AQUATICS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 301, 17 December 1912, Page 8

AQUATICS.

YACHT AND SATX. The Victoria Cruising Club's first series of harbour races, held on Saturday afternoon, was a distinct success from the point of view of entries, as no less than 34 boats of all classes started in the six races. The field of 13 in the 22ft. class constitutes what is believed to be a record for Auckland Harbour, as not even recent Anniversary regattas have been able to bring out anything like the number. The wind throughout the afternoon was very light and sometimes patchy, and one leading boat at least dropped to the tail of the race through striking a calm. In spite of this, there were some close and exciting finishes, particularly in Clare IV. (20----footers), in which there was only 245. between the first boat and the second, while in the 22ft. class the Waima came home with only Ss. to spare on corrected times. In the race for 2G-fcoters, Sadie carried oil' the palm by a margin of lm. 285., after a really good contest, and all the other finishes, with the exception of the dinghy class, were very close indeed. Under the circumstances, the handicappers (Messrs. G. Sellaie, A. Cowie, and A. Deacon) are to be congratulated on the results of their labour. It may be mentioned that only four boats did not finish, whiie one (Hetty) suffered through not having a fair-play man on board. The Royal N.Z. Yacht Squadron's general handicap on Saturday wan quite spoilt by lack of wind. The breeze, which did good service in the other races of the afternoon, was not enough to bring any of the bigger craft to the finish, though all of them started. The squadron has no other fixture on its present programme till February 1, when the eecpnd general handicap for the vice-commodore's trophy will be held. Though sailing craft were not favoured by the weather on Saturday, conditions were excellent from the motor boatists' point of view, and the Power Boit Association's races to Awaroa Bay were a great succea?. The times generally were fast, and in the A and B classes there were exciting finishes, Mr. H. Bach's Pastime and Mr. E. A. Edgecumbe's Countess being the respective winners. In the trade class there were only two entries—C. and B. and Regal. The latter had the misfortune to meet with a clutch trouble, which lost her a good many minutes; otherwise there would almost certainly have been a close finish in this class as well. A large number of launches accompanied the competitors to Awaroa Bay, where the crews and their friends spent a very pleasant evening as the guests of Mr. and Mrs. J. Gordon, who were formally thanked by the commodore (Mr. W. J. Jaggs). At a meeting of the Ponsonby Cruising Club, held on Thursday evening last, it was decided to have sealed handicaps for future launch races. On Saturday next the club will hold its first harbour race, when the tiller in all competing boats (both yachts and launches) must be taken by a lady. The course for the yacht race is as follows:—From flagship moored off club-house, St. Mary's Beach, round mark boat off Birkenhead, thence round Calliope dock buoy, thence round mark boat off Queen Street wharf, finishing on north side of the flagship. All turning marks must be passed on starboard hand. The course for the launch race is once round the N.Z.P.B. Association's 6A-knot course. The entries are as follows:— Yachts: Rangatira, Esma, Glady, Foam. Arcadia, Alice, Winnie, Hetty. Launches: Lily, Pastime, Tamahine, Irene May, Alma, -Ethel W., Naturich. ROWING. Entries for Russell regatta close tomorrow, and for Whangarei regatta on Saturday. Accommodation has been booked in Russell for 60 oarsmen. Secretary E. G. Hewin at Russell, and secretary E. C. Scale at Auckland, have all arrangements well in hand. Waitemata and Shore, the two smallest clubs numerically, will be represented in all the races. Mercer is sending a dozen men along, and there is talk of a crewcoming up from Wanganui College to compete in the youths' races. The Auckland Rowing Cluo is unfortunate in that it cannot arrange to be represented at Russell Regatta at all, and at Whangarei Regatta by only one crew, but is fortunate that the crew concerned is the sturdy bunch of youths composed of F. Collinson (stroke), E. Cavaye (3), H. ChaDis (2), and R. Murray (bow). They don't make any song about it, but they are confident in the way one likes to see. The committee proposes to enter them also for the maiden event, and they are flying for the higher game—which is a good, healthy sign. That is one reason why it is good to have a senior crew going in every shed; it lifts up the whole standard of the club work and gives the men in the lower grades something to strive to reach out for. So many of our fellows are too tired to take on rowing consis-1 tently and vigorously. They seem to class it with ping-pong and other manly sports of that kind. You will see them play with an oar as If they were combing the curls of a poodle dog, instead of tearing chunks out of the briny and leaving a double line of white whirlpools to mark where they have been busy. Of course, this sort of thing is liable to make a man tired, so you need to be careful, Claude, not to over-exert yourself. Reverting to the Auckland youths who are not cissy-boys, one notes with satisfaction that they are improvers. They have made very gratifying progress since they first got together, and they have the makings of a husky crew. No. 2 looks out of the boat. He has not got this fault on his own, but it is an unforgivable sin, young man, so cut it right out. There is only one piece of scenery that is of any interest to a No. 2, and that is the back of No. 3's neck. These collar-studs that leave a black mark on the back of a fellow's neck are not the worst thing in the world. They give the man who rows behind him something to keep his eyes fixed upon. You need not, therefore, Clarence, buy any new studs from that orator up in Wyndham Street until the rowing season is over. He claims that they don't leave any black mark. The crew needs to cultivate faster handwork all through the boat. Get the hands away like lightning at the recovery. Punch them down and out Straight over the knees, 'before the knees bend as the slide comes forward. Keep the elbows close in to the sides as you punch the hands away; quick handwork is impossible otherwise. The North Shore heavy maidens cock their elbows out. You could thread a rope through them sometimes; other times you couldn't because they swing in and out too much. This remark isn't meant to he nasty, sosmile, Bill, smile. Sit straight up in the boat, you Auckland youths, especially you, bow. Make yourself as big as you can always. Don't carl up like a dog with a bit of biscuit

