A SPEEDY SCHOONER

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 261, 31 July 1929, Page 11

A SPEEDY SCHOONER

HULA’S FAST PASSAGE OLD RECORDS RECALLED A fast trip of 7j days from Grafton, Clarence River, New South Wales, was made by the auxiliary schooner Huia, Captain H. E. Lane, which reached Auckland last Friday morning with a full cargo of Australian hardwood. Only on one other occasion during her career has this 35 years old ship made as fast a passage between the two ports. She sailed from Grafton at 5 p.m. on July 18 and was seven days to the North Cape, which was passed at 5 p.m. on Thursday. She experienced generally fine weather, with light to fresh south-west winds. Since she left _ Auckland tor Brisbane on May 6 the schooner has travelled 5000 miles and has visited seven ports. On the passage from Auckland to Brisbane she did some fast sailing, her best day’s runs on three occasions, being 220, 210 and 205 knots. Her best day’s run on the return passage from Grafton to Auckland was 220 knots. The timber cargo loaded at Auckland was discharged at Brisbane, and afterwards the schooner proceeded to Melbourne and loaded explosives, which were discharged at Cairns. Townsville, Rockhampton and Brisbane. From Brisbane sbe went to Grafton and loaded her present carg<>._ The Huia is a wooden vessel of 251 tons and was built at Aratapu in 1894. Her yacht-like appearance is always admired by seamen in every port she visits. She is said to be one of the best-equipped vessels of her class in New Zealand and Australia. Trans-Tasman Records. It is now many years since the Huia made her record run across the Tasman Sea from Sydney to Kaipara Heads in 4 days 6 hours. Captain George McKenzie was in command of the Huia at the time. On another occasion the Huia left Newcastle and 48 hours out she was 510 miles clear of the land. The Huia in pre-war_days made manyfast passages between Lyttelton and Kaipara. The barque Kate, of the Circular Saw Line, is credited with the record passage from Sydney to Auckland. She left Sydney on August 27, 1863, passed the Three Kings on the 31st, 4 days 6 hours out, and arrived at Auckland on September 3, 5 days 20 hours from Sydney. The barque Adela sailed from Newcastle on July 30, 1876, and passed the Three Kings on August 3. The same evening she was off the Bay of Islands, exactly four days from Newcastle, and she anchored at Auckland the next morning. having made the run in five days. j In 1892 the brig Vision ran from Newcastle to Auckland in 7 days 3 hours, I and in 1894 she made th» passage in 7j days.