THE YACHT WINDWARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21244, 27 January 1931, Page 10

THE YACHT WINDWARD.

BOUND FROM CHATHAMS. TWENTY DAYS OUT. NOT REPORTED YET. (Special to Daily Times.) WELLINGTON, January 26. No grave fears are as yet entertained in yachting circles concerning the safety of the yacht Windward, which is now 20 days out from the Chatham Islands on her return trip to Wellington. Mr W. P. Rollings, brother of the skipper of the Windward, told a reporter to-day that the crew of the yacht expected that the return voyage to Wellington would be prolonged in the event of westerly winds being encountered, and they had accordingly taken provisions to last at least a month. When the Windward left Wellington she carried tinned soups and vegetables, fresh vegetables, dried fruit, chocolate, flour, oatmeal, bread and other foods of a similar nature. A quantity of this would have been eaten on the six-day trip to the Chathams, and it was the intention of the crew to replenish their stores when they reached the islands. Although they probably procured fresh vegetables for the return trip, Mr Rollings was of the opinion that the supply of green vegetables would now be exhausted, and the crew would be relying on potatoes and tinned foods. Mr Rollings said that the distance between the Chatham Islands and Wellington was only 420 miles. If the Windward met adverse winds she would possibly have to sail three times that distance, which would be approximately the same as the distance between Wellington and Sydney. A patent log was carried when the Windward left Wellington, and if it worked properly on the trip it would provide some interesting figures regarding the total mileage. “It would be a hopeless job—like looking for a needle in a haystack,” said Captain G. L. Stedman, of the Wellington Areo Club, when questioned about the advisability of an aeroplane searching for the Windward. “ The most we could do would be to go 50 miles out to sea, and even then there would be a considerable risk with the machines we have available. Of course, the Southern Cross Junior would be the machine, but we have nothing to do with that. The Windward’s long trip from the Chatham Islands is not unusual. _ The Wanderer once took a month to sail from Auckland to Wellington, and the - Marangi, with an expert crew, took three weeks. The lorangi took 23 days on the same trip. The Rawhiti on her trip from Auckland to Sydney took 18 days. The White Heather, a yacht owned by Mr J. M'Lean. made the trip from the Chathams to Wellington in 72 days, but she did not meet persistent north-westerly winds, such as the Windward is probably encountering.”