Ships and the Sea

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22344, 15 February 1936, Page 5 (Supplement)

Ships and the Sea

By L. P. CRAGO

IIAY! Look at the ring around tho V sunl I bet you that there is U real dirty weather ahead. My word, yes!—l remember such a—." The skipper of a UOft. launch, in which 1 went out to visit liri "liii Island recently, gave a laugh, which was echoed by the crew and passengers. It was a perfect Friday morning, burnished ',sea, clear sky, with a crisp tang in the air; in fact, all the usual eigns pointed to a hot, and dry "spell of weather. All the signs, bar that sinister one, of the halo around tho sun, of which our skipper disapproved so vehemently. He was right. I 1 or in iess than 10 days, there came the potent signs of a cyclone. The facts of the actual cyclonic storm are well known, but there were several incidents, of great interest to all seafaring folk, which have not been narrated. Picture, if you can, the concrete breakwater, in the frcnt of the Akarana Yacht Club clubhouse —time 3 a.m. Sunday morning, February 2. Iwo hours before, three Auckland yachtsmen had returned from a dance in the city, to find that their yacht, beforehand securely anchored, off the "showboat," had, with the force of wind and wave, dragged her anchors, and was just about to "pilo up" against the merciless concrete wall. Tho gale was raging, and they were in evening dress! In a few seconds they had got out to her in the dinghy, and then commenced a two-hours' struggle with tho elements, in an effort to make her fast, well outIt failed, and after being buffeted about on board' the mullet boat, they were flung ashore in tho dinghy, cold and exhausted. All that time they had been in the water* and now that thoy were on shore, they stripped themselves of all clothing, and, clinging perilously to the top of the wall, they strove with their feet to push off their yacht, as each successive wave and angry gust of wind drove her in relentlessly. Finally,, they had to give up, after being in nnd out of tho cold sea for two hours, with waves running 10ft. and loft, high, and with a bitter wind

reaching an unprecedented velocity. Thev had to let the boat smash herself up She hit the wall, and her port side cracked; then she smashed stern on, and her sides almost fell away, so strong were the waves which lifted her. Next thing, for the yachtsmen, was the sight of their craft, at daylight, scattered along the breakwater, with only one large portion remaining—the null with cave-like gaps in it. They sat and surveyed the wreck, and, while they were wondering what to say to each other, along cams a marine official and said he was sorry, but they would have to chop up that large piece, and take it away. "The next tide will rise right over this rock, and your craft will float out into the harbour. We have enoughwreckage there now. Better get the axes!" They had to get their axes, and in a short time, what had been the day before a lovely 22ft. mullet boat, was reduced to kindling wood. That was at Mechanic's Bay, Campbell's Point, and the boat was the Gloria. During those same hours, other craft, ,-rreat and small, sail and power, were in dire trouble. One yacht, the 32ft. Eulalie, was down .at Matiatia, anchored, so they thought, snug tor the liight. Toward morning it blew harder, still their anchors held. A powerful launch came roaring into the bay, sat on top" of tho heeler's anchors, and the yacht started to "drag." 11l a moment the crew were routed, and had lines out to the stern of the launch. So the.v rode the waves for an hour, "on watch all tho time, for the waves were rolling into the bay at a staggering and disconcerting height Then came another launch into the storm-swept bay, and she was thrown alongside the launch holding the keeler fiom disaster. Out went her anchors, only- they "sat on top" of the other launches'l What n mess! It was pitch dark, and the whitecapped waves snored angrily into the bay. Finally tho three boats started to drag' Swiftly for the shore they went, nearly £2OOO worth of boatbuilding riding for the rocks! In a flash, the crew of the keeler scrambled aboard the launch, cut their lines, and had to watch the craft slide ashore and smash herself to pieces on the rocky shoro. Tt was not a pleasant night—nor morning—for them. Nor for me when I heard tho news, for I had cruised many, many 'times aboard the same "packet." But

j/\ L J~£(JYYTlClt'h' ♦ Untold Stories of the Cyclone

never again would I cruise in the Eulalie. She had gone. . Another sea-drama was taking place, at the same time, at Islington Bay, Rangitoto, where several launches were riding out the cyclone.. Iheir anchors dragged, and against terrific seas they had to restart their engines and manoeuvre to safer anchorages. But they could not find them! Ihe wind was "boxing" the compass, andit was onlv by sheer seamanship or tho lirst rank that the boats around the Rangitoto shores got out in safety, o them came back until Monday morning—creeping back to a city, the waterfront of which had been ravished by tho cyclonic storm, and presented a sad picture. So in that wide bay, those game little craft rode out the gale, as the weather wind veered or backed, so did they turn tail and go over for shelter to Motnihi, or return, when the wind changed. To come up tho harbour was out of tho question. A stalwart member of the crew who had been ashore from one of the craft camo back with the warning that "all boats should 'stick to their shelter.' The waves are 15ft. high in the harbour!" A welcome radio message! During a calm in the storm, the crew of one launch went ashore, their reception by a lonely bachman was most reassuring and friendly. Their host was a Dutchman, and his charming wife, and during some of tho most anxious hours, the Dutch couple relieved the tension. And when the launch crew was returning to their ship they thanked tho couple for their kindliness, and they reply was, "We tank you for tanking us I" One more memory! Tho other Tuesday evening, the launch Kenya took a party of 28 yachtsmen out to Rangitoto and salvaged the mullety Twilight. They slept on the rocks until high tide, when they lifted the boat off the rocky and inhospitable shoro on to the sands, patched her gaping rents with seaweed and soap, launched her. and then, with the 28 yachtsmen on board once again, returned to Auckland, and on arrival at their moorings, they discovered that the yacht Twilight had not leaked more than 2in. of water in her bilge during the tow! And that was a credit to her stout-hearted salvagers, and epitomised again that the friendly spirit of yachtsmen for fellow yachtsman is still as alive as ever!