AQUATICS

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 118, 18 May 1920, Page 7

AQUATICS

(Br SPEEDWrLL. \ The contests .for Uie historic America • Cup will be held during the last two weeks j In -Inly, until one or other boat Jias won three races. The latest flies contain a i suggestion (\u Shamrock IV. will have ] some Rtrucjtural alteration made to her to ] her waterllne length. Her sail area > may nlso h< l reduced, both with the object of bringing down her ruling, and so redi:i*ing the time allowance w.hich H is safe i to say she will be called on to allow tht- t defending vessel over the usual course of Phirty knots. Sir Thomas TJpton -hns sent | his iT-metre boat Shamrock V. over the ■■ Herring loud." to a>-t as a trial boat for I the and ht*r performance ] :igainsl th» .-.mailer nictrc boot will both- I deciding factor which designer NichoL'on ' will take Into acconnt w-hen making the iilierations. In a'loibiT few weeks we shall i be getting a lot of news about the doings I of the live boats wbi</h are just now starting their iri.« spin-t. and every detail t will he keenly i-nlticlsed by yaeht-smen I to hope thu-t Sir Thomas Upton's present I bearer of Uip grepn and gold flag will lift ' the Cnp, for which so many fruitless attempts liave been made on behalf of < lireiu Britain since JST.I. wten it w«j» cap- , tnrod by the schoomrr America In a race ' at Cowes. Thp circular sent out about a month «go ' by lue Royal N./,. Yacht Sqnadrou. culling ' ] boat owners- attention 'to the fact th»t ' I very few meralinrs were availing them[>elVcs of thp privilege of Hying l.be Bine ' I rCnsii:u. i\As bad a sood pffe**, and already a number of owners have -filled in the necessary application -to the Collector ofi Customs to have their boats measurer!. After the boats have been measured on the beach, the Collector issues a ii-Ttttfcatp I Eo the lion. spcretJiry of the (•quadron anil this is forwarded to the .Admiralty, when a properly executed warrant to fly Ui? Woe to tlip customs, amounting to £2. '1/ or less, so there is no reason why all the larger boats on *be squadron's register, both eail and power, should not IV this Hag next

fiiail luck seems to «t:ena the efforts of Mr. .Holuiua. of Kohlnurama, Iα his attempts to try oat the possibilities of the Sea Sled type of boat in this harbour. After building two hulls and Installing fr.n.engines iv each. t<h»» second boat Mluiiued the speed at 'JO turns, as we mentioned last week. This tins again been verified by a run over the former course of the Tower Boat Association, 1.c.. from King's round 'saudsprt beacon and back to western end of King's whaTf. This Js exactly :t» knots, and Mr. Llolmcs' boat hue twice "done It in a level seven minutes, th.ua equalling Ml knots. After doing this epeed'last Tuesday the boa-t was moored off Kohiniaraina. and partly due to the continued rain, and also to Che fact that she jumped her mooring chain out of the fatrlead for-ard, wMcti allowed the 'boat to get broadside on to run to Awaroa ißay on Sunday was thus out of the question. .Mr. Holmes lost no tlmu in getting iher np, and Js now engaged overhauling the engines, after which a further trial will be Jielri. We understand that at least two other boats ol this type will bo built for local speed enthusiast* <by | next season. 'I'hesp wonts will hsve motor i-ar seats, and their llttlngs more generally approach Miose of a motor far than any- ! thing yet seen on these waters. One is : expected to have two 60-3 i.p. engines, and The other tnucb higher power Arikl. Thelma. iorangi. Walone. and several other yachts have all Their gear nsliore. and will be hauled out at the first opportunity. Some lo or 20 boats, mostly Victoria Club's slip, and others are going up this week-end, as the tides serve very well. This club has recently completed a slipway \2O feet long, with side sfclds for moving boats over. This will greatly facilitate the bundling of the numerous fleet which winter there, and indications are that t!be club space will be taxed to its fnll capacity. prize nights and annual meetings, which usually come along in the winter. The Mnnukau Yacht I'luh is the first in the field, and will hold their annnal meeting in the clirtthonse on 'Monday. June 7. wheu ■Ine officers for season '1920-21 will be elected. This club's smoke concert, a function which is always well attended by yachtsmen from this side, wiil take place on June 2fi. The 'Victoria Clu-b's annual presentation of prizes will 'he held on June C 9. The iPanmure Boating Clirb's social and distribution of prizes will be held on Friday. June 4, This club, while not ranch heard of by the average yachtsman, is in a good ananvial position, and has a clubhouse of its own on fhe tianks of the Tamaki River. Before the war it had a largo membership, but the majority joined the colours, and having returned, they are taking up the sport wUh great vigo'nr. The henvy. rain in the earlier part of last week, and the cold snap towards the end. had the effect of keeping many boats on their moorings last Saturday Sunday was Hue. and the majority went' off souiewhore handy for the day. .Fish, whk-h have unvcr •been plentiful all season, are scarcer than ever, the best .haul reported on Sundar being 70 caught off Billy Goat Point. i>y Mr. W. Casey and crew of Imnnta. Countess coming next whh 40, caught <ifT ,'ltnkJno. , .Iwin was hauled into her owner's fihed I at Curran Street beach last week. Arton.> whs hauled up for a clean and paint all over, and will go afloat this week-end and stay in commission until the end of July at lecst. Mr. Duke, of W.iiwera. has just completed a :(0 hy Sfriiin launch for his own use. which U now waiting delivery of .her engine. The residents and regular visitors tn Waiheke are holding a social at Ostend on Saturday week. -JOth in3t.. when a presentation will l>o made to Captain E. Vann. tap popular skipper of the oil vessel Wainku, j which makes her last trip for the season on that date. A number of invitations have j been issued, nnd visiting yachtsmen are sure j Owing to the progress made with the retaining wall of the eastern extension off the King's Drive by the Harbour Board workmen, the mooring area there tas been : encroached on to n small extent, which has ! rendered necessary some re-arrmngement. I Captain Serjeant has done so with dne I rti to the present holders of sltps, artfl ' neiirly all have been eccornmodatp.d. This I popular area is now filled, applicants for ) fnrther sites having to be content with Judge's Bay or one of tae other protected areas at present set apart by tile Board It Iβ only a qneetlon of .time when ftn«her mooring sites will hav.J to be provided for

our ever-Increasing pleasure fleet, and we predict that at uo distant date Hobson Bay will be the only place where moorings cai be found without undue crowding. That the protected areas are a boon Is not to be denied, tor not only are your own moorings kept up to a certain standard of safety by the supervision of the Board's officers, but by tiie *ame token you are protected from Inclined t« take chances on his chain and weights holding out. Only lam month a ' lauoch lay on an anchor, and a light one at ! that, for over sii weeks In the unprotected I area off Curran Street. At each blow this boat was a source of anxiety to all the ' owners of boats thereabouts. aiMl repeatedly i got foul of several. untH Mr. F. W. ; Chalmers, -whose launch, Gwen C, was the I greatest snfferer, rightly complained to the Harbourmaster, and steps were immediately taken by him to have the offending boat properly secured. The owners of boats In protected areas are Immune from these extra dangers for the modest fee of 10/ per annum.