Lone Crossing Of Tasman

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29784, 29 March 1962, Page 16

Lone Crossing Of Tasman

< N.Z. Press Association)

NEW PLYMOUTH. March 28. A 20-year-oid Hawera yachtsman. Trevor Riley, will begin a lone Tasman crossing tomorrow if Marine Department officials consider his 32-foot yawl, Aotea. meets with the requirements under trie Shipping and Seamen Act

There was confusion today about the crossing. Mr Riley was reported to have told a friend to New Plymouth last night he would sail today But officials, apparently worried over the venture, said he could not sail until the yawl and the equipment on it had been inspected by the Marine Department. A recent amendment to

the Shipping and Seamen Act places certain minimum requirements for equipment and construction on a

pleasure craft sailing more than 50 miles from land.

Mr Riley said today that he had stocked the yawl with fresh water and provisions for the crossing from Port Taranaki to Sydney. The Manne Department officer at New Plymouth, *Mr H C. Higgs, said tonight he was not prepared to announce the ante of an inspection because he bad only just returned from a trip out of town and had a lot of paper work to be completed

Mi Riley was confident the yawl would pass any inspection At Port Taranaki tonight he had the tanks stocked with 26 gallons of fresh water and spent most of the day to the city obtaining provisions. „ Experienced seamen at tSe

port considered him unwise to attempt the crossing at this time of the year. They said Marti could be one of the worst months of the year for Tasman storms. Mr Riley said the absence of a radio set was not worrying him and he was confident that he would be able to borrow a set from the Marine Department if it was required. However, the Marine Department’s maritime adviser at Wellington, Captain H. Ruegg. said in a telephone interview that the department would not lend a set for travel tn international waters The department had several sets which were lent on a small deposit, but these were for coastal sailing only. Captain Ruegg said that Mr Riley would have to obtain a clearance certificate from thd Customs Department before he could sail and to obtain this clearance a certificate of seaworthiness from either a Marine Department officer or yacht club officials would have to be provided

Asked what the department’s attitude was to such voyages, he replied: "We don’t want to do anything to discourage the enterprise, initiative and resourcefulness which the sport of vachttog calls for. but we have to see that a voyage has a reasonable chance of success. We don’t like regimenting people but we have to see that some common sense is used."

There was always the chance, he said, that other people would have to risk their lives m a search. The secretary at the New Plymouth Yacht Club (Mr D. C. Woodhead) said his

club bad not appointed any inspectors for the purpose of overseas travel and this would be left to the Marine Department. To obtain a certificate of see worthiness the craft would need to be equipped witih proper navigational lights, a lifeboat and flares, said Mr Woodhead. The Shipping and Seamen Act had recently been amended and placed certain minimum requirements on

pleasure craft sailing more than 50 miles from land.