HOLMLEA SAFELY BERTHED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 18 January 1939, Page 6

HOLMLEA SAFELY BERTHED

BATTLE WITH GALE AT NEW PLYMOUTH ; United Press Association NEW PLYMOUTH, 17th January, “it is certainly a weight off our minds to be safely in port again,” said Captain Barker, master of the Holnilea, when the 550-ton coastal vessel, which was ordered out to sea twice yesterday when endeavouring to make the wharf, finally berthed without trouble at 8 o’clock this morning. “Those were tiie highest seas I have ever been in round the New Zealand coasts,’’ said Captain Barker, in describing a 48-hour battle in a howling gale on the trip from Wellington. Despite the buffeting, however, no damage was suffered and the cargo was not affected. Last night the Holmlea lay comfortably in the shelter of the breakwater. The barometer while the vessel was off Cape Egmont dropped to 28.71. Rounding Cape Egmont was the worst experience on the trip. The Holmlea had to go well out to sea till she got the seas on the bow. This tacking took 16 hours, during which rain squalls and gusts of

wind which seemed to have the force of a hurricane whipped the seas still higher and provided an arduous time for those aboard. Off Opunake the seas were breaking six miles from the shore. Eight miles out to sea yesterday the water was laden with sand stirred up by the stormy seas The Orari is still standing out to sea waiting for the wind to subside. The Polzella, which btoke an anchor at Wanganui, is not expected till to-morrow.