WORK IN BOAT HARBOUR

NEW MAINSAIL FOR JEAN

If a member of a crew falls overboard during a race it also entitles him to honorary membership of the Royal and Obsolete Order of Mudhens.

Apparently somewhat unsettled by the events of the previous day, the tempo of work on the hard was noticeably slower than usual on Sunday, and it appears that several boats will be missing from the first race.

In the keel classes Astral and Mino will be two notable absentees .and in the "fourteens" Advande and the Highet's new ship—as yet nameless— will be non-starters. The first championship races will be held next Saturday, when'most of the club's fleet should be in commission.

! Cliff Wallis had Jean out for her jfirst sail on Sunday, being mainly concerned with blowing in a new mainsail. ." Jean has been almost rebuilt during the' winter and no longer requires continuous pumping to keep her afloat. Towards the end of last season she was showing improved form to windward and without the handicap of pumping the harbour through her each race, she may be a proposition to consider during the trials. Painted brown and green with buff decks, she strikes a new note in colour schemes and is a refreshing change from the wave of various shades of blue that swept the Boat Harbour.

Yvonne is expected to be a starter in club races this year and the inclu-

sion of Seabird, Oyster, Isca, Avalon, and Arawa would form a group of boats fairly close in size and speed. Between the top and bottom of the second class there is a fair divergence in size, particularly if the smaller boats such as Berenice, Leonora, and Reverie are starters, but the general range of handicaps should be sufficiently limited to provide a really.good racing class.

Favoured with beautiful weather, the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club's opening day was an unqualified success, a large attendance of yachtsmen and friends being on hand to help Colonel J. J. Esson and King Neptune declare the season and the harbour open. Neptune also conferred on all yachtsmen the privilege of falling into the "drink" on all and any occasions.