SEA THRILLS.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 March 1925, Page 3

SEA THRILLS.

•BARQUE'S M'i:XTFUL VOYAGE ( hits DRIFTING ICEBERG. Voyages of the Gaithpool might well ’ form til© title of u new story of the nen. The Gaithpool, a line type ol tour-masted harque of 3000 tons, arrived in Melbourne last week to unload a cargo of American timber. The vessel capped an exciting voyage by occupying only l- hours to make the run from Cape Otway to AA illiamstown, a distance of 125 miles. Her sailing'time up the hay was only a few minutes longer than that occupita " by one of the Commonwealth Bay liners. ® To the south-west of Prince Edward Island, in the South Indian Ocean, t.ie Gartlipool hit a drifting icebeig head-on. Heavy rain was tailing at the time, and when the vessel freed herself it was found she was leaking badly. With the rigging all out of gear sirs remained at the mercy of wind and wave for 15 days, with all hands at work at the pumps. Finally, the Swedish steamer Oude.n appeared, and after a tow. of eight days, during which mountainous seas wei’e encountered, the disabled barque made Dur- - i ban where a seaman killed himself by falling from a spar. Three years ago the captain of the Gaithpool died during a wheat voyage from Adelaide to Falmouth. The next notable <• current© was the striking of a liurricane in the English Channel, whilst L travelling in ballast. Three steamships came to the rescue and towed the disabled vo-sel to Portsmouth. The following year the barque was dismasted off the Horn while on a coal voyage to the Ales Coast of 'America, and retreated to Monte Video for repairs. A second attempt to negotiate Cape Horn failed and after five weeks of buffeting and loss of canvas she completed ft voyage via the Cape of Good Hope and Australia, tb<? fI»U voyage occupyjug 523 days,

Further adventures included a month of adverse winds off the AAosi American coast, and the running ashore of the vessel on Santa Maria Island during a dense fog. Between Adelaide and Cape Otway, on the present voyage, she lost four topsails in o ne day. Amongst the crew are six apprentices, who have been at s~" continuously for 18 months, with the exception of Iff days,