Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

-----<>------
YACHTING
CRUISE OF THE ZEPHYR TO PORT
LINCOLN.
Yachting is one of the most healthful, manly,
and enjoyable of recreations, and therefore we
are pleased that it is making such headway in
this colony as to promise to become a national
sport, a position which yachting has long held
in the old country. The expense of yachting
need not be very great, and for a little outlay
in this way, which would probably be made on
other less desirable and beneficial objects, plea-
sure at once pure and invigorating may be
obtained. The impetus which yachting has
received of late is largely owing to the interest
taken in the sport by the CoihmoSere of the
South Australian Yacht Olub (Mr. W. H.
Bundey, M.P.^ who is quite enthusiastic in his
attachment to v , . , . -
; ^'The sea, the sea, the1 open sea, '
, The blue, the fresh, thfr ever free.'
Upon the' completion qf Ins new yacht, the
Zephyr, Mr. feunaey made ttphia mind that he
would, take ra cruise round the. coast to Port
Lincoln soioon as releasedf rpm his Parliamen
tary duties.' 'As fheiast session drew td ariose
the. opportunity arrived, and on ^Saturday,
December 13 ? the 'Oommodoie started in his
handsome yacht, having on board three quests
ia addition to the^ sailihg MMi. (Mr. Oebrge
Simmpndfl),' and thetrew. It is our intention
toTgivean aocount'uf this cruise to ahowihati
whHst aidp' oa 'the -Eiver Murray at. this time
of; the year .may. not be i?erj4gre.eable$ a yacfit
: ing, exoursiqn- onf the watery aloiig pur . coast
may be attended' with the greatest possible en
joiymeTifc.''''' 'v;---'- -? ,-_? ??? ,-?';?? ??' - ; :
IThe Zephyr left the Semaphore Jetty at half
past 4 o'cTook in thet f evening with a light
breezefrom the north-eist, and shortly after day
light the. next morning she passed the wreck
of the Iron' King, near the Troubridge light
house. There being plenty of water, the
yicht was saiiad close ur/ to the Iron King,
when a fine iriew was obtained «f the ill-fated
vessel. Captain White was hailedj and in
formed that there rwere several ketches coming'
off t« him to lighter, .ajiS bringing hands to
assist him. :r^t'tnu'iiraB:ithe-iship';appe&ed.'
to be alntost upright,' and the only- damage
that could 4-'e seen, from a cursory glancewasj
that the rudder had be^n; carried. away. fShe
seemed to 4»;a beautiful barque ; And on bpard
the ;yacht there was a general expression of
regret that such; . an nntoward Wscideht' should
have - happened. -Great sympathy was felt for
the captain, 'a&d the 'melancholy produced by
hbmounfnl countenance!, was hardly dispelled
daring th^ 4ay.-.TheE wind ^continued, light
until Troubridge -Hill was., flighted,' wlieri the
little breeze theZfephyx hid previously had was
sfc much lessoned'thwt the -Obmmodore almost
despaired of making the Altharpes before dark;
However, towards afternoon, the - breeze
freshened, , and; between 5 ' and 6, o'clock
the Zephyr ? was ,abreast of them. At
this. 'time there were nd less .tban eight
sail in view. Ona was hailed— a ketph up
ward bound, and informed' of . the disaster to
the' lifon King,; ithe information being aocom
panied with sthe, suggestion that^t would be
advisable for the 'ketch to visit the wreck and
lighter. The roar of fee- Southern Ocean on
tjieiAlfehorpes and Cape Spencer was abound
new to some on board the Zephyr. It was
aj sound to hear anittmemberj^but in imagina
tion was heard ,'*h-Bc terrible grandeur of the
roar which must accompany a strong gale.
From the Althorpes, Wedge Island could be
seen some miles distante It4» well named, for
the, island is just, the shape, of a wedge.
Shortly after passinR : fee1 Althorpes the 'glass
suddenly fell, and' it was deemed advisable
to make preparation for the bight. The top
mast was housed, reef taken in the bowsprit,
as well'ias two reefs in the mainsail, and the
first jib was replaced by the storm jib. Know
ing that itucustilow very hard to produce dis
comfort with the yacht in its present trim,
those on board felt, perfectly .snug and safe.
