LONG VOYAGE HOME

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 21, 26 January 1931, Page 11

LONG VOYAGE HOME

TWENTY DAYS AT SEA

NO SIGN OF WINDWARD YET

No undue fears are entertained in yachting circles concerning the safety of the Windward, which is now twenty days out from the Chatham Islands on her return trip to Wellington. Further inquiries were made late this afternoon, but so far nothing has been seen of tho. yacht.

Mr. W. P. Boilings, brother of the skipper of tho Windward, told a "Post" reporter to-day that the crew o'- tho yacht expected that the return vovago'to Wellington would bo prolunged in the event of westerly winds being, encountered, and they had accordingly taken provisions to. last at least a month. When the Windward, left Wellington she carried tinned soups and vegetables, fresh vegetables, dried fruit, chocolate, flour, oatmeal, breatt, and other foods of a similar nature. A quantity of this would have bee:, eaten, ou the six-day trip to the Chathams, but it was the intention of the crew to replenish their stores when they reached the islands. Although they probably procured fresh vegetables tor the return trip, Mr. Boilings was of tho opinion that: the supply of green vegetables would now be exhausted, and the crew would be relying on potatoes and tinned foods. Mr Rollings said thai tho distance between the Chatham Islands and Wellington was only 420 miles. If the Windward met adverse wrads _ sho would possibly have to sail three times that distance, which would be npproxi; mutely the same as the distance between Wellington and Sydney. There was also the possibility that the yacht had been becalmed for a couple .or d'lys or even driven back towards the Chathams. A' patent log was carried when the Windward left Wellington, and if it worked properly on the trip it would provide some interesting figures regarding the total mileage. _ It is stated that the Windward, which carried a radio receiving set, might have been misled to some extent by tiie radio reports which have been broadcast specially for her. The majority ot these reports have predicted south-wes-terlies, and, in anticipation of these, the yacht wouldbe headed for the southern portion of New Zealand so that she could come up to Wellington with the wind. SEARCH BY AEROPLANE. "It would be a. hopeless job —like looking for a needle in a haystack," said Captain G. L. Stedman, of ,the Wellington Aero Club, when questioned about the advisability of an aeroplane searching for the Windward. ' The most we could do would be to go 50 miles out to sea, and even then there would be a. considerable risk with the machines W have, available. Ot course, the Southern Cross Junior would bo tho machine, but wo have nothing to do with that." The Windward's long trip from the Chatham Islands is not unusual. The\ Wanderer once took a month to sail from Auckland to AVellington, and the Marangi, with «n expert crow, took three weeks. The lorangi took 23 days on the same run. The Bawhiti, on her trip from Auckland to Sydney took 18 days. The White Heather, a yacht owned by Mr. J. M'Lean, made the trip from the Chathams to Wellington in 12' days, but she did not meet persistent northwesterly winds such as the Windward is probably encountering.