AQUATICS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 70, 23 March 1910, Page 7

AQUATICS.

A large fleet of yachts, both sail and power, will go away for the usual Easter cruise this week. North Shore Yacht Club hold a resail race on April 2, and the final race of theseason on April 9, the latter being an open championship yafcht race. One of the scenes in the harbour on ! Saturday afternoon was provided by the little.yacht Lolac, who gave a fine exhibition of her rate of speed, running before a full-sail breeze. The motor-yacht Sappho has returned to Auckland after an enjoyable cruise in j the Hauraki Gulf, nearly- all the places lof interest being visited during the time the party were away. The steam-yaoht Rehati and the oilyacht Seabird leave this week for a cruise in company in the Gulf, calling at all available places en route, accord- ! ing to the state of the weather. The yachts will be away fora week. It was rather unfortunate for a number of yachtsmen that there should have been three races in which they were interested eventuating on the same afternoon, -which transpired on Saturday. Still, the officials of the clubs are not to blame in the matter, inasmuch as the I Easter holidays fall earlier than iisual this year, and the programmes laid out at the commencement of the season had to be amended on this account. j North Shore Yacht Club provided an I excellent afternoon's eport on Saturday, when a general handicap race for all classes of boats belonging to the club was held. There were 34 entrants, and there were only 6 absentees when the gun fired for the start. The strong breeze and lumpy sea was, however, too much for the smaller boats, and several retired during the first round of the coarse. Tho harbour wae fairly alive with yachts of all classes on Saturday, and there were some very pretty sights for those who take an interest in yachting— i and who does not in Auckland? From j the western end of the harbour down to i Brown's Island there muet have been close upon 100 boats—power and sail— i in view at one time during , the afternoon, j because the Devonport and North Shore J Yacht Clubs and the Ponsonby Cruising j Club were all holding races, the entries I for which were fully up to the usual ! number. One of the prettiest sights seen in the harbour this seaeon was that on Saturday afternoon just after the st-art I of the races off Devonport, when before I a favouring breeze, enabling all sail to be carried, the yachts stretched across from the north side to the south side of the harbour. I Mr. A. Samford's new yacht Tempest I was out on .Saturday with a party of the owner's friende on board. The yacht has developed a fine rate of speed since she has been put into commission, and her engines have givrn no trouble whatever, working smoo-fchly and well. A good deal of interest is being taken in the new Tempest, not only by her owner, but by those interested in the sport, and her appearance in a contest between the otner power boats ie being eagerly look|ed forward to. Mr. Hanford is one of the best sports in Auckland 50 far as yachting is concerned, and when Tempest appears in her first race we can all look forward to a fine "go" from start to finish when the race is started. ' One of the best starts of a yacht race which I have witnessed' this season was that of the general handicap race of the North Shore Yacht Club for the Dunning Cup on Saturday afternoon. The officers in chargo of the proceedings (Messrs. S. White and H. Young) are to be highly congratulated upon the success whicli attended their efforts in getting the boats well away to time and together almost, and the accuracy with which the race was timed from start to I finish. Of course, as all aquatic men know, it is very easy to find, fault with the officiate of a club, but verj hard to give praise where it is due; but 1 must say that the officers of the North Shore Yacht Club, without exception, give a lot of time and take a lot of pains in carrying out the details of a race.