AQUATICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 25, 29 January 1921, Page 14

AQUATICS.

(By "fJPEEDWTTLL.") When these, notes arc published the Re<ratta of 1921, marking as it does the Hist birthday of this Dominion, will be about tinished, an<l any attempt to | out tilP moet li-kriy winners will be I rather lato in the day. Po far as tuo I comraitt.ee are concerned, everything i possible has Iwen done to ensure the I regatta beinjf a. success, while the re-. | sponse from yacht and launch owners | ban been very gratifying to those re-j sponsible for the programme, the entries in almost every class Ix-ing record ones, the total erve'e-ding last year by 4U (Taft. As anticipated laet week, fouT i boats entered for the open speed boat I race, and spectators can count on seeing' sppwis rivonlcil groutJy exceeding anythinir yet apprua<-)ied in the history ft tins time-honourcj aifiiath , fun-uon. The eleven entries in the first Has* in.-!uc:e all tiiat nre eligible, and it is a long time, siih-e so many big ysu'ht« have been seen in one race. In one class there nre nineteen boats, while in the one-drvign class there arc now the same number of boats' as the length of the class, viz.. 14. We have hi-ar.l not a few regTets that the trading vesseJs' race has lapsed, and I*"* fact of dropping it for this year may lead to steps being taken to revive in- . terest in this event. At the last meet- • ing of the Auckland Harbour iJoaTd the , question of giving a substantial prize for, this rac;> was discussed, and it met with the approval of the members, who will fro into tiie matter at a later date, as it was rt>cognise«l the time was too short to do anything for the 1921 regatta, j The present indications are for northerly | weather on Saturday, and this will give ! smooth water off Calliope I>ock. whicJi is the centre rrf attraction for the day. 1 ami provided < heTe is enough wind it | should suit both sail and power ercnt-s | very -well. flreat preparations have been made all this wefk by owners of yacht* and launches right round the waterfront, and the builders' slins have been literally Ik—ieged by boats wanting to come up for a final polish, while the. grids, provided by the Harbour Board at Ponsonby, Parnell. and Stanley Bay. have been greatly appreciated. There scorns to be a revival of the old-time- spirit of rivsJry between crews, causing them to fro to the length of black-leading bottoms, which speaks well for the future of the sport generally, and the contests to-day in particular. Wellington Anniversary Regatta was held last Saturday, and proved to be a great success. The weather was ideal for racing, a topsail breeze blowing all day. Following their usual custom, races were held in the morning for lirst and second class yachts. 14 footers, and launches, and in the afternoon a general handicap was hold for both yachts and launches. There were seven entries in the first class, vi/,.. Marangi. Atalanta, Ailsa. Rona, Viola. Wanderer fpx-Colma). and Waircre 11. All of these were Auckland built boats. Marangi proved the winner, with Ai-lsa second and Atalanta third. The second class race was won by Romp, witli Wairere I. second: the 14-foot class was won by Pooee, and the launch race by Purivi. The general handicap held in the afternoon was also won by Marang-i from a field of 16 starters. The fast whaling launch Rwiftsure, built by Lane of Pieton, camo across Cook Strait specially for the race, bnt although finishing first, she did not get placed. The Taurangu Regatta (jommittee are so satisfied •with the result of the recent regatta that ther have decided to hold it annually on the day after Boxj ing Day. A valuable cup will be offered next year for a race from Auckland to Tauranga. Mr. G. C. Maltby, owner of Matua, who intended competing in the •2r>-foot class to-day, v.'as una-ble to make the trip as Matua was delayed a week I on the return iourner to Tiuranga. I having to run for shelter to Trypheria J and again to Mercury Bay in heavy ' easterly weather. j The clnb races lasi Saturday were rather spoilt by lack of a steady I breeze. The Ponsonby Club's race I suffered most in this respect, the boats lying becalmed for over two hours off Motuihi. Que.enie an 4 Sadie W the fleet all the way while the. breeze lasted, bur Marie. Stnrlock. Sndie and Queenie finally finl-ihei in (his order nil within one niinuti\ The boats lay off Ostend for the night ;<n,l nexl morning wore a.<tir early, makiug the mo*t of the perfect day.' Some very good hauls of I sfhnapper -were obtained in the vicinity of Crnsoe and Ptakino. Daisy made the trip right round Waiheke. via the passage. A number of launches lay in Matiatia overni°+it, going further out next morning after fish. As usual, with the wind in Tslincrton Bay was well favoured and some fifteen craft lay Uiere on Sunday, including Ahuareka, Alice and the auxiliaries Debutante and Miz.pah. The win.! fell to n flat cnlm about seven in the evening, an<l a number were late get Ling home, (Tie sironr ebb making matters worse. Launch owners were very gorxl and severs! yachts have to thank their power-boat friends for a tow home. Quite a number of boats have changed hands lately and the demand is still brisk. Mr. W. Mason Bailey, -who bought Okere last season from Mr. J.

