AQUATICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 78, 3 April 1926, Page 25

AQUATICS.

(By SPEEDWELL.) The present indications for good, weather at Easter are not promising, but beyond a breeze of wind in from the sea. nothing out of the ordinary may come of it. A hard north-easter will curtail the extent of the Easter cruise, and the inside of Waiheke for the smaller boats and Kawau for the keel class will be most popular. The Tamaki Yacht Club will hold a regatta on Monday, when a number of classes will be catered for, including speed' boats. All events will start and finish off the Kohimarama wharf. A course for the bigger boats nas been laid off from the starting point round Bastion light beacon, round the beacon below Rangitoto wharf and back via St. Helier's passage. With an off-shore wind a good afternoon's sport should be assured. The Onetangi Regatta, postponed from January 2nd, is to be held to-day. If the weather is unsuitable for the outside of Waiheke the races will be held off Ostend. A regatta is also to be held to-day at Whitianga, Mercury Bay. This function usually attracts a number of yachts and launches from Tauranga and . several Auckland launches have planned to make tho trip to Mercury Bay. A sports gathering, in continuation of the water sports, will be held on Monday, the proceeds being in aid of the local hospital. Mr. E. Chadban, well-known to all boating men from Tauranga to Auckland,, is the leading spirit of the, gathering and visiting yachtsmen are assured of a hearty welcome. There will not be a regatta at Coromandel tins Easter. A bowling tournament is in progress there during the Easter holidays, and a number of players have gone from the city to take part. The wind was rather light on Saturday when the Victoria and Devonport Clubs 'held fixtures. The easterly wind gave the boats taking part in the Devonport Club's race to Rocky Bay a rather long beat down, and the wind being light made

the finish a late one. Moana did very well in the light weather and beat lorangi in by nearly eight minutes, winning easily. Victory, which also sailed well and was favoured with a nice lift off Crusoe, was second, and lorangi third. In the centre-board class, Waitere did well right from the start and never left the issue in dotibt. Venus, with the added handicap of a late start, sailed very well, and by working.the northern shore all the way, sailed into second place. Rahiri and Vanma also did well considering the light breeze. Several boats in this class gave up. In the harbour races Ola IV. won the Star class easily, while Marie ran off with the T. and Y. race. There were seven starters in the Jellicoe class, and the finish saw a great go between Joan and Rangi. Rangi's skipper stood well inshore near H.M.c.s. Iris, and just fetched the finishing line, but Joan had to make an extra [ board. John won on time. As usual, the M class fought out a good race, Maroro, Matarere and Mollie being close together. Maroro led until almost on the line, when she came, round just a little too late, and Matarere passed her to get the gun by tho small margin of seven seconds. Tlie Victoria Club had good fields for their three general handicaps, and the racing was very keen. Wairiki had a well-deserved victory in the President's Cup. for she beat both Queenie and Starlight home. Winifred also sailed well, but did not get placed, Spray being second and Queenie third. Sea Gnome accounted for the Boonstra Memorial Cup with a margin of 16 seconds only ffom the scratch boat. Alert, which was second, with Kismet third, only 25 seconds out of a win. The Race Cup brought out 14. starters, and Surprise added another to her many victories, \yin.ning easily,' with Atartgatai ' second, and Wild' Wave third. Esther G. had a win in the launch rate, Which was fully due to her." ' ■ Next Saturday the Takapuna Boating Club will hold their regatta, when all the centre-board classes. from 26 footers down will be provided for. This enterprising club .has just .'concluded a ten days' carnival, ' which 'has ''considerably Reduced the debenture deb_

A small yawl-rigged craft named Islander has just returned to Los Angeles after a cruise of four years duration, during which the little ship .has circumnavigated the globe. ; Islander is 34 feet long overall, 27ft 6in on. the waterline, 10ft 9in beam, and draws oft. She was built in Los Angeles by her owner and skipper, Mr. Harry Pidgeon. He left there on his world's cruise on November, 1921, and sailed direct for the South Seas, reaching the Marquesas on December 30: Some months were spent amongst the group and the journey continued to Tahiti. A long stop was made here, and. the.voyage resumed by way of the Dutch East Indies, a call being next made at Madagascar and then on to Cape Town; where he arrived in March, 1923. Some time was spent in cruising about the coast of Cape Colony, and he resumed his journey in June for St. Helena. Here Islander got ashore and had to be towed back,to Cape Town to refit. It will be recalled that Captain Conor O'Brien was forced to refit at Cape Town, lhaving sprung Saoirse's ma(in niast off the African coast. From the Cape the yawl passed by St. Helena, Ascension, the north-east coast of Brazil and up through the Panama Canal, and from .Balboa home to Los Angeles. The "Rudder" concludes this brief account of the voyage by saying Islander thus completed the circumnavigation of the globe —-the smallest craft ever 'to' accomplish the feat. Evidently the writer has forgotten the feat of Captain Voss in his Indian canoe Tillicum, a much smaller boat, whi'clv visited -Auckland some 20 years ago in the course of his voyage round the world, which he successfully completed. A letter was received by the Auckland Yacht and Motor Boat Association from Mr. Warren, of Great. Barrier Island, complaining of-, the .conduct of the. crew of a certain class of boat on his property last Christmas: - The writer- mentioned that the majority of yachtsmen who visited the Barrier were quite well behaved, and he was always pleased to welcome them ashore, but recognised that there were a few who misconducted themselves at times. It was decided to reply regretting the incident and to send a copy of Mr. Warren's letter on to all clubs holding races for the class in question. Arrangements for the

final races were made at this meeting and it was decided to make the destination Islington Bay. The five-flag method of starting will be used from the tower, on the King's wharf, with eight-minute intervals between each race. Cruising launches will start at 2.20 p.m., keel yachts at 2.28 p.m., H and N at 2.36 p.m., L at p.m., M at 2.52 p.m., V at 3 p.m., Star and S at 3.8 p.m., T and X at 3.16 p.m., V at 3.24 p.m. and Z at 3.32 p.m. Speed launches (if any) .will start at 3.40 p.m. All classes down to 20-footers will go to Islington Bay via the Duder Spit buoy in Rangitoto channel, while all harbour races will be sailed over the usual King's wharf, Sandspit, Resolution, and back to the King's wharf course, all going twice round except the Z class.