FIFTY YEARS AT SEA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23866, 21 July 1939, Page 6

FIFTY YEARS AT SEA

CAPTAIN G. A. NAIRN RETIRES MEMORIES OF EARLY DAYS The retirement of Captain G. A. Nairn from regular employment in the service of the shipping firm of Richardson and Co.. Napier, marks tic. completion of almost 50 years it sea. during which he has commanded every vessel 01 the Richardson fleet except the new Kopara. Captain Nairn went to sea in ms teens being first employed on a fishing vessel, and almost the whole of his experience has ben confined to New Zealand waters. His first employment with Richardson and Co., was in the Fanny a small steamer olying up and down the east coast of the Nort.i Island. . Remaining in the Fanny until he joined the Northern Steamship Company he remained in that service until 1907. Rejoining the Richardson service in 1912, he served in the Squall, and then joined the Ripple as mate. He gained his first command in 1914—that of the Kiritona—and he has served as master ever since. During his service on the east coast Captain Nairn had considerable experience in landing and loading cargo on open beaches, calling for considerable skill in the art of “ surf-hurdling.” and there were few landing places on the coast between Opotiki and Gisborne with which he was not well acquainted. At one time a vital accomplishment to anv seaman engaged in the coastal trade, he said, the art of surf-hurdling was, with the improvement in transport facilities, dying out. In the early days of sparse settlement and few roads, however, it played an important part in the development of the country as often it was the settler’s sole means of securing stores ar.d getting his wool to market. For surf-hurdling a large open boat, capable of carrying about 20 bales of wool was used, and considerable skill was required bv the men who handled it He had never been capsized, but had been swamped a good many times during landing operations. On one Deration he had been compelled to swim about for 20 minutes before being oirked un.