Hanna, has now purchased the 40-footer (late Gladyfl) from Messrs Court uid Hutchinson. .Mr. Dale Spencer has bought the well-known 26-footer Celox and she will race in his name to-day. L'elox Li a pood boat and in her new owner'd hand* should come back to her <ld form again. Mr. 11. Wilson has purchased the 20-footer Alarm, which he has renamed Lorna. In the North Shore Club's race for the one-design class nn Saturday a fool occurred between Ola and Betty just after the stem of the mark boat on completion of the first round. To an outsider it would seem as if Ola was quite in the wrong, as she was on port tack, and Betty (in starboard. Under ordinary circumstances this requires no debating, but on Saturday thfi position was Miraewhat different, as the -ulcs governing the positions of boats when rounriin;? j a mark boat or other obstruction to sea I mom may Ik , hold to .ipply, and then the [port and" starboard rule ia waived i;i : favour of the rule which provided that J one boat mv.-ft pive another room round I a mark. Hetty rounded the mark ten or ! twelve seconds ahead of Ola, and had thrown round on to the starboard tack. : and wa<3 Bailing on her new course, when i she met Ola on port just coming round. J There is more in this question than meets? the eye, and as a protest has been lodged ! the matter will have to be thoroughly 'gone into. A feature of this race was the con- [ stantly changing positions of the three lor four leading boats, for almost up to i the last half-mile the issue was in doubt. j This is just as it should be, as it lends additional interest to the races of this J class, which has firmly established iteelf in public favour. j 'Next tiaturduy the squadron win hold a measurement race for first-class yachts, the n inner holding the J. C. Maaky trophy. A fjene-ra.l handicap for the second-cla.?s w'ii a.l?o l>e 'held for Mr. ,T. 1,. K. irroo-mijeld's prize, and a rac- for the boats for Mr. G. L. Thvrburn's prize. This race is open to any beat in New Zealand. The N.Z. Power Tioat AesoCHttrnm -will bold -harbour race? next Sa-turdaK- over the four-knot ormrse, -and there are i new boats i.nJcing part eoroe good I rarinfr nhnnld b<- pecn. I <>n WodTiPwnar er<-nlnjr Messrs. ToT--1 Hrtsrs and JVII a fssft by P.H. 6in ( Liurn'S 1o the or.ler o-f Mr. A. 11. Court. i Her power phint !-s a Model M. s-ix- | cylinder Van Blerck. of 120-150-h.p. The is rerv wcH clni-heJ. t>it> flbtin^sj , bcin!T fume-l oz':. The is in-' stalls! amidships, the cabin. l"ft lorer, : be-infr for'ard. T}te ensrin-e-room has i lookers on port, and a pa?so<re to the |<"ab'n, while a sitrk, is frtted on the . 1 «\d<-. The ooekrpH is tmsuallr roomy, teir.<r Sft fiin. and al! controls are centred at the wheeJ. actanl on«-----•ran rnntrol. The cabin ;"* neatly xcp-}i<il-tcre.l in bro-ivn morpuette vplret. and ii-ax 'buTfks eijflit. Klectric lijrht ;is flttwl to eip-ht noints. The boat is biri'it on Mr. Cofllinse" concaTfj-onwT prinf:pl»». a Tnotiifrcation flf th« V- ; bottom, but hav-i-np the hard chine of llris type. This Ivrat will rank as one of our nrnst modem express cruisers, a= the Americans call them. P'akea, as th-e boat has 'he/en should do 50 knots -when m racirrs , trim.