YAWL CAPLIN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 9 January 1940, Page 2

YAWL CAPLIN

VISIT TO NELSON IN COURSE OF WORLD CRUISE COMMANDER R. D. GRAHAM AND j HIS DAUGHTER Now in Nelson refitting and painting his yacht is Commander R. D. Graham, a retired naval man, who with his 25-year-old daughter. Marguerite, is making a world cruise in his 11-ton 34ft. auxiliary yawl Caplin. A willing band of helpers from the Iron Duke Sea Scouts is helping him refit after many weeks at sea, during which much growth accumulated on the hull of the vessel, and the deck planks swelled i with the weather. A little over a week ago Commar«d?r j Graham arrived from Auckland. Sailing j down the East Coast he called at Gisj borne. The ruggedness of the coastline j had made navigating difficult, and some ! strong winds were encountered. After j crossing Cook Strait a call was made at Elmsely Bay, French Pass. CRUISE COMMENCED FROM BRISTOL CHANNEL Commander Graham commenced his ; voyage from Bridgewater : n the Bristol Channel in April, 1938. From there to Ireland for 10 days he had as the third member of the crew Lietuenant R. E. Washbourn (H.M.S. Achilles) of Nelson, and he had intended meeting him again in New Zealand, but the outbreak of war had prevented this. The next part of the journey was across the Atlantic to Bermuda where the Caplin stopped for several weeks until the hurricane season had passed. Some of the way through the Panama Canal the Caplin sailed under her own power, and at Panama a school teacher friend joined them, and went as far as Raratonga. A period was spent in the islands of the Pacific, cruising from island to island. At some of the islands a great fuss was made of Miss Graham, and it seemed that she was almost *he first white lady that the natives had seen. From Raratonga the Caplin continued to Auckland where it arrived on 24th November last. Commander Graham explained that when the crew numbered three they took turn and turn about on watch, but when there were two they had no regular watch, but at night, if the weather was calm, the sails were set and the tiller lashed so that the yacht would sail its own course, which had to be checked from time to time. His daughter was an expert navigator, and acted as mate, first class seaman and cook. SHIP’S CAT Also on board was the ship’s cat “Dopey,” who was well acquainted with ship’s fare. When offered meat he did not touch it, but preferred a fragment of ship’s biscuit. “Dopey” was not very enthusiastic about shore life, and on the rare occasions when he had been taken on shore he had been so afraid that he was taken back to the boat. In his home town Commander Graham has a fruit farm and he had visited some of the orchards near Nelson and had been very favourably impressed. NAME OF “CAPLIN” I The name of his yacht, Caplain, he explained, meant a small fish which was found in Labrador waters, which the cod fed upon. Questioned concerning his plans for {lie future, Commander Graham said ‘.hat owing to the war they were as yet uncertain. Last evening at high water the Caplin was taken to her moorings in the harbour. Later on Commander Graham hopes to take a cruise round the Bays. Commander Graham and his daugh- , ter are the first to visit Nelson in the j cour se of a world cruise for ten years, : and the love of adventure of this bronzed and fit seaman and his daughter must arouse everyone’s admiration.