Yacht Hove To In Severe Storm

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30737, 29 April 1965, Page 20

Yacht Hove To In Severe Storm

(New Zealand Press Association)

NAPIER, April 28.

The two-masted New Zealand yacht Spree, bound for Tahiti, berthed at Napier last night after surviving Monday night’s vicious southerly storm off Castlepoint.

The yacht survived the violent storm by heaving to just north of Castlepoint over night on Monday. She sailed north again yesterday, arriving at Napier last night in good order. The owner-skipper, a 50-year-old Canterbury man, Mr Hugh Grigg, of Culverdem has

as crew Messrs T. G. Longdin, of Little River, and a young Australian, Alex Stewart, of Brisbane.

“We weren’t making any headway against that storm. We weren’t in trouble, either, but we decided to heave to and we were as good as gold,” said Mr Longdin. “It was good of the lighthousekeeper at Castlepoint to report our position in the heavy weather, but we weren’t in any dire straits.” “But even so,” he said, “1 would certainly like to know the velocity of that wind. It was terrific.”

Mr Longdin, who sailed to Napier two years ago aboard the Lyttelton schooner, Kotiti. said they would probably remain in Napier for two days before sailing direct for Tahiti.

The crew plans to spend about three months in Tahiti and sailing around the island before returning to New Zealand in mid-August.