THE YACHT TANIWHA'S VICTORY IN MELBOURNE.

Auckland Star, Volume XII, Issue 3553, 28 December 1881, Page 3

THE YACHT TANIWHA'S VICTORY IN MELBOURNE.

(SPECIAL TO STAR.)

(BY TELEdRAM VIA THE BtiTJFF,)

The First-Class Yacht Match in Hobson's Bay, Melbourne, took place on the 21at inst. The weather was most unpropitious for yachting, especially for the larger ressels, and to make tbo situation still Worse the hour for starting was fixed for half-pant one, which gave very little promise of the match being finished before midnight* When the preparatory gun fired—twenty minutes past twelve—there was scarcely sufficient wind to fill the sails of the Taniwho, May Queen, and Secret, while Janet, which had left her mooring! an hour earlier, was still far from the Nelson under coyer of Williamstown, baffling with the light southerly air. To the no small surprise of everyone the starting gun boomed forth at half.past twelve, and the two cutters and the schooner, which had been towed to the starting line by their boats, crossed it exactly nine minutes before the Janet reached it> Once getting out from under cover cf the land, the leading cutters soon left nearly a mile of space between them and Clarke's yacht, but before they reached Brighton the Janet became the leading yacht. Throughout the race the wind was of a moßt llukcy character, Taniwha being most favoured, but her pilot, Stafford, evidently won the racb by his long board to westward when Off Snapper Point. Before commencing this the Janet looked at least about two miles ahead, both boats boing Considerably ahead oi the Secret, Shepherd having worked to the eastern shore in expectation of an easterly breeze. On getting well clear of tho lightship at Gillibrund Pointjthe May Queen made one long board to the westward^ reaching almost as far as tho indented heads, and on going about Deemed fully three miles to the windward of the first of the three cotters, but lost all she bad gained on it and being to the eastward, while the cutters were favoured on opposite tack. On tbo conclusion of their tack to tho eastward the Janet only came out about a mile on tho Secret's weathcr,thc Taniwha meantime getting a fine breeze which virtually woo her the race. At this juncture the Taniwha, Janet, and Secret, once on borne stretch, set spinnakers, the Secret's being the q sickest set. After rounding the lighter.her sail area was increased by ring-tail water-sail and jib top-sail, which, in addition to her mainsail, galfand jib top-sail, fore-sail and jib, drew splendidly—this, too, whilo the clouds darkened and thunder rolled behind, told of the determination of her skipper to save his time if possible on the more cautions pilots ahead, allowing again at the finish of three minutes iv tho run home. The night was very dark, and as the yachts rushed past the lightship under their clouds of white sail they laoked like high spectres with red and green eyes—the port and starboard lights. On hailing the first to crosa the line at lOhrs. 55min, the cry was, " What yacht is that J" " Taniwha " was sung out by a husky voice, followed by three ringing cheers soon after. The Janet, four minutes later, rushed post, the Secret following twelve and a-half minutes after the Taniwha, and beating tho Janet on time by lOaecs., having to receive Bininn, 20eecs. from her victor of last year.