Overstayed His Leave

Manawatu Times, Volume LVI, Issue 7061, 21 January 1933, Page 9

Overstayed His Leave

LONE SAILOR OP PACIFIC,

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph— I Copyright SAN PEDRO, Oalifornia, Jan. IS. Fred Rebell, who arrived hero two weeks ago after sailing the IS-foot sloop Elaino across tho Pacific from Australia alone, W3S detained to-day by the Immigration officials on a charge of having overstayed the time limit of sixty days provided in the seamen’s passport issued at Honolulu on November 11. Astonishment in Islands Sitting jauntily in the stern of his tiny sailing boat Elaine, Mr Fred Kebell, for twenty years in Sydney, has staggered port officials all the way from Sydney to Honolulu by sailing in lonehanded, and announcing that ho has just como from Australia, said the Sydney Daily Telegraph recently. Mr Rebell left Sydney on December 31 so quietly that South Head signal station thought that his Elaine was a small fishing boat. After clearing the heads he was battling in a fierco southerly gale, and for four days he was terribly seasick. Passengers on big liners could retire to their bunks, but Mr Rebell had to stick to tho tidier of his cockleshell. Captains of those liners had all the instruments that make navigation safe and ..ecuratc. Ho had instruments of the crudest description. His sextant was made partly of the blade of an old hack-saw. An ordinary watch served as the chronometer. The only reliable instrument he had on board seemed to be a compass. Yet he got there. With six months’ supply of provisions and ten gallons of water he sailed proudly into Suva, hale and hearty. Customs officers saw a strange boat, and boarded it, and when he told them that he had come from Sydney they wero astounded. After a good rest at Suva, Mr Rebell carried on, and reached Samoa in the same manner. Another “breather” at Samoa and off he went again. When he sailed into Honolulu Harbour he was just as cheery as ever, and still perched at the tiller in the stern. Honolulu was just as amazed as Suva and Samoa, particularly when he told officials that he had been eight months on his way from Sydney. Mr Rcbcll is a Latvian. He wants to get back to Riga. At Los Angeles lie expects to get another boat and sail on to Riga.