Joyita: Solving the Mystery

At 5 a.m. on 3 October 1955 the 69-foot Joyita with 25 people on board slipped out of the harbour at Apia, Samoa, on a routine trip to Fakaofo in the Tokelau Islands. She never arrived. The ship was found five weeks later in poor condition near Fiji. None of those on board was ever found. David Wright, exploring this mystery because his mother's cousin was on the Joyita discovered that a commission of inquiry, a book published in 1962 and other brief accounts still left many questions unanswered. Here he unravels the background to the ill-fated voyage of this South Pacific Mary Celeste and offers his own explanation for the tragedy. A careful and fascinating investigation of the known facts, it is also a gripping story of colourful characters and exotic places.