SAILOR’S ADVENTURE.

Waikato Times, Volume 112, Issue 18796, 18 November 1932, Page 10

SAILOR’S ADVENTURE.

IN A RECORD SLOW VOYAGE. “BEACON BOCK” EPISODE. Deference was made recently to the sailing ship Beacon. Rock, which piobably holds the record for the, longest time at' sea on the voyage between an Australian port and Wellington. A member of the. ship’s company on this remarkable voyage of 30 years ago and probably the only surviving member- —is Mr A. Clemas, of Maslerton. Mr Clemas was one of the several cadets on board, and lias vivid recollections of the. episode. “The Beacon Rock was a threemasted full-rigged ship, and although you might , doubt'it after hearing this story, she was one of the smartest ships afloat,” Mr Clemas recalled, in an interview with the Wellington Dominion. “She lias done the passage out from Home in 93 days. On this ocoasion we left Port Pirie in. ballast early in' September, 1900. \Vo were off Wellington Heads on Sunday morning about a fortnight later, but a heavy northerly .blew us down to Port Lyttelton. We came up again, and on tile following Sunday were off the Heads again.

Dismasted In Gale. "Once again a northerly hit us, and this time we did not pull up until we were off Stewart Island. While off the island we were dismasted in the height, of the gale, and the vessel was on her beam ends for three days. When the sea calmed down suillcientiy we rigged up a fore-jury mast and crawled up into tlie tropics, where we managed to effect further repairs, and then drifted across the Paoilic, reaching Valparaiso on January it), 1901. In the meantime llie vessel hail been posted missing at Lloyds and the insurance paid. “Wo were then instructed io speak Talcuahano ami Conception Ray, and were 1 lierc two months. Then on account of G. 11. Scales and Co. refusing to cancel our charter we set sail again for Wellington, New Zealand. This time the skipper—Captain Hughes—decided to cross the Pacific, but after being becalmed some 200 miles off the South American coast, we turned tail and ran for the Horn, crossed to the Cape of Hood Hope, and ran the easting down, eventually arriving at Lyttelton very nearly 12 months after leaving Pori Pirie, and after having completely circumnavigated the- globe. Lost With All Hands. "We picked up a pilot (Captain MeLelland) at Lyttelton, and lie brought the ship to Wellington. Here ttie cargo of wool and (allow which had been waiting shipment- for 18 months, was picked up and the ship left for England. 1 left her at Wellington—very fortunately, as it turned out for she was lost with all hands tlie following year in the China seas. Captain MeLellan, too. last his life shortly afterwards, when the Lizzy Bell was wrecked off the Taranaki Coast.”