STORMY VOYAGES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20244, 2 May 1929, Page 12

STORMY VOYAGES.

THE ULIMAROA BUFFETED.

HUGE SEAS IN TASMAN.

LATE ARRIVAL AT WELLINGTON,

'BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] WELLINGTON Wednesday

With the yellow colouring "of her funnel transformed into a dirty white by a coating of salt, which bore testimony to the height of the seas she had met, but bearing no other signs of the ordeal, the Huddart-Parker Company's intercolonial steamer Ulimaroa berthed at the Queen's Wharf at about 2 o'clock this afternoon after one of the stormiest passages across the Tasman in recent years.

The Ulimaroa left Sydney at 3.30 p.m. on Friday, three hours behind her usual

time, and ran into rough weather as soon as she had cleared the Sydney Heads. Strong south-westerly winds buffeted the vessel and lashed the sea into huge waves which bore down upon her, so that her progress was considerably retarded.

After their first taste of the storm most of tho passengers retired to their bunks and stayed there throughout the voyage. The waves swept deserted decks, and no one on board was injured. The Lilimaroa came through the storm very well, the damage being confined to tho smashing of five or six portholes. Tho vessel maintained .her progress unchecked from the start, although her speed was reduced from the customary 14 or 14£ knots to about 10 knots. Last night the weather moderated, and with the sailing conditions much improved the vessel was able to make better time. She arrived in the stream 1 at about 1 o'clock, some 27 hours behind schedule, and berthed an hour later. HOVE-TO IN FIERCE GALE. SMALL VESSEL BUFFETED. [by telegraph.—own correspondent.] NEW PLYMOUTH, Wednesday. The auxiliary schooner Piri, of 155 tons, was hove-to for over 48 hours, from midnight on Sunday until 4 a.m. to-day, while bound from Auckland to New Plymouth with a cargo of explosives, and rode out one of the worst gales experienced on the New Zealand coast.

Her master, Captain M. W. Monaghan, said this afternoon that Auckland was left at 8 a.m. on Friday, and the weather was good until Sunday evening, when the vessel was 90 miles off New Plymouth, when a north-north-west gale sprang up. The barometer fell to the lowest level Captain Monaghan had seen on the New Zealand coast for years, touching 28.84 inches. . The Piri ran before the gal® to get her offing, but had eventually to be hoveto in mountainous seas. The galo suddenly changed to the south-west., and blew harder than ever, attaining almost hurricane force.

" She rode the gale out beautifully," said Captain Monaghan. His vessel sustained no damage, although the gale was one of the worst he had experienced on the New Zealand coast..

The gale began to moderate early this morning, and when ills Piri. was able to get under way again she was about 70 miles off New Plymouth; Port was reached at 1.15 p.m. to-day. The vessel will sail later for Westport.