OVERDUE SCHOONER SEEN

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 26 January 1933, Page 5

OVERDUE SCHOONER SEEN

VESSEL CARRYING EXPLOSIVES, SIGHTED NEAR CAPE HOWE. fruited l'rc“s A ssociation—By Electric Telegraph Copyright. > SYDNEY, Jan.. 25. Tito schooner .Huia, which was last sighted off Wilson’s Promontory’ tast Thursday en route from Melbourne to Sydney and for which concern was felt on account of the stormy weather she was enountering, was sighted on Monday off Gabo Island. Gabo Island is near Cape Howe, which may be described as the southeastern corner of Australia, and is close to the boundary between Victoria and lsew South Wales.

The Huia is a wooden auxiliary schooner of 251 tons gross and is owned by Nonet's Australia, Limited. She was built at Aaratapu in 1894 and during her long career she has been mostly' engaged in the inter-colonial service, first as timber and coal carrier and later carrying explosives between Australian ports and New' Zealand ports for her present owners. At every port she visits she is constantly admired because of her yacht-like appearance. Periodically she is extensively overhauled and no expense is spared to keep her in first-class condition. During her 39 years of sea service she has made many’ hundreds of passages across the Tasman Sen and has often been beset by severe storms which she successfully battled through with A’ery little damage. In May last year, when the Huia was on - a voy'age between Australian jx>rts she encountered a very’ severe storm which delayed and damaged steamers and also dismasted the Finnish four-masted barque Hougonicut. The Huia was hove-to during the worst of the storm, and eventually reached port ahead \.t a number of steamers. It is not unusual for a sailing vessel like the Huia to be delayed by storms, because the auxiliary engine is not powerful enough to drive her against a strong head wind.