"THREE MEN IN A BOAT."

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 236, 2 October 1920, Page 19

"THREE MEN IN A BOAT."

AN ATLANTIC 'ADVEXTURBI (From Our Special Correspondent.) . LONDON, August 10. Our notions of ocean transport nave undergone many changes since Columbus set sail on bis memorable voyage across the Atlantic In 1492. Most of us to-day would "boggle" badly at the notion of setting sail for New York in any craft whose tonnage dltl not run to four llgures, and many would prefer that it was indicated in five. Columbus' "good ship" was, however, i> mere cock-boat in comparison with to-daj'i leviathan liners, being a decked vessel or 100 tons. Still, It was a giant compared to some of the ships in which our forefathers braved the perils of the Atlantic, for we know that Sir Humphrey Gilbert—stepbrother to Sir Walter Raleigh—after planting the first English colony in Newfoundland, essayed his homeward voyage in the Squirrel, a 12-tonner, which sallormen in those days designated a "frigate." The accompanying ship was the Golden Hind, a vessel of 40 tons, and her captain, Hayes, tells how the Squirrel met her end, and all' on board perished: "Monday, the 9th of September, the frigate was near, cast away, yet at that time recovered, and, giving forth signs of Joy, the general, sitting abaft with a book In his hand, cried out to us In the Hind, 'We are as near to heaven by sea as by land.' The same Monday night, about twelve, the frigate being ahead of us in the Golden Hind, suddenly her lights went out, for In that moment the frigate was devoured and swallowed up of the sea." Those were tbe days of big men and little ships, and we nave been reminded of them by the arrival at Cowes this week of the Typhoon, a firteevton boat, In which three Americans sailed across the Atlantic from Xova Scotia, in order to be present at the Cowes International Motor Boat Races. The little ship was at sea twenty-two days without stopping, and the crew, consisted of Mr. Frederick Baldwin, of Toronto, Mr. William Nutting, managing editor of the Motor Boat Publishing Co., of New York, and Mr. Jim Dorsett, of Washington. The Typhoon is ketch rigged, 35ft long on the waterline, and 12ft toeain, with a displacement of about fifteen tons. She was designed on lines suggested by Mr. Nutting, who was anxious to demonstrate that a properly designed small boat can be Just as seaworthy as n big ship, and was built at Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, under his supervision. She was not propertly completed when the voyage commenced, but the party set off with the intention of sailing to Cowes for the races, and they accomplished their task with thirty-seven hours to spare. Leaving Novia Scotia on .Iniy IS, the boat in four days had sailed 337 miles to Capo Race, where the Transatlantic voyage proper commenced. . Tbe log distance to Bishop's Rock, Seilly Isles, was 2,158 miles, and this was accomplished iv fifteen days, nine hours, twenty-five minutes, a marvellous performance. Bishop's Ttock was sighted on August 6. and Cowes reached at daybreak on the Ot*. The entire journey was accomplished under sal!, no use being made of the motor. Nothing very exciting happened on the voyage except for one hard gale off the Newfoundland coast. They had splendid weather with very strong winds, which were favourable. But for a whole week they did not see a single ship. During the flrst week out they sailed 1,039 nautical miles, which must be a record for a boat of that size. As to Typhoon, she is none tbe worse for all the buffetlngs of the Atlantic and except that tbe three men were suffering a little from lack of sleep, they were quite fit after their long ordeal.