'PUFFIN' AND TWO JOURNALISTS BEFORE BETTING OFF IN MAY; INTERVIEW WITH DESIGNER, MUDIE. (SOF)



TRANSCRIPT



MUDIE: "WHAT ONE TRIES TO DO IS TO MAKE THE BOAT EITHER SELF-RIGHTING OR RIGHTABLE. 'PUFFIN' WAS SELF-RIGHTABLE WITH CERTAIN CONDITIONS OF BOUYANCY BAGS PUT IN PLACE FOR THE BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS. BUT IN ANY CASE SHE IS SELF-RIGHTABLE. IN OTHER WORDS, THE CREW COULD BE RIGHT THE BOAT."



REPORTER: IN NORMAL CONDITIONS I BELIEVE THE CREWMEN ON THIS TYPE OF ADVENTURE ARE ATTACHED TO THEIR BOAT BY A LIFELINE. DO YOU KNOW IF THESE TWO WERE?



MUDIE: "I KNOW IT WAS THE INTENTION THAT THEY SHOULD ALWAYS BE ATTACHED TO THE BOAT BY LIFELINE. ONE ALWAYS SUSPECTS THAT PEOPLE GOING TO BED SOMETIMES UNTIE THEIR LIFELINES AND THIS MIGHT BE A REASON WHY NO LIFELINES WERE SEEN."




Initials MM/V/JF/GLH



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: THE ROWING BOAT 'PUFFIN', IN WHICH TWO BRITISH JOURNALISTS WERE ATTEMPTING TO ROW THE ATLANTIC, WAS FOUND YESTERDAY, (SATURDAY), FLOATING, EMPTY, IN MID-OCEAN, BY A CANADIAN WARSHIP. NO TRACE HAS BEEN FOUND OF THE TWO MEN, WHO BEGAN THEIR VOYAGE FROM VIRGINIA, U.S.A. IN MAY, AND THE 'PUFFIN'S' DESIGNER MR COLIN MUDIE BELIEVES THEY WERE LOST WHEN A HURRICANE SWEPT THROUGH THE SEA.

THE TWO MEN, DAVID JOHNSON, AGED 34 YEARS, AND JOHN HOARE, AGED 29, WERE LAST SIGHTED ALIVE ON 11 AUGUST. THE LOG-BOOK FOUND WITH THE FLOATING BOAT SHOWS A FINAL ENTRY MADE ON SEPTEMBER 3, THE DAY BEFORE HURRICANE FAITH HIT THE AREA. THE BOAT WAS FOUND BY A CANADIAN DESTROYER ESCORT HCMS CHAUDIERE ABOUT 600 MILES SOUTH EAST OF ST JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND.

THE PURPOSE OF THE TRANS-ATLANTIC VOYAGE WAS TO BREAK A RECORD SET UP BY TWO NORWEGIANS WHO ROWED THE ATLANTIC IN 55 DAYS IN 1896.

THE DESIGNER OF 'PUFFIN', MR MUDIE, WAS ASKED ABOUT THE SAFETY FEATURES OF THE BOAT.