A WORLD CRUISE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 65, 18 March 1938, Page 13

A WORLD CRUISE.

IGDRASIL ARRIVES HOME. THXEH TEARS AWAY. Mr. ttnd Mrs. Ko;er Strout, who left Portland, Maine, on the east coast of America, in June, 1034, in their 37ft j auxiliary ketch Igradsil. and visited Aiick-1 land in September, ISJ3O, have arrived back home at Portland. The cruise occupied three years, during which time they covered 30,000 miles, going right round the world. From Portland, -Maine, where Mr. and Mrs. Strout live. they went to Jacksonville, Florida, then to Jamaica, ami through the Panama Canal to the Pacific, calling at the Galapagos Islands, the Marquesas, also Taumoiu, Tahiti. Samoa, Fiji. Auckland, and Sounds of the South Island, then to Australia. Christinas Island. Keeling. lindriguez, MnilI ririus. Durban. Capetown. St. Helena. Ascention Island, then across the Atlantic to the West: Indies, up to New York, and finally to Portland. Maine. Mr. Strout. who was a teacher at the I Ceorgia Technical School, decided that If* ! would like to see New Zealand, especially J the Sounds. He built the boat himself, the work taking two years. Igdrasil was 87t't overall, ."ifr draught, with a tonnage of Kli. She was huilt on the lines of Captain Slocum's famous Spray. in which the skipper circled the globe, but was finally losr. Igdrasil. in N»rse mythology, means the tree of life, with its branches in heaven and its roots in hell. That is a good descrip- j tion. Mr. Strout stated on his return, of life on a small boat. Questioned as to the cost of their three years' cruise, Mr. Strout said that it was only £400. They hud lived on the boat all the time, and only used the engine ' for entering or leaving port. For the rest of the time they relied on their sails, the Igdrasil being ketch rigged. An Uncommunicative Skipper. The Igdrasil arrived at Auckland on a ! Saturday afternoon, and after rounding' ] North Head her sails were furled, and.} making about 4 knots under power, she i dropped anchor off the King's wharf. After' inspection by Hie port authorities "Speed- ' well'' boarded the vessel, but both Mr. and ! Mrs. Strout were most uncommunicative. i A photographer who noticed three tortoise on the caHiin-top. after placing one alongside the yacht's lifebuoy with her name on it,

had just snapped it when Mr. Strout bounded out of the cabin and told the ratln»r scared photographer not to take any | more photographs or play "monkey tricks" | with his tortoises, refusing him permission jto use tlie picture, although a few days | later a similar view appeared in print. To a polite query if the lady was his i wife, he "guessed'- she was as they were j married in Portland, and remarked that the j missionaries in the Islands asked the same j question. "Speedwell" certainly got little | copy from the skipper, who, it turned out. was writing his own story, and naturally j wanted to f>e in first with it. | Once off the ship a good photograph i . was obtained <>f h«*r at anchor, and by interi viewing the Customs lier last port of call.' i Suva, was ascertained. A careful search of. | the Suva "Times" file gave enough information to fill half a column. wliicii. with her picture, appeared in the Sports Edition the same evening, to the surprise of Igdrasil's skipper, who was afterwards very friendly and gave several very interesting talks to local yachtsmen on the building of the boat and their experiences on the voyage. O/Mani