Solo sailor in Lyttelton

Press, 25 February 1977, Page 1

Solo sailor in Lyttelton

The solo boatman, Garry Phillips, arrived in Lyttelton last night after covering 230 miles yesterday — much the best day he has had so far on his voyage around New Zealand.

Twenty-year-old Garry, of Richmond, made up one of the five days he has lost in his attempt to do the first solo navigation of New Zealand in his bright yellow outboard-powered 15ft cabin boat. He made the 230 miles from Dunedin yesterday in 10 hours with no trouble, and was delighted to announce he did two days running in one. He tied up by the Banks Peninsula Cruising Club at 8.50 p.m. “I made up one of the five days I lost, in Bluff through motor trouble and bad weather, and hope to make up the rest going round the North Island, and still finish in three weeks,” he said.

He has two radios on board his boat, a marine and citizens band, as well as a bunk, cooking gear and food. On the first few legs of his journey, to Greymouth, he kept in radio contact with his father, who travelled down the coastline in his car. Since then he has not kept in radio contact while at sea.

“I get weather forecasts before I leave shore, and if I come across any fishing boats I stop and get further forecasts, say hello, and just check they know where I am to lessen the search area if I should go missing,” he said. Today he hopes to reach Port Underwood, about 30 kilometres south of Tory Channel, which leads into Picton. From there to Wellington, and then to Napier are all long, one-day trips, but after that he hopes to boost his speed, to make up for lost time.