.53 m Simpla, is also visiting Rarotonga. She is sailed by Andre Selen and his wife Solonge. Accompanying them are their two young daughters, Tamara and Wanda. Simpla left Belgium in August 1978 and sailed to England, Spain, the Canary Islands, Senegal, Barbados, the Caribbean, Panama, the Marquesas, Tuamotus, Tahiti and Rarotonga. The plan is to sail around the world in three years, but consideration for the children’s education may dictate that the Selens return to Tahiti to enrol them in school.