Yacht's Perilous Experience In Heavy Gale

Chronicle (Levin), 24 March 1949, Page 6

Yacht's Perilous Experience In Heavy Gale

WELLINGTON, March 23. After being f ar out to sea and flriven helpless before northwest winds of hurricane force the 36ft yacht Matatua arrived in Wellington this evening, 19 days after leaving Auckland. Her crew of five who had been baling con.tinually since the vessel llrst struck bad weather were exhausted. ' ' She can 'live through anything after she stood up to wliafhit us out there," said the skipper (Terry Haminond), oue of New Zealand's most experienced deepwater yachtsmen. "We were driven helpless before winds and breaking seas for a total of 84 hoiirs since last Thursday. Witliout even a stitch of eanvas on her the forCe of the wind on the 54ft. mast kept the yaeht heeled over with her lee rail nnder water. "One terrific gust off Cape Palliser, where the wind was ohieially cloeket at 90 m.p.h., threw the yaeht right over 'on her side. I was hurled from mv bunk and broke the curtain rod over the porthole higli up on the other side of the cabin. The winds were worse than anything I have eneountered excei)t the cyelone we struck in the Tasman race last year. The seas were not high, only 20ft., but they broke continually with the decks continually buried in water. "We had ,to keep baling with buckets. Oue sea broke right over her, sweeping the cabin top elear of everything except the diitgliy. v "Last Thursday we were off CapoPalliser just a few miles from Wellington, but the gale from the north forced us to reef down until we were, sailing

under foresail alone. On .Saturday we were hove to under a bare mast. By Sunday when the wind dropped aua changed to a southerlv we were off Kaikoura over 100 miles to the south. By Mondav morning we were off Ca], e Campbell and again liot far from Wellington when a westerly gtile blew up and for.ced us to heave to ouce nion. This time we wero blown far out to sea to the west. "We eame back with the southerlv and off Cape Palli er cleeided to drive the vacht to Weilington throug'h tio; high seas under a reefcil storm trysail. Rome of the crew thonght something would give before we got here, but we made it." Heavily bearded and hardly able to keep their eyes open, the- crew, all nicmbers of the Akarana Yarht Club, Auckland, said they had had' no dry clotlu s > since last weelt.