YACHT'S VOYAGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23073, 25 June 1938, Page 16

YACHT'S VOYAGE

CRUISE FROM DURBAN LAND'S END ARRIVES STORM® TRIP REPORTED FEATURES OF THE VESSEL After a wearying succession of gales and calms—clays when the close-hauled Craft was lost in a furious smother of spume, and others when she lay motionless on a tranquil sea* —the South African ketch-rigged yacht Land's End reached Auckland yesterday in the course of a world voyage. Twenty-one days out from Rarotonga, Bhe made her landfall at Great Barrier Island on Thursday, but the confusion of marine lights ahead persuaded her master to lay to during the night under the lee of Tiri Tiri. Under sail, she entered the harbour yesterday morning and pro- ' ceeded from Rangitoto under power to her berth at St. Mary's Bay. " Although she flies the burgee and emblem of tho Royal Natal Yacht Club, there is a cosmopolitan flavour about the yacht. As her name, Land's End, might indicate, her master and owner is a Cornishman, Captain H. Jeffery, > but the vessel was built in South Africa and it was from Durban that the Voyago commenced last September. Taste of Difficult Sailing For Captain Jeffery tho cruise is the fulfilment of a long-cherished hope. Changes in tho personnel were made at Papeete and the crew of four now comprises two Englishmen and two South African nationals, the mate being Mr. G. Cadenhead and the other members Messrs. C. Wilson and J. Worden. Many cruises along the South African coast have inured Captain Jeffery to etorm conditions in a small boat, but for some others of tho crew the initial passage from Durban to Port Elizabeth offered them a first taste of difficult Bailing. Heavy conditions were experienced off Cape L'Agullas, the yacht ridiug a fierce north-westerly in an effort to weather the promontory before ' eventually taking shelter in Struys " Bay. However, there was time for few thoughts of respite. The wind suddenly veered to the south and, in order to avoid the threat of the lee shore, it was imperative that the yacht Bhould put to sea. "The chart had told us it wa3 a Bandy bottom, but our anchor must have caught on the only rock in the bay," Captain Jeffery said yesterday. "We got away—and none too soon —but only by leaving a fluke of the hook behind us." Through the West Indies By steamer, the run across the South Atlantic from Capetown to-St. Helena, the island of Napoleon's internment, would be a mere 1700 miles. But to the Land's End, handicapped by variable winds and then struggling to regain her course in the teeth- of a westerly gale, 2500 miles had to be traversed. The voyage to Ascension Island presented no difficulties, and on the next leg of the cruise she covered 3400 miles in 27 days, to reach Trinidad on New Year's Day. " Leisurely sailing through the West Indies, the yacht passed through the Panama Canal andj taking on stores and water at Balboa, ahe was headed for the Galapagos. The fact that no clearance papers were possessed presented a problem when the master decided to put in at San Salvadore, arriving on the very day of a chance visit by an Ecuadorian gunboat. "By the fuss that was made, 1 think it must nave been the gunboat's catch of the year, but finally we escaped by paying 17} times the normal fees," Captain Jeffery explained. i Days of Storms and Calms The trade _winds carried the Land's End to Tahiti, and the voyage to Karotonga tfas marked by only one or two moderate blows. Then came , r one of the most exasperating stages of "the cruise. Several days out from < Rarotonga fierce squalls presaged a' storm and early one morning the barometer dropped to a phenomenally low level. Sail was shortened until' the yacht was carrying nothing more than foresail and storm trysail and, close-hauled in the heavy sea breaking just abaft the beam, her course was, according to the captain, cfflike a racing craft undertaking fancy (Bailing around a series of buoys." Days o{ calm .followed days of storm and, with listless canvas flapping on •the masts and yards, damage was temporarily repaired. &■■■ While the plans of the master are uncertain it is probable that tho Land's End will remain in New Zealand water until the late spring. After spending a month in Auckland she will visit the Bay of Islands and then proceed to southern ports, including Milford Sound and Stewart Island. Late in the year a course will be set for Sydney, New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies. The ultimate route to be followed from the Indies to South Africa has not yet been determined, but it is expected that the yacht will be fully two years absent from Durban. ' Vessel's Sturdy Lines If the outward appearance of the yacht, in her trim yet sturdy Brixham lines, gives the impression of seaworthiness, the comfort below far surpasses the accommodation that would bo expected on a vessel of her size. There is surprising headroom in the spacious saloon, cabin and kitchens, while, from aft, the space is taken up by a snug charthouse immediately for- - ward of the, wheel and the engine room, which houses a 40 horse-power Diesel motor. Electric lighting, a radio receiving set, refrigerating equipment fend a bathroom are a few of the facili-t; ties provided. Launched at Durban in 1936 the yacht measures 57ft. between perpendiculars and possesses a beam of ' 15ft. Her gross bv Thames measurement is 50, and in the register she is quoted as 13.7 tons net. Specially designed for deep-sea cruising, her voyage across the world has more than justified the reputation which the Brixhnm trawlers have won for ease-in handling, comfort and seaworthiness.