BOAT SHEDS WRECKED

Evening Star, Issue 23908, 11 June 1941, Page 6

BOAT SHEDS WRECKED

EFFECT IF GALE AND HIGH TIDE WELL-KNOWN HARBOUR GRAFT DAMAGED Two boat sheds at Vauxhall were completely wrecked, others were damaged, three yachts were badly knocked about, and a small launch was wrecked about 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon, as the combined result of a heavy northerly wind and an unusually high tide. The sheds which were wrecked were lifted bodily from their piles by breakers lashed up by the wind. They were dashed against the wall of the Portobello roadway and smashed to pieces. One of the sheds was owned by the well-known representative yachtsman, Air Cyril J. Pettitt, and it was this shed which suffered the most damage. Housed in it were the 14ft yachts Lynette (owned by Air Pettitt) and Rawcnc (owned by Mr R. Gough), and the champion Takapuna class yacht Pupnkc (Messrs P. Inglis and A. Frew). The Lynette and Raweno suffered considerable damage, tho gunwales being smashed. The Pupuke was less seriously damaged. At the time of the disaster Air Pettitt and other yachtsmen were working in the shed, which subsided into the water following the collapse of the slipway. The three yachts were salvaged from the shed by cutting away tho roof. Shortly afterwards the shed was converted into little short of matchwood, and this morning the remains lined the sides of the Portobollo road, where they had been stacked in the meantime. Nearer the lagoon end of the Portobello road another shed owned by Mr K. IC. AFCulloch, a son of Air AV. '.I. P. Al'Cullr-ch, was also completely wrecked, this shed being the first to bo destroyed. As in the latter case, tho slipway was washed away, and general disintegration followed. At the time of the trouble there were two dinghies in tho shed, but these were brought out before they suffered damage. A large quantity of tools and personal gear was lost. The loss of this shed conics as a blow to Air K. AFCulloch, who has just recently been invalided home from service in the Navy and was looking forward to spending some time about tlio waterfront here. Another small shed owned by Air AFCulloch, sen., was also slightly damaged. Portions of -the slied owned by Air AFCulloch’s son were this morning littering tho top of tho retaining wall at the southern end of the harbour, having been tossed there by tbe seas. This wall is about 300yds away from the site of the shed. Practically every one of the sheds was invaded by water, and some damage done to personal effects. LAUNCH WRECKED. A small launch, the Isobel, owned by Air V. Poison, broke away from its moorings at the height of the storm, and was carried against the retaining wall, where it received a severe battering and sank. This morning the launch was salvaged and was found to he almost a complete wreck. ROADWAY DAMAGED. Some damage was caused to tbe unsealed flanks of the Portobello road,' more particularly below Macandrew Bay, by tlio waves undermining the rock and soil and causing minor washouts. Aluch debris littered the surface of the road between the Anderson’s Bay bridge down as far as Portobello, but' no very serious interferences to traffic were reported. Property belonging to the Otago Harbour Board did not suffer, although precautions had to be taken in regard to the mooring punt at the cross wharf. This was noticed to be bumping very badly, and fenders had to be used to protect it from contact with the wharf. UNUSUALLY HIGH TIDE. The spring tide which occurred yesterday was not the highest recorded in the harbour, but appeared to be much higher than it was because of the action of the gale. The official reading was Bft 4iu, which has been reached on one or two previous occasions. The highest tide ever recorded was Bft 7sin, on January 28, 1940, but on that occasion the phenomenon, passed almost unnoticed because conditions-were calm. Normal tide is 6ft 6in. ELECTRICAL INTERFERENCES. Elsewhere in the city, apart from gardens, which suffered badly, no great damage appears to have resulted because of the gale. Street circuit lights in a section of the city lying between George street find the Town Belt and between York Place and AVoodhaugh Gardens were put out of action for a period, while in the North-east Valley an electric power-pole was blown down. Alinor disturbances to electrical installations occurred about AA r averley at the time the wires attached to Air Pettitt’s boat shed were severed.