..OUR.. ILLUSTRATIONS

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XL, Issue 1, 4 January 1908, Page 32

..OUR.. ILLUSTRATIONS

THE YACHT ARIKI ASHORE. STRANDED AT TOLOGA, (By Telegraph.) (From Our Special correspondent.) GISBORNE, this day. The yacht Ariki, which left here on Saturday morning on her return voyage to Auckland, met with a mishap at Tologa on Saturday evening. Last night, Mr. Alexander, one of the party, arrived in town to make arrangements with the manager of the Union Company for the yacht to be towed off. The Ariki left Gisborne with the wind north-east, and hard slogging was experienced. Towards evening, however, the wind fell, and the party made for the shore, not wishing to be becalmed and to have to spend the night at sea. There was no sailing master on board, but directions had been received in Gisborne as to the contour of the coast. At Tologa the night was black as pitch, and the members of the crew could only see the tops of the waves breaking, and they stood well out from the shore. The time was about 8 o’clock in the evening, and the wrong headland was turned. A depth of 3J fathoms was announced, but shortly afterwards the vessel bumped on the bottom, and it was soon evident that she had run into a sand bank. The tide was low, and the sand spits ran out further than the chart had led the crew to believe. There was a considerable roil at the time, and this rendered attempts at extricating the vessel very difficult. The crew endeavoured to escape from their position, but all their efforts were unavailing, and the swell forced the boat further up till she was lying halfway between the entrance to the river and the south-east end of the bay. She has a very deep keel, and at low tide is washed from side to side, but at high tide she is nearly floating. It is feared the keel will be loosened or broken off. Two anchors were dropped, but they did not hold, and guns were fired to attract attention. About midnight Mr. Holder’s launch put out and took the crew to the shore, where they went to a boarding-house and slept for a couple of hours. They returned to the yacht again at 4 a.m. yesterday, and commenced to get the stuff out. It was then found that the yacht was half full of water, caused by the swell. All the cushions, utensils, etc., were damaged. These articles, and the rigging, etc., were taken ashore, and stored there. The crew watched the yacht all day yesterday, to keep things straight. The members of the party are as follows: Messrs. C. Horton, Geo. Cardno, A. Aitken, G. Buddle, H. Gordon, and J. M. Alexander. The tender Tuatea proceeded to Tolago Bay for the purpose of attempting to tow off the yacht, but it was found that she had been swept inshore to a spot almost dry at low tide. She lies stern to the sea, and the keel is buried in about three feet of sand. The Tuatea was not ready to tow till two hours after highl tide, and the attempt was unsuccessful. Another attempt was made at twa o’clock this morning, at high tide, but was also unsuccessful.