WANDERLUST’S TOUR

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16873, 9 February 1929, Page 5

WANDERLUST’S TOUR

18 MONTHS FROM HOME JUST OUT FOR PLEASURE LOS ANGELES OWNER. “Wo loft Los Angelos on August 7, 1927, and except for a period of four months during which wo left the Wanderlust at Tahiti and returned to the States on business, we have been afloat ever since.” stated Mr. H. S. Vissell, owner of the ocean-going yacht \\ nnderlust, which berthed this morning at the Haiti basin wharf. Mr. Vissell is proud of his craft, and he lias every right to he, and lie willingly showed a pressman over the vessel, indicating points of special interest to the landsman, and discussing the experiences ho had enoyed since his departure from his home town in California. Mr. Vissell is a member of the Californian Yacht Club, and his vessel was built for ocean racing < luit for the purposes of the tour lie cut down the sail by about 23 per cent., and made other modifications designed to increase the comfort of the craft for the special purpose of voyaging indefinitely on through the South Seas. How successful were the efforts of the owner to fit the Wanderlust for touring may he judged from the fact that Mrs. Vissell, with her two child fen and a niece, spend practically the whole of tlieir time aboard, even when in port. “They find plenty to do, and they don’t, get tired of the yacht,” remarked Mr. Vissell, in reply to a question. ‘ 1 When we spend five or six days in a port’ they may go ashore once or twice, but really they prefer to stay with the Wanderlust. It has been a wonderful experience voyaging round the Islands, and though we will have to push on soon, wc are looking forward to seeing something of New Zealand ports while we are here. We have no special mission, and no schedule whatever. We simply arrive and depart as we like it, and none of us are tired of it yet.”

Mr. Vissell showed the pressman round the decks and then took him down to the cabins, displaying with an evident enjoyment the details of the yacht’s equipment. Mr. Vissell is an enthusiast beyond a doubt, and though his vessel must be a costl)- one to maintain, it is certainly' one to be proud of. In the course of the visit,, the pressman met Mrs. Vissell and her daughters, charming American women whom Gisborne hostesses would be delighted to make much of. WELL FOUND YACHT Lying alongside the tug Pelican, the Wanderlust presents a striking contrast to the average type of craft seen in the Gisborne harbor. Her lines are beautiful, and her appointments arc of a type seldom seen even in the yachting harbors of the Dominion. She carries a power boat and two dories, or flat-bottomed skiffs, and in addition to her sails, has a full-Dicsei engine which will give her eight, knots an hour when the weather is calm. This engine is not employed at sea. but simply gives the vessel manoeuvring powers in constricted waters. Under her full spread of racing sail, the Wanderlust has a speed of 13 knots, while her cruising sails give her about 10 knots. The complement of the Wanderlust includes several Tahitian sailors, described by Mr. Vissell as excellent watermen and willing workers who make no bones of spending 1(5 hours a day on their jobs, and who are capable of doing most of the work on the ship, so that practically nothing needs to be taken ashore for mending or adjusting. This morning, two of the hands were engaged in repairing sails and the rest of the watch was busy trimming up the ship, cleaning brass and generally maintaining the vessel in a fashion appropriate to her commission. Everything was clean and tidy, and even the chocks upon which the dories were mounted were covered with canvas, so that paint and wood would not come into friction.

It is not to be supposed, however, that the Wanderlust, is a fair-weather ship. During the voyage from Papeete, which occupied 'll days, the yacht met the usual number of squalls, and successfully / passed through a gale of a velocity of 70 miles an hour. When this gale loomed up, the sea-anchor was rigged, but it was not put overboard, and the vessel kept going throughout the bl ow. Under sail, the Wanderlust does not roll to any extent, though when lying at anchor she is like a cork, and rolls to every motion of the sea. An astonishing thing is that throughout the cruise to date, there has not been a single dish broken in the saloon, where the dining tabic is suspended in such a manner that it responds to the motion of the ship, and always presents a horizontal surface. The saloon is beautifully furnished, the appointments including a piano which is convertible into a player, operated by electricity from the ship’s dynamos. There arc two sources of electric supply, so that if one should he out of action, the other keeps the ship lighted and provided with power. Similarly, the ice-plant is duplicated, and in the hottest weather Mr. Vi as el I and his family are able to satisfy their American appetite for iced specialities. ECONOMY OF SPACE.

Economy of space is carried to the nth degree in the Wanderlust, which has a complete equipment of Hags, navigation instruments, and medical supplies, as well as numerous fitments which have been added for the purposes of the cruise. The steps "of the companionway give an excellent indication of the space-saving that has been effected, for each step shelters a drawer in which are stored odds and ends, in orderly array; there is a place for everything, and everything is found in its place. The after deck is fairly spacious, chairs and padded, chests provide comfortable lounging places, while the ladies have appropriated for their own a space over the saloon, where for hours at a time they read while the jib-room swings above them. Each member of the family, with tlio exception of the infant daughter of Mr and Mrs Vissell, has a cabin, and Captain Brusson, the sailing master, has his own quarters which he finds spacious' enough. Hygiene is carefully studied in the appointments of the living quarters, and in this respect alone the Wanderlust is splendidly arranged. The galley lies between the forecastle and the cabin quarters, and there an experienced Oriental presides with all Ihe resources of a steamship galley at his command. The crew’s quarters nre excellent, considering the space available, and the interior of the ship generally surprises one who has formed an impression of slimness and shallow draft from a superficial survey.

SIX WEEKS IN NEW ZEALAND

The plans of Mr. Vissell and his family are not definite, but it is proposed to stay in Gisborne over the week-end anil then make for Auckland, where some time will bo spent. The New Zealand visit will occupy about six weeks, and the cruise of (he Islands will llien bo continued, id a direction which will take the voyagers back to Los Angeles. Every member of the party is fortunate in having enjoyed good health throughout, anil the cruise to date must have been a wonderful eye-opener to the younger members of the party, especially.

Mr. Vissell is a member of the Kiwanis, a well-known American organisation of business men, and during his brief trip to the States while his yacht lay at Tahiti he was asked to address numerous audiences on his impressions of the southern seas. His only definite aim, beyond making the cruise as enjoyable as possible, is to gather material which may serve for future addresses; lie is nut given to public speech, apparently, but the interest displayed in his previous addresses has inspired him with the idea of giving the same audiences tlie* lenefit of more detailed observations.