THE LONG VOYAGE HOME

New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 434, 17 October 1947, Page 32

THE LONG VOYAGE HOME

Recording the Pamir’s Departure

7 ais to HEN it came to making recordings of the departure from Wellington of the barque Pamir, for London the other day, a party of NZBS technicians and an announcer was faced with a, problem. The ideal way was to take the portable recording apparatus on board the ship, and make the discs as she sailed up*the harbour, but Captain H. S. Collier, master of the Pamir, explained that ‘there would be a risk. Transhipping the gear and the party from the vessel to the tender would not be easy, and he could hardly be expected to heave-to after waiting some days for a favourable wind. But if they liked to chance a trip round the Horn... So the recordings of the departure were made from the Beacon Hill signal station, where there was an uninterrupted view of ‘the ship as she sailed: to the Heads. ‘The recordings were made for use as part of the Aid to Britain campaign which the NZBS is assisting with radio publicity. Sailor in Battledress . The announcer knew quite a lot about steamships, but not so much about sailers, so he was provided with a chart of the ship’s sails, drawn for the occasion by Captain P, S, Peterson, Har-bour-master at Wellington. At Beacon Hill the radio party was joined by a young soldier, with a row of ribbons on his battledress blouse, who talked knowingly about fore t’gallamts, spankers, and so on. He turned out to be Jack Langdon, now of Linton Camp, but formerly of the Pamir’s crew. He

had sailed in her to San Francisco and back in 1944. It took 85 days to get there and 52 to come back to Wellington, he told The Listener. "Would you like to be on her now?" we asked. "It's a lovely life, but it’s good te stand here and watch her for a change, She looks better from the signal station than from the fore-royal." "What is the best time of the year to sail round Cape Horn?" "There's no good time--Two-Gun Pete (Captain Collier) will tell you that. But . she'll make a good trip; he likes toe crack on sail." The Captain Interviewed The Pamir had left the wharf a little before 11.0 a.m.; by mid-day she was abreast of the signal station and by 1.30 p.m. she was disappearing from sight around Pencarrow Head, presenting a sight familiar enough to readers of New Zealand illustrated papers, but one that few people to-day are fortunate enough to see in reality. Before the Pamir sailed recordings were made of interviews with the captain, his wife (who is accompanying him), the cook, and two members of the crew, The load" ing of the prosaic cargo of tallow, wool and hides was the occasion for another piece of descriptive recording. A short-wave radio has been installed on the Pamir to keep her in touch with New Zealand, either direct or by relay, for as long as possible during the voyage. It is hoped to receive a radio message every Friday, telling of the ship’s progress and giving news of any interesting events during the preceding week,