RESCUED FROM SEA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22005, 11 January 1935, Page 8

RESCUED FROM SEA

TWO MEN AND A BOY CAPSIZE OF SMALL YACHT THREE MILES FROM SHORE HELP ARRIVES IN TIME Struck bv a sudden gust of wind shortly after noon yesterday, a Wakatere class yacht, about three miles off Hothesay Bay, capsized, and three occupants, two men and a boy, were forced to cling to the upturned boat for over an hour before assistance arrived. It was only through good fortune that their plight was noticed, and an outboard boat was sent from Mairangi Bay, four miles away, to rescue them. The owner of the yacht was Mr. W. Mitchell, of Mairangi Bay, and he had with him his son Ray, aged 11, and his brother-in-law, Mr. W. Boon. They had set out in the morning on a fishing expedition and were just preparing to return when thev saw a strong blow approaching. In luffing hurriedly they failed to trim the ship and she capsized. The lad was put on the keel, but the two men had to remain in the. water, clinging to the hull. Fortunately, just at the moment the boat capsized an observer saw it from a position above Mairangi Bay and set out to secure assistance. Eventually he found that Mr. A. A. Pond, a local storekeeper, possessed a dinghy fitted with an outboard motor._ With a friend Mr. Pond immediately got the boat out and reached the yacht in a little over 20 minutes. "It was a good job that the capsize of the yacht was noticed," said Mr. Pond yesterday. "When we arrived one of the men was in a bad state of exhaustion, and I do not think he could have held on very much longer." The sails were removed from the yacht, which was taken in tow, but not before efforts were made to retrieve some of the fish which had fallen out of the vessel and which were floating close by. With the heavy tow, the little outboard took over four hours to return to the shore.

The same squall of wind which struck the yacht was noticed in Mairangi Bay itself, and was compared by some residents to a small whirlwind. In one yard several clothes were torn from the lino by the force o£ the gust.