N.Z. yachtsmen attend feast for Queen

Press, 2 December 1982, Page 11

N.Z. yachtsmen attend feast for Queen

PA Nelson Within 24 hours of staggering ashore cold, wet and penniless in the Ellice Islands, two Nelson yachtsmen. Peter Fagan and John Maslin. were at a feast for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. The unexpected mid-Paci-fic feast with Royalty happened during the delivery vovage of a catamaran being given to Kiribati villagers by a Wellington photographer, Jim Siers, to repay hospitality shown him on previous visits. "■ Only hours before sitting down to dine on pigs, lobsters. and other tropical delicacies at the Queen's feast, the Nelson pair had been struggling to sail the vessel, beset by breakages and unfavourable weather. “When we finally arrived in the dark we were told the Queen was arriving the next day and we would not be allowed off the boat.” said Mr Fagan, just home from a 1500 nautical-mile delivery. “However, we had a party with the boys from the Britannia and they took us to the Queen's feast -,lobsters, chickens, pigs, and all," he said.

The Nelson pair were visited the next morning by the chief of police, who had noticed them at the feast,

and warned that unless they remained aboard the catamaran for the rest of the Queen’s visit they would be jailed. The feast was one of the highlights of a voyage described by Mr F’agan as “one long ordeal." Even before they set out from Fiji, where the catamaran was unloaded off a ship from New Zealand, the Nelson yachtsmen- and a Wellington architect. Colin Bennett, ran into problems. “There was so much to be bought for the trip that we each parted with about $5OO — virtually all our money leaving us virtually penniless when we set sail on October 15,” Mr Fagan said. Once at sea the three men looked forward to an idyllic cruise through tropical waters with warm trade winds pressing the canvas of the “Ribono Racer,” named after their village destination. Instead, they had nothing but head winds, big seas, squalls and breakages. The catamaran’s name was changed to Ribono Trader, as its predicted speed never eventuated. Mr Maslin returned to Nelson from the Ellice Islands, leaving Mr Fagan, Mr Siers, and a Ribono villager to complete the voyage to Kiribati.