ISLAND ANCHORAGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 147, 22 June 1923, Page 7

ISLAND ANCHORAGE.

OLD SEA CAPTAINS EXPERIENCES.

XO FEAR OF ANCHOR DRAGGING, The remarkable adventures of the American schooner Lottie Bennett reached ft further stage at Tonga recently, ac related in a message published in last night's Star, but the peril through which the vessel passed was the subject of some comment today by Capt. W. Rosb. The captain ia a veteran navigator of those waters and has had a lengthy experience or the anchorage at the island of*«u*fou, or, jut it was misspelt in the mesage from Wanganui, Vinafou. "In my 40 years' experience of tlio anchorage of Niuafou, working vessels there myself, and in seeing other vessels from 1000 tons downwards worKin" cargo at the same place during tno proper season, that is from the end ot May to the middle of November, lean say that only one vessel was ever driven ashore from her anchorage. The one exception was the little schooner Magic, which arrived there too early for the season." said Captain Ross. "The only danger at Niuafou is when a vessel is sent there cither too early or too late, thus catching the hurricane weather. This remark appliefl also to all the open anchorages at those islands. It is true that when masters of large vessels go there for the first time they get nervous about the open anchorage, as they aro unaccustomed to the conditions of such anchorages, but no anchor will ever drag there. In fact, the difficulty ia always in getting the anchor up again, and this not always possible. I have left fully twenty anchors at Amatoii in the course of my trading experiences there. Our safety always depended entirely on the strength ol the chains."