A BOAT ADVENTURE

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2033, 30 August 1880, Page 2

A BOAT ADVENTURE

A youth of about eighteen, for some time in the employ of Mr R. Maofarlane at the Bank of New Zealand, i.ytteltan, having made up his mind to go to that gentleman, who is at present residing at Kaiapoi, conceived the idea of sailing round in a punt 18ft. long, with a beam of about 3ft. Gin., which Mr Maofarlano had left in Port. On Wednesday morning, having procured a few provisions, he took Spy, a favorite dog, and set sail. It may here be mentioned that while he had previously been out to sea in the Annie Ogle, he had never seen the entrance to the Kaiapoi river, and only knew from what he was told that the town named was situated on a river to the north of Lyttelton. During the afternoon he came up off the New Brighton Hotel, and put the boat in for shore. Finding a rolling surf on, and no apparent entrance to a river he stood out again. Night coming on he put down the anchor, and as he states “turned in.” In the morning he started north again, and made Sumner Bar, but nearing the entrance became afraid of the breakers, Ho stood the boat out to sea, and ran along the coast till ho came off the next bar, which proved to be the south entrance to the Kaiapoi river. This be did not fancy, and so sailed on to the north, when seing another channel, and what appeared to be a flagstaff, he made up his mind to sail in for it. The boat came easily on to the broken water, when a huge wave turned it completely over, throwing thoyouth George (wo could not get his other name) and Spy into tho trough of the sea. Here the dog gave him some trouble, but striking out ho reached the boat, which was bottom uppermost, and held on to it as well as the dog. The flood tide carried them in a considerable distance, and reaching smoother water the youth made up his mind to try a swim for it, and judging from the description given of the spot where the broken water ends to where he and Spy landed, he must have swam a good half mile. He made for the fisherman’s hut, got some dry clothes, then went on to join his master at Kaiapoi. Tho boat was simply built as a river punt, but had a centre board to assist in sailing. There can be no doubt that the boat was a good one, and will be brought up safe from the north spit, on which it was stranded. Master George, in spite of all his pluck, will hardly try a second adventure of this kind.