Yacht Undertakes Plucky Voyage

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 250, 12 January 1928, Page 16

Yacht Undertakes Plucky Voyage

MELBOURNE TO SYDNEY ACROSPIRE’S ADVENTURES Further private information has been received of the adventurous voyage of the yacht Acrospire 111, which sailed from Melbourne to Sydney to contest the inter-State race for the Sayonara Cup. After being several days overdue, the yacht, battered and storm-tossed, reached her destination carrying a wearied crew which had battled for a week against heavy seas during rainsqualls. Acrospire set sail from Melbourne at 9 a.m. on Boxing Bay. A day out the breeze freshened, and soon blustering squalls came down, making navigation at night a dangerous experience. It was decided to run for Gabo Island, and this light was picked up shortly before daybreak on the Wednesday. Continuing on, Acrospire came to Montague Island, where the yacht was becalmed for some hours. At night the crew sailed on with a light air, which came from various directions, and difficulty was encountered with the tide, which was running very fast. Ulladulla was reached early on Thursday morning, and all hands had a good sleep. Next day the voyage was resumed, and near Jervis Bay a strong north-easterly was picked up, and the crew was caused much hardship and anxiety. ROUGH WEATHER “A hard wind was blowing,” said Commander White, skipper of the yacht: discussing the voyage, “and on reaching Kiama at nightfall on Saturday wo would not risk entering the harbour in the dark. “We stayed out at sea. and put in nine wretched hours until daylight. The wind had dropped, leaving us pitching and tossing in a nasty sea. Everything was battened down as the waves were breaking over the yacht. One of the crew was nearly swept overboard, and we had a very anxious time. At daybreak the wind started up again, and we made Kiama. We stripped the boat of all the bedding and had a well-earned sleep. The southerlv gale swept along the coast while we were safely moored at Kiama. We left there at 7.30 o’clock Monday morning, and had a good southerly wind right up to Sydney Heads, which we reached at 2.20 p.m.” The Sayonara Cup race was subsequently won by the Auckland-built yacht ‘Bona, defending for Sydney, which beat Acrospire 111 by five seconds.