VENTURESOME TRIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21225, 4 July 1932, Page 10

VENTURESOME TRIP.

LAUNCH LOSES PROPELLER.

SUBSTITUTE MADE OF WOOD.

VOYAGE F'ROM GREAT BARRIER.

A venturesome trip from Great Barrier Island to Auckland with nn improvised wooden propeller instead of uifual metal one driving his launch, was made Ifist week by a Norwegian fisherman, Mr. Qlaf Arstin, owner of the launch Potato. The use of the wooden propeller, which had been laboriously carved from a log of pohutukawa, was made necessary when the proper screw dropped off in a rough sea about three weeks ago, and the fisherman found himself stranded near Maori Bay, Great Barrier, with no mfeans of returning to Auckland or of obtaining a new propeller without a tiresome wait. The weather was threatening while .Mr. Arstin was near Miners' Head, Great Barrier, where the Wairarapa was wrecked many years ago, and a strong south-westerly wind, rising to gale lorce at times, was causing the Poketo to pitch wildly. As the weather showed no signs of iabating Mr. Arstin decided to postpone his fishing and make for Maori Bay, but when he had started the engine and put it into gear he was dismayed to find that thq launch was making no headway. ■ It was immediately apparent that the tossing of the boat, which was being buffeted by seas, Irtiad caused the propeller to work loose and drop from its mounting on the shaft. Mr. Arstin was faced with a difficult problem, having only two small sails on which to rely for locomotion. With great difficulty he hoisted the sails and stood in toward Maori Bay, anchoring some distance off shore. The sight of a scow near the beach was reassuring, but there was no reply to his signals for assistance. Late in the afternoon, when the helpless launch had been at anchor for several hours, a Maori rowed off from the shore in a dinghy and took Mr. Arstin to. another bay, where the launch Kawau was anchored.' The Poketo was later towfsd to a sheltered position, where she would bo safe. Unfortunately, there was not a spare propeller available, nor was there any means of obtaining one, as none of the launches that called were coming back to Auckland for some time, but were all intent on fishing in the vicinity.

After spending about three weeks on the island, living with the Maoris, Mr. Arstin found his supplies were running short, and considered the possibility of making a wooden propeller. He suggested the idea to a Maori, Mr. E. Brown, a member of the crew of a. visiting launch, and between them they squared a log of pohutukawa. . The work of shaping the propeller, one of the two-bladed type, and fitting it to the shaft, took about two or three days, as the launch had to be beached for the work to be completed. The task was completed last Tuesday, when a trial run showed that ihe improvised propeller drove the launch well, and later in the day Mr. Ai-stin set out for Flat Island, "where he spent Wednesday and Thursday. As soon as the wezither proved fine on' Friday afternoon he left for-Auckland,- arriving the. same, evening. t "My only fear was that the propeller mounting on the shaft would slip, as we had no meahs of making a proper job with metal," Mr. Arstin. said yesterday. "Nevertheless the wooden scr&w worked well and the launch made nearly as good a speed as with the proper propeller," he added.