FIRST HOME

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 195, 31 May 1938, Page 8

FIRST HOME

ANNUAL GRAIN “RACE.” ABRAHAM RYDBERG ARRIVES. LONDON, May 18. The Swedish four-masted barque Abraham Rydberg, which arrived today, is the fh’st of the sailing vessels engaged in this year’s grain race from South Australia to reach a United Kingdom port. Her passage from Wallaroo) took 121 days, which is not by any means a good voyage. The Abraham Rydberg, which is used a 9 a training ship for the Swedish mercantile marine, left Wallaroo on January 16, almost a month ahead of any other competing vessel. The Finnish four-masted barque Passat, bound for England with a cargo of South Australian wheat was sighted on May 12 in mid-Atlantic about midway between Pernambuco and the Cape Verde Islands. Of the other competitors in the grain race, two, the Swedish four-master Archibald Russell and the Finnish fullrigged ship Penang, have still to leave their loading ports. The first away, the Viking (Finnish), left on February 15, 17 days before the Passat. The Passat followed on March 4, with the threemasters Winterlude and Killoran following next day. The Pommern left on March 26; the Lnwliill on April 9; the Penang on April 20; the Moshulu on April 24; and the Olivebank on May 10.

A withdrawal from this year’s race was the Pamir, which secured a lucrative nickel ore charter from Noumea to Germany, while the German training ship'Admiral Karpfanger owned by the Hamburg-Amerika Line, which took part last year as L’Avenir, cannot be treated as a competitor because she carries an auxiliary engine. iShe left Port Germein oil February 8, 24 days ahead of the Passat.