YACHT WELT OFF COURSE

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29401, 31 December 1960, Page 14

YACHT WELT OFF COURSE

N.I. Mistaken For South (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON. December 30. After mistaking Palliser Bay for Cloudy Bay. three members of*the crew of the sloop Galatea sailed up the east coast of the North Island 100 miles off their course, in the belief they were still in sight of the South Island. The sloop arrived at Wellington yesterday afternoon after setting out from Lyttelton last- Saturday. Fears for the sloop’s whereabouts had resulted in preparations for an all-out sea-air rescue search, but were allayed when the men sent a telephone message from a Wairarapa coastal sheep station. Messrs J. Phillips, B. D. Watkins. and D Turner, all of Christchurch, said yesterday afternoon this was their first long-distance trip and that previous experience had been confined to cruising around Banks Peninsula. The 35ft Galatea left Lyttelton for Wellington at 6 am. on Saturday. Good weather was experienced during a ruri up to Cape Campbell with a light northeasterly. A heavy north-west squall then blew up, obscuring the land, and the crew had to reef one sail and keep off from the coastline. By the time the weather cleared they had not realised they had gone so far and in looking for a landfall, sighted Cape Palliser, which was mistaken for Cloudy Bay. The Galatea then proceeded up the Wairarapa coasi before it was discovered on Tuesday that the coast was that of the North Island and not the South Island.