AQUATICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 105, 4 May 1920, Page 7

AQUATICS.

(By SPEEDWELL.) The honour of being the first boat tc welcome H.M.s. Renown to Auckland b due 10 Mr. J. A. llollowny's new 45-fool to Tlrl on Kuturday week, and after a salute which ivaa dnlv acknowledged she accom panted her into the harbour. Mr. J llodson, In Itolhesay, was the second boal to greet the bis; s'htp, corning up with hei nbout half way into the beacon, when several other early birds Joined In. Mar gucrlte hnii six officers from the Uenowr out for the day on Suudny. other boats having Binallcr parties. Quite a nunibei of ilsh were secured off the top pad o] Wniheke, all the visitors, expressing theli ndmlrailon of our splendid eruisini proimd and iheir surprise nt the number ,»l launches which touk part in the processloi the. previous dny. No doubt more of out visitors ml-ht have had a run around or Sunday If it had be.; ndellnlteiy known thai their sliip would be In port till .Mondaj morning. Many yachtsmen have expressed the opinion that It was a pity a ynclit race was not organised fur last Saturday afternoon and the visiting ofticers invite* to sail tin tlifTcront boats, similar to the race got 111 while H.M.s. New Zealand was here Tin only aquatic event, besides (he splendi. turn out on (lie ltenown"s arrival was « race for 11-l'o.itcrs. held hist' Saturday. ' A croup of officers were very much interests in these little fellows, and watched tin start and their progress down Hie harboui through their Rlnssca for some time. Saturday's nice for the 1-l-footers marker the close of racing for the season. Mosl of the yachts will be dismantled by tlie end of the present month, a few betnt ready for hauling out already. Tin majority of Hie launches will keep dowr till June, some even later still, and then are a few enthusiasts who keep going al the winter, only hauling out for a fen weeks to re-lit for next season The lde:i of keeping up members- in terest In their club during the winter bj holding socials, euchre parties, etc., is i<. good one. and is effectively carried out In lUe New Zc:i;<iml Timer Jtont Ass.iciat i..r anil the I'onsonb.v and Manukau Clubs. Tin former club will hold its llrst winter socia the I'onsonby and Manuknu Club's h&vi started some weeks into. Jlesldea social functions there is plenty of work for club olliclals to he done In till off-season in the matter of revising saillns rules, consolidating the existing reslrlc tions In the 14-foot class and the mullei boat classes, and other matters. There !■ a growing fpollng that more stringent -c strlclions should be made regarding tin amount of ballast carried iv the mullet l>olll classes. Ir Is stated that some boats an In the habit of golllg without half thelt usual ballast when a race happens to be off tlie wind, and a minimum amount 01 ballast is an advantage. If this slate is proved to be correct it must be put n stop to. and the only way to do so elTec tually is to Insist on fair-play men belli" carried in both cruising and harbour races Already we know deilnltely of four new 14-footers building for next season, two o] which for N. and it. Ilnller. have been started. Besides rhese, F. Ewen, of Wha ngar-el. is building one, which lie will send down to his brother to race here, and [•' Spraggon. now of the l-'ar North, will bull.] one for Ills son to race In Auckland. Wi hope to hear shortly that the Dunedin men have ordered six boats, which they Intend to have turned out by one builder. Several sports in Tauranga, headed by Jas. Ilobcrtson. are keen on forming a class thert before next season. A recntta was held al Tauranca on Kaster Saturday, which proved very successful, and a bunting club has been formed as a sequel. It la on the cards that a well-known Auckland yachtsman will put up a really good trophy, tc be won outright, for the 14 foot class next Few yachts went far last week-end Islington. Matintia. Station Kays and Arkle's being about the limit owing "to the light breeze. Daisy. Maybelle. Mako. and I.eltner lay In Station Kay over night. Ilex and a dozen others lay In Islington Hay. while lorangi and Artono visited Arkles. Tilt breeze was very light on Sunday, but the strong llood brought them home in good time. While we are not in favour of the multiplication of Classen, especially with a 14----foot class in existence, yet there Is something to be said in favour of the J4-foot ••flattie" or "sharpie" type of boat which has come Into favour during the past two seasons. The principal cause of the formation of this class, it in tut be admitted, is the high cust of the one-design boats When the plans were tlrst drawn up and published rhe boats were to cost complete not more th.in £.'ii>. This estimate held foi .1 season, but ever wince, like everything else, 1L has goue up. till they now cost exactly double. This Is beyond maiiy young fellows who have a great fancy for small boats, and the "ii.nttie" fills the bill at a nominal outlay. We have ween these boats sail In (ill weathers now.'and tiiuwt admit they are smart uuil quite safe In competent hands, especially If the matter of sal! Is not overdone. With a view to having some uniformity, we have measured the leading boats, and find the following dimensions are the most popular: —Leugth overall. 14ft; beam, fift din; depth of hull not less than ICin: square Idlges, and not anore thnn -2IJO square feet of sail. We hope that boat* liullt during the coming winter will conform to these measurements for the sake of uniformity. Sea .Sprite, tlm fastest Iroat In this class, has been houelii by J. Woods, of De.vonport. Her late owner, R, Honour, will build two new ones •jud haw decided to keep them within the lim't,-! mentioned above. Not only are there signs or a reviyil in small boat sailing for next season, but we hear of several prospective builders ol large ynclits If reasonable contracts can be placed wittl our loi-al builders, while the demand for old-timers is wtill unsatisfied In the matter of launches the numbers will be greater still, as nil tho builders, without exception, report their hands full for the next three months at least. A correspondent. "J. A.m.." asks how many propellers H.M.s. Uenown has From inquiries aboard we le.-ini that she has four shafts and four propellers, one on each shaft. The shafts nre arranged in pairs, two on port and two on starboard To drive these four propellers she has « Rahcock and Wilcoeks boilers and ten turbine engines, six of which drive ahead and four astern. Her total horse-power Is 120,----00t>, her length 7!>.">ft. and beam HKlft She Is capable of steaming 85 knots. Her draught on arrival was 31ft, lint during her stay here she took in .TimO tons of oil fuel which put her do-wn two feet, co that she left drawlug 33ft aft.