The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-12-01
9SFOOT BOAT
FINISHES TRIP
AROUND WORLD
Speejacks Back at Mi
ami After IS, 000-Mile
Voyage Started a
Year Ago.
By Associated Press>

CBy Associated Press)
MIAMI, Nov. 30.-EScorted back to
/ American soil by a fleet Of welcome
which met her several miles out at sea,
| the 9Sfoot motor cruiser Speedjacks,
said to be the smallest boat to ever cir
| Gle the globe. slid safely to a dock here
| at noon today with her party Of adven-
| turers, headed by Albert Y. Gowan, her
| owner, Of Chicago, ending 35,e00-mils
voyage which began from Miami in Sep
TENDER, 1921.
At the dock the world wanderers re-
ceived a rousing ovation from half a
hundred friends, most of whom saw them
off on their conquest Of the seas more
than a year ago, and later were tend
cred Thanksgiving banquet at a hotel.
No Worse For Experiences.
Buffeted and tossed by storm and
gale, once a thousand miles from land
with scarcely enough gasoline to keep
one Of its motors running until It
reached a port, the sturdy little craft
showed not scar on its hull and not
once had its engines required more than
their everyday mechanical attention. Mr..
Gowan declared. And, save for many
sleepless nights in churning seas, when
1t was practically impossible to stay in
bunk, every member Of the .,riginal
party returned none the worse TOR their
experiences
IT wouldn't take five million dollars
for the trip, but I wouldn't make it
again for fifty Million" Mr.. Gowan
commented.
In the party, besides Mr.. Gowan, were
Mrs. Gowan, Captain F. H. Hogg, who in
1915 captained Princeton's football team;
Jack Lewis, who designed and superin-
tended the construction Of the boat: Ira
]. Ingrahm, photographer in chief; Ber-
nard Rogers, Of Chicago, guest; J. A.
Stirling, assistant engineer and wireless
operator; e. s. Brooks, assistant cngi-
neer and movie photographer; David
Williamson, mate and photographer:
Williams Saulby, steward, and Bert
Lindekins, chef.
Planned TWO Years Ago.
The trip was planned more than two
years ago by Mr.. Gowan, who is vice
president Of the Portland Cement Com
pany, but a licensed navigator as we'll.
It was his ambition first TO explore
hooks and crannies Of the world, inlets,
rivers and islands never before touched
except by canoes, and second to ira
verse the world in a boat less than q
hundred feet in length. with these
things in view he built the Speedjacks,
sparing no expense in making her the
most seaworthy craft possible.
The boat is said to have cost $500, 900,
and $4,000 was expended In QUILTING
the party. The Speedjacks weighs ii
tons; she has two 800 horsepower en-
gines, giving her a speed Of twelve and
a half knots an hour; she has a 17-foot
beam and draws only six feet Of water.
Her tanks carry enough gasoline for a
$500 mile trip. A sail to steady her in
rough seas and two machine guns for
emergency use were carried.
Headed For Panama.
After leaving Miami, the party head
ed for Panama and thence to Tahiti.
From there on to Samoa Island, Fiji Is
lands, New Guinea, Australia, Hermit
and Admiralty Islands, Madascar, Ban,
Singapore and Sumatra were touched.
visits being made at some Of them. Then
the journey was taken across the In
dian ocean for $500 miles with stop
at the Island Of Secychells for gasoline.
Through the Red Sea, 1000 miles to the
Mediterranean the party passed the
Suez canal and chugged into Cairo and
Alexandria.
Next visits were paid Athens, Naples.
Rome, Genoa, Monte Carlo. Nice, YER
satlles, Barcelona and Gibralter. Then
came the trip along the coast Of Africa
to the canary Islands and to Cape Verde,
and finally to San Juan, Porto Rico and
down and across to Miami.
Three times the Speedjacks was re-
ported lost, but each time turned out
to be only delayed by storms.
Always Went Ahead.
'"If we had taken the advice Of tried
mariners we would never have gotten
round" said Mr.. Gowan. God must
have been right behind US all the way.
Again and again we were told to wait
because we were striking places in the
hurricane season. But I always went
straight on and we always happened
lust happened-to skip away to safety
Just in time"
Seventy-three thousand gallons Of
gasoline were consumed during the trip
and 100, 600 feet Of film were taken.
The most interesting incident Of the
whole trip Mr.. Gowan said, was sea-
sick wedding aboard near Tahiti. A
man at Tahiti asked Mr.. Gowan to do
him a favor, which turned out to be q
marriage outside the three-mile limit,
because it was necessary to live year
in the island before being granted
license there.
1.-THE groom asked when the sea was
calmest," said Mr.. Gowan, land told
him between and s in the morning.
The ceremony was arranged for o'clock
A crowd accompanied the prospective
bride and groom and we sailed away to |
the three mile mark. Before we had |
reached 1t, the happy party had become |
81, seasick that the captain had to rush |
through the ceremony without waiting !
for answers OF the ring to be placed on |
the brides finger. When we returned |
1t took an hour and a half to get them |
off the boat"
Mr.. Gowan said that data, film and
other facts obtained on the trip would
be turned over to scientific institutions.
for New York where she VIII
TIA Nam Ynrlr Yacht club.