Chapter 38

In Napier, NZ we bid our Vellamo II goodbye. The town was in recovery from the earthquake. The earthquake struck at 10:47 am on 3 February, killing 256 people. We were there in September, the beginning of summer.

One of the more saddening stories of the quake was the near total destruction of the small ship yard and the deaths of its principal investors and staff. There was a nearly completed steel hulled schooner, launched but still fitting out when the quake struck.

It was sitting in the mud of the Ahuriri Estuary tidal basin and had been written off as a total loss by the insurers. The looters hadn’t gotten around to scavenging it yet.

I approached the town council with an offer, it was realized that the boat would soon become an eyesore and my offer was accepted with stipulations of speedy removal.

We rented the last tugboat in Napier, proceeded up the outfall and waited for the predicted spring high tide. Two and half meters of reasonably fast moving water flooded the estuary and the tidal basin.

The tug boat, standing in the outfall channel, with chains hooked to the steel ships docking bitts, began backing and filling. Tug ... tug ... tug on and on and on. The action of the back and forth motion broke the suction of the mud. The mud mixed with the incoming tide.

The boat began to rock side to side ... the tips of the masts were increasing in their arc side to side. When the very last of the spring tide was in the arc exceeded 22 degrees from vertical side to side.

The small ships diesels ... twins ... were started and the now very liquid mud of the estuary allowed forward progress. The main outfall channel was only 20 yards away and the sailboat forced its way into the channel. The tug pulled her over the bar and into the harbor.

I paid the tug owner. We motored to the only remaining Texaco diesel fueling station, filled up and motored out of the bay and around to Auckland. We already had the ownership papers for the yacht but I was sure the city fathers would find some way to bilk us of more money ... it was too easy removing the boat.

The first mile in open water, we had left a grey streak as the clean ocean water flushed the estuary mud out of the cooling passages in the Atlas-Imperial 6ES668 six cylinder inline diesels.

Upon arrival in Auckland, we visited with the sailmaker; Andressen, Ltd. The sails were ready to ship, Andressen was awaiting developments. Everything had been paid for when ordered. Picking them up at the sail loft saved us freight.

Vellamo III was one hundred, eighteen and .87 hundredths feet long, length over-all, twin 240 horsepower diesels geared through Fairbanks Morse marine transmissions powering right and left wheels. She was of all welded steel and intended to be a combination ... passengers and freight.

Accommodations for 18; three dual occupancy first class staterooms and twelve singles. Bermuda rigged, and four crew plus a cook and helper. Three officers, captain, mate and chief engineer.

By no means huge, she wasn’t small; the bowsprit, 12 feet of length made her LoD, 106 feet. She was, however the biggest thing I had ever sailed.