EVENTFUL VOYAGE

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 148, 19 December 1935, Page 23

EVENTFUL VOYAGE

KETCH AT ATJCKLAMT

AMERICAN STUDENT'S CRUISE

' (By Telegraph—Press' Association.) AUCKLAND, December 18. Under, jury rig, with about 15ft of the mainmast broken off and lashed to the deck, the 32ft auxiliary ketch Idle Hour arrived at Auckland from Pago Pago today, on a cruise around the world. The young American univer-sity-.studerit who owns„ and navigates . the craft described.-this last passage as the most eventful he has experienced since sailing from Seattle. . The ketch presented a truly battered appearance. ■ Her skipper! Mr. Dwight Long, was in the best of spirits in spite of his misfortune, while the Tahitian boy, Timi, who/comprises the entire crew, was overawed at seeing so many ships. It was his first glimpse of civilisation. ;' ' ■ •, . Leaving Pago Pago on November 23, the Idle Hour has been almost 25 days limping under a heavily-reefed mizzen and a jury mainsail. For two.weeks terrific squalls . and; heavy •: seas were encountered, and to, add to the difficulties the yacht's wireless refused'to function, and Mr. Long had to rely upon' air most;, erratic' chrbnpmeter ,to.» plot his position while sailing ..through treacherous groups of coral' islands. fierce; squalls were met soon ■■ after, leaving.Pago 'Pago.-! Paring-one particularly bad .squall the mainmast snapped off with a loud report, and all the rigging crashed dbwii. on "the deck, narrowly missing knocking Timi overboard. 'With no canvas set the yacht wallowed helplessly in the seas.' The waves broke over her deck and torrential rain fell. , "With Auckland some 1300 miles distant, and a. broken mainmast, prospects were anything but bright," said Mr. Long. ■ "In addition, we were in the middle'-bf the hurricane zone." : With' a little sail the: ketch was soon put'under, way* and. immediate danger averted,' the voyage to Auckland was continued without further mishap.