AQUATICS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 252, 21 October 1908, Page 7

AQUATICS.

SWIMMING. There is e\-ery possibility that the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Championships meeting will be held in Auckland this season. It was stated at the annual meeting of the Auckland centre that had application been made last year, the championships would have been allotted, to Auckland. The secretary said he had already written the New Zealand Association with regard to the 1 forthcoming championships being held in Auckland, and the meeting decided to keep the matter before the governing I body. It was stated at the annual meeting of .the Auckland centre that a supporter , was prepared to, present a championship cup , r for-. polo competition. The speaker ' urged that encouragement should be given to the game o£ polo, and stated j that the V.M.C.A. Club and Waitemata ' Club were forming polo clubs. According to a statement made at the ; I annual. meeting of the Auckland centre, it is expected that the newly-formed Ponsonby Club will;make an early appli-. I cation for affiliation. The affiliated clubs at present are — Waitemata, V.M.C.A., and Thames. The Auckland centre is doing its utmost to encourage young swimmers to acquire the art of restoring animation 1 to. the apparently drowned. The various affiliated clubs intend forming at an- early date squads to work on the principles laid down by the Royal Humane Society, with which the centre has been- in communication for some time. , During the season the public will be given an opportunity of witnessing displays by the squads. ' The feature of , the annual gala of September at Edinburgh of : the St. Benrnard's S.C., was to have-been a match at 400 yards between Henry Taylor, the English and Olympic- champion, and Frank Beaurepairs, the Australian (says our London ! correspondent), but the event was not ' carried through, the circumstances being ; somewhat extraordinary. It seems that ■ the Australian's Scottish engagements, which were made through a Glasgow offi- , eial, included the ma_ch in question, but 1 when the ■ Australian went to the baths were the gala was proceeding he inform- - ed the club officials that he would not , meet Taylor. He offered to swim the •; distance -against time;*' but declined to 1 go into the water against the .English- ' man. The.match had,been well ,boqmed, A and two thousand persons were in.. the _ baths. Que the spur of tile moment it J

