FOUR BOATS CAPSIZE.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 39, 15 February 1929, Page 11

FOUR BOATS CAPSIZE.

SANDERS CUP SENSATION. AUCKLAND ENTRY DAMAGED. FIRST RACE ABANDONED. (By Telegraph.—Special to " Star."> AIvAROA, tin* day. Four of the five boats which wont over the line when the bang of tlie starter's gun announced the start of the 1923 Sanders Cup contest vesterdav afternoon capsized before the race hud been in progress ten minute-. Tlie tifth boat. Colleen, made for shelter, and the race iva ; abandoned. It wa- the mo*t sensational incident in the history of the Sanders Ctip races, and was all the more unexpected as the weather shortly before the start was fine with little or no wind. The cause of tintrouble was a fierce southerly r-quall which caught the light weather crew* completely off their guard. The crews were as follow*:—Avalon (Auckland). Willetts, Cloke. Larritt: Murihiku (Southland), H. Hens-en, .lanii?snn. O. Johnston: Colleen (Canterbury). Morrison. Treleaven. Brassell: Eileen lOtaaoi. Kellett. Robertson. Gibson: Clyde (Wellington *. Fountree. Korr. Prince, Not until the boats were actually lining up at the Mart was there a goo.i puff from the south, but a? the boau went away the Wind freshened considerably. Avalon was first away, followed by Murihiku. Colleen. Clyde and Eileen. and the Auckland boat at once took the lead. Clyde, worked into second plac. while Colleen dropped back to fifth, and lost distance to leeward.

Off (Jreen Point Kileen. Clyde. Onlleen. and Murihiku came about to port, but Avalon continued on the starboard to mid-harbour, having a lonw lead. At this stage the sea wa« increa-inu.

No sooner had the boat* ilea red ("irt-en Head than the sensational happened. In i few -eennds a howling southerly squall -wept down upon the boats and they ."•eleil over. Clyde almost immcdiatelv apsized. and Murihiku and Eileen followed within a few second*. Avalon. away out in front, tried to cou.c up imo the wind and lower her iuaiu*ail. but the wind ju*t beat" the crew and over -he went. Colleen, which had been a-tern of the other boats and we'd to windward had sufficient time to lower her main-ail ami make for a haven under jilt onlv.

Launches were quickly on the scene to rescue the crews, who were cliugin-r to their upturned 1-oat*. It wa* here that Avalon had a further stroke of bad luck. One of the rescuing launches ran over the Auckland boat's bow. break"mher bow -prit and doing considerable damage to her planking and decking. All tour boat* were towed to'" the -hor.'. and arrangement* were at oiu-e made for having the damage to Avalon made good. Clyde lost her working jib. but has a spare one.

The race was declared abandoned: and will be re*ailed to-dav.