THE WAKAITI'S TRIP

Hokitika Guardian, 24 August 1921, Page 1

THE WAKAITI'S TRIP

The owner (Mr C. A. Jolley) kindly supplies the following particulars of the long draw n out trip of the Wakaiti to the Far South. He states [ 1 We loaded for Bruce Lay and Pa rings. ” on June 28th, and after waiting for 27 V days for favourable weather sailed on ) July 2,5 th with a calm sea and every •' prospect of a good trip. Arriving off ■V, Paringa on the morning of the 2(ith, we >s dropped anchor to await daylight. The ' sea was then making from the north d WJth ' l easterly wind. Before daylight owing to increasing sett we hove 11 anchor and stood out to s ea. By mid--0 day the sea was running very high. ; V At 5 p.m. we decided to stand in for the Bay to let them know we were standing off, but on account of tre- * mendous seas breaking well outside the 1 Bay, found it impossible to got into the Bay at all, so had to put to sea > again and remained hove to under sail until 2 p.m. on 2“th. t‘>« sea running mountains high the whole time and threatening to engulf us at any mo- • uiei.it. The wind coming away from the 1 north, we decided to run for Open Bay j Island, arriving there before dark, where wo were sighted by .Mr Cuttance, Harbour Master tit Oktira. He afterwards informed me that during those j two days we were off Bruce Bay they had the heaviest seas lie has ever seen on the Okura, breaking completely .over ’ the outer hank into the river. On 2>t!i and 2!)th lay at anchor tiL the Island, when we were forced to leave, the wind then coming from north-east and blowing a gale, arriving at Jackson Bay at J -LUO p.m. On 30th, the weather broke tine with south-west winds, and by ( night the sea was comparatively calm. \Ye hove anchor at midnight and sailed \ tor Bruce Bay. The weatl-er was fine and clear with heavy frost and not the sign ot a cloud, although the barometer was falling rapidly. At ,'i a.m. on 31st, ran into a heavy hank from the north with rain and decided to turn again for Jackson Ihty, and after considerable trouble in finding anchorage, dropped anchor at 5.30 a.m. The weather was then thick rain and mist with northeast wind. On July 31st north-east gale, later hacking to north and west, with heavy sea. Tins continued for the whole week, making three complete circuits north-cast, then around to north and west to, finish the day at south-wo-1-and come away from north-east the following morning with renewed vigor. The barometer during this week was never higher than 29., and reached as low as 28.50. The weather was a mixture of rain, hail, sunshine, thunder and lightning, with heavy setts the whole time. On Aug. 7th at 1 a.m. hove anchor and sailed for Bruce Bay. Got outside Heads ami struck a tremendous heavy westerly sea. Tried to make Open Bay Island as the weather then looked fine and clear, although the barometer was very low, but as the seas were continuously breaking over us and we were iu plunger of losing all our deck cargo, decided to turn again for Jackson Bay, arriving at 5.30 a.m. At !) a.in. it started to snow, and at 10.30 tt.m. the whole country was white, the ship being covered with a white mantle in a depth of three inches. The weather cleared about It a.m... w'’en a howling south-west gale set- in, blowing continuously till the following morning. On the Sth at 10 a.m. hove anchor and again sailed for Bruce Bay, coil- 1 siderahle south-west sea running. \Yo ; only got about 8 miles on our journey when- we lost- a hearing oil the tail j shaft of the main engine, so decided to j continue under sail and one engine for Okura, arriving at 2 p.m., where we j received a hearty welcome, they having given us up its lost, having sent a young fellow into Jackson Bay to look ‘ for us, and ho coming hack and reporting no sign of vessel. Again our luck was out. Having , beached the vessel so as to get at the propeller, the tide tailed to go out tar. enough owing to the heavy setts washing the outer shingle hank into the river, making the channel so narrow leaving no gel away for the volume ol water in the lagoon. This left us no alternative hut to remove the cargo forward and dip her by the head which we successfully did on Aug. 10th. From Aug. Bnh j to i It'.i heavy gales from north-east to west with heavy rain. From 1-lth to 17L1 1 fine weather with heavy westerly ‘ sea. Left Okura on 17th lor Bruce Bay, C arriving at (i. 3() p.m. Started limiting j-i-itrgo next morning. There was heavy f rain till day and had to knock oil alter landings loads, owing to northerly swell setting in. On 19th, landed 9 more boat loads and had to move out, J the sea increasing with northerly gale towards midnight. Hove anchor and g made out- to sett, but later was Birred t to turn again for Open Ihiv Island, n our nearest shelter, 50 miles distant. \Ye arrived alter a considerable bulTeting til (5.30 a.ui. on 2()tli. On the 22nd, ' hove anchor and again sailed lor Bar- I inga and Bruce Bay, landing Paringa 0 cargo tiL 8 a.m. and finished landing j, Liiiee Bay at 3 p.m. We took in about n 100 sleepers and a little general cargo, j. and sailed for Hokitika at 10 p.m., arriving at mid-day on 23rd alter a trip 11 of 29 days in which time wo had done u over (itiO miles. The actual time lost over the trip ( Horn the day we loaded until the day we arrived hack amounted to 59 days. Bnus' Bay is only 81 miles from lloki- * tika, a run of 12 hours in favourable B weather, and had the landing been made, we could have got in and discharged on several occasions, as we can unload under two hours at a wharf, whereas under the present conditions, we require two days to unload our cargo and lake in a load of sleepers when the *■< weather is favourable, the Bay being wm kahle only in fair south-west weather, or when the sea is absolutely culm. The settlers informed me that p they had been reduced to pollard lor making bread, and several were getting u |Yw pounds of Hour overland by the mail man to mix with it. It is to he Imped that the settlers concerned hacked by their local representatives, will make a stir and get this _so much ] talked of landing under wav immediately, for which the sum of LI3OO has been voted. Until this is done, there will not he much pleasure or profit for either settlers or those that carry their pro- It visions for them. Ui