The voyage of the Golden Lotus
by Clifford, Brian and Illingworth, Neil
pub by John de Graff, NY,1962 - and A.H. and A.W. Reed, Wellington, New Zealand - isbn (none) LCCN = 63003666 Acknowledgments p.9 - - Black and White photos - sketch maps - endpapers whole voyage map - - Chronology p.222 - - Appendix p.223 - - Total 224 p.
This is the story of a young man who grew up in and around small boats on the North Island of New Zealand. He worked in the Merchant Marine for a number of years, thinking about having a cruising boat of his own. He decided on having a Chinese Junk built in Hong Kong. To deliver it home to New Zealand he filled in a crew with his younger brother, and 2 friends who he had known since young childhood.
They took a steamer to Hong Kong and became involved with the last weeks of the building of their 35 ft. 3 masted 35 ft. junk. Communication with the head of the shipyard was interesting in that he did not speak English and they did not speak Chinese. Nontheless they got along well.
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It is the story of Brian Clifford who was a professional seafarer who grew up on North Island and had a childhood in and around small boats. He became a professional on commercial vessels and decided to have a "yacht" built of a traditional design. He settled on a Chinese Junk. It was built in Hong Kong and launched in 1961. He collected his younger brother and 2 friends for crew. They sailed to Singapore (stayed December - January 1962) then went on to Christmas Island then sailed to Christmas Island and along the southern shore of Java to Timor then Thursday Island and down inside the Great Barrier Reef to Sydney. From there they sailed across the Tasman Sea arriving home in Auckland in 30 August 1962. The Golden Lotus arrival was widely celebrated. Brian Clifford went back to working on commercial ships.
This is a delightful narrative - from 1962, when the world had concerns much different from what we now have in 2019. - Well worth reading.
~2019-05-21~

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