UNDER PULL SAIL

Taranaki Daily News, 31 January 1933, Page 5

UNDER PULL SAIL

THE GLORY OF CANVAS

FINNISH BARQUE AT AUCKLAND.

FAST VOYAGE ACCOMPLISHED.

Auckland, Jan. 28. With every sail set and close-hauled on the port tack the Finnish barque Winterhude came to the gates of Auckland yesterday morning. Slowly she moved through the dark blue water as the stars died out of the eastern sky. The pun climbed up behind Coromandel and her shadowed sails were tipped with fire. Then the day was bom and her canvas glowed with a golden light. Countless points of silver danced across the water to the pale blue sky. And Aucklanders a-bed knew nothing of this pageant of glory. OCEAN RACE VICTORY. The Winterhude has made a remarkably quick passage of 56 days from Seychelles Island, in the Indian Ocean, to Auckland, with a cargo of guano. She has thus won her race with the Passat, another Finnish sailing vessel, which left Seychelles Island for Auckland six days before the Winterhude. No advice of the Passat’s expected arrival has yet been received. The Winterhude did not sight , Tiritiri until 4.45 a.m. yesterday, although her whereabouts had been reported by. vessels entering the port

The barque was about 15 miles out at sea when seen from the elevation of Tiritiri, and a launch immediately left the island to go out and hail her. When tha launch had cleared the land the barque was sighted again, hull down on the starboard tack, south-west of Little Barrier Island. Her topsails were gleaming . white, with delicate shadow patterns cast between, but the latter were visible only with the aid of glasses. The naked eye could discern the outlines of the topgear against a background of azure sky. By this time the sea was a vivid, deep blue, and a few soft clouds passing across the eastern sky. A light southerly breeze was. sufficient just to fill the sails of the barque and keep her moving at about four knots. At 7.30 a.m. her hull came up over the horizon. The visibility improved and the Hen and Chickens Island stood out sharp and clear.

MAGIC OF CHANGING LIGHT. At last the ship was visible from truck to waterline, and moving with a grace that was all but breathtaking. Her hull was a black silhouette, the square sails on main and foremast dead white against the blue, and the fore and aft sails on the aftermast cast into deep shadow. Graceful, pearl grey wisps on a background of sky revealed the shadows on the staysails. Then a wonderful thing happened. The movement of the ship and the changing light combined in an unforgettable illusion of magic. The shadows on the sails deepened. White canvas turned a pearly grey that intensified to black. Black shadows melted to grey and then gleamed white. White topsails became golden, then changed again and spilled the light in a cascade of pink fire.

At 8 a.m. the launch was within hailing distance. The taut sails towered aloft and the running gear made a delicate tracery overhead. Smoothly the craft slid through the water, but not with sufficient speed to toss the foam from ' her stem. The launch passed across her bows, and she bore down majestically with a gentle heel to port. Huge anchors suspended outboard at the bows told their own grim tale of service, but all else spoke of ease, grace and delicate romance. Only an illusion, of course, this, but an illusion for which the magic of' the morning was responsible. NO OTHER VESSSELS SEEN. The captain was hailed and he replied with a perfect understanding of English. A young, weather-beaten man, he ap\ peared to have not a care in the world. At the rail of the high poop he looked down upon the launch and smiled, “Good morning,” obviously well inured to ths patience-trying business of wooing the wind when it is fickle. He stated that he had seen no sign of the four-masted barque Passat since she left him at Seychelles. had he seen the German four-masted auxiliary barque Magdalene Vinnen, which is expected at Auckland soon from Spain. He had, in fact, seen no ships during the voyage. The course of the Winterhude, said the. captain, had brought her clear of the south coast of Australia and Tasmania, then up the Tasman Sea and round the : North Cape. The voyage had been uneventful, though they had experienced calms. The crew numbered 19, including six apprentices. There was one English- h man in the crew. He thought, that the barque might stop in Auckland for a . fortnight, then go to Australia. It was two years since they left Finland. First of all they went to London, then from there to South Australia. They returned to England, then made a voyage to Mauritius, from which place they sailed to Seychelles Island and thence to Auckland. They received their last mail 56 days ago at Seychelles. Unlike the crew of the Grace Harwar,- which visited Auckland some time . ago, said the ' captain, they were not all bachelors aboard the Winterhude. The members of the crew, who were assembled on the forward deck, were all young men. Only one had taken advantage of their eight weeks’ absence from civilisation to grow a beard. It was evident that ship’s fare can grow monotonous after several weeks, for they did not disguise their pleasure when a number of freshly-picked plffins were thrown aboard. Competition for them was keem When the launch left at 9 a.m. to return to the city, the. barque was standing in sharp silhouette against the high land of Cape Colville, which was bathed in a misty blue. Overhead the light blue sky was brushed with fleecy white clouds and the sea was a molten sheet of silver and blue. The scene was re-' markable in its beauty. A tug was despatched from Auckland at 2.30 p.xn. and picked the vessel up three miles outside Tiritiri at 5.55 pan. She was towed into the harbour, where she arrived last even- ’ tog. ' ;,