The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-06-08


The schooner yacht Lurline which,
as many will remember, passed three
weeks in Honolulu harbor in April and
later sailed for the Marquesas under
command of its captain, navigator and
ov ner. Henry H. Sinclair of Los An
ge!es was announced by cable two
days since as having successfully ar
rived at Papeete, Tahiti. News now
comes to hand in a letter to T. W.
Hebron of this city, giving more de-
tails of an eminently satisfactory trip
in which the Lurline acquitted herself
as a fast and gallant vessel making
one star run of 24o miles in the TWEEN
ty-four hours. Captain Sinclairs son
recently came through on the Sonoma
on his way to join his father at Page
Page.
The trip was made to the Marquesas
in seventeen days, considerably better
than the average passage. The Lurline
had light, fair winds for the first three
days. having stayed in Honolulu dur
ing the southerly winds, sailing out
the day the trades came, and was
nearly becalmed under the lee of Molo-
kai and again Hawaii. Then she
caught the northeast trades strong and
with "a full sheet and a flowing sea
and a wind that followed fast" made
for the equator which Captain Sinclair
planned to cross at about 1873 w.
Standing UP for this set the yacht
rough she did not make very much
progress until the day the line was
crossed in 139 degrees. From here the
breezes blew E. S. E. and so continued
until Nuba Hiva was reached.
No doldrums. so usual in those latf-
tudes. were met with but to the con-
trary a succession of heavy squalls
both north and south of the line neces-
sta ted the occasional use of a double
reef in the mainsail while one day
found them down to three reefs in the
mainsail two in the foresail and car
rying fore staysail. the shortened
sail more due to the heavy seas than
the wind
Taio Haze he describes as a very
beautiful bay about two miles deep and
a quarter to half a mile wide, very
easy of access. Five days were spent
on the island of Nuba Hiva exploring
on horseback and catching interesting
glimpses of native life.
From the harbor of Taio Haze to
Papiete consumed three days and
eighteen hours. a distance of about
eight hundred miles. and during eleven
hours of this time the Lurline was
almost hove to crawling along under
and mainsan to allow of
passing the Paumoto Islands in the
day time. It was on this portion of |
the voyage that two hundred and forty |
miles were logged in twenty-four |
hours carrying no gafftopsails and for |
less than half the day one jib topsail ,
and main topmast staysail so that the |
Lurline, even at this clip, was not !
being forced. This made the best |
days run of the Lurline since Mr.
Sinclair has owned her and probably /
during time she has been in commits
sion.
A day on the run might have been
gained had not the southeast trades
been found to be more nearly z. S. E.
| combination which, if known before
land. would have prevented Captain
Sinclair from standing so far to the
in expectation of their blow
ng in the usual direction. He de-
;cribes Tahiti as a beautiful island
With a fine harbor.
Al the time the letter was written
ii Papiete Tahiti, on May the sew
nth. Mr.. Sinclair intended visiting
Ioorea and Riatea, two islands Of the
group on the fourteenth. leaving the
after place about the twenty-fourth
or Page Page where Sinclair Junior
vas TO meet the boat.
The trip will not, as a first intended.
axe in Japan but after leaving Sa-
noa. the Marshall and Caroline groups
will be visited and Honolulu reached
,nce more about September I. The
-.urline is a schooner yacht Of some
forty tons and was originally the
property OF Mr.. Spreckels from whom
.Ir. Sinclair purchased her
Her voyage to the South Seas win
,e of more than local interest as that
,art of the Pacific has not been much
by pleasure craft especially
# the tonnage Of the Lurline and her