AN UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1112, 21 June 1913, Page 3

AN UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE.

AT SEA ALL NIGHT IN A “FLATTY.”

Fears were entertained yesterday morning for the safety of two local fishermen, Charles Small.and ! William Youngs .who had crossed the bar in a flat-bottomed boat at I ten o’clock the previous morning on a fishing expedition, and had not returned. The practice of crossing the bar in “flatties' is not an unusual one, as with fine weather conditions there is really ■no danger. When the men had not returned by yesterday morning it was feared that some mishap had occurred. It was thought that probably the Queen of _ the South, which sailed for Wellington. on Thursday evening, had picked the men up, and the captain of'the vessel was communicated with, but he replied that he had seen nothing of them. The anxiety felt, however, was relieved during yesterday morning when a telegram was received from them stating that they had landed safely at Paraparaumu and would return to Foxton that day. They arrived home sately last night. It appears that after they crossed the bar in the morning they went about five miles out and fished all day. At about four o’clock, the time at which in the ordinary course they would have returned, they found that on account ot the heavy sea on the bar it would be impossible to cross and also that beaching the-boat in the surf was out of the. question, as there was too much roll. They decided then to keep well out, and if possible, to make Kapiti. On arrival off Kapiti there was still a big roll on, and they could not beach the boat, and they sheltered under the island, putting in the time by fishing, waiting for the sea to moderate. After some time there, there being very little moderation in the sea running, they pulled further along the coast, eventually landing at Paraparaumu at 2,30 o’clock in the morning. At this time they had 80 schnapper on board, and also a few bundles of cod. The fishermen at Paraparaumu made them comfortable, and in the morning they sold their fish, which were sent to Wellington, and took the train as far as Shannon, returning to Foxton from there.

Altogether they had a very trying time, as the night was a very cold one, and had they not been very, experienced watermen the incident may have ended setiously.