yachts
pp. 51-52 · Read in the full issue
Don Travers Re
ports from Tubuai,
Austral isiands f
French Polynesia:
• ARMINEL H. American-owned Arminel H arrived at Tubuai with skipper David Wright (UK), and crew Peter Richardson (Aust.), Tom King (USA), and Janet Blumsky and Lee Gillespie (both NZ).
Arminel H was built in Southampton, England, in 1910 of teak planking and decking on oak frames. She is ketch-rigged, 29m overall including bowsprit, with a beam of 4.9 m and draft of 3.2 m.
She is a beautiful yacht with lots of original old-time fittings and features, including a spiral com panionway ladder, and spacious, uncluttered poop deck.
She has been in the South Pacific for 10 years. The current cruise began in Australia in May of last year, to New Zealand via Norfolk Island.
Shortly after leaving Auckland for French Polynesia, they suffered a broken bowsprit and had to make for Napier, NZ, to fashion and rig a new one.
They experienced a rough 27day voyage to windward to Raiva vae before calling at Tubuai From here they sailed for Papeete, with plans to cruise the Society Islands before heading north for Hawaii.
Top right: Arminel Hskipper David Wright (at rear); and, seated in front, Peter Richardson (Aust.), Lee Gillespie (NZ), Janet Blumsky (NZ).
Above left: Arminel H crew relax, and (right) prepare to land at Tubuai. Don Travers photo.
• Transcender. A 10.7 M
sloop. Transcender. with Warwick and Janet Clay, and Janet’s 14year-old daughter Robyn Babe, all of New Zealand, arrived at Tubuai late last year after a fast 13-day passage from Auckland.
Over a period of 15 months in 1984-85, Warwick built their yacht himself from a bare fibreglass hull a Davidson 35 with teak decking.
From Tubuai they sailed to Raivavae and Tahiti. They plan a three-year cruise back across the Pacific and to the Mediterranean via Suez if practical, and eventually via Panama to West Coast USA, where they will put Transcender up for sale.
Warwick has ham radio equip ment with call sign ZLIAKD.
• Different Concept. With
John Kuhn (USA) and Angie Sea man (UK) Different Concept ar rived at Tubuai from New Zealand.
They had arrived in New Zealand in 1984 on John’s 10m sloop The Third S, and with professional help spent 14 months building their new cutter from a Whiting 47 fibreglass hull.
Other than the hull. John com pletely designed the above and below decks of Different Concept. with lots of state-of-the-art and energy-efficient systems. Electro nics include radar with an alarm
system, weatherfax, Sat-Nav and radio transceiver. For electrical power, in addition to the alternator on the 60kW Perkins auxiliary
engine. Different Concept is equipped with solar panels, a wind generator and sail. John says it is only rarely that he has to run the engine solely for battery-charging.
Bottled gas is used for the stove, hot water heater and refrigerator.
There is a compressor for scuba tanks, a desalinator, and a diesel fuelled space heater.
Ingenious use of plastic mirror panels gives a sense of added space below.
The yacht, registered in Chicago, is equipped with both auto-pilot and windvane self-steering, in addi tion to roller furling mainsail and jib. and many other modern features.
John and Angie left Tubuai for Tahiti with plans to continue cruis ing in the South Pacific.
Grant Mccall
reports from Rapa
nut (Easter Is
land):
• DIOGENE. Pierre Cettou and Patricia Vienne had been sailing their Trisbap 36 Diogene in the Mediterranean and Atlantic for four years, coming along the South American coast into the Pacific in 1985.
The couple arrived at the main anchorage of Hangaroa (Cook’s Bay) on December 24, and de parted for Pitcairn Island on Janu ary 12.
Pierre and Patricia are from Switzerland, and they are making a world tour without any fixed itin erary. After an easy cruise around Polynesia, they plan to head for Australia. • ALARCHWEN. Robin Hawkes left Wales in his 8.2 m sloop in October, 1983, with a plan to sail solo around the world. Alarchwen , which means. “White Swan” in Welsh, has come by way of the Mediterranean, through Rapa, Mangareva and Pitcairn.
From the first two places he brought greetings from Easter Is land relatives, descendants of migrants in the last century.
Robin feels he is now bound for home, and, after his fortnight’s stay on Rapanui, departed for Puerto Monti, southern Chile, on Septem ber 10, 1985.
Aboard Transcender at Tubuai: left to right, seated: Janet and Warwick Clay, Robin Babe (of Transcender); standing: John Kuhn and Angie Seaman (of Different Concept ). Don Travers photo.