Small Vessels, Wide Seas

Abstract

A number of British and Allied escaping groups from Sumatra attempted to cross vast stretches of ocean in sailing boats. Most of these brave expeditions headed westwards for India or Ceylon, though one boat sailed to the south-east in parallel with the coast of Sumatra, making, it was hoped, eventually for Australia. Only one of these sea-voyages was wholly successful, but another sailed well on the way to India before being intercepted by an armed Japanese naval tanker. A third adventurous sailing in the Indian Ocean ended by being blown so far to the east that the landing was made on the Tenasserim coast of Burma, already occupied at that time by the Japanese. Despite courageous efforts, other sailing boats did not reach far beyond the Sumatran coast.