AQUATICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 124, 25 May 1920, Page 9

AQUATICS.

(By - SPEEjyW'ELL.")

The sudden jump from mild autumn to ia a-lntrv weather of the post two weeKa /as hiS Se effect of bringing the; yachting season to an end with a round than a dozen boats left Che harbour on Saturday for the week-end cruise, and Sunday was no better, while owners whose ■boats are still in commission are uomg their beet to get berths Tor the winter and the majority will haul up as soon as they P °There doubt that next season we shall experience a boom in the ajiung POf" tloji of our pleasure fleet. There are several factors which will .help the revival. The soaring price of benzine and the hleber cost of oil engines and everything connected wltfc, them are not the only causes. There are now a great number of young fellows who care nothing for motor bo'its. and having had a taste of sett water sai.ing while their elder brothers were away on their grim errand of war work, are inclined to branch out tor themselves. The β-maller mullet boat classes, or the onedesign class, appeals most strongly to tne young man, and we hear of several new boats in each class already being considered, while no less than eight new 14----footers will be built ibe-fore next season in Auckland alone, and this week two remiests for plans have been received from wliangarel. Added to this will be several 114----foot flatties and numerous other croft not built to any special size or class, their only limitation being the length of their owner s pocket or that of his back shed. The truth of the statement that we shall experience a revival of yacht sailing here Is also shown by the fart thnt there are few. if any, yachts on the sale list, while would4>e purchasers are already negotiating for at least two formerly Auckland-owned yachts now in Wellington, and another at Waitara. Added to this is a 40-footer recently launched by 'Messrs. Tercel Bros., a 00-foot schooner noaring completion at -las. Held s yard Northcote. and a G5-foot schooner for Mr. Robt. Taylor, about to be laid down by Bailey and Lowe. These are all healthy signs, for after nil it Is the yac-bts which do the most to keep our sport going, and which furnish fully 75 per cent of the entries at local regattas. While Sydney. Mebourne. 'Brisbane and even Perth regiilarly held Inter-State •championships before the war, and Victoria has held duo race for the N'orthcote Cup this year, it is over twenty years since we had anything like this on the Waltemata, Iα spite of the fact that Auckland-ibuilt boats have taken part in many a contest for Inter-state honours in other ports. we think it Is about time that we had a class race here, and what could be better than a frmetre class. In connection with this Idea the secretary of the Anniversary Regatta Committee, acting on a resolution passed at the last meeting of the committee, wrote to Mr. A. C. Saxton, of Sydney owner of the β-metre boat Culwalla 111 congratulating him on winning the Northeote Cup, and expressing the iope that be might be induced to bring hie little flier across to New Zealand. Mr. Doug. Koss has received the following reply from Mr. Saxton: "With reference to Intercolonial racing, I am convinced that this class of racing would create great interest, and assist j-achtlnc in a great measure, particularly with such boate as could t>e carried on the deck of an lnter-colonlal steamer like the β-metre craft that competed for the Northcote Cup. Should you be able to arrange for this class at your next regatta, and can give mc sufficient notice, I can almost certainly promise that I will be along with the Awamii." Mr. Sa-tton goes on to say that he has sent a cony of Mr. IJoss' letter on the subject or the β-uietre class to both Sydney yacht clubs, who, no doubt, will communicate with the 'Regatta Committee. The first consideration In a race like this Is naturally the one of prize money. Nothing under £100 would be much good, we are afraid, but surely this sum could be raised. I The Hegatta Committee already have a subI etantial balance In hand, and If the trad- ' ing vessels" race w*e dropped out another £50 or £60 could be saved, and added to the prize, making £150, which would not only ensure the attendance of one or two boata from Australia, but wold certainly cause i a representative boat to be built here, and, I Incidentally, help along the sport of yacht- '■ Ing in no small degree. The matter wants taking up without delay, for If a definite prlae were offered for this class, which Is really the only one we could expect boats to be built to locally owing to the very high cost of a ten-metre boat, the prize could be advertised in Sydney and Melbourne, and a local syndicate formed to build a boat to meet Culwalla. Besides a syndicate i boat. It is quite possible that a certain I local enthusiast, who was disappointed in I his efforts fo bring a much larger boat back

0 her native waters last season, might be induced to give an order for a six-metre, 'specially with the certainty of a race lgalnst Sydney's best taking place in Auckland next January. The Auckland Yacht and Motor Boat Association will hold a' meeting of delegates on Monday, June 7. A meeting of the lUchmond Cruising Club will be held this evening to make arrangements for, the club's annual social and prize night. The Ponsonby Cruising Club's social and distribution of prizes will be held In the I>ruids' Hall. Newton, on June 23. This club has had a very successful season, no less than £144 being given away In prizes, besides trophies. The winter socials are. being held In the clubhouse every Saturday evening. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Is fully alive to the conning revival in yachtIng, and already have held several meetings to consider the best'way of controlling and furthering this Interest. It has been decided to hold one or more races for the 14-foot one-design class, a substantial prize of £30 being alrcndy promised by a member. Other matter* affecting '.he sailing claases are now beinK. dealt with, and will be announced in this column when finally decided. Captain A. Whitney, who returned by the lonic last Thursday, brought with him a 35-foot launch, one of those used as tender to seaplanes on the const of England by the ; Hoval Air Force. She is fitted with a 75 horse-power engine, and should be an acquisition to our local fleet of motor boats. Xnw that the season Is practically finished the benzine shortage has come to an end, with the arrival of the Waltemata to-day, and the certainty of plentiful supplies to follow. It will be a long time, we except, before prices come down, although we are told that the British Government has secured a controlling Influence in the 1 l'erslan oilfields, end will be able to supply I the whole of the British Empire by 1924. lln the meantime we must pay the high ■ prices or replace our present engines with those burning crude oil at something under 11/ per gallon. While it Is generally admitted that the American manufacturers ,of marine oil engines are nway ahead of British in this particular line, yet an article in one of the leading American magazines calls attention to the fact that British makers of oil engines have successfully grappled with the high cost of fuel problem, and points out that there are over 20 British firms now making engines to run na crude oil from 10 horse-power up, severe , of which are not at all too heavy for pleasure boats. What may help to solve the high cost of running benzine engines Is a patent taken out in England by Mr. W. J. Still for a combined oil and steam engine. The combination is effected by using the combustion principle at high temperature, and then ! employing the waste heat to produce steam. • which steam Is expended in the combustion i cylinder Itself on one side of the piston, the > combustion (or oil) stroke acting on the s other side. We are assured that this ens glne has been most rigorously tested both : ashore and afloat, with veifcr gratifying re- > suits, the total efficiency over the uspal - type of oil engine being 46 per cent i greater. i The Red Cross launch Awhlna. which was , presented to the hospital ship Maheno on , the outbreak of war by the New Zealand .- Power Boat Association and other subs scribers, was returned to the Association i by the Government, and has recently been ;- sold to Mr. Thompson, of Tauranga. The z proceeds. £200. have been handed over by * the Association- to the Sanders Memorial t> Scholarship Fund.