Danish Yachtsman Shelters Unworried

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30496, 18 July 1964, Page 20

Danish Yachtsman Shelters Unworried

(New Zealand Press Association) WHANGAREI, July 16. The Danish yachtsman, Peter Klokker, is waiting out a storm at anchor off the Marlin Hotel, Whangaroa, in his 24-foot yacht, Tiki. He sailed out of Whangarei Harbour on July 8 without a Marine Department clearance.

He went up the coast with the yacht “performing well in dirty weather,” he said in a telephone interview today, and then went into Whangaroa for shelter. “He is not going to ask for a Marine Department survey of his yacht, and says he will sail with or without a Customs clearance. He plans to refer both matters to the Danish Embassy. He described the Customs clearance situation this morning as “a lot of cheek.” “Nobody can make a law about yachting 50 miles out. to sea from a country,” he said, “because you come up against international agreements.” The same thing applied to Customs clearances, he said. “I don’t want anybody to decide for me what I’m going to do,” he added. “I’m all right,” he said. “Everything is good and new on my boat and I know what I’m doing. “I’ve been to sea a fair bit —across the Atlantic a few times in fishing boats, too.” The yacht is built of Canadian Oregon, has good sails, plenty of food, stainless steel rigging, and a diesel engine with a range of 600 miles. “I’m not doing anything wrong.” The Assistant Secretary of Marine (Mr C. W. Franks) said in a telephone interview

i from Wellington today that . Mr Klokker’s boat was not a i New Zealand one, and the . act would not normally ap- • ply to it. There was a section in the . act which the Minister of ' Marine (Mr Scott) had to ’ voked which made the act 1 apply to any boat if good 1 reason existed in the interests of the safety of the yachts- ’ man and the public. Notice had accordingly 1 been served on Mr Klokker at Whangaroa by an inspec- . tor of fisheries in conjunction . with the local police, requirJing him to have his yacht by two yacht in-i spectors. The Minister also did not want the taxpayer loaded with unnecessary expense in ■ connexion with air-sea rescue , work. ■ The department had offered all possible facilities to Mr ; Klokker at some expense and . trouble, and today had two ’ surveyors standing by ready . to inspect the yacht if Mr ; Klokker was ready to com- • plyIf Mr Klokker put to sea ’ without a clearance there : was no more the department could do.