TRANS-TASMAN YACHT RACE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 68, Issue 137, 22 March 1948, Page 4

TRANS-TASMAN YACHT RACE

AUSTRALIAN REPORTS (P.A.) AUCKLAND, March 21. Strong criticism of reports in cei--tain Australian newspaper® concerning the trans-Tasman yacht race was expressed by members of the crews or the Auckland cutter Drifter, which arrived from Australia to-day attei a return voyage of just under 22 days. The skipper (Mr K. Pragnall) said that light head winds were encountered for most of the way across, ana the trip was uneventful. The crew said the fact® published m Australia were often quite inaccui ate. On© Sydney newspaper published a series of- articles and cartoons which showed not only the yachtsmen but. members of the Royal Australian An Force in a wrong light. “For instance,” said Mi T. Ham mond, the radio operator on the Drifter, “a newspaper saul that as Rangi did not carry an engine her radio batteries could not. he recbaiged and therefore the equipment wa© not suitable for such a voyage. Howevei, in actual fact. Rangi’s engine was removed to make way for a charging motor, a fact which was published bef°NewhZealanders had got the impression that the Royal Australian Air Force objected to the search for Rangi, sai,d another member of the Drifter’s crew, but this was not tiue. The majority of airmen taking part in the search did so in good spirit.