YACHT'S ORDEAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 101, 2 May 1939, Page 13

YACHT'S ORDEAL.

SEVERE BUFFETING.

GALE LASTED FIVE DAYS.

PERFECT FAITH IK GRAFT.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, April 27. Sixteen days out from Sydney, the ketch Hiapaniola, which left on April 9 for Lord Howe Island, returned to Palm Beach on Tuesday night. The ketch was built in his spare time, and aa finances permitted from time to time, by a Sydney taxi driver, Mr. George O'Brien. Both Mr. O'Brien and his wife were keen to see something of the world and this was the only way they would ever be able to travel.

On his first trip in the ketch towards the end of last year to Lord Howe Island, the 30-foot craft behaved splendidly, and made a very fast passage, but this time Mr. O'Brien, hie wife and their two sons, Lyall aged 10, and Noel aged 8, struck terrific storma and were blown 400 miles off their oouree. Relating his experiences, Mr. O'Brien said : —

"The second day out from Sydney my chronometer failed and I wae unable to take longitude readings. 1 decided to carry on, relying <Jn latitude bearings alone, but that day a terrific gale struck us. For two days and nights I did not leave the tiller. My wife passed up all my meals to me in the cockpit. The next day we etruck a slight following wind, but late in the afternoon we were caught in another and much worse gale, which lasted five days. This time I lashed the tiller and stayed below in the cabin with my family all through the storm, which we rode out. We just sat there listening to the gale howling above us day and night.

"When the gale blew iteelf out I realised Unit it would take too long to reach Lord Howe and I knew my wife's parent* would begin to worrv if we were very much overdue. So I decided to turn back to Australia."

Mrs. O'Brien said none of them had been worried, even at the height of the storm, because they had perfect faith in tlie yacht, which was so staunch that they never took any water in the cabin. When his chronometer ie repaired Mr. O'Brien will eet sail again for Lord Howe. He intends to sail the Hispaniola from Lord Howe across the Pacific to tlie Kan Francisco Exhibition. He and liis wife had this in mind when they decided to build the yacht, and a pood deal of publicity has been given to their venture in San Francisco.

During their wanderings round the world Mrs. O'Brien herself will carry on the schooling of her boys. She thinks that whatever disadvantages there may be in their missing regular schooling will be oh t weighed by the educational value of travel.