AROUND THE WORLD

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32860, 8 March 1972, Page 1

AROUND THE WORLD

A 38-ft auxiliary ketch called Faraway is at present visiting Lyttelton in the course of a leisurely cruise to last about a year.

Aboard the ketch are Mrs Williams, who is a Californian widow, her 33-year-old son, Mr John Williams, a three-year-old Alsatian dog named Schatz, and a three-year-old Burmese cat called Marco Polo.

Mr Williams, who taught himself navigation, is a physicist and research engineer by profession and took seven years to build the fiush-deck ketch at Beaumont, California, using yellow cedar, teak and white oak.

The party sailed from San Diego in May, 1970, and travelled along the Mexican coastline calling at many ports, including Acapulco. Heading westward the Williamses spent some time in the Galapagos group before going to Tahiti. The voyage continued to the Cook Islands, Tonga and Niue and so to Suva. A visit was made to the New Hebrides and New

Caledonia on the way to New Zealand. Mrs Williams does all the cooking; her son attends to the handling of the Faraway. The two animals have been raised together and get on famously. Because of strict quarantine regulations they are not allowed ashore in New Zealand; but Mr Williams said he was grateful that they were able to remain aboard during the New Zealand coastal cruise. The dog is allowed to swim from a dinghy. Because they do not like cities, the Faraway has called only at the Bay of Islands, Whangarei, Whitianga, Mer-

cury Island and Gisborne so far. Mrs Williams said that the hospitality at Gisborne, where they spent several days, was marvellous. Although they have had occasional rough weather during the voyage the two most unpleasant spells were off the Mexican coast and between Gisborne and Lyttelton.

Mr Williams is a ski-ing enthusiast but has done no ski-ing in New Zealand so far. They hope to see something of the country while in Christchurch, even perhaps the mountains. Their stay in Lyttelton will be for about a fortnight; their pace is always leisurely. From Lyttelton they will go to Nelson and then to New Plymouth. Their next stop will be Lord Howe Island, and then possibly Brisbane. They intend to go through the Torres Strait and cross the Indian Ocean to South Africa. From South Africa they will cross the South Atlantic to South America. Their plans are then to sail for Panama and up the Pacific coast to Canada.

The Williamses plan to be back in North America about a year from now. Both have an inclination to settle in Canada.