Schooner Huia's Rough Trip

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 212, 8 September 1936, Page 5

Schooner Huia's Rough Trip

SEVENTEEN DAYS CROSSING MELBOURNE, Aug. 27. One of the stormiest Tasman crossings in her 42 years of trading between New Zealand and Australia was experienced by the well-known auxiliary topsail schooner Huia,-which reached Melbourne on August 24 after a voyage of 17 days from Greymouth. The master, Captain T. E. Lane, said that ho had never previously encountered such persistent westerly weather. The Huia has earned a reputation for fast passages across tho Tasman, but the voyage recently ended was one of the most protracted in her long career. With a cargo of timber the Huia left Greymouth on August 7, and she had moderate weather for the first four days. Then a heavy westerly gale with high seas set in, and stormy conditions ruled throughout the remaining 13 days of tho voyage. However, in spite of the bad weather, it was not necessary to heave-to, and the schooner was kept going against heavy head seas under reefed canvas. For more than a week, the Huia pitched in fierce seas, which often flooded over the decks.

On tlie night of August 19 the gale became very violent, and it was decided to run in to Flinders Island in Bass Strait for shelter. The Huia left the island the following day, but the weather became worse, and the vessel battled for four days with strong north and north-we3t gales until Melbourne was reached. The storm proved the exceptional sturdiness of the Huia, for nothing was carried away, although the sails were severely chafed. In Melbourne the weather throughout the month has made this the worst August for many years. "Winds of gale force have raged almost every day, temperatures have been consistently low, and Tainfall has been considerably above the average.