WRECK OF YACHT LAND’S END

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 244, 13 July 1939, Page 11

WRECK OF YACHT LAND’S END

■■ 4 - Woman’s Graphic Story Of Ordeal VESSEL ABANDONED IN THE NIGHT

Long Trip To Island In Dinghy

By Telegraph—Press Association. AUCKLAND, July 12. A graphic description of th< wreck of the South African yacht Land’s End, on the south-easteri edge of Lower Archipelago, Barrie: Reef, New Guinea, has been sent t< Auckland by Mrs. Desiree Jeffery Auckland, wife of the owner, Cap tain Jeffery. When the letter whs written several weeks after the wreck, Cap tain Jeffery was making an attempt t< refloat the yacht, it being expected tha this effort would be successful, slnc< a survey of its position had showi only one hole about two feet in dia meter on the port side by the galley. It was about 11 p.m. on June 8 says Mrs. Jeffery, that she wai awakened by the peremptory tones o’ her husband telling Mr. C. Wilson, th( South African member of the crew to start the engine. “It’s a reef,” said Captain Jeffery and, within a few minutes, Mrs. Jef fery felt an ominous jar on the bottoir of the yacht. Then came a more defi nite jar, which knocked Mrs. Jefferj off her feet and wakened her 10-year old daughter, Helene. Mrs. Jeffery scrambled up on deck and found the men trying to start the engine. It took five minutes to turn over, and then it was just too late. Dumped On Reef. A huge comber caught the yacht and, though the sails tilled on the other tack, when Captain Jeffery put her about a great wave lifted her up and dumped her on a sharp coral head, where she shuddered and paused. “Had the engine kicked over two minutes sooner,” says Mrs. Jeffery, “there would have been a different story to teil, and the irony of it was that this is the only time it has not answered immediately. “Every wave bumped her, and I thought the sides must eave in. By this time I knew beyond doubt that we would’ have to get away in the dinghy.” Mrs. Jeffery went down below again and got her daughter ready to leave the ship. They found temporary refuge in the starboard scuppers, with their feet against the charthouse, while Captain Jeffery set the crew to work making a raft, since the dinghy was too small for the six people on board. An extra large wave broke over the starboard side, drenched Mrs. Jeffery and her daughter, and flung Captain Jeffery into the port scuppers. In the’ fall he sprained his wrist. Meanwhile the crew were trying to lash empty petrol drums to booms for a raft. Waves constantly broke over the ship, and tore the booms apart, but finally, after Helene had started them all singing, they managed to finish the task, in coats and trousers pulled on over their night attire. Take To Boat. Mrs. Jeffery and her daughter slid down into the port scuppers and were helped into the dinghy, where they were joined by Captain Jeffery, after arrangements had been made for the crew to bring the raft up behind the dinghy and be towed in the darkness. However, in spite of the fact that Mrs. Jeffery kept flashing a torch to guide the raft, the two parties did not find each other. At dawn it was discovered that the men en the raft had returned to the yacht to make their craft stronger and to get a few more provisions and two mattresses, which they lashed to the booms to make the raft more buoyant. Mr.. Wilson, being the lightest of the crew, was transferred to the dinghy, and they then set out for the nearest island, which looked to be about 30 miles away to the south-west. The raft was towed behind. A tin of ship’s biscuits, some other tinned food, the clothes they had managed to don and some of the captain’s instruments, were about all that had been salvaged. There was a piece of canvas in the dinghy and Captain Jeffery held this up to catch any stray puffs of wind. When he tired, Mrs. Jeffery and Helene held an end each, while Mr. D. Ashton, Whangarei, who by now had changed places with Mr. Wilson, rowed. On the raft the two other men paddled as hard as they could, tucking their legs under them every now and then when a shark came prowling about. Safety Reached. They landed on the island at about 6.30 o’clock. They lit a fire, had a scratch meal and lay down on the canvas to go to sleep. Captain Jeffery and the other men searched first for traces of crocodiles, which abound in these parts, but did not tell Mrs. Jeffery, in case the thought frightened her. In the morning Mr. Ashton and Mr. W. Compton, Auckland, went in search of duck or pigeons. They returned with the information that they had found a village and the natives were friendly. The whole party then walked inland and were made immediately welcome by the villagers, being given a hut, made from a sago palm, measuring about 30ft. by 20ft. It had a balcony and a lower veranda and was kept for the use of visiting Government officials. The village they found to be East Point on the island of Sudest, or Tagula, in Papua. On the third day a native came to the village and offered to take somebody to Griffin Point, where there was a store and a white man. Next day, therefore, three members of the crew set off. At one point they waited while the native went to get drinking nuts, and, because of this delay, they missed catching up with a 32ft. ketch, which they suddenly saw moving out of the bay. However, they caught up with it at Griffin Point and found it belonged to and was manned by two young Australians, Mr. and Mrs. Moffatt, who had spent the last four years trading along the coast. Yacht Inspected. These two people immediately placed their yacht at the shipwrecked party’s disposal and sailed back to the nearest safe point to East Point. Captain Jeffery, Mrs. Jeffery and Helene were then embarked and the yacht: sailed off to examine the Land’s

ICtid, which was found to have survived the pounding miraculously, none of the decks being opened. After rescuing some more things, they went on to Panawentf, about 100 miles away, where Mr. Moffatt had a friend, Mr. George Burfitt, with a fast launch, a whale boat and a sailing boat. When Mrs. Jeffery tvroto her letter the partv was safely installed at Panawena and Mr. Burfitt had placed a gang of 30 natives and two of his boats at Captain Jeffery’s disposal for the refloating of the Land’s End. Mrs. Jeffery and Helene went on to the nearest civilized township, Dwagaoio. on Minima Island, while Captain Jeffery, Mr. Burfitt and Hie others set off for the wreck of the Land’s End.