Fiji vessel to circum

navigate the globe

A VESSEL built and registered in Fiji, will attempt to become the first of that country’s boats to circumnavi gate the globe.

Due to sail from Brisbane, Australia in August, the Tau, belongs to the Philp family, that live and work in Lami, outside Fiji’s capital city, Suva.

The family is originally of Tasmania, but settled in Fiji several

generations ago.

The Tau was built in 1972 and was once chartered by the Fiji Government to transport activists to Mururoa Atoll in French Polynesia to protest nuclear testing.

Owner Tony Philp said the reason for circumnavigating the world is to

fulfill his father, Colin Philp’s dream of extended cruising.

Tony is the father of champion windsurfer, Tony Philp, who repre sents Fiji in the event at major international tournaments world wide. The Tau’s journey will start near the top of Australia, then cross the Indian Ocean to Capetown, South Africa and cross the Atlantic before returning to Fiji.

“It’s quite remarkable for a high ly profiled career boat, designed and built in Fiji to circumnavigate the world,” Philp said.

Philp and his brother John will be part of the four-member team to crew the vessel. His wife and daughter will accompany them for most of the year-long trip.

Because it will be the first local

vessel to circum

navigate the

globe, Tau is attracting atten tion in Fiji, and John is proposing a website to track the Tau’s journey.

“The ships log book will be

updated daily on

the website. We want to take a dig ital camera so the

digital pho

tographs also can

be updated,” Tony

said.

Tau in Fijian means friend, and the vessel will be promoting Fiji on its travels. ■

Tau at Sunset in Suva (S F Hildebrand)