yachts

KAY BASON reports

from Fort Moresby,

Papua New Guinea:

• MESTIZO. Jake Rabunowitz and Nancy Claridge arrived again in Port Moresby after a wet, rainy-day cruise in the Solomon Islands in their Tayana 37. Nancy said the islands were beautiful but the weather not kind. They are prepar ing the boat for an Indian Ocean cruise. Jake is looking forward to playing with his new toy. a Sailmate SatNav system. He has no wish to repeat having to heave to off the coast waiting for the sun to shine so he can get a sun sight.

• LADY 111. This 11 m steel yacht hails from Oisthenham, near Rouen. France. Renee and Claude Laroche fitted out the hull and began their travels three years ago.

This cheerful couple sailed to Panama, the Marquesas. Fiji and on to Noumea. They had hoped to ex- Plore the Louisiade Archipelago. but the weather was so foul that they kept well clear of the reef until they reached Port Moresby.

From Port Moresby they plan to sail to Thursday Island, cross the Indian Ocean to Durban, and then head for the Azores and their home port in France. • BENJAMIN. Another French yacht from Sete. a fishing port on

the south coast of France. Henri Taniere and Chantelle Laville, with nine-year-old son Sebastien. have been cruising since 1982. The family journeyed through the River Rhone via the canals to Port St Louis and into the Mediterranean.

They cruised extensively on the Spanish coast to Gibraltar the Canary Islands and then across to Panama. In Panama they met Re nee and Claude Laßoche on Lady 111. The passage to the Marquesas was completed in 39 days their longest sail. The family stayed in the Tuamotu Islands for three months working copra to replenish cruising funds.

Although Chantelle and Henri found Tahiti an expensive place to

live, they stayed for seven months.

From Suva they sailed directly to Port Moresby, a 15-day passage.

Sebastien is enrolled with a French correspondence school, and his parents share the teaching chores. Also on board is Scapin, a crazy 11-year-old dalmatian, who is still having problems finding his sealegs.

The family are returning to France via the Indian Ocean, St.

Helena, Ascension and the Azores.

Benjamin looked splendid dres sed overall with flags sewn by Chantelle on board they were celebrating July 14, France’s na tional day. • AENA. Kurt and Regi Suter hail from Zurich, Switzerland. They have found ocean cruising a far cry from sailing a Tornado catamaran on the inland lakes of Zurich. These people had to pass an exam in offshore sailing before they could register the yacht. Regi said that everything has to be 200 per cent safe to meet Swiss laws. They are required, for example, to carry a special liferaft which is three times more expensive than ordinary life rafts. Their 11.5 m steel sloop was built in Holland and is a no-fuss, heavily rigged sloop. She carries a 15 m mast and is powered by a 27 kW (36 hp) Bukh diesel engine.

This interesting couple moved on board their yacht in 1980 and set sail from Amsterdam, cruising through France, England, Spain, and the Canary Islands to the Caribbean. From Panama they cruised through the Galapagos and Marquesas Islands. They were en chanted with the Marquesas and hope one day to return. Aena waited out the hurricane season in New Zealand and then set sail to New Caledonia. Vanuatu, Fiji (a

Renee Laroche of Lady III.

Jake Rabunowitz and Nancy Claridge of Mestizo. - Kay Bason photos.

Kurt and Regi Suter, Swiss voyagers on Aena.

slightly different route) to Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands.

Exploring the coast of Papua New Guinea, Kurt and Regi discov ered a wealth of traditional culture.

From Madang they travelled inland to the Highlands and say that the people were just “great”. They attended a big sing-sing near Mt Hagen, and even managed to get involved in a minor tribal war. They headed from Kieta to the Solomon Islands, and hit some bad storms sailing from Honiara to Port Moresby.

Planning their travels well in advance, they applied for a permit to cruise through Indonesia, this was over a year ago. Recently they finally received notice that the per mit had been refused. Now Kurt and Regi will sail across the Indian Ocean to Capetown and speed on to Rio. They hope to be there in time for the famous carnival. They also want to visit New York before heading home and getting back to work.

Kurt is an architect who special ises in acoustics, and Regi teaches retarded children. They said the worst problem they encounter on their travels is the endless paperwork when entering a port. In some places it has taken four days of hassles with officials before they have been able to go ashore. It dampens the spirit a little, they say ruefully.

Pan Am Clipper

Cup to USA

The United States came from be hind to edge out New Zealand by 15 points and win the Pan Am Cup

sailed in Honolulu in August.

The New Zealand team lost one of its contenders when Exador was dismasted.

The dismasting, in freak circumst ances midway through the final 775-nautical-mile Around the State race, cost the NZ team certain victory.

The Dunhill Australian team, de spite a fine fourth overall by Bondi Tram and an eighth by Indian Gibber, could not gain a place in team standings and finished fourth.

Tonga’s 1252

visitors in ’B3

Tonga attracted 1252 cruise yacht people in 320 yachts in 1983, the Tonga Visitors Bureau reports.

Most popular calling place was Vavau, visited by 887 yachties in 223 yachts. The main island, Ton gatapu, had 294 callers in 81 yachts and Haapai 71 callers in 19 yachts.

Most came from the United States 414 in 119 yachts; then New Zealand 174 in 34 yachts; Australia 163 in 43 yachts; United Kingdom 140 in 36 yachts; Canada 89 in 21 yachts; Germany 50 in 11 yachts; and others 222 in 56 yachts.

RSYC for Fiji-

Vila race

The Royal Suva Yacht Club (RSYC) announced in August that it would take part in the Fiji-Vila yacht race scheduled to start in Musket Cove at noon on Septem ber 8.

Earlier, it was believed that the Nadi-based Musket Cove Yacht Club (MCYC) would be the only participant in the race. But with the entry of RSYC, at least 20 yachts from the two clubs were expected to take part.

The Fiji-Vila race followed the

Tauranga-Vila and Sydney-Vila

races held earlier in the year.

sl2m yacht

in Suva

A $l2 million luxury cruising yacht was in Suva in August awaiting the arrival of well-heeled passengers who would be chartering her for cruises around Fiji waters.

The 48-metre, 500-tonne Katali na is registered in Guernsey, a tax haven island off the south coast of England.

Sources said the Katalina, com missioned in 1982, left England last Christmas to sail to the Caribbean, Panama, Tahiti, Samoa and Tonga, spending several months at each

port.

She arrived in Suva without passengers, carrying only her Eng lish crew of 14.

The sources said Katalina be longs to an English firm, Lanship Ltd, based in London, and caters only for passengers on charter.

Asked what kind of passengers had travelled on the Katalina, one crew member said they were not allowed to discuss who had been on the yacht or who would be chartering it.

The crew member also said it was policy not to allow persons other than crew and passengers aboard the Katalina.

The $l2 m. craft Katalina, in Suva in August. - Fiji Times photo.

Aena in Port Moresby.