Fly, cutter, The cutter, a regular trader between Stewart Island and Southland ports, arrived off Riverton on April 19, 1863, with a cargo of timber, and remained there til nearly high water on the following day. The weather was then fine, and the Riverton pilot, Captain Aldread, had no difficulty in reaching the cutter and in getting her under way. Shortly after, and before the cutter had reached the bar, she was struck by a heavy squall, which blew the mainsail to pieces. To reach the harbour was then hopeless, as the wind was blowing out, so the Fly was taken as near the weather shore as possible and brought up with both anchored. The pilot then left, and was half way to the shore when he noticed the cutter had parted from her anchors and was driving towards the breakers on the lee shore. Seeing this, Captain Aldred returned and took the crew, master and two men into his boat, and they were pulling for the shore when another squall overtook them, and a sea capsized the boat. Four men reached the shore, but the other four, the pilot, one of his boat’s crew, and two seamen from the cutter, were drowned. All four bodies were later recovered.The Fly, which stranded near the wreck of the brig Wanderer, became a total wreck. She was a cutter of 22 tons register and was probably the vessel of the same name, rig and tonnage, registered No, 2 of 1852, Port of Victoria (Lyttelton), built at Matata, Bay of Plenty, in 1846. Her dimensions were; length 37ft, beam 13.2ft, depth 6.8ft. The Fly was commanded by Captain Zall, who nearly lost his life when the boat capsized, being rescued in an unconscious condition.
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