Thesi preparations had haTjdly been completed
when the wind came down from tiie north, . -or ,
from :a Iktle to the east of north, and the
Zephyr ibowled along at & spanking rate. The
Dommodore continued Mb course for some
hours, tbut, : the: night .being very dark
the Sea Tunning high, : and the wind
increasing, and knowing that he must
be somewhere dn the neighborhood of reefs
that were justly described an dangerous,
it was, thought judicious, to lay to for the night,
which was accordingly' done. At daylight it
was found that the Zephyr was about ^fifteen
miles from the land. The wind having died
away almost to a calm, the reefs were shaken
out, .and. all canvas put on even to the gaff
topsail. In about aniiour and a half Oape Don
nington was passed, and under the lee of
BoBtbn Island the yacht Weat through one of -
the splendid entrances into the harbor of Port
Lincoln. ,
Few South Australians whs have not seen
'this harbor can form the slightest idea of its
: natural beauty and grandeur, of its extent, or
of its capabilities, and the impression produced
oh the minds of the yachtsmen '«s the magnifi
cent spectaole gradually unfolded itself was that
the scenery -before them was unequalled in the
colony. Boston Island, take it from whatever
point of view you may, forms a picture that
cannot fail to elicit admiration. Scarcely had
the harbor proper been -entered before a squall
came off the land from the north that threa
tened for a moment almost to take the mast
out «f the vessel, and in consequence sail was
reef ed in double quick time. The wind was
very |baffling, and no less than 'three times
had the canvas to be ' altered : before the
jetty opposite- the township of Port Lin
coln oouM'be made. The .Zephyr was anchored
within easy distance of the jetty, in. four
fathoms of water, which was as smooth as a
mill-pond.- The township is picturesquely
situated, and, as a background, his a range of
hillS'Of medium height, but the township can
not be said to. have a striking appearance.
Several of the buildings, however, have evi
dently been, erected in contemplation of a
much larger business than appears ? to be
done at present. The hotels have large and
spacious apartments, .and possess more accom
modation than a short acquaintance would lead
one. to suppose was required. Feeling tired,
none of. the' party went on shore till Tuesday,
but a bag of ' 350 oysters was obtained
for 13s. ' These oysters a short time before
had been in their bed atOqrfin's Bay, whence
they axe brought overlaid,' a distance of 20
miles, during the night in* bullook-drays, and
deposited in beels provided for them in the
water near the township, from which they are
raised as required for consumption or for ship
ment to the metropolis. On 'Tuesday morning,
the weather having charigea: and become de
lightfully cool, with a strong south-west wind
blowing, the patty went ashore and 'did' .the
township. Some of the- inhabitants who came
off to inspect the yaoht having .reported that'
fine sport could be had on an island seven or
eight miles up the Bay, the Commodore invited
them to take a trip in the Zephyr to the island
referred to. The generous invitation was ac
cepted, and in the afternoon the craft was got
finder weigh. In a short time she was anchored
alongside Biokera's Island. Two of the party,
with their breechloaders, landed, and in a very
short period had bagged a sufficient number of
rabbits to supply soup, currie, Ac, for all on
board for* day .or two. Others proceeded to
fish for. sdh&apper- off a point of the island, but
only one or two. fish were caught. ' The party,
returned to Port Lincoln before sundown. O*
the sucqeeding '.morning the. steamer Lubra,
from Adelaide, -made -her appearance, %nd it
wa* really surprising the number xif people who
appeaced on. jfche jetty and in the townshio as
soon as the steamer hoviejn sight. , Thearriyal
of the steamer from Adelaide is 'the great event
in- tha' lives of: the people of Port Lfiiooln, and
as itpcpurs every fortnight it forms a pleasing*
break in what would otherwise.: be a somewhat
monotonous existence. .? Later in the day. a sup
-ly of bread was procured, and^he local bak«r
deseryed credit for tbe quality of the article.
'Witti this provision, some fresh meat, and other
necessaries, the Zephyr started for another i
island, some distance up the Bay, known as
Grantham Island,; where the yachtsmen were
informed there was an abundance of rabbits, and
where other sport was also obtainable. They
anchored for the night tinder its lee in three
and a half fathoms of water, and almost
within a stone's throw of the shore.
Early the next morning a novel spectacle
met the view. Along the bank of the island as
far as the eye could see were rabbits of all
shadeB of color. The party soon landed and
were rather astonished to find that It was much
more difficult, to bag the animals than they had
imagined. Thin was in consequence of the
island being covered with mallee and other
scrub. The instant the rabbits saw the sports-
man they disappeared under cover, where it was
impossible to follow them with effect. One of
the party, in following a rabbit into the scrub,
suddenly came apon a magnificent bird, which
turned out to be a native pheasant. It un
fortunately rose at too great a distance for
the sportsman to be able to bring it down,
although both barrels of his rifle were,
dischargod in quick succession. It was really
an exciting sight to see the carriage of this
bird, both before and after it rose, when it
soared majestically away. As many rabbits
having been killed as it was thought could be
consumed within a reasonable period, the party
amused themselves by lassoing penguins, and
setting them in the water racing. Those who
know the habits of penguins will be aware of
the amusement they will afford to the unini
tiated; by the immense speed at which they
travel under water. An incautious yachtsman
put his hand down into the water for the pur
pose of taking a penguin out. The result was
that a large piece was taken clean out of the
fleshly part of the hand. This highly intellec
tual amusement was not continued for any
lengthy period; but this yacht was got under
weigh for Spalding Cove— another part of this
beautiful and extensive Bay.
