ABOARD THE DAYDREAM

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22332, 1 February 1936, Page 5 (Supplement)

ABOARD THE DAYDREAM

A Storm Adventure J By ROY COLEY. Kaipara Flats. Tom Freeman and I were in the throes of excitement, for we were just about to stnrt on a. trip round the coast in our 14ft. yacht, tlio Daydream. Wo carried with us a small tent and enough provisions to last us a fortnight, and wo had decided to camp along the const as wo went. At last the morning of our departure dawned bright and clear, and soon, with cheery farewells, wo set our sails and scudded out of the bay. The Daydream sailed smoothly along, and soon Tom suggested that we go a little further inshore, as wo were now entering a region, which wo had never hitherto invaded. As wo swept along we could seo on tho beaches crowds of people who, liko ourselves, wero out to onjoy their holidays. Everything went well until the fourth day of our trip, when, as wo were sailing gently along before a slight land breeze 1 suddenly noticed a largo bank of dark clouds advancing over the horizon. X communicated my fears to Torn, and wo decided that we would head for an island which had appeared in tho oiling. Wo had just finished tying tho bout up in a small bay when the storm broke upon lis in all its fury. Picking up our gear wo raced up the beach to some trees that grow near by. We had gained tho shelter of these trees when I noticed a littlo hut among some nikau palms. Opening the door we entered, and found ourselvos in a room which must, at one time, have belonged to a fisherman, for all around tho walls wero pictures of fish and fishermen, while in one corner there were several old fishing lines. Outside the old hut the wind shrieked and whistled among the trees, and the rain rattled on the iron roof. Every few minutes the lightning flashed, and tho thunder roared, and at every blast the hut would shiver and creak. All through this terrible Btorm we crouched in the shelter, listening to the turmoil outside, and it was with sighs of relief that wo heard the storm abating. As soon as it had stopped raining, we ventured outside and hastened down to the beach, where we found that our yacht had broken her moorings and was now several hundred yards out to sea. Even as we looked we could see that she was drifting further away, and we realised that if something was not done quickly we would be stranded on this lonely, unfrequented, little island. Hastily Tom stripped off his clothes, and, plunging into the boiling surf, struck out for the Daydream. The sea was still running high, and for a greater part of the time 1 could not see Tom as he sank down between the waves. At last, after a seemingly interminable period of time, I saw Tom reach out and grasp the stern of the yacht, where lie hung for a few minutes before attempting to plamber on board. Half an hour later he reached shore, and, as soon as we had securely fastened tho Daydream, -he fell to the ground, fainting from sheer physical exhaustion. I managed to get him up to the hut, and, laying him down on the bunk, I unpacked our blankets, in which I wrapped him. Then I went outside and, after a considerable amount of searching, gathered some dry wood and soon had the billy boiling over a blazing fire. By this time Tom had revived, and under the influence of the heat from the fire was becoming very drowsy; so, giving him a cup of hot tea, I told him to go to sleep. When I was quite sure that he was comfortable, I rolled myself up in a blanket and was soon in tho land of dreams. We awoke next morning to bo greeted by the songs of birds and cicadas as they hailed the glorious sunshine. After we had had breakfast, we gathered our belongings and, having explored the island, we once more set off on board the Daydream. By this time the end of our vacation was drawing near, so we decided to return home after a most delightful holiday.