AQUATICS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 160, 8 July 1899, Page 4 (Supplement)

AQUATICS.

The aequati _ contributor to this Sydney "Referee* writes: "I hear ©n Xhe best authority \h_<i th_ Mesar* l_egan Bros,, ot Auckland, ftew !_<s&•* !„.__.i, have juut reggivea a .<_aiin_ss.it._i i_ironi a popular pya.y, yftphfcanyui rer a new rneing eruiaer—.« ?y._oe^r. Tiiia is intewting new_, ana will, i hope, bo the preliminary atep to the esiabiishmen-. el' a class "of yacht se eminently suitable to these waters. The champion Meteor will now have to look to her laurels " "It is new quite on the boards," Bays the came writer in the "Referee," "that Mr A, T, Pittar'a 3-rater Rainbow will visit Sydney next season. Although, perhaps, somewhat early in the day, 1 might enggest that some Inducement be offered to Victoria by one or other of our yacht clubs to send a representative from the southern colony at the time of her vicii. Perhaps Lord Brassey might be induced to send his yacht Helen up." - After all it would seem, that'the Prince of Wales has not altogether given up yachting, since it Is authoritatively announced by the last English mail to hand that Mr W. G. Jameson was acting on behalf of H.R.H. in buying Britannia before her recentlyintended sale by auction, as formerly announced in .his paper. So the famous cutter will be once more seen urider the royal colours she so successfully carried during five successive seasons.

A report to. hand from Sydney. states that Mr James Cox's yacht Jess arrived at Brisbane from Sydney recently, her owner, and party beinoon board enjoying a cruise, which will probably extend as far as Thursday Island. The rig of the Jess having been altered from that of*a cutter to that of a ketch, she started from Sydney on June 11, and made Newcastle the same day. Bid adieu to the coal city at 10.30 a.m. oh Monday arriving at Port Stephens at 3.30 p.m. fife same day. Owing to heavy weather the craft was detained in Nelson's Ray until the _Bth' On the date mentioned anchor was gain hove tip and things made snug for a long sea voyage. The distance next covered from Sydney exceeded 200 miles, not so bad considering the light and variable winds, and at that stage the Jess was lying snugly at anchor In Trial Bay, where the crew had a rati ashore. This place was reached at--5 p.m. on the 19th. Owing again to heavy weather the yacht was detained until the following Friday. The yacht arrived at Brisbane, somewhat over 500 miles, in actual sailing time from Sydney of 5_ days. '"

American papers to hahd this week give, the following account' of. the launching of the Columbia, the latest America Cup defender.

"Bristol, Rhode Island, June 10.— America's new cup defender, the repre sen la live of the best boat-building skill and material of which the Western Continent can boast, was carefully lowered it tc the water at the Herreshoff works to-night, and as she . started down the ways Mrs Oliver C. Iselin christened her 'Columbia.' The launching of the latest, protector of Uncle Sam's sailing laurels was probably one cf the .most spectacular that has ever occurred, for the light of day had almost' faded when :sh*..' Started down the ways and three powerful calcium lights played upon her white stern and shining golden underbudy with theatrical effect. As she fairly cleared the shed;a large, silk American yacht ensign was broken nut over her stern, the colours of her owners appeared, on a small jury mast, stepped in place of the regular hist, and the New York Yacht Club pennant flew in the waist of the boat. With the lights playing on thp flags and twenty or. more .if the crew lying about the ,dfeck, th? i«cne va& hiiea with animation and colour. Ranged on both sides of the dock were 5000 spectators, While off the end were clustered fifty qr more yachts of all kinds r so that there was plenty of noise, cheers, whistles- ahd guns to help oui the brilliant effect - of the lights. Mrs Iselin did her part gracefully, surrtiunded by a half hundred society leaders of New York, Providence and Boston .and 'many yachting friends of her husband. While twice before.in its history this, little town has felt the thrill accent--panying the launching of an American cup clef.ndel*, the lowering into the water to-night of . the beautiful sloop Columbia was, nevertheless, .an event of. great importance to Bristol as well as to the ..entire, yachting world. Simultaneously with the arrival of numerous yachtsmen from New York and Boston in the morning, there sailed into the harbour ahd .anchored oft' the Broy/ns sheds at the x Herreshoffs a score or more of steamships, schooners and sloops, and frphl , the decks .cl these yachts people watched al 1 the afternoon the final preparations for the evening's event. "To the casual observer the Columbij, resembles the Defender In many respects. There is; the same. long overhang both forward and aft and the same deep underbody, with ton| of lead cast into a bulb-shaped keel, at the very bottom. A careful stu<ly of the hull reveals marry pointsm which the new craft differs from, the champion of '95.. The Columbia has a long, tapering bow, rounding up gradually from the keel and-enduig. in an extremely sharp point at the stem. The stern overhangris longer and flatter than was the Defenders, and. in fact, the\entire hull htus the appearance of having. a much flatter floor than did-the older boat,<.a.hen' the underbody is considerably sh°rier at the foot than was that of/the De-j ~* fender and the lead is said to, Recast so that it gradually rounds on* from a four-inch thickness to three tee* through at its'widest part. f. . T -' "A resident of Bristol, who has beep watching the Columbia day after day,, says when the tape was run along from stem to stern she measured w feet 8 inches. Her beam >// ce Por*"< to be 24 feet 2. inches and from ; m. ...,■ top of her 10-inch crovfn deck to jue base of the lead keel the .M™ W measures close to 25 feet, just about. ; what the Defender '*^^-*Jb keel is estimated to be 29 feet long^t .. the very foot and contains about, ninety-five tons of lead. Allowingrfor , a free board of about three Jgkjgfi inches, the Columbia close to 90 feet on the ?W^J££ her spars, sails, rigging equipment is aboard. Her draft wiu be 20 feet 3 inches." t . ~.-,-. ;

'I understand that 7°f *"e°* £ fitting up.his room m : strictly artis, tic manner.' 'I guess ,t uaust be^so, replied the heavy young-man. Every, time I sit on a piece of furniture » ' goes to pieces.' . ■"-'■"