It was a general expresilon qf opinion on th?
part of the, yachtsmen that It was a thousand
pities' this place, could not have' been made fhe
port of South A-ustralia,- as it would have given
the colony a reputation throughout the world, -
for the fleets of all nations could simultaneously
in this land-locked harbor- find safe and' ample
anonorage. , nut cne party Knew tnat tne barren
and unprofitable nature of ^he adjacent country :
rendered that quite impracticable. At Spalding ;
Cove the yachtsmen went ashore on the bard
sandy beach in hopes of finding nautilus shells,,
but they could .only find broken shells— none,
perfect. 'Whilst some of the parity were on
shorB1 obtaining wood, for fuel, thoae- on board
threw *ut a shark- hook baited, and before long
a shark was captured, which was found to mea-r
sure 3 feet ©inches in girth. Itoiead and jaw-;
bone were dissected and preserved as trophy/.
It should be- mentioned that during the second
day of ihe yacht's stay at Port liincolii, two of
the party very incautiously bathed.* Within
half an hour afterwards a sharkT was harpooned
US feet long. Efforts were made to secure the
monster by means of a bowline; I hut it
struggled »o that the harpoon was Bent and
the hook , torn through the 'flesh, 'and 'thus'
escape ' effected ; but before a quarter --f i&x
hour- passed a still* larger shark was swimming
round, tile yacht: It is the height of folly, if
not worse, to bathe in deep water In this Bay,
for it abounds with these monsters. On
Friday mbrning the Commodore' took ? the
Zephyr back to Port loncolnfor supplies, and
then went . on to Happy Valley for water.
Here there is a splendid spring, which rises. up
through tbe sand within a few feet of the
salt water, and is at times covered by the tide.'
Several of the party took advantage of the
opportunity Jo have a goad wash in fresh,
water— a luxury, not -easily obtainable, , on,
board , a small craft. , Not -r being able, to .bV- .
tain allthe supplies required .till about ^aHAi ,
day on Saturday, the Zephyr remained at 'Port
Lincoln uhtiirthen, when ttft yachtsmen again ;
ran down to Bickers'a Island, i shooting - few;
rabbits tmd -catching some fish as a final supply ,
btfore departure, , Whilst .'fishing,*, jakd ioat .
after , hooking a. 'medium size shaA; a really
frightful brute, cameto the surface of the water. -
Being some 39' or 40 yards from the vessel, it
was impossible to ascertain its exact sizs, but r
it appeared to be fully 20 feet long. The
motion of its tail and the contortions of its
body were something quite exciting to witness..
Whether it was this same one or another can
not be said, but within a few minutes a
monster made itself fast. Unfortunately, iow- 1
ever, only for a short time, for. it pulled out a
rope held by four men as easily as if a child;
oaly were holding it, and succeeded in freeinjg
itself from 'the hook. The Commodore look the
yacht up to Spalding Oove for the night; and '
the following day, Sunday, was-spent m- a day
of rest. . : .
On Monday merning, at daylight, the Zephyr
was got under weigh for the return trip. . After ,
clearing Cape Donnington she ran close under;
the iee of SchoapperBpok, the party intending,
if possible, to procure some sohnappefs f or con
sumption on the homeward voyage. They were-
all wondering whether or not fbh could be 6b
tained, as aheavytide was running, but doubt was
very soon removed by the appearance of schnap-J
pers on the surface of the water, endeavoring;
:to obtain possession of the skull and -jaw-bone^
of the shark already spoken of, whioh were
being towed at the stern of the boat to cleanse:
them. line and bait were hastily procured,
and in a very short time a splendid lot of fish'
was obtained— enough to last double the num
ber of. people for twice the length of the
homeward voyage. One of the sohnappers was
. as pure a' golden fish as any to be seen in aqua
riums. TheyachtsmenthenboreawayjforDanger
. ous Beef, the place where they Jindeiatood thsr«t
would be any amount of * sport in the way
of seal-hunting. Bxoitemtnt on the sub
ject ran high, as, with, one exception, none
of the party had seen seals in their native ele-:
ment, and his experience was not of -that oha-.
