YACHT ON ROCKS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 68, Issue 142, 29 March 1948, Page 2

YACHT ON ROCKS

Caught in Northerly Gale CHOICE OF ANCHORAGE PROVES UNFORTUNATE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Mar. 28. Caught in a strong northerly wind on the way from Wellington to Queep Charlotte Sound on Saturday night, the yacht Morere later went on the rocks on the western side of Cape Campbell and now rests on the bottom.

The five men on hoard, all Welling* tonians, managed to get ashore and were accommodated at the Cape Campbell lighthouse. They are: Thomas Lamb, Keith Jones, John Peirce, Peter Doyle and Rex Morgan. None of them is any the worse for the adventure.

The Morere, a 28-foot ketch with an auxiliary engine, left Wellington on Saturday afternoon. Delayed by a.n almost dead calm in Cook Strait she did not reach the entrance to Tory Channel until 11.45 p.m. missing the tide by half an hour. An attempt with sail and engine to fight a way into the channel against the strong run of the tide failed, and the yacht was forced back into the strait.

Immediately, the Morere was caught in a heavy northerly which had meantime risen, and the only course possible in the heavy seas, to run before the storm, was taken. Visibility be-' came poor and the sight of land was lost until the coast, at Cape Campbell was sighted both to port and starboard. After a hard battle the crew managed to veer the yacht to pass north of Cape Campbell and then to turn into comparatively calm water in the lee of the cape. There the anchor was dropped and when it held it was decided to remain there until the weather abated and then to sail back to the Sounds or to Wellington.

Rocks Everywhere

A few hours later, with the fall of the tide, rocks began to appear all round the yacht. The anchor was lifted, but efforts to move her away failed and she became fast on the rocks. When the water had fallen sufficiently the crew went over the rocks to the lighthouse. After a meal and a rest the crew returned to the yacht in the afternoon to recover their .gear, but found her half full of water. When darkness fell she was resting on the bottom with little of her showing. The crew spent to-night at the lighthouse and will probably return to Wellington by ferry from Picton.

Gale Lashes Coast

Tremendous seas swept, over the waterfront rojids at Plimmerton, Paraparaumu and Paekakariki when a north-westerly gale lashed Wellington and the coastal areas to-day. Boulders, seaweed and other debris were strewnj over the road at Paraparaumu. The sea gouged deep into the road at 0119 point, necessitating a detour. Graders were engaged in clearing the debris. A Nelson report says that several pleasure boats were.stranded there and a house was unroofed.