HINEMOA MEETS GALE

Chronicle (Levin), 17 February 1947, Page 6

HINEMOA MEETS GALE

-Press Association

ROUGHEST CROSSING FOR MANY YEARS

By Telegrapli—

CHRIHTGHURCH, Fcb. 16. Nearly eight hours behind schedulc, the new inter-island steamcr Hinemoa arrivcd at Lyttelton at 2.40 p.m. yester day after battling all the way from Wellington against the worst storm that has struek C'ook Htrait and tliv Houth Canterbury coast for many years. The passengers, though obviousiy glad to be 011 land again, were for the most part eheerful, but expressed the hope Lliat nevcr again would they have s -icli a crossing. Home of the deck cabins ,were flooded by seas wliicli the Hinemoa shippcd aud minor damage was done on the foredeck. , The master, Captain D N, AicLeisli, avIio took comniand last Thursday on thc illness of Captain T. W. Collins, was on the bridge all uight. He said that, taking into account the strength of the wind and violence of the seas, thc Hinemoa had behaved very well. Cfficers of the ship said tlie trip was the roughest for 16 years. The Hinemoa left Wellington on what turned out to be a 19 hours ' voyagc, at 7.4 p.111. Friday 7 She met jtlie fuii force of the 'storm impiediately she clcared Wellington heads. After Cape Cainpboll was passed speed was redueed from Ihe usual 10 A knots to seven knots. After daybreak the weather bucamc wo/fSC with the wind from due siuth The seas that brolce aboard sniashed two windows in the bridge. At 5 a.m. the Hinemoa was ofl: Kaikoura Peninsula and was tlicn 3 lnrirs 45 riinules behind schedule. LTie ship contiu jeJ lu plug slowly against the storm, nn 1. it was not until 10 a.m. that the ue.ithor began to moderate and speed could be increased. Altliough tlie severity of the s 11111 decreased as tho Hinemoa iravelled south, she struck the worst of it aud it is cstimated that the wind was nevei less tlian 60 miles an hour until she was nearly at Lyttelton. Nearly all the passengers were sea sick. An Army officer who travelled a lot during the wai* said it was the liisl time he had over been seasick, and* an Air Force officer said it was thc rough est night he had evor had. A bride of a New Zealand serviecniau rccently arrived from Britain ' said: "The voyagc from Englaud produceu uothing to equal it. Included in the Hinemoa 's 900 passengers were niembers of a theatrical company who were due to open tlie season at Dunedin 011 Haturday night. They and otlier passengers for Ihe soutli left by special cxprcss. The general impression given by pas sengers was of a night of s' asickuess and lack of sleep. They praised the attention given by tlie stowards and stewardesses, some of wliom were theinselves affected by the sevcre weather. A few passengers were not sick and tlie stewards had a difficult time waiting on theni in the saloons. Alore than oue tray ended on tlie ttoor. Tliese pas sengers considered that the Hinemoa had passed-lior iirsjt real test witli flying colours aud wanuly praised . Cap,tain AleLcish and liis crew. Heafari'ng mem at Lyttelton '• who- watclied,' tlie; Hine moa's arrival in the atTernoon praised - tlie skiil with wliich Captain AleLeish berthed her in Ihe higli wind.