INTREPID VOYAGERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 December 1921, Page 10

INTREPID VOYAGERS.

ROUND THE WORLD TRIP. VESSEL A MOTOR-Y-ACH’x Travelling round the world in a motor-yacht, but breaking their voyage at Papeete, so that they might pay a three weeks’ visit to New Zealand, are Mr. and Mrs. Albert Y. Gowen, of Cleveland, Ohio. They arrived in Wellington on Monday by the Tahiti, and will shortly visit Auckland and Rotorua. Speaking to an interviewer in Wellington, Mr. Gowen stated that his doctor had advised him that he needed a long rest and a complete change of air and scene. He, therefore, built the motor-yacht for a trip round the world, no motor-boat having yet circumnavigated the globe. The Speejacks, as it is called, cost £40,000 to ' £50,000 to build. It is 98ft. long by 17ft. beam, has a draught of 7ft., and is propelled by two 250 horse-power gasoline motors. The vessel is well appointed, and is, probably, the most complete motoryacht ever built, being equipped with a refrigerator, electric light, and every other convenience. “Starting from Cleveland a month or two ago,” said Mr. Gowen, “we drove the motor-boat through the Great Lakes, the Erie Canal, and the Hudson River to New York. Thence we proceeded through the Panama Canal for Tahiti and the South Sea Islands. As we wanted to see New Zealand, we left the yacht at Papeete, and came over on the Tahiti, sending the yacht on to Suva.” It is the visitors’ intention to sail from Auckland on the Tofua about De cember 10, for Suva. Rejoining the yaent •there, they will go .to Sydney, afterwards visiting Brisbane and Thursday Island. Java, and then the Philippine Islands, China, and Japan. They will next make through the Malay Straits to India, and via Suez Canal to the Mediterranean. They intend to touch at several ports -jn Southern . Italy and Franco, at Gibraltar; and, making 1 hence to the Azores, thev will cross ihe Atlantic to New York, and so to their starting point again. "We expect the trip will take about a year and a half in all.” said Mr. Cowen. “We have a crew of seven men on the boat. Mrs. Gowen, myself, and •one guest. We have a cinematograph camera aboard to take a moving picture record of our journeying--: and wo are also collecting ’ historical and s.-jeniilie ihi’.-rm ion i -u’ a number of institutes jji America.”