A sister’s appeal

Missing Yacht

The following letter appeared in the May 4, 1984, edition of the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby.

I am writing to you in the hope that one of your readers may be able to give some information con cerning the disappearance in Feb ruary of my brother and his family on their yacht, the “Rosl”.

My brother, Michel Petit, his wife Joelle and their three children (aged 18, 14 and eight) were to spend the school holidays sailing around the Loyalty Islands, off New Caledo nia’s east coast.

The family left Noumea on Janu ary 25 and were to return on February 18 for work and schooling.

They were seen for the last time at Ouvea Island on February 4.

The “Rosl” is a steel-hulled yacht, 13 metres long and weighing 13 tons, with two masts and in perfect condition. The boat was equipped with motor, radio, solar batteries, etc. and Michel had com pleted a navigation diploma.

Despite aerial searches by New Caledonia authorities of the zone 350/400 km around New Caledo nia and the islands, appeals to the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand, there has been no trace.

An international appeal con tinues several times a day to planes and boats.

I still hope that my brother and his family might be found on an uninhabited Pacific island and I

hope that one of your sea-going readers may be able to help me.

The letter was signed: Mrs Claudine Marchive-Petit, P.O. Box 1419, Noumea, New Caledonia.

Don Travers Re

ports from Tubuai ,

Austral lslands 9

French Polynesia:

• ANORE.A recent yacht arrival at Tubuai was Anore, a 22 m auxiliary ketch built in 1976 in Florida. With mahogany ship plank ing, fibreglassed, and double centreboards, Anore arrived from Raivavae with skipper/owner Theo Vatis of New York, and crew Kathy Flynn, Peter Lavoie (both U.SA), and Jon Phillips (New Zealand).

The cruise of Anore began from her home port of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in January 1983. She went to the Bahamas, Panama, Galapa gos, Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, New Caledonia, arriving in Sydney, November 1983.

Leaving Sydney in January 1984, they sailed to Lord Howe Island, then to Auckland, and to Raivavae in 15 days.

They brought a sick infant with her parents from Raivavae to the hospital here at Tubuai.

Leaving for Tahiti, they planned to return to Fort Lauderdale by July via the Tuamotus and Panama.

Kay Bason Re

ports from Port

Moresby, Papua

New Guinea:

• MOONGAZER. David Pierce and his wife Marcia must have set a record building their 11m Samson design ferro ketch in just 18 months. They worked hard as a team, in the front garden of their home in Anglesey, North Wales, to beat V.A.T. In 1977 they left the U.K. on their circumnavigation heading for the Caribbean, through Panama to the Galapagos Islands, the Marquesas, and then headed up to Hawaii.

Vancouver was next port of call, and they spent a winter in the Rocky Mountains skiing. In the spring they cruised to Alaska and then south to San Francisco, Mex ico (sunshine) and back to the Marquesas. These islands were their favorite spot There are so many beautiful islands in the Pacific which they discovered en route for New Zealand and Australia. David really enjoyed cruising around Tas mania, back to Sydney and then on to Noumea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and PNG.

Moongazer has visited many PNG ports. David and Marcia be lieve that discovering new anchor ages takes time, and they don’t intend to return to the U.K. for a few more years. • BANYANDAH. Here’s a cruis ing family, who after 20 months “landlocked” in Cairns, Queens land, had to get back out to sea.

Judy and Jack Binder, and sons Jerome and Jason, have been cruising extensively since 1974 when they launched their 12 m ferro ketch in Sydney. The family have visited Malaysia, Thailand,

and crossed the Indian Ocean. In 1979 they sailed to Borneo, the South China Sea, Japan, Hawaii, Fiji, Norfolk Island, Nelson, and eventually returned to Coffs Har bor, New South Wales. No wonder they couldn’t stay in port too long after travels like this.

On board with the family is Bruce Nichols, a teacher who’s thoroughly enjoying educating Jerome and Jason. Jack and Judy have installed a computer/word processor to liven up their children’s high school education. Jack is also program ming a navigation course on the computer.

Banyandah, which is from an Aus tralian Aboriginal language and

means “Home In The Water” is now heading across the Indian Ocean for South Africa. • MAGNUM. Jim Booker and Mary Power have owned this 12 m Frank Pelin Wonderlust catamaran for the past three years. They kept her in Wewak, PNG, their home port, where Jim was commodore of the yacht club. The cruising in this area is very good. Blup Blup and the Schouten Islands in particular are worth a visit. The diving is excellent and the locals very friend ly. Jim and Mary sold Magnum in Port Moresby and now hope to find a bigger boat in Australia.

Banyandah in harbor at Port Moresby.

Judy and Jason Binder of Banyandah.

Mary Power and Jim Booker of Magnum.