TRIP ROUND COAST

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 37, 22 January 1946, Page 2

TRIP ROUND COAST

LAUNCH’S LONG VOYAGE

CALL AT WHAKATANE

The 37ft. hiuneh Maritza left Whakutane with the tide on Friday morning eu route for Tauranga, her destination aiul the end of her •seven-day cruise from Napier round the Cape. She represents the smallest craft which lias so far undertaken the journey. .Aboard the Alarilza are Captain -McLaughlin, Napier Harbourmaster and for the time being skipper of the craft, Mr Gnlsford the owner. Air Black the engineer and. Air Aloore the cook, the latter three lining from Alarton. Air Caisl'ord re>eently purchased the. launch at Na.-i pier and it was with the idea of shifting her to Tauraiiga. where she would he of more use that the trip round the coast was undertaken.'

It was ten minutes past eleven last Friday evening when the Alaritza east her moorings and headed towards the open sea, and Gisborne. 'All .went wellj and almost twelve hours later, she. had reached her .destination. A long weekend was passed before the next stage was at,temptod and on Tuesday morning at 1 a.m. the party once again weighed anchor this time with an additional hand aboard—a school teacher from the south spending his Christmas holiday on a hiking tour. He was signed on as second cook and was, to go right through to Tauranga (at least so was his' intention). But tlie sea decided it had been too good to the Alartiza and before long it started to rise. So did the second cook’s breakfast. That morning was inded one of woe for him and Allah came in for bountiful thanks when Tokomaru Bay hove in 'sight and it was den, eided to put in for dinner.

Once ashore, the second cook decided there and then to sign oil and stick to firmer terra. Just £& well it transpired, for the journey up to liiek’s Bay proved, to be the worst part of the whole voyage. A nor’ westerly was doing its best to upset things with conspicuous suc.cess. The. launch was tossed around like a cork in a whirlpool at times standing almost vertical. Everything that would move, was lashed down, but the high win,d and sea combined to tear adrift anything that was not quite secure. Then it was that the sturdiness of the little craft was demonstrated.

The party arrived at Whakatane somewhat earlier on Thursday morning than was anticipated and achad to navigate the bar without the aid ol‘ a pilot—an exceedingly tricky business. As stated , the last lap of the journey was commenced on Friday morning and f it was expected that the distance to Tauranga would be covered in approximately eight hours.

Throughout the whole trip an average speed of seven knots was maintained although the. vessel is. capable of a turn of almost twice that speed. Members of the crew unanimously expressed their, admiration for the manner in which Captain McLaughlin had brought them through the very ‘sticky’ patch encountered on the run up to. Hick’s Bay. The ex-i ample he set and his high standard of seamanship, they said were more than partly responsible for their coming through safely.