FOUR MONTHS AFLOAT

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22662, 17 March 1939, Page 7

FOUR MONTHS AFLOAT

-—♦ '■ COOK ON AUXILIARY YACHT NEW ZEALAND ..WOMAN’S EXPERIENCES t 1. ' [THE PRESS Special Service.] AUCKLAND, March 16. After spending nearly lour months as cook on. an Australian auxiliary yacht,’'which is making a world tour, Miss P. Squire, of the Bay of Islands, returned to Auckland from Sourabaya by the Maetsuycker. Miss Squire had hoped to accompany the yacht further bn its cruise, but the time at her / disposal did not permit, ;■ • A keen yachting enthusiast, .Miss Squire was on holiday in Australia when she heard that Mr Bradford Pot- ; ter, of. Sydney, intended sailing his , 50ft vessel Fram around the world. Through mutual friends, she obtained an introduction to Mr Potter, who agreed to allow her to join the crew. She was the only woman member. The, Fram left Cairns, Northern Queensland, on October 31, with seven persons on board, two of whom disembarked at Thursday Island, Calls were made at Merauke, Dutch New Guinea, and the Dobo Am islands,‘ oil the New Guinea coast, and the vessel' then set off across the Banda Sea. Progress was extremely slow, as the Pram alternatively ran into strong north-west trade winds,, or encountered dead calms. Several islands were visited, passages between ports sometimes taking as long as 16 days, whereas they shdiild normally have taken only about nine or 10. • Macassar, in the Celebes, was not reached until February 20. As she had to return to New Zealand, Miss Squire left the Fram at Macassar, and wok the steamer to Spurabaya. where she joined the Maetsdycker. She said 'that she thoroughly enjoyed her trip, and would eagerly accept another opportunity of ah ocean cruise if such ever offered. , The Fram is; continuing its tour through the East Indies. ’ Mr Potter , intends to go to Europe, either by the Suez Canal or South Africa, and hopes to be at Helsinki, Finland, for the Olympic Games next year.