I just read an interesting paragraph from the autobiography of the late Tony Pike, founder of the infamous Pikes Hotel in Ibiza which was a celebrity hangout in the 1980's and 90's hosting wild parties for the likes of George Michael, Freddie Mercury, Grace Jones, Kylie Minogue, Oasis and many other pop/rock/movie stars and royalty.

The book is 'Mr Pikes: The Story Behind the Ibiza Legend' - you can easily find a free downloadable PDF copy on Google.

In the very early 1970's, before moving to Ibiza, Tony purchased Doini Island in Milne Bay Province after selling his business in Sydney.

Paragraph below mentions he then purchased a 120 ft boat, 'Lourabada', a misspelling as the book was written when he was in his 80's after decades of partying.

He also mentions he later sailed the boat from PNG waters and sold it overseas soon after.

"It was on Doini Island that I saw my next boat. I’d just walked the island, and was about to put in an offer when I saw it sail by. It looked beautiful, with a bridge halfway down the deck.

"I bought it some months later and called it The Lourabada, a name in Motu, the common language the government was trying to introduce to unify all the dialects in New Guinea.

"Lourabada meant Big Wings, or at least I thought it did. A while later an Indian friend of mine told me it meant ‘Big Prick’ in Hindi. How was I to know?

It was an amazing boat. A 120 ft monster, which had been used in the Second World War. It makes an appearance in the book The Coastwatchers."
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Thanks Jon. The correct spelling was 'Laurabada', but I suppose if you have the money you can spell it however you like - KJ

Thank you very much, Geoff. I have joined that group, and have reached out to Charles.

Peter, Geoff, Chris & Philip - My father, Dr Andrew Kugler Jr (now deceased) sailed on Laurabada in September and October 1963 in the Solomon Islands while he was acquiring gravity data.

We have a couple of photos from that trip. He also told us stories of the voyage, and of many other expeditions in New Guinea, where we lived in the 1960s.

While aboard Laurabada, Dad made friends with the captain (none of the names mentioned above), who told my father an incredible biographical story that had a great impact on my father's life.

I am trying to verify that story for a book I am writing, but am not making much headway. Would any of you have, or know where I might find, any information that might lead me to who that person was? Are any of the people referred to above still alive?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. My email is included in my submission to this comment.
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If you have information that may assist Khib with his research, simply respond to this email below - KJ

I am pleased to see Geoff Hancock's comments because it confirms my own recollection that I saw the Laurabada several times at Baimuru and Kikori during 1970.

I learnt about her history at that time which probably is why the memory of her has stuck with me.

If she was doing a regular Moresby to Daru run as described by Geoff then it makes sense that she stopped in various ports along the way.

I remember her well because although she was then working as a coastal vessel for either Steamships or Burns Philp, she was a much more elegant vessel than the typical Steamies K boat.

I also recall hearing that she survived a severe storm off the entrance to Port Romilly during which another vessel, possibly a Burns Philp coastal ship, was hit in the stern quarter by a rogue wave which rolled her over.

My hazy memory of this story is that the crew all survived by climbing aboard a Carley Raft that had popped open after the roll over. They eventually found help and, I think, ended up at Kikori.

Anyway, it seems that she had an eventful career and, if Phil is right, perhaps she may even still be afloat.

Ten years ago I made some inquires on the fate of the Laurabada and what I learnt was she was not scrapped after being retired from government service in 1951.

She was left to rot on the beach in front of the government offices at Konedobu until being rescued by shipwright Ted Yabsley in the early 1960's.

He spent six years restoring her to her former glory at his boat building yard at Badili, where he converted her into a coastal trading vessel.

Ivan Champion, her former Captain during Laurabada's government days, took charge of her once again for a time, along with other skippers including Milton Cotterell and Karl Kramer.

She was used on the Port Moresby to Daru run and also did some trips from Moresby to Lae.

Ted Yabsley eventually sold the Laurabada in 1972. She ended up in the Mariana Islands where she was doing charter work, but eventually sank in bad weather.