SERIES OF GALES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 67, Issue 219, 28 June 1947, Page 5

SERIES OF GALES

PROTRACTED TASMAN CROSSING HUIA PUTS IX TO SYDNEY (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright.) (Rec. 9.30 a.m.) SYDNEY, June 27. After having been forced by a succession of gales to sail 250 miles in the opposite direction to her course, the auxiliary schooner liuia, of 250 tons, reached Sydney this afternoon. She left Auckland for Melbourne on June 5 and took 22 days to cross the Tasman. Her master, Captain A. J. Matheson, said that a series of nine gales blew at 60 miles an hour, and the seas were high.

Captain Matheson said he belieA'ed it was the longest, crossing ever made by the 54-year-old vessel. "On Tuesday morning,” said Captain Matheson, “I reported that we were 170 miles south-east of Sydney. At 1 p.m., owing to a gale from the north - west, avc had to close-reef mainsail and ease the engine dOAvn. About 2 p.m. the vessel Avas heading south-west. A steep sea came from that direction and the vessel dived sharply into it and sprung the jibboom. We had to turn about and run before the wind to the northeast and then north. We made a landfall about 20 miles off Port Stephens at 5 p.m. Soon afterwards the sea moderated and Ave proceeded to Sydney.” Engine Stopped for 10 Hours. Captain Matheson said that, the Aressel Avas ISO miles east of Bateman’s Bay Avhen the jib-boom Avas sprung and the ship’s wireless aerial was broken. He then decided to put into Sydney instead of Melbourne. Mr T. N. Reeve, second engineer, said the ship’s engine had boon stopped for 10 hours on one occasion. For the last three days the crew had been cautioned to use fresh Avater very sparingly. Very little sleep was obtained by anyone. Mr Charles Foss, the cook, said the galley had been flooded frequently for the last fortnight. Food had been principally tinned stuff, and he used salt Avater for cooking, A\mshing and making bread. The decks Avere aAvash most of the time, and sometimes the crew’s quarters were flooded. The Huia brought a cargo of 140 tons of pumice stone and 22 bags of Australian and mail. ■