■————— mss^ssmmmmm resolved to ask Haynes, the Scottish sprint champion, to assist the promoters out of the difficulty by pacing Taylor in an attempt against. tbe. Scottish record, and it;..->was7: agreed tint Beaurepaire would not be allowed to take any part, iv the proceedings. . It -was intimated from the chair, to the general disappointment, .that the Australian was in the building, but was indisposed, and, taking their disappointment in good part,-, the spectators gave Taylor a rousiing reception when he appeared, and also when he finished the quarter mile in ■Smin. 39sec, inside the Scottish book record, but ten seconds outside of the time credited td Beaurepaire in Glasgow a week ago. The Australian's refusal to. ri:eet Taylor has been made the subject of a repqrt.to the Scottish A.SA.., Frank Springfield, the Queenslander, made an unsuccessful attempt to lower , the Scottish 300 yards-record, but in a 100 yards invitation, handicap,, in which'he was.in receipt of an allowance of 3 seconds from Haynes, Springfield won by a yard After a good race with Greenlees, the Scottish* 200 yards and 880 yards, champion, and Yuilte,-the ex-1.00 yards Scottish champion. YACHTXNG. ' y yThe preparation of the boats for the opening of the yachting season on November 7 is now well advanced, and provided the good weather continues, they will practically all be in the water about- the end of the present month. Some of the launches were in commission right through the winter, and a few have been launched during the past few weeks. One or two of the larger yachts have taken' the water, and others are following almost immediately, while the smaller boats are fairly well represented. ' An interesting topic on the beaches at the present time is the long-distance race, which the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron inaugurated a few .seasons ago. While this race in the past brought out a fair field, the entries did not altogether come up to expectations, but judging by appearances, there will be a decided improvement this season. The accepted date for the opening of the season is November 9, but as the King's birthday falls bn Monday this year yachtsmen, by leaving Auckland on Saturday, will have nearly three days' cruising. This is a consideration not to be lost sight of, and the probabilities , are that if there is to be any official opening it will take place on the Saturday, November 7. But the general feeling, of yachtsmen seems to incline to a cruise rather than a display in the harbour. The yacht Heartsease was launched at the,. Shore on Saturday. The yacht Rainbow was launched yesterday. She is to be hauled upon the slip, to have some, lead added to her keel. The -Waipni's cabin has been consider- . ably altered and improved since last season, and lead has also been added' to her keel. She will be launched next ' Tuesday. r The yacht Wairere was at Putiki Bay (Waiheke) last Saturday. Several small beats cruised to the nearer resorts. The one-rater Water Witch was . launched on, Labour Day, and was out for her first spin oh Saturday last. The boats that were away for the last week-end had a nice southerly breeze , to bring them home on Sunday. The crew of the premier yacht Viking . made a start on their, preparations for ( the season this week. < The- crew of Mr. H. L. Nathan's yacht ■ 1 Ida hive been- filling in the interregnum < by cruising about in the yacht's dinghy, j i which has been filled with a li h.p. ! motor. The Ida will be launched next , week. . The yacht Kotiri will also be launched , I next week. j The Devonport Yacht Club propose holding a cruise in company to signalise j the opening of the season. The boats i will leave Auckland on November 7 and 1 return, on the 9th. The rendezvous has ] not yet been arranged. Several musi- , cians have been invited to attend, and a first-class programme is being arranged. Mr. Twigg's 26-ft. launch was launched < by Messrs. Bailey and Lowe on Saturday last. She is fitted with, a 6 h.p. Westman engine. . Mr. C. Ross is having a 40-ft. cruiser launch built by Messrs. Lowe. Ihe keel was laid this week and the boat will be ready early in the season. She is-to be • nicely fitted up, and her motive power will be supplied by two 10 h.p. engines. Messrs. Spinley and Denbys new 24-ft. mullet boat was out for a trial on Satur- . day last, and, created a favourable impression. She sits very well in the water. A 30ft oii launch is in frame at Messrs Bail :y and Lowe's for Mr Goldsworthy, of the Thames. She is to be supplied with a 6 h.p. engine. The keel of a 30ft. launch for Mr G. Foster, ol St. Helier's Bay, will be laid next week. Mr T. Le Huquet, "of North Shore, ■ is building for his own use a 30ft oil launch. A. nicely-finished launch for Mr W. H. Stevens, of Paparoa, Kaipara, will be ' launched from Messrs Bailey and Lowe's yards shortly. She is 30ft long, and is to be fitted with a 12 h.p. engine. A 24ft. mullet boat has just been completed by Messrs Logan Bros, for 31r Percy, oi Parnell. Mr R. 0. Clark has placed an order with Messrs Logan Bros, for a 48ft. twin screw oil launch. The keel is being laid down this week. Messrs Logan Bros, are building a yacht,about 42ft. overall for Mr A. Gifford to replace his launch, which he has sold to Mr Harper. The new boat, which will rate about the eight, metre class, will be launched some time in, December. Messrs. Bailey. and Lowe expect to launch two 30-ft. launches for the Defence Department next week. They are fitted with 12 h.p. engines, and have ample cabin and seating accommodation. One is to be sent to Lyttelton and the other will remain at Auckl**,?■'. :; ROWING. The West End Rowing Club 'held an informal opening last Saturday week at St. Mary's Bay, Ponsonby, where- various evolutions were gone through, but mainly to "introduce" new members to the boats, of which this club has the largest and most up-to-date plarit in the harbour. There, was a splendid riiuster of 10 crews, who, after a slight delay peculiar to some followers of this sport, made a start for Shelly Beach-reef, whefre an imI posing eight was presented as the crewslined up, and at a signal from the captain (Mi. Lionel Dixon) a good start j was effected; and the crews rowing slowI ly abreast, made for Freeman's Bay reclamation; re-forming in couples, they rowed bock to the reef, when single file. | was the order, hut owing to the nervousness of some of the new coxswains a snake-like line, was formed, which must I have-presented; a peculiar effect from the. shore as the boats-went towards the bay, after: reaching which home, was the' cry. i Some of the new members showed great promise, and as a rasnlfc the Setee- '■: jßon, Committee havo experienced no

—— _____*________m______________________m mssrnmm —■— little difficulty in picking regatta crews -~-..- ■•(:'■''.. ; -v7 The club's formal.opemng.will be held j J <m7Satiurd»>y, 7th November, "Patron*a ' j Bay*' (Mr. T. Peacock), when trial fours will be held, entries for which will close with the secretary at 8 pjn: on Wednes- ! day, 28th October, to enable crews to get I a bit Of training. '* 7 "' j