A FAST TRIP

Evening Post, Volume c, Issue 54, 5 March 1934, Page 10

A FAST TRIP

TRANSTASMAN SPEED

MONOWAI'S PERFORMANCE

By a narrow margin the Union Company's intercolonial liner Monowai tailed to break the Sydney-Wellington record on her last trip to Australia which finished at this port today. The Monowai is one of the fastest ships in the service between Australia and the Dominion, and holds both the Sydney-Wellington and the WellingtonSydney records. In view of the fact that she is leaving here on a cruise to Port Chalmers and the Sounds this evening, the ship was speeded up when coming across the Tasman, and completed the joumcy in 66 hours 45 minutes elapsed time. Prom heads to heads the Monowai's time was 66 hours 3 minutes, which is the, second fastest she has ever recorded on the run between Sydney and Wellington. It is rather a coincidence that her best time was established on March ,6, 1933, almost exactly a year ago. On that occasion she made' the crossing in 63 hours 10 minutes from heads to hearts, beating her previous record time of 66 hours 43 minutes by over three and a half hours. On that voyage her average speed was 19.5 knots. There was no intention on the- ship's last trip to break'the records: she was hurried only to allow sufficient time in Wellington to discharge cargo from Melbourne and Sydney and to.take aboard travellers for the sounds' cruise. The Monowai left Sydney early last Friday afternoon, and was' berthed at the Queen's Wharf in Wellington at 5.50 a.m. today. Her actual elapsed time from wharf to wharf was 66 hours 45 minutes, and the distance travelled was 1234 miles. Her average speed for the whole journey was 19 knots, the speed through Oook Strait being ]9.S knots. A fresh south-easterly was encountered after the liner left Sydney on Friday, and this continued until midnight last night, when the wind veered round to' the south-west and blew strongly until port was Teached. j