AN UNUSUAL VISITOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18170, 16 August 1922, Page 10

AN UNUSUAL VISITOR.

LARGE SAILING VESSEL.

THE BARQUE REWA IN PORT.

LARGEST BRITISH-OWNED,

Large sailing vessels are gradually disappearing owing to the falling off in trad© making them unprofitable. Numbers are being converted into hulk, while others, ■which have been wrecked, have not been replaced. Consequently they are seldom seen in port, with the result that they attract considerable interest. The large four-masted barque, Rewa, which arrived at Auckland from Newcastle yesterday morning and is. berthed at the King's Wharf, is a fine specimen of the old-time " wind jammer." She is said to be the largest British-owned sailing vessel afloat and she looks it. It is a long time since a vessel of her size and rig has been seen in Auckland. The Rewa lias just completed a voyage from New .Zealand to London and back. She made the voyage Home, via Cape Horn and came out via the Cape of Good Hope, calling at Newcastle to load for this port. Her voyage from LytteHon to London wasl looked on in the nature of a race, as the large sailing vessel France had sailed from Wellington for London a week before the Rewa left the southern port The France reached London in 94 days, and the Rewa in 102 days. On the voyage out the Rewa arrived off Tasmania m 85 days, and reached Newcastle in 93 days. The barque is a steel vessel of 2999 tons gross, and 2817 net. She was built in 1889 by the Whitehaven Shipbuilding Company, Ltd., at Whitehaven, England. She was formerly known as the Alice A. Leigh and was for many years owned by the Liverpool firm of John Joyce and Company, who employed hor in the west coast of South American nitrate trade, with occasional voyages to San Francisco and Australia. Although built 33 years ago, sho is still classed 100 Al at Lloyds. Her present owners are Q. H. Scales, Ltd., of Wellington, who acquired the vessel about two year B ago. The Rewa is square rigged on the fore main and mizzen mast and carries double top-gallant sails and royals. On the jigger maßt she is fore and aft rigged. The (loftiness of the vessel can be gathered from the fact that her main mast is 176 ft. in height from deck to truck. The yards are of steel, the lower being 95ft. in length, shortening in saeoession to the royal yards, which are 47ft. long. The Rewa is 309.6 ft. long with a 46ft. beam, and a 25ft. depth. The most modern part of the vessel is the wireless aerial 8 fitted the main and mizzen masts, leading down to the wireless room at the break of the poop. Captain R. Kennedy, who was master of the Raupo for about 14 years, is in command of the Rewa, and he ha* with him Mr. D. S. Scott, chief officer, who joined the vessel in London, and Mr. L. Williams, second officer, who joined at Newcastle. Mr. L. Moloney, the wireless operator, has made the round voyage in the vessel. Her crew number 28 all told. Captain Kennedy's -wife and daughter made the voyage to London with him. The Rewa has a cargo of 21,000 sleepers and 17,000 tons of coal to discharge. It is not known what her subsequent movements will be.