“WE’LL BE FLYING BACK HOME"

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33520, 29 April 1974, Page 1

“WE’LL BE FLYING BACK HOME"

Sickness and injury as ferry battles

“Wahine” storm

A voyage of sickness, discomfort and fear as the Cook Strait ferry Aramoana battled south away from bridgeswamping waves and 80-knot winds ended yesterdav afternoon when the ship arrived at Lyttelton.

Two of the passengers were lifted in stretchers by crane to ambulances waiting on the wharf. Five persons were taken to hospital and many of the passengers left the ship looking tired and sick.

Passengers were thrown against walls and furniture as 40ft waves hit the ship, and ribs were broken. Cuts and bruises were common.

Crew members kept up a constant supply of bags to vomiting passengers, some of whom were passing blood. Mr W. H. Ritchie, of Havelock, said: “Late in the evening we were hitting some pretty hard water. There was a tremendous crash and heave of the ship. This just picked two people up and threw them down. A woman hit her face on the back of the seats in the forward observation lounge which i had all shutters up because seas were breaking over the decks. “Flying home” “And a young man was also thrown against the seats. 1 think he must have broken a rib.” Mrs Vivienne Allen, of Auckland, who had with her two children, one aged three years and the other 20 months, said it was a “nightmare trip” she would not like to go through again.

Her two children were very seasick and became badly dehydrated, but recovered well. “We are flying home,” she added. The master of- the Aramoana, Captain A. Gullen, decided to run south to

Lyttelton about 7.30 on Sunday morning after a woman passenger had had a stroke. The ship had left Picton for the normal three-hour crossing at 10 a.m. bn Saturday, and reached Wellington Heads late on Saturday afternoon. Off Kaikoura She spent Saturday night riding out heavy seas. “When we decided to go to Lyttelton we were off Kaikoura, about 70 miles away,” Captain Guilen said yesterday. “We knew the weather in the strait was still atrocious, and to return to Picton would have been to; re-enter the gale.” Mr T. Culpitt, of Auckland, said that two hours out from Picton there was a howling gale. “I’ve been in a lot of rough stuff, but this was the worst. The crew was marvellous all the way. My wife could not even walk one part of it, but they got her tea and on to her feet. There was good service and free meals.”

Mr Culpitt said it was scary in the storm. “We were sliding down the waves. We were in an aft cabin and could see waves towering above the ship when we were in a trough.” He said he was not actually frightened but remembered the Wahine and would have been scared had a decision been made to enter Wellington Harbour.

“I am no sailor at the best of times and I was frightened,” said Mrs Culpitt.

The Aramoana’s sister ship, the Arahanga, left Picton two hours earlier than the Aramoana, and managed to arrive safely at Wellington.

Wave damage “The Arahanga managed to get into Wellington before the worst of the storm hit,

ibut by the time we go' to the entrance to the harbour at 4 p.m. we knew we didn't have a chance,” Captain Gollen said. “We kept the weather ahead of us, and reduced the speed to about half-speed — four to five knots - and rode it out. By midnight we were 22 miles off Cape Campbell, and at daylight we were off Kaikoura.” The Aramoana had stayed about 20 miles off shore, Captain Gollen said. The sea and winds had reminded him of the storm in April, 1968. when the Wahine foundered on Barretts Reef in Wellington Harbour.

The heavy seas had damaged the foredeck and broken gratings but had done no serious damage.

The ship’s bell hung from a twisted metal stand as she berthed at Lyttelton.

Six four-berth cabins were used for the injured at the height of the buffeting. The second mate, Mr D. Ingram, helped by two nurses. Mrs M. Pillars, of Australia, and Mrs C. Balfour, of Auckland, worked continuously tending those hurt. Cheer for storm Mr Clive King, one of 34 darts players from Blenheim who had intended making a one-day excursion to Wellington for a match, said he was one of very few not affected by the pitch and roll of the vessel.

Mr King spent most of the night walking between forward and aft lounges, and dozing on a bench on deck. “The front lounge was too hot, and the heat in the back one broke down, so I wandered between the two to keep comfortable. Most of our information about what was going on came on the 11p.m. television news. A great cheer went up in our lounge when they said the storm was expected to last another 24 hours. “Dinner was served about 5 p.m. but not many people wanted it. Breakfast also didn’t get many takers this

morning, but when we got to ' calm water, and lunch was served people were starting |to feel quite hungry." Chain of bags Mr King praised the stewards for their helpfulness “They were wonderful. They were going all the time, fetching sick-bags, taking usee ones away, and biffing them over the side, getting new ones, and all the time quite cheerful." Extra meals were supplier for passengers from the ship’s stores, which are normal!} used for the crew, said the chief cook (Mr Ray Fields) “Hardly anybody wanted any dinner last night, but more than half the passengers turned up for breakfast," he said. Breakfast for the 110 hard} passengers and 75 crew mem bers yesterday morning was scrambled eggs and bacon tea or coffee, and toast. “By lunch, more people i were feeling better; soup and ■ toast, mince, mashed potatc and beans w r ere served to 17C passengers," Mr Fields said Although the galley was designed to cater only for the crew’, it had coped well with the additional numbers, although the cooks had found it difficult in the rough weather, he said. The ship’s bar stayed open until 11 p.m., on Saturday.

Sorting it out

; Sixty passengers off the ‘Aramoana stayed in Christchurch hotels last night and were to travel this morning to Wellington in the ferry. About 100 others sailed in the Rangatira at 8.30 p.m. last evening for Wellington.

The Aramoana’s diversion created a problem for some passengers, many of whom had intended to visit Wellington for the week-end, and return to Picton on Sunday. One Christchurch man had taken his car with him. When the ship arrived in Christchurch he wanted to leave, but his car was still in the hold and could not be removed because of the linkspan and side-loading necessary for the Picton ferries. The darts players from Blenheim who had been travelling to Wellington for a tournament, were sent back to Blenheim last evening, together with 10 others bound for Picton, returning to their cars on a specially chartered bus. Free meals Four persons who had missed connecting flights to I Australia through the delay were accommodated in i Christchurch for the night, | and were booked on flights: leaving from Christchurch j this morning. In Wellington, the Railways' Department provided free' lunch and dinner for passengers stranded at the ter- i minal. About 160 people had Irish stew and curried chicken for lunch, and about: 50 people had dinner. A few people slept in the terminal last night. The Aramoana will leave’ Lyttelton for Wellington at I 9 a.m. today.