THE GOLDEN AGE OF SAIL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19732, 10 September 1938, Page 4

THE GOLDEN AGE OF SAIL

Late Capt. Harvey’s Unusual Record

Captain George Harvey, formerly of Whangaparaoa, whose death occurred in Auckland a few days ago at the age of 95, was one of the last of the old commanders who lived through the golden age of sail in the last century. He not only knew life at sea in all kinds of sailing craft, but also served in steam, and navigated a little screw vessel of only 37 tons register from England to New Zealand more than half a century ago. His career held more variety than this, for he spent the last years of his active life as a farmer on the coast near Auckland. A Notorious Voyage Born in Staffordshire in March, 1843. Captain Harvey went to sea at an early age with hardly any schooling. When only 14 he shipped as a boy in the Ann Wilson, bound from Liverpool to Wellington with 222 emigrants. The voyage was notorious on account of overcrowding, bad food and shortage of water and medical supplies. Several of the passengers were landed at Wellington in a deplorable condition and one died soon after. The jury at the'inquest strongly censured the ship’s charterers, the emigration officer at Liverpool, and the captain. Captain Harvey left the vessel in New Zealand and was employed as boy and later as seaman in vessels on the coast and in the “blackbirding” trade in the Western Pacific. This consisted in recruiting native labour, particularly in the New Hebrides, and conveying it to other islands where plantations had been established. Many adventurers were engaged in the traffic, which has formed the subject of numbers of tales, both true and fictional. The Great Tea Race After, some years he shipped back to England and there obtained his mate’s ticket. Times were bad for seamen, and he signed on as an A.B. in the Hallowe’en, bound for China. This ship was owned by Captain John Willis, owner of the Cutty

Leaving the celebrated clipper Captain Harvey made several voyage across the Atlantic, commanded :

Sark, to which he transferred in China waters. By good fortune the homeward voyage was the famous “tea race” of 1870 between Cutty Sark and Thermopylae, the winner of which has not been decided, notwithstanding years of controversy. In the South Indian Ocean Cutty Sark lost her rudder, and Captain George Moodie .spent 14 days in fair weather making and fitting a juryrudder worked by chains from the sides of the poop. This fulfilled its purpose for the rest of the voyage, including a furious south-westerly gale in the English Channel. Cutty Sark made the trip in 122 days, to Thermopylae’s 110. Captain Harvey had a vivid recollection of it, and some of his reminiscences were used bv Mr. Basil Lubbock in his book “The Log of the Cutty Sark.” Attacked 13y Natives

tramp in the Bilbao iron trade, and eventually took a contract to bring a small coastal steamer to New Zealand. He supplied crew, coal and stores and accomplished the voyage safely. making a substantial profit. In New Zealand he returned to “black-birding” as mate of the brigantine Rio Loge. At Guadalcanal’, in the New Hebrides, on one occasion, the vessel was attacked, some of the native crew being shot. Later she was lost with all hands between Kaipara and Lyttleton.

Captain Harvey was well acquainted with “Bully” Hayes, who at one time wanted to engage him as mate in his schooner Black Diamond. However, he declined, having no wish to be associated with such an adventurer. He had married in Scotland and, with the approval of his wife, who was living in New Zealand, he purchased over 400 acres of land at Arkle’s Bay from an uncle, Mr. Joseph lienney. He and his family farmed the property until Mrs. Harvey’s death in 1924, when it was sub- ; divided and sold, with the exception of the homestead.