raoter 4o .give hisfriends particular confidence
in their ability to capture. these animals, inas-'
much as ihe only seal he had seen and tried' to
capture rushed' at him and : unoomforlably
tumbled Mm over.- Great preparations had
been made for the contemplated battue. . The
Commodore .was furnished with a staff of
mallee, such as may be supposed Goliath of
Oath wielded. There was great talk as ' to
what was going to be done, and much pride
taken in the sticks with which the whole of
the .party were armed, no amount of labor
being considered too much to devote to
trimming them up.' The yacht went spinning
along, and in a short time the reef appeared in
sight, and they were ther«. , The dingy was
lowered, and four of the party, who were to do
battle with the seals, jumpedjnto her. With
one hand the sealers had to keep the dingy off
the .rocks, for, in consequence of the surf,
landing was by no means; an easy matter. : As
they. approached the rooks an exciting picture
revealed itself. The rocks were literally covered
with hundreds and hundreds of seals. ; One
enormous sealion seemed determined to dispute '
their rig^t to land, but on a shot being fired, it
made a sudden dive into the'water. ' The {rnsh
of , these animals into the water could only be
compared to -the sudden stampede of a lot? of :
sheep. The roar of the surf, the barking and'
splashing of the seals all around, the screaming
of the seabirds, with the spice of personal
danger, combined to make the occasion exciting
in. the extreme. ' /
A landing was effected without accident of
any kind, and at once a rush was made to com
mence the execution. Unfortunately foi some of
the party they had ptft on large seaboots, so that
if it became necessary to defend themselves by
kicking, their kicks should be felt, but on
gong on the rocks, they found them as slippery
as glass, the surface being, as it were, enamelled
through constant contact with the slime, on the
peals. In consequence, it was almost impos
sible for the members of the party so equipped
to keep a safe footing. The Commodore, at-j-*d
with the staff previously mentioned in his rigit .
hand and his gun in : the other, was making
strenuous efforts to overtake one of the a&i- .
mals, when he thought sucoess was about to be
h^s. . From the brow of one of the rocks which
overlooked a large pool- of water the Com
modore made a swinging blew at, and missed,:
the head of a saaL The blow not- meet
ing, with the .anticipated resistance, Mr..
Bmidey went head-foremoflt into the water,
scratching indelible marks on the well-kept
baneh of. ihe breechloader, , and, barking +he
.Commodore's shins, with the additional plea
vflure of a very complete ducking; ' Luckily,{a
!f riend was at hand, and without loss of time
gave the seal his quietus. The result of calling
at the rock was that 22 seals were killed. After
the execution the skinning began, which, with
'blunt penknives, was found to foe by no means
an easy task. It occupied so much time that
only six skins could be taken off; and as it .was,
it was well on in the afternoon before the
sealers were again on board. The bow of the
yacht was then turned towards Thistle Island, a
considerable distance to windward, and the
yachtsmen were afraid they should hardly be
able to make it before daylight ' disappeared,
but, as it turned out, the island was reached a
considerable time before dark. Thistle Island
has a very imposing appearance from seaward;
On the 'northern side the cliffs are probably
.from TOO W 800 feet in height. The object in
. visiting 'this island was to obtain nautilus shells,
and the party were fortunate, enough to pro
cure seven of these beautiful and rare marine
curiosities. The Zephyr, got under weigh at
dark, and on, clearing the land a strong
swell was experienced from the Southern
Ocean, accelerated by & stiff- breeze.
Under the circumstances it was decided not to
: make the Althorpes till the morning, and so the .
' yacht lay-tofof a considerable time. When the
day dawned the Commodore found himself some
distance te~ the. south of the Althorpes, the wind
being veryiigh'tj but, the weather having a Borne
whafldir^ appearance. Troubridge: was made
about 7 o'clock in the- evening, the Zephyr
again passing close to . the .wreck of ' the
Iron IKlng.. The party were much grieved
vb the change ' which' ' had takers -' place'
since their previous visit. The noble verael
now presented 'the appearance of a com-'
plete wreck; \ The yachtsmen also- saw ~ the
South Australian beating to . the westward
.with every stitch of canvas set, Vatfd had an op.:
portunityof witnessing her 'stay' some little
distance from the lighthouse. It was a fine
sightj especially to those fond of nautical dis
plays. To Bach, a vessel in the trim indicated Is
: '*AthingH)f beauty, and a, joy forever.'
The yacht lay to off the Port Adelaide Light
house till daylight, and at. 5 o'clock she was
'made fast to her moorings in the Port. Thus
terminated a most enjoyable cruise.. Amor©
pleasurable: way rof spending a holiday can
harder he imagined. In every particular the
excursion wm a succera, and whilst this fact is
*a source- of gratification to the worthy Commo
dore, Tiiff gratification would be largely, in
creased by the knowledge that the account of
his trip had had the. effect of augmenting the
number of yachtsmen in South Australia.
{ It may be stated that the foregoing narrative
has' been written- from particulars obtained by
us from one of the gentlemen on board .the
Zephyr, who has very pleasing reminiscences of
thecruise,: -; , .,.:.'
$