RACE TO TAURANGA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 304, 23 December 1932, Page 11

RACE TO TAURANGA.

ELEVEN BOATS COMPETING. START AT 4 P.M. TO-MORROW. The twelyth annual yacht race from Auckland to Tauranga will start at i o'clock to-morrow afternoon. The entries this year are not up to the usual total, nine keel and only two centreboard boats having nominated with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

On Boxing Day the usual regatta will be held at Tauranga, for which a full programme of sailing, motor boat racing, rowing, swimming, and side show events will be carried out, as well as several features introduced for the first time this year, including an aerial bombing display and Highland dancing. Handicaps and Course. The course for the ocean race is from starting line off the King's wharf direct to The Mount, at the entrance to Tauranga harbour, distance 121 nautical miles.

The entries and handicaps are:—Keel yachts: lorangi (G. Mackenzie), scratch; Nga Toa (Wiustone Bros.), 6m; Waione (R. J. Thompson), lh 20m; Ladye Wilma (N. H. Newcorube), 111 40m; Queenie (T. Hill), 2h sm; Mahaki (Wilson and Clark), 3h; Janet (J. Tattersfield), Hover J. Greer), 3b 50m; Revel (Tercel 8r05.,), 4h 15m. Centreboard yachts: Celox (T. McWilliams), scr.; Varuna (Sands and Burton), lh 30m; Mavis (A. and J. Dickson), 3h 15m.

The yachts will finish off the Blinker light on The Mount, near the entrance to the harbour. In daytime this line will be defined by two white flags in line. After dark, two white lights will take the place of the flags to mark the finishing line. The officials will be in touch with Tauranga by wireless. A number of carrier pigeons will he liberateed from Messrs. Winstone's Nga Toa during the course of the race, with messages describing the order and prospects of the various competitors.

The officials in charge of the starting are Messrs. W. <T. Hicks. S. Reid, G. Metcalfe, N. Erson, and Geo. Dcery. The

keel yachts will start at 4 p.m., and the centreboard yachts at 4.10 p.m. The fiveflag system of starting will be used. The prizes are: Keel class, Colin Norris Memorial Gold Cup, gold miniature, and £7 10/; second prize. £3 10/; third prize, £2; also champion flag for the first boat to finish. The prizes in the centreboard class are: First," silver model of yacht (Clench trophy) and £7 10,/; second, £3 10/; third, £2; also champion flag for fastest time. Both first prizes have been increased from £5 to £7 10/ by a donation from Mr. Ernest Davis.

Distances from Auckland. The distances from Emu point, Motutapu passage, are as follows: —Emu Point to Watchman Island, off Colvilie (light), 26 miles; Watchman Island to False Watchman, 4 miles; False Watchman to Waikawau Point, 7 miles; Waikawau Point to Old Man Rock (20ft high), 21 miles (light on Ohena Island near Old Hfnn Rock); Old Man Rock to the finishing line at The Mount, 56 miles. At the local regatta a handicap race for keel yachts, classes A, B, and C, will be held, first prize £5, second £2, third £1. For the centreboard boats the prizes are the Clench Cup and £3, £1 10/, and £1. One of the competitors in the centreboard races, Mavis, is a Tauranga boat, 24ft overall, which is at present sheltering at Mercury Bay. Revel, the limit boat in the keelers' race, was built recently by Tercel Bros, for a Whangarei yachtsman. If the yachts finish at night the Taurantra Regatta Club has allotted a letter to each competitor