CHEATED THE TUGS

Hokitika Guardian, 4 November 1931, Page 6

CHEATED THE TUGS

WINTERHUDE AT SYDNEY. 82 DAYS FROM CALLAO. SYDNEY, October .23. A thrill of bygone days, before steam? and • oil-burning vessels routed the majestic sailing ships Prom the shipping roads, was given Sydney.this week with the arrival of the Finnish barque Winterhude. Ordinarily her arrival here would have aroused little comment, hut lor the fact. that she was 82 days out of Gafiicj, on a run which usually takes bbtween 40 and 50 days. Some anxiety concerning her safely was expressed more than three weeks ago, when she had not been reported by any of the vessels that might have been expected to cross her path.

At that time, too, the various tug companies scented the. battle. They made • preparations for a long, lucrative tow, and each day the deep-sea tugs ploughed through Sydney Heads and covered a wide sweep in the hope of picking up the Winterhude. It is many months since a tow of any magnitude fell to the lot of any of the companies, an ( l the competition, in addition to being of the keenest variety, was, reported from day to day in the newspapers, and a mused considerable public interest and

So much interest was aroused that several false reports of the vessel were made from various parts of thy: coast . ..and one or two of these sent the rival tugs racing miles up and down, the coast on wild-goose chases. The-iomantic aspect was kept tip until the last, for the Winterhude sailed into Sydney Harbour under her own canvas, with not a tug in sight, at 5 o’clock on Tuesday morning. It .is .’estimated by shipping men that had the barque been picked up at sea, with only one tug in attendance, it might have cost the master anything up to £250. As it was, she was picked up inside the Heads, and the first and subsequent towages in # the harbour will yield, probably, not more than £BO or £9O. The Winterhude, which is one of the Gustav Erikson fleet of 20 sailers, is engaged transporting wheat from Australia to-Europe, and after docking in Sydney goes to Adelaide to Toad. Her master, Captain Carlson, who, is under 30, was amused that there should have been so much worry. They struck many spells of calm', he said, and these, in addition to-some particularly heavy weather, lengthened their journey. Nevertheless, they had still 30001 hs of flour in the larder, and at least one live pig.