BLOWS OUT TO SEA.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5568, 13 September 1889, Page 3

BLOWS OUT TO SEA.

A native named lluka Aratapu, had a marvellous escape from drowning this week. He left Gisborno in a small keel boat about twelve feet in length at 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning for the fishing ground below Nick's Head, reaching there shortly after eight, when he cast anchor with 2b' fathom of line. Finding the wind rising very strong and that he was drifting to sea, he up anchor and tried to make Whareongaonga, but the sea and wind were so heavy that he missed it, and towards evening he found himself down off the opening in the Mahia Peninsula. Here he had a very narrow escape of a capsize as his boat got on to some foul ground, where the sea was very heavy, and he had then to keep it out to sea. The coast along hero has so few openings where a boat can land that he made up his mind to spend the night in the boat, and cast anchor in the hope that it might hold, or afc least check the rate of drift. The morning broke with the wind still blowing strong and a high sea running. Fearing that he might be blown right off the land, he set sail on the boat, aud stood over towards this side of the coast in the hope that he might make the land somewhere in the neighborhood of the East Cape. While standing across the mouth of tho bay the wind at times was so strong that he could not show a stitch of sail, and simply had to let her drift, bringing her up again during the lulls. During the evening the wind and sea dropped, and he could then use his sculls, and make headway towards home, reaching the river at

4 a.m. on Thursday morning. As Ruku left home on Tuesday morning intending to back again in the evening, he had with him but little bread, and no water. When he found that it was imposeible to make the knd, the bread was carefully divided into rations. Ruku states that he has never experienced such heavy weather on the coast before. His boat behaved admirably, but, with the greatest watchfulness, he was nearly capsized several times owing to the extreme height of the seas and sudden gusts with which the wind

came