The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-01-14
Il. O00MILE TRIP
IN 40 FOOT
VESSEL
Recent Voyage Of Second Officer
of Steamer Belmont Was a
Record Breaker.

for Europe on the west side of Com.
manlancia wharf has had many excit- !
ing experiences in the course of some (
thing over twenty years of service
on the high seas, but none is more in
teresting or, from landsman's stand.
point, more fraught with danger, than
a voyage he recently made from
Brighton, England, to Cape Town,
Africa, in a little 40 foot ketch of 81
tons register. accompanied by a sin
gle companion. The vessel was the
smallest that ever made the long
trip.
Captain Napier, who is a tall,
rather heavy. sun tanned, hearty and
whole souled mariner of about "a
years OF age, was seen aboard the
Belmont a day or so ago by a repre-
sentative of The Journal, and told
the story of his remarkable voyage
of over ten thousand miles through
the mid-Atlantic. Incidentally Mr..
Napier exhibited the log book of the
voyage ana an album containing
newspaper clippings relative to the
trip. photographs and numerous orig
inal sketches which he made during
the trip, the latter showing him to be
an artist of no mean ability as well
as a dauntless sailor. After some urg-
ing TO spin the yarn of his long and
lonesome journey Mr.. Napier squared
away substantially as follows:
Mr.. NaPper's Story. !
In my experience as a deep sea
sailor | have visited nearly every port
of any size in the world and. during
voyages to the Australian coast
learned of a pearl reef that had never
been worked and determined TO fit.
out a vessel and make the voyage to
the west coast of Australia accom-
panied: by an experienced pearl diver,
locate the reef and then form syn
dicate to work il. At that time
mother of pearl as well as the pearls
themselves were high and / felt sure
that there was a fine opportunity to-
made a goodly fortune in the business.
With this object | bought an open
center-board boat and had It almost
entirely rebuilt into 42-foOt ketch
which I named Brighton The lit
tie vessel had a IL foot beam, was
OF tons, and / had small cabin
built on her. large enough for myself
and j. L. LangfoTd, an experienced
peaTl diver, who accompanied me on
the voyage
A Rough Voyage.
I'VE were one hundred and FIVE
days sailing from Brighton to Cape
Town, and in that time passed
through a number of hard blows, in
one Of which we lay-to for "a hours
with sea anchor out and oil bags III
use to keep the big waves from break
! ing completely over the vessel. About
one thousand miles from Cape Town
we lost the rudder in a storm and
made that distance steering entirely
with the sails After leaving st. Vim
cent we found a small cOlOred boy
stoweI away on board and he finished
the voyage to the cape with us.
IF it hadn't been for losing our rud-
( der we wouldn't have put in to Cape
/ Town, but would have rounded the
| Cape of Good Hope and sailed direct
| IN across the Indian Ocean for the
vest coast of Australia, but had to
put in there for repairs.
Stopped at Cape Town,
Soon after reaching the cape a
slick looking gentleman came aboard
/ the ketch and, after saying that nc
UNDERSTOOD my destination was the
pearl fisheries of Australia asked Ii
! | would consider proposition to stay
there providing l could do better
| than it was possible for me to do if
II followed my original plans. He
/ then made a proposition to prospect
/ for pearl reefs along the south Afri-
can coast, saying that he would form
/ a syndicate and raise all the money
necessary to equip a feet of pearling
/ vessels and operate them If we would
| locate the reefs. / talked the matter
over with my shipmate and, as the
D, OPPOSITION looked all right, decided
| to take him up. The result was al
agreement by which we were to pros
meet along the coast Of South Africa.
! ha to furnish all funds necessary,
islve us a certain interest in the syn
dictate. and relieve us from all liabil-
jitv. I made this last stipulation as
/ I didn't want to lose my boat, desir
I ing to continue the voyage to Austria
liza and follow the original plans if
/ the South African scheme proved a
| failure.
A Grand Rascal.
This fellow secured subscriptions
! from wealthy men at the cape
amounting to So, 900 lbs. ($44O.OOOl and
! lived in the highest style while we
were prospecting. For a time all
went we'll and our supplies came
regularly. but eventually we ran out
and being a little suspicious by that
time set sail for the cape. Upon ar.
irving there we found the rascal had
cleared out, taking the money with
him. ana, although he had been pur-
sued far into the Hottentot country.
he was not caught.
81 had consid cradle trouble get
ting out of the mess. but finally did
Sc. selling the ketch TO pay my indi.
vidual debts and then went to work
to raise enough money to get back
tc. England in good shape. reached
there eventually, and soon afterward
shipped on the Belmont, this being
my first trip aboard of her.
.sYes j some day intend TO mt out a
vessel and sail for the pearl fisheries