YACHT CAPSIZES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 3, 5 January 1939, Page 9

YACHT CAPSIZES

AEROPLANE TO THE RESCUE SERVICES NOT REQUIRED WELLINGTON, Jan. 3. Officials at Rongotai aerodrome received a call by telephone on Saturday morning stating that one of the small local yachts from Paraparaumu beach, sailed by two young men accompanied by two young women, had capsized some distance from the shore, and owing to the high wind some difficulty in rescuing them was anticipated. A request was made for an aeroplane to drop lifebelts. The yacht capsized not long after 11 a.m., and immediately the message was received at the aerodrome motorcar tyre tubes were filled with air, and with lifebelts were loaded into the Wellington Aero Club Tiger Moth, which left for the area about noon, piloted by Flight-Lieutenant I. E. Rawnsley, accompanied by Mr. Guy Haddock, of the ground staff. When the machine reached the vicinity of the reported accident, however, no sign of the yacht or crew was seen, but from signals received from people on the shore it was gathered that a rescue had already been made, and the aeroplane returned to Wellington. After capsizing the yacht drifted about three miles with the four people clinging to it, before they were rescued by dinghies which set out from Paraparaumu beach, after they had been in the water about an hour. A launch from Kapiti Island also sec out to assist. It was found impossible to rescue the boat and it was left to drift.