Champion Whaleboat Race.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 25, 31 January 1887, Page 2

Champion Whaleboat Race.

Another Victory *or Waltemata,

Tub exoilemjanf fttt4jidan^sEon the Cham. jiion Wnalebbat.Bacoon Saturday after-

noon was intone, and afforded conclusive

evidence of the popularity of the race,

Thousands of excited spectators liuod the end of tho Queen-street Wharf, and were

ilustered as thick aa boes on the rigging of the vessels at the outer toes of the I wharf. The oycs of thoeo on tho flagship were strained eagerly towards tho course which tbo contestants were to traverse, while ferry steamers, heavily lnden with : human freight, liy off from the wharf propared to follow tho race. The ladies on'tha [ flagship and ferry steamers showed tbeir partiality for one or other of the crews by wearing the colours of thoir favouriteß on tho bosooia of their dreeseß or in tho form §| of waist belts. The competitors rowed down to tho starting point at the Kailnay .Wharf immediately before three o'clock,' and the appearance of oach boat \ was tho signal for an outburst of \ choeripg. Very little time was wasted at i* the EtartiDg post, aud when tho flap fell, the ■■ Wuitemataa got away with a nice lead. Tho course Uy from the Kailway Whsrf around mark-boats moored close to i. t^o Watchman acd bsck. The water was not us lumpy us might have been ex- .; pectcd, reeing «,lie strength of the northerly M broezo that was blowing. The whole of the crews rowed steadily at the start, a long, iiow, swinging stroke being affected by the ■". majority. Waitemata, as we hnve already ■"-■'. said, got tho advantage of the start, and as near as could bo estimated Hauraki was : eocond, Outsider third, and Nolaon, North . d Shore, and Maoukau following closely ia the, | rear. These were the positions off the hulfcT ■..,.;.• Manukau wore tbo liret to increase the upeod ol their gtroko, and they speedily ~ wont up into second place. Tho Fishers I had the ineido place, and keeping '•.- ; well away inshore, quickened theic pace, ~ : ; and began to force the speed of the Waifce- j m'atas. The latter were pulling a fast r etoady stroke, aud wore getting through ..;,,.. j the water very rapidly. Tho strongest and . | stcadiebt Btrokeß were tboeo ot North Shore and Nelson, and the supporters of theeo crowd were inspired with courage By the >: dogged'and apparently confident pergeveri.nce cf tboir crews. Approaching- St. Mary's Buy, Waitemata aud the Oat- X aider appeared to bo on level terms, > and Noison, North Shoro, Manukau and--; llauraki wore following in tho order B given, £. eleon continued to gain on the B way up to Shelly Boacb, and Korth Shore j£| kept very glofoly behind them. The pnll m from Sholly Beach tg the mark-boats was a I iong and fiteudy ono through lumpy water. M Outsiders wero first roiind their mark-boat with a clear lead of teDEocoude, Wntteinata :.& being eecoDd, and Nelson third, Manuka? M iuurtli, >orth Shoro fifth, and Hauraki last, And now tho struggle commenced. Nbrtji |® Stioro was badly handled, aud alter the turn ,; tooklastplaco. Their crew,however, proved !>« thoir mottle, and iv a fuw moments they , ip i wore fifth, then fouvtb,and eventually third. :'.f, • Waitcmatas and Outsiders fought out a ■; j brief battlo foi supremacy, but in the > i struggle tho Fishers could not live with the blue and gold, and tho tuse'.a filled J f them. Bsforo St. Mary's Bay was , | reached on the home stretch,. tha -■■;. i Outeidsrs wero dono, and Hauraki and - j j Manukau remained behind to keep them: :^j \ company. Manukau had mads a game :;= j fight for it, and until this moment they ij woro looked upon as certain for a place. i f \ Waitemata had now a good lead of a coupl» ' of leDgtbe, and North bhore had displaced , j Uie second boat, and was following at . ■•'':-■• an equul rate of speed. Nelson men had I j secured a good third place, and their form jS showed they wero entitled to it. The boats woro now off Freeman's Bay, and it was i evidantthat tho race lay between Waiteraata tl and North Shoro. Both crews were rowing a good steady stroke, and evidently I . hud good staying puwcr. And now North ./"■■"'! Shoro, with luck somewhat against •' , them throughout, wore placed at a further ;" j disadvantage. Tho reporter of tbo morn- _ iug paper, in a steam launch, found his way: m | between tho first and second boats; and ■ j with a degree of stupidity that was repre- \ j hensible, tteam6d in the woke of the WnitO- ,|3 ■ amtv, and govo the North Shore boat the .; > benefit of liis back wash for B6vetal m minutes. This told on the crew .;- !

severely, but odcb clear of the ■wash they -„ spurted, and closed on Waitematft's . ; quarter. The latter crew were on their , mettle, and drew away again. The hulk ' ' was passed by Waitemata with a clear lead : ; ||| of two length*, while Nelson was throe longth3 behind North Shore. Rowing^ strongly nnd steadily, all threo boate kept these- distances fairly until the Jaefc-f,' t r hundred yards separated them front the winning poet. North Shore again, chal- -,-.; lenged tho loading boat,'and thia time g|| gained etoadily, Wnitemata rowing a rather /;| tstowor stroke. North Shore, however, :||| failed to got on even terms, and Waitemata ;,3 won by barely a length, North Shore treing two lengths ahead of Neleon. The other vm threo boats finished at their ease. . Challenge Aftor the raca was over on Saturday Mr -| M. McLean, in conversation with the repre- -si sentatives of tho ■Waitemata Boating ? Club, expressed himself disaatiefied with" - lha result, and offered to row again; f* not later than TueEday tor from iso to £100 a side The victors, how , ever, declined to mako a matob. Tn North Shore Bowing Club.considerinK tliot ;,' their representatives had been at a disadvantage in the raca owing to the pottering around of one the steam '. launcho?, which on on 9 occasion serioualy ." interfered with their progress, and for other reasons, thought it due to the. i;; crow to make the challenge public, and it has accordingly been published in duo ' ! form.