YACHT BISSY GIRL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18955, 4 March 1936, Page 7

YACHT BISSY GIRL

ROAMING THE OCEAN FAULTY CHRONOMETER SYDNEY, Feb. 20. When the yacht Bissy Girl set out from Port Jackson on Christmas Day, it was the intention of her owner-skipper, Captain Victor Brisson, to visit Lord Howe Island, then go to the fishing grounds at Middleton Reef, and afterwards visit New Caledonia, the .LoyaltyIslands, and some of the Lower Hebrides. A faulty chronometer, however, upset plans, and when the yacht returned to Sydney yesterday, after an absence of eight weeks, Mr. E, Little, a Sydney barrister, who appeared on the crew list as second captain, told of a series of aimless wanderings on the open sea.

When Norfolk Island should have been in sight, it could not he found. Through the vagaries of an instrument, the yacht was actually lost on the ocean. Realising that the chronometer must be at fault, it was decided to make for an Australian port to have it adjusted. The New South Wales coast was sighted near Solitary Island, and the yacht was turned northwards with the intention of reaching Brisbane. A strong northeasterly"" wind compelled the yacht to put into the mouth of the Clarence River for shelter, but it ran on a sandbank. It was refloated next day with the help of a launch.

After, the crew had rested for a few days at Yamba, the journey was continued, and Moreton Bay was reached. The yacht ran aground on mudbanks several times between Cape Moreton and the. mouth of the river. Four days were spent in Brisbane, where the chronometer was cheeked and found to be apparently in perfect adjustment. It was then decided to make for New Caledonia, but, once in open sea, it became apparent that the chronometer was again giving trouble, and a course was set by dead reckoning for the island. More'than 40 days out from Sydney, the island was sighted, but at. a spot where it was impossble to get through the reefs. Working down the coast towards Noumea, the yacht was forced to shelter in St. Vincent's Bay. The full force of a hurricane broke, and the sails were badly torn. A stay of two days was made at Ducos Island for sail repairs, and an uneventful passage was made to Noumea, where the party remained for three days before setting out on the return voyage to Sydney. The 900 miles from Noumea to 'Solitary Island were covered in seven day?,' but the remaining 200 miles took six days. Last week's severe southerly forced the yacht to shelter at Port Stephens ftv: a day.