BATTERED BY STORM

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22352, 25 February 1936, Page 15

BATTERED BY STORM

ORDEAL FOR YACHTSMEN VOYAGE ACROSS BASS STRAIT [from OtJR OWN correspondent] By Air Mail MELBOURNE, Feb. 14 Battered by heavy storms, and with its crew of two Williamstown young men in need of food, water and sleep, the small cruising yacht Islander reached Williamstown this afternoon after a hazardous passage across Bass Strait. For the last two days the young men were practically without fresh water, and were forced to live on apples and biscuits. Some weeks ago the yacht was purchased in Launceston by Colin Martin, aged 21, and Leslie Allan, aged 24, two Williamstown yachtsmen, who, to save expense, decided to sail it across Bass Strait. They left Launceston on February 7, but because of the failure of the battery it was impossible to start the auxiliary engine for the greater part of the voyage. The navigating instruments consisted of two ordinary school rulers, an old general chart of Bass Strait, a secondhand compass and a sextant, which Allan had constructed from pieces of plywood, an old butter-box and the remains of a shaving mirror. The drinking water they were carrying with them soon became foul and unfit for use. By nightfall on Sunday the wind was blowing a gale and huge seas were breaking over the vessel. For nearly 20 hours Martin was unable to leave the tiller. They did not have the faintest idea of their position, and just kept steering for the north. Finally, they took shelter in Waterloo Bay' for a day. The Islander fought her way out of the storm, but the weather was so bad that she was again forced to seek shelter, not, however, before a huge wave, which swept over the top of the cabin, had carried away the port side main rigging. 1 hen followed a period of calm weather.