YACHT'S PERILOUS TRIP

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 105, 4 May 1926, Page 9

YACHT'S PERILOUS TRIP

THE PSYCHE'S VOYAGE

EIGHTEEN DAYS AT SEA,

(From Out Own Correspondent.)

SYDNEY, 30th April.

After, a perilous trip of. eighteen (lays from Picton across the Tasman Sea, the 10-tons yacht Psyche. crept through Sydney Heads a week ago to-day, little the worse for the rough handling she. received from mountainous seas. Tho owner, Mr. G. H. Jackson, is a New Zealander, who, having made his home in Sydney, to have tho Psyche, which has an auxiliary engine, brought across for use here. She is purely a pleasure craft, and consequently her feat was all the more notable. She was in., charge of a veteran, Captain Townsend, and.with him were three young men from Wellington, Messrs. Scott, and .Thompson. During the voyage the Psyche was driven 400 mileß from her' course. For 48 hours the little craft had to heaveto because of the tremendous seas whipped up by tho gales. But the Psyche weathered the storms in a manner that delighted her skipper. This is his story: "Wo left Wellington on 3rd April, and called at Picton tho same night.-.-. On sth April we set sail from Ship Cove direct for Sydney. The gale caught, usiori- j4th- Aprii. , ; :.For foursuccessive days-it blew hard from the' west to.the south-west.--A very heavy hoad sea was running, and we were compelled to heave-to. Altogether we were hove-to for 48 hours, including one entire day. There was'a strong set, which .kept carrying us away to the north-east; We "experienced the same, current ■until tlie day before we reached Sydney. We were .carried 21 miles to the north-east in 24-hours on the Tuesday before we made port. The drift was alarming. Sydney was 65 miles away- at noon the following day, but on Thursday we had again to contend with the set, which took us 30 miles to the north,-east. The swell from the south-west was very heavy.'-' Captain Townsend said that for tho first four days the winds had been good, but thereafter he had had nothing but head winds the .entire distance. He Bhoukl have sighted the coast 'two days previously' 'on the soundings, but . the set Was'to blame for "his late arrival. The Psyche had difficulty in entering Port Jackson, owing to the haze which enveloped the headlands.- She was seen close to tho headlands .at 9 o'clock, but went several miles to the south, and it ■was not until 1 o'clock' that the yacht crept into her. haven. She bore few traces of her gruelling experience. A little minor gear was lost in the blow, but nothing detrimental to tho vessel occurred during the voyage. The young men of the crew had their worries, which they, did not take so lightly as the veter.an master.. .Their stocks of cigarettes ran put, and'all were in urgent need of shaves when they reached port. .One: man's grievance was 'poor teeth and hard .biscuits, and -kerosene percolated ' through" the onions. The electric light also failed. They praised the Psyche and condemned- the weather. Captain Townsend arrived in Wellington to-day by the'Ulunaroa.'