GALE CAPSIZES YACHTS

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21733, 16 March 1936, Page 19

GALE CAPSIZES YACHTS

RESCUE CREWS BUSY SANDERS CUP WINNER BADLY DAMAGED Nine yachts were capsized at Lyttelton on Saturday afternoon by a gale which raised a heavy sea in the harbour. Strenuous work by the crews of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve auxiliary . cutter, Deveron, and ’of several launches and trawlers, resulted in all the yachtsmen being picked up safely. Some of the boats sustained minor damage and loss of gear, but the 14-footer Avenger, winner of the Sanders \ Cup contest at Auckland last month and on two other occasions, was very seriously damaged. Two races were in progress, one for boats of. 18 feet and over for the Beryl Stacey trophy, and the-other for Idle Along class boats. Soon after the start a strong north-westerly blew up, with frequent heavy squalls. These caused several casualties, but the worst trouble came when the wind suddenly backed to the south-west and., came away in a fierce gale which lifted the tops of the waves in sheets of spray and soon raised a heavy sea, Colleen (W. TisSiman) capsized off Purau Bay and her crew were picked up by the Deveron. which took the boat in tow. Immediately, afterwards Avenger was seen by those aboard the Deveron to be drifting id a helpless condition. It was found that the Avenger’s rudder had broken. The Deveron took the Avenger in tow with the crew still aboard and shaped a course for the moles. Off the bend of the Gladstone Pier the Deveron came up with the Patua capsized. Her crew, J. Osborne, S. Evans, and G. Bremner, had been picked up by Mr C. E. Brown's launch Sunbeam. - The Deveron's crew righted the Patua and took her in tow along with the Colleen and Avenger, K. Sillars, one of the yachtsmen previously rescued, went in her to steer. Almost Immediately the Patua was struck by a heavy sea and capsized again. One of the crew of the Deveron entered ithe water and assisted Sillars back to the cutter. 'With the capsized boat astern of the other two, the Deveron could make no headway in the gale, so the Patua had to be cut adrift. The Deveron then made across to the shelter of Quarry Point, and working around the point; made another attempt to fetch the moles, this time with a staysail set to assist the engine and the steering. Approaching the moles again another capsized boat, the Omaha, was seen close to the pier. The Deveron altered her course and picked up the crew, but was compelled to leave the boat. Once again the cutter had to make lor Quarry Point to work into a position for a run for the moles. By this time a big sea was running. Just off the entrance to the inner harbour. Avenger, in tow astern of the Colleen, commenced to yaw badly and finally capsized. One of the crew, Arthur James, was caught beneath the boat and was pulled out in a very exhausted condition. The men swam ashore to the pier. The extra strain caused by the capsized boat caused the tow-rope to part Colleen drifted into the mner harbour and was later picked up undamaged. The Avenger, however, was carried by the heavy sea into the tripod off the end Of the mole, and despite Strenuous efforts by some of those on the pier to hold her off, was damaged on the rocks. She drifted out into the harbour AhcU was picked up by - Mr R. L. Kennett’s launch Islay and towed into Diamond Harbour.

In the strong gale and big sea then running, the Deveron was unable to make her way out o£ the moles again with her low-powered engine, and was unable to take part in further rescue work. Some of the smaller launches which tried to get out of the moles were badly buffeted and had to turn back. By this time several more boats had capsized, four of them together in the same squall. The auxiliary-yacht Yvonne got out of the inner harbour and picked up some of the crews. Mr B. Norris’s launch Helene took tixe Juanita and Listless in tow, but, being unable to make headway, later handed them over to Mr S. Toomey’s launch Marlin. The Pioneer and another trawler, Muriel, had both set out to perform rescue work. The Muriel picked up the drifting Omaha, the latter’s owner, F. Mackey, diving overboard from the Muriel to make a line fast to the boat. The Pioneer picked up the Patua, N. Sergispn entering the water to make the line fast. Patua was towed to Diamond Harbour. Other boats which capsized were the Marina and the Marietta. The Ngahau was driven by a hard squall and ploughed under all standing. The damage to the Avenger included about five planks stove in, the deck smashed, and the rudder broken. In addition she lost her jib and some of her gear. The loss is a serious one to the owner, R. Priddy. The crews of the Colleen and the Avenger later paid a warm tribute to the work of Commander C, H. Kersley and thode aboard the Deveron, for their splendid work under great difficulties. The readiness of the Deveron and of the launches and trawlers to assist the yachtsmen prevented any serious consequences to the crews of the capsized boats.