AQUATICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 72, 26 March 1921, Page 18

AQUATICS.

(By - SPEEDWELL. - '/ THp Birkcnhead and Xortlicotc regatta, hold last Saturday, was a very successful afternoon's sporty Ilio various classes being well filled, and except for a rather lickle breeze, which upset the calculations of some of the best skippers, everything passed off without a hitch. The upper reach of llm harbour presented a very pretty sight about three o'clock, over 10U sailing craft being" dotted at various intervals all over its surface, each group representing one of "the ten classes into which the rucing (leet was divided. Wry interested spectators of the sailing events were a party of six Otago yachtsmen, who were especially keen in following the fortunes of tin; boats in the 14ft class. Owing to the variable breeze the race was not so pood as usual, but enough was seen to show our Southern visitors that the boats in this rIaHS can sail well and are very keenly handled. Neither the Iron Duke; nor Desert fiold w.-re competing, and Kdna won tnrough obeying that unwritten rule of racing which prompted a skipper to hold his luff when going for a mark with a variable wind. The pßrty of Otago yachtsmen who arrived last week have been busy since then in getting Heather into good nick for the. contest. As the boat was only launched about five weeks ago, ncr sails have hardly hud time to stretch out, while her crew found that, when compared with our representative, Iron Duke, her bottom and topsides were not nearly so smooth and glossy. This has now l>ecn attended to, and both boats will be on tiie line in tiptop order in every resppet. As the best of five races are to be sailed, they will he continued on Monday and Tuesday, if necessary, and with fresh breezes all the time, it may b< , necessary to sail _ five races, as the Southern boat seems to like a breeze, but in light weather docs not have the life in her that some of our boats have. The "ißoyal-" race was a rather tame one. only three boats JinishinfT the course, which was curtailed to one round owing to the light breeze makimr a fin:?h hpforp seven, o'clock impossible. Ar'ki, carrying her new sailfs. sailed a good race winning by 40 seconds. In four starts'this season she h:is gained three firsts and one econd. YVaione and Windward after a great race finished absolutely a dead heat. Tiie New Zealand Power Boat Association held a very pleasant outing over the week-end, which took the form of a cruise in oompanv, the destination be-in™ Awaroa Bay. Ail the boats proceeded there in open order, the speed heing the limft of the slowest boat. Thi? is better than tearing down at top speed, leavin? half your gear and your friends to come airing later by steamer or a iiire boat, j ati.'l indp.ng by the success of tiie octj ing it will .figure on tl'.o card eaoh ypar. 'The next 'ixlurc of t:iis association will he the harbour races mi Saturday, when J -hath the Hurt and I , aimer Cups are to I In* run a- well as several pennant races. A race has iicra a<l led open to any iauiii.t r.Tgisterc.l with tiie Auckland Yacht aii 1 Motor Boat Association, for whir ii good prizes are offered. The Xorth Shore Ynchi Club bold their annual race for the ])unning (up ion Saturday iic.\t, alfo races for all the Umall rla'v'cs. 1 The majority of our iarper boat* ieft port un Thursday evening bound away to their faourite rruMitig ground for t'nr Ka-ter hol'ilnre. Nearly all made for Kii'wau. Mansion House Bay being crow.!,',] with craft of all ,-ort- and sizes. ?ome "iii .2" out to the Barrier, and then i.n t> t 'oTomandel, an.i trier, home in way of Wni.hrke. but the I m.ijtjrit . put ;n the iioliday abonl I Kuwuu. an.l generally liavc a good time, i !.ii.-t year -evernl boats mp.de th" run lup tie r'ner in Te Arnha. hut we have i nul nc.-.rd ill any making the fresh water j trip i hi« Ea-tcr. Mr. Dave Wall, one ..? tiie Otaffo J yachtsmen, and from irhim Mr. Tom 1 A le\iiul,r bought tiie yacht lorarcg'. lii bout nine \e-r--. ago. wan a ;r:ie=t on board Waitangi during the week-end. j c!ii<-.\V(| hlm-c!:', Mr. I), lead has the :!.-,-•->ot I 1.-iuncli Km he-ay from Mr. 11. I). Heather, ■ and in>;.ns !.. nave -rune jj-»o.l cr;ii-in<r jin bis late-: boat. Rnthesny was built by banps and has a six-cylinder engine. |-.".!tpd with He.-trie starter. She i< one ■ef fi.-r nio-t shapely boat-, her jriossy top-Me- 'ai-.va.v- male ing her j con?p'bmi , ii ! The Sea Sled, ulii.-h iui.s been going j uell lately, has yet to be run over the I measured mil". 1 nfortiinntely she dropI ped a propeller last l-'riday, and another j had to lie ca-t. To show the speed of i this type "el" boat, she was out with a I party last week, and when coming home ! near the tnp end of Wahieke 'passed one of our ordinary cruisers, whose owner ! had an engagement in Town at .". p.m, I Although his boat has a fair turn of ! speed, he wa ■ getting impatient, and , hailed t!,,- Sled to se.- if lip could J get a pii-.aop to town, lie was quickly i transferred, being landed in a little over i half an hour, kej.l his appoint men!, and I thfii sauntered down to wait till his boat | arrived a> (i p.m. He now wants a Sea j Slpd. j The Dunedin yachtsmen were enterj tnined on Tuesday evpning by the Royal i N.Z. Vaelii Squadron, when a very pleaj sant evening was spent at the club rooms. i Commodore -I. B. Johnston presided, and j gave a hearty welcome lo the visitors. ■ Lord .Icllicoe sent a telegram regretting ! t hat he wns not able to !>p present to ; meet the Southern men. but stated that jhe would arrive on Friday, mid would j sail Iran Duke in the races on Saturday I and following days. | In responding to the toast of their ! health the vi-kors said they w,. r p lookj in<: forward to a Keen match, and I although ihey had very little time to ge! J their boat- built and tried out, yet they 'hoped these contests would become annual, and if they took the Cup to Duncdin it would prove as hard for Auckland to get i: back as to take -'the breeks off. ii llipl.-in'innn.'-' Both the clmirnian and Mr. Nees, the representative of tiie OUigo Yacht Club, said that the credit, of inaugurating tin , I 111 cln.«> was due to Mr. W. A. Wilkinson, wlm had kept, hammerI ing away at. it. for .-.ninr years, and they I were glad t'i:it his ( fl'ori- were now heari ing fruit. The same speaker also mentioned that they hoped to have a conference with (hi , owners and others interI oeted ill this class before they left Auck- | land. with a view to making the restrictions in'-re rigid, and so establishing it as a rea! one-design class, which would Ibe taken up by other centres and so i ensure competitions being held annually jin different port?. 'Die idea was api proved of, :v.id ;'n opportunity will be j taken boforc our viMturw go home to h< il.i :i eonr'errn.- , . mnn probab;_. next Tiiei.lay ! evening. liv time these note* are published j three race-, for the inter-provincial cliani- | I'innthip of the I !ft class will have been Ibcld, the firsl one on Thurs-'.ay being to windward a'.:d leeward over a course of four a.ud a-hillf miles, twice round. The second lac ua.s over a triangular course, each race afterwards alternating in this uiannar.