on his nose, but give your back a chance to grow strong and develop. ~ Swinging away from the oar is another fault that is noticeable. To correct this shove a bit harder with the outside leg; the probability is that you are kicking off not so strongly with "it, or are bending that knee out too much. Also (this is another matter) swing well out and down as the slide comes forward, so that when the slide is finished, or just about finished, you are in a position to lift smartly on to the catch with the shoulders. You must not be up with the slide and then fall over with the shoulders while the slide is resting against the front chocks. That sort of thing causes the boat to stop moving between the strokes and makes for a sluggish catch. A quick nippy c.vtehwith the shoulders, a strong swing back from the braced-up loins, a hard drive, and it's all over. Then get the hands away, swing forward and down, and do it again. Crews to represent St. George's Rowing Club are training hard for the forthcoming regattas at Russell and Whangarei, and it is expected that they will render a good account of themselves when they meet the representative crews of other "clubs. There are, however, a few faults in the rowing of some of the members that might be remedied with advantage. In the heavy-weight maidens the stroke is inclined to dip deep and to sky his oar before striking the water. After coming forward, on a slow slide he should strike the water with his oar sharp and square, taking the whole weight of the stroke with the shoulders. No. 2 does good work, but loses an amount of -energy by not taking more advantage of his slide. At the beginning of the stroke he should be full forward on his slide, holding it until the body is past the perpendicular, when the leg drive should be used. Bow should reach further forward, and give more freedom, to his body. In the .St. George's youths' crew the same remarks apply to No. 3 as to the stroke of the heavy-weights. No. 2 dips deep, and bow should be very careful of his body swing. The North Shore Boating Club committee has been successful in persuading the Devonport Borough Council to grant a site for an auxiliary boathouse at the North Head end of Cheltenham Beach. The privilege will be greatly appreciated by the rowing men. and it will be counted to the credit of the Borough Council in the years to come, when it is recognised more clearly perhaps than it is now that any action which makes foi the physical betterment of the young men of a district is one that rightly comes within the scope of a local boay s activities. No time will be wasted in running up the shed, and it is hoped to have it ready for the accommodation of boats soon after New Year. The tent which has been erected on the North Shore Club's lawn presents a full house each night. Eight bunks have been fitted up, and these are all occupied by keen oarsmen, who wish to be on the spot for early morning training. The milkman calls regularly, and these young men, who are leading the simple "life in such a practical manner, are already showing the beneficial results that were bound to come f'om such devotion to duty.Arrangements have been made with Mr. Benwell, proprietor of the Devonport Picture Theatre, to give the rowing club benefit performances on the evenings of Tuesday and Wednesday, 7th and Bth January. The idea is to raise funds for new plant and additions to the boathouse, with a view to making a financial success of the Cheltenham beach boathouse scheme. The North Shore Club will be represented in every race at Russell and Whangarei regattas, with the exception of the single-sculling event. MANTKATJ YACHT AND MOTOR BOAT CLCB. The result of the second launch race, which took place ou Saturday, is as follows: Florence. 3h r»lm: M-arie. .'th Mm ."is; Wnlone. 3h 51m 10s: Tuna. 3h ;i2m: Buffalo, :tU 52m 20s; Dot. 3b 52m 225: Mitdura. 3h 52m 555: Cooce. 3h 52m 575: Masc-ottc. Sri s.>m; Echo. 3b 5Gm 30s; Pioneer, 3h 58m 30s: Flossie, 4h. Yachts.—Avona 1. Flectv.iug 2, Redwing 3, Koninl 4, Ibex 5.