ADVENTURE IN OPEN BOAT

Taranaki Daily News, 14 November 1930, Page 6

ADVENTURE IN OPEN BOAT

WAIHI FISHERMAN’S CRUISE SEA WATER TO ASSUAGE THIRST FOUR DAYS AND NIGHTS IN OPEN (By Wire —Special to News.) Auckland, Last Night. Twenty-two days after he had set out in a 16ft. open boat from his home at Waihi beach to tend his crayfish pots, Andrew Andersen, a Finnish fisherman, arrived back at the beach yesterday after an adventurous cruise. Andersen’s vicissitudes included four days and four nights in the open, at the end of which time he landed safely at Opotiki. Andersen, who is 57 years of age, seems little the worse for his adventure, although he had to endure considerable hardships, particularly on his unsought first voyage. When Andersen had not returned two days after he started on October 22 a search was made of Mayor Island, where smoke had been seen; but no trace was found of him —he was then drifting in the channel and* was blown back to Mayor Island. He spent the whole of Saturday, October 25, beating up and down, using an improvised sack sail,- between the island and Tauranga. At about seven o’clock that evening the boat was blown again toward White Island, but an attempt to make land failed because of the exceedingly high seas that were running. Blown out once more Andersen haff to sit in his boat and keep her to sea. The following morning at about three o’clock he was within three miles of Whale Island, which he unsuccessfully tried to reach. He then set sail for Opotiki and arrived at the beach .there at about 2 p.m. All this time Andersen had had nothing to eat except the luncheon with which he set out from Waihi beach. H stated that to assuage his thirst he had been obliged to drink a quantity of sea water, and that iwhen he arrived at Opotiki he was in a rather weak state. His whole journey must have covered well over 100 miles. ■ Andersen remained at Opotiki a week a d then left for Tauranga. “On Monday morning I had the engine fixed, up and was ready to start for home on Tuesday, but when I went to the wharf I found the h oa t had sunk,” said Andersen. “I got it up and purchased another supply of stores and left for Waihi.” Andersen has had a varied career, having been a miner, soldier, farmer, flaxcutter, painter and seaman.