Yacht Not Seen From Air

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31960, 11 April 1969, Page 1

Yacht Not Seen From Air

An air search yesterday by one of the owners failed to find the 31ft yacht Ruakuri which was abandoned on Wednesday evening in Pegasus Bay after two young men and two young women aboard had been rescued in heavy seas by the crew of the Lyttelton Harbour Board’s pilot cutter Wairangi.

The Beasley County, a 32ft sloop with auxiliary engine sailed at 10.45 p.m. with Kevin Ballinger, aged 21, one of the co-owners of the Ruakuri, aboard, to attempt to find the yacht and salvage it. The Waitangi returned to Lyttelton at 2.30 a.m. yesterday. Frank Bowles and Glen Alborn, and Misses Pamela Burns and Lynne Candy, who had been rescued from the Ruakuri, were none the worse for their adventure. The yacht was drifting in heavy seas and a southerly gale when they were rescued. The inflatable liferaft they were in when being taken from the Ruakuri to the Waitangi overturned in 15ft seas, and Miss Bums was under the raft until it was hauled

off her by the crew of the Wairangi. Mr Alborn yesterday chartered a light aircraft to search for the Ruakuri, cut adrift from the Wairangi about 20 nautical miles north-east of Godley Head, but could find no sign of it. Mr Bowles said last evening that the Ruakuri, which he and Messrs Alborn and Ballinger had bought 10 days ago for $2BOO, was not insured. The owner of the Beasley County is Mr E. Fryer. His wife, Mrs Joy Fryer and Mr Ballinger sailed with him. The Beasley County, built privately by Mr Fryer, was completed about six months ago.