LONG VOYAGE.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17113, 7 April 1921, Page 7

LONG VOYAGE.

64 DAYS FROM LYTTELTON TO GREYMOUTH. SCHOONEB JOHN AND WINTHEOP SATE. (sracuL to "the pbxss.") GREYMOUTH, April 6. Posted as missing three weeks ago, and generally given up as lost, the American schooner John and Winthrop, which left Lyttelton sixty-four days ago for Greymouth, was towed over the bar this morning, and now lies safely at the wharf, after a voyage which was unique in the history of navigation in New Zealand waters.

Particulars of the voyage were gained from Captain Petersen, who was interviewed shortly after the vessel's arrival. His story was one of a hard and prolonged fight against a series of adverse gales and calms. "It is just a miracle that we are hero to-day," said Captain Petersen. "After leaving Lyttelton on February Ist, the John and "Winthrop negotiated Cook Strait safely, and about a week after leaving port arrived in the Grey roadstead. Here our bad luck commenced. Before we were able to make port, a series of gales sprang "up, and the schooner was driven constantly northward. At one time we were drifting off New Plymouth. Gales were succeeded by calms, and the schooner was prevented from making any progress." The captain stated that about March 27th he was some 25 miles off Greymouth, and later was 120 miles distant. Five days ago the vessel arrived once more in the roadstead, and had been becalmed since then. The long voyage ended this morning with the crossing of the Grev bar. Captain Petersen, who went to sea fifty years ago, when he was a boy of 14 years, has had many arduous voyages, and was once shipwrecked, but he hopes that he will never again experience an ordeal like the one he has just gone through. The John and Winthrop was well found, to which is due the fact that despite the protracted voyage those on board had plenty of food and water. . They were not short of anything, and suffered from nothing except the strain and anxiety of the long yoyage. Trie reported sighting of the schooner by Captain Wildman, of the steamer Alexander, at the eastern end of Cook Strait on February 11th cannot l>e accounted for, as the vessel was off Greymouth a week after she left Lyttolf-on. The wreckage seen off Waipapa Point on March sth was not from the schooner. Captain Petersen describes the John and Winthrop as a good sea boat, hut rather a slow sailer. Some idea of the ordeal gone thro igh by all hands was obtained from the fact that there was only one suit of tails on board, and during gales the crew were continually repairing damage. Otherwise- the vessel is none the worse for her adventures, despite the severe buffeting she has received. Great relief was felt here on the schooner's arrival three weeks after she had been given up as lost. Three cheers were given for the captain and crew on arrival at the wharf.

The John and Winthrop will load a quarter of a million feot of limber at Greymouth for Sydney.

General relief was felt among shipping people and others in_ Lyttelton yesterday when a telegraphic message was received by Messrs BJiind wl Co. from Messrs Mark Sprot and Co., Greymouth, Btating that the American schooner John and Winthrop had arrived safelv at the West Coast pert. Several ..congratulatory., .telegr-itns were, sent to the master. Captain (.'.htilos Petersen, who had made many friends in Lyttelton.

SOME REMARKABLE PASSAGES. The chances of wind and weather naturally play the chief part in the passage of a sailing ship. Many years ago the ship Canterbury was over three weeks.making the run from Wellington to Lyttelton. Adverse winds held her up in the vicinity of Cape Campbell, wneje she became almost a _ landmark for the Rotomahana, which sighted her almost daily for over a week. The old barque Ganymede, now an inglorious coal-hulk in Wellington, once made the run from Newcastle to Capo Campbell in less than a week, and was then •six weeks completing the passage to Lyttelton. Another sailing ship was thrashing about between the Bluff and Cape Saundecs for over 60 days before she got a favourite slant of wind to bring her north. A remarkable caso wasi that of the ship Beacon Rock, which was bound from Port Pirie to Wellington to load wool for London. She arrived in sight of Pencarrow Head in a howling ,nor'•wester, but before she could be picked np by a tug, she had been blown away well to tho eastward. For several weeks her master tried in vain to beat back to Cook Strait, and finally, having missed the cancelling date of his charter, he squared away and ran right across the Pacific to Valparaiso, where he cabled his owners for orders. He was directed ito return to Wellington to load wool for London, another charter having been arranged. The ship came back across the Pacific, and, after calling at Lyttelton for provisions, went on to Wellington, where she loaded the next season's wool for London.

The vagaries of the weather have also been responsible for some remarkable happenings on the Australian coast. A "few years ago the German ship Nixe arrived off Sydney Heads after a long passage of 111 days from Iquique (Chili), and was ordered to Port PirieAfter battling for six weeks to get through Bass Strait against the prevailing westerly winds, the master, in desperation, put his ship round, ran north through Torres Strait, and circumnavigated Australia, reaching Port Pirie 84 days after leaving Wilson's Promontory. Even more remarkable was the recent case of a big ship which, after vainly trying to reach a West Australian port from an eastern port; ran right round the world to her destination. She crossed the Southern Pacific, passed Cape Horn, and then favoured by strong westerly winds, made a very rapid run across the SoutheVn Ocean. Some years ago two Bailing ships reached port the day after they had been officially posted at Lloyd's as missing. One was the ship lied Rock, which was over nine months at sea on th" passage from San Francisco to Falmouth. The other was the barque Lalla Rookh, which took over 230 day to sail from Brisbane to Falmouth, more than 100 days of that time spent in sailing from Queensland to Cape Horn.