IN BREAKERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 148, 25 June 1935, Page 8

IN BREAKERS.

KETCH ASHORE.

NINETY-MILE BEACH.

CREW'S ALL-NIGHT BATTLE.

MEN REACH SHORE SAFELY.

Driven shoreward after an all-night battle with breaking 30ft combers, a ketch, the Tehongi, of Eawene, was wrecked at Ahipara at 0 a.m. to-day. Ahipara is at the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach. The crew of two—Messrs. ,T. W. Wray and D. Wellington—after baling furiously to keep afloat a boat which for most of the night was halffull of water, struggled to safety through the breakers. The vessel is at present lying in the shallow breakers at the foot of He id's boardingliouse, and an effort is being made to haul her to the dry sand by means of a bullock team.

The two young men are well known in Auckland yachting circles. They sailed the Ngataki from Auckland to Melbourne, and then cruised to the Islands and back to Auckland.

The vessel has recently beeii bought by Mr. S. Atkinson, of Auckland. The two young men were commissioned to sail lier round the North Cape and down to Auckland. A Hectic Trip. "It was a hectic trip," said Mr. Wray. "We had a job to keep the boat off the beach last night. We got to within six miles of Cape Maria, and then could not make it —inshore gale. The buffeting in the big seas opened her up, and she was leaking like a sieve. The pump would not cope with it, so we both got to work with a benzine tin. It only needed a 30-foot breaker to curl over us and we were half full. A good many of them did break. What a night!"

After waiting'at Hokianga for a week for good weather, the pair took the Tehongi out on Sunday afternoon, and cleared the bar at 2.30 p.m. "She sailed away cleanly and seemed to be going well when I lost sight of her in the gathering gloom," said the harbourmaster when interviewed at Hokianga Heads.

"We got her up to within six miles of Cape Maria last night," said Mr. Wray, continuing his story. "The weather freshened yesterday, and last night was blowing a howling northeaster, that ie, it was blowing hard inshore. That was at 5 o'clock. We tried to make the cape but we could not make it —could not nose her out into it. "Things got hectic. We hove her to on the starboard tack to keep her shore; and there we wallowed for about an hour. Up and Down the Beach. "If we could not get her round, the next thing to do was to beat back the way we had come. All night long we beat down the Ninety-Mile, wallowing in the breakers—and they are breakers up there—and baling like blazes. The pump was all right; but at the worst of it we were under water practically. When we got in the hollows between the waves we could not see anything at all except dark walls of water. Not that ,we could see much at all, because for one thing jt was dark, squally, and raining, and for another we were too busy trying to keep her afloat. "It was blowing too hard to set much sail. We had only a rag, enough to give us way, and to keep us off the beach. We were wet through and tired to death. Heaving • benzine tins of water for dear life is 110 joke. I reckon we got rid of 400 gallons a hour. Then when we saw that the water was coming in as fast as we could get it out, we got desperate. We stuffed bits of old cloth into the cracks, and soon it got to the stage where we were using our own clothing to stop the leaks. It was a case of literally 'have to.' Scene At Daybreak. At daybreak they discovered they were not far from the southern end of the beach, near Reef Point. They decided to run for the most sheltered place in the bay. Just outside the line of breakers they dropped two anchors, hoping they would hold. From the beach, where a small crowd had collected, Miss J. S. lieiil, of the boarding house,, said that the boat appeared "to be under water. The waves Were breaking all over her. That was about 8 a.m., but an hour later it was evident that the two lines would not hold. The vessel began to drag, and by nine o'clock was right in the middle of the surf, scarcely to be seen at all. The crew realised their only chance was to hang 011 to the vessel until tliey got nearer the beach. This they did. By this time a man with a horse waved a rope, so when the boat was about 50 yards from the beach Mr. Wray and his companion made a bid for it. They managed to grasp the rope and came to safety. The boat behind them dragged further 111, and after a while they managed to secure the anchor lines. Aid Of Bullock Team. A bullock team had now appeared and the anchor lines were attached to the bullock harness. It was hoped thus to haul the Tehongi out on to the dry sand. At 3 p.m. to-day the ketch was still in the breakers, though it was stated that not a great deal of damage had been done. Most of the personal effects of both men were still on board. Aa soon as Mr. W ra y an d Mr. Wellington had done all they could, they went up to the boardinghouse where, to use the/words of Mr. Wray, "they treated us like princes." r , iriin expect to stay at Ahipara .lor a few days, until they have tried