Yacht to circle world in Antarctic waters

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32474, 8 December 1970, Page 2

Yacht to circle world in Antarctic waters

Six yachting enthusiasts, one of them a woman, who will sail a cutter round the world from Bluff in Antarctic waters, are at present visiting Lyttelton.

They are the crew of the 53ft auxiliary cutter Awahnee. The five-year-old Auckland-built vessel is registered in Honolulu but has been at Whangarei for the last nine months. 1 1 4 ! 1 1 I I

The Awahnee a Californian' Indian name for “a peaceftil place”—is owned by an American veterinary surgeon, Dr R. L. Griffith, of California. It has a ferroconcrete hull. Dr Griffith and his wife, Nancy, are master yachtsman. Mrs Griffith said yesterday that they had sailed

135,000 miles about the world in 11 years, visiting countries as far apart as South Africa and Japan and South American and Alaska. But their next voyage, along the parallel of approximately 60 degrees south, will be their greatest challenge. Mrs Griffith said she and her husband had already sailed twice round the world —once via the Suez and Panama Canals and another time westbound via the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn. They had also sailed from Hobart to Fremantle westbound, an unusual feat. Mrs Griffith said they would leave Lyttelton for Bluff tomorrow. From Bluff the Awahnee would head south, using the prevailing wind, and would pass about 500 miles south of Cape Hom. They hoped to land in Antarctica at Hope Bay on the Antarctic Peninsula. It was hoped to accomplish the round voyage from Bluff to Bluff in 100 days. No such voyage had ever been at-

tempted by a craft as small as the Awahnee. Both Dr Griffith and his wife are skilled navigators and do not intend to continue with the voyage if conditions become hazardous. Reid Griffith, their 16-year-old son, will accompany them and also three New Zealanders, all skilled yachtsmen. The New Zealanders are John O’Brien and Patrick Treston, of Auckland, and Ashley Louden, of Hastings. Mrs Griffith said the Awahnee would also probably call at South Georgia, Macquarie Island, and Heard Island. The voyage was being undertaken because it was a challenge and also in commemoration of the second voyage of Captain James Cook, .189 years ago. The Griffiths have a home in California, but they rarely use it, and have now taken possession of a section in Whangarei. Mrs Griffith said New Zealand was a perfect place for yachting. She had nothing but admiration for the skill of New Zealand yachtsmen. At the end of this voyage they will return to Whangarei. Yesterday Dr Griffith was in Wellington seeing the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. During the voyage the crew will take scientific observations of wind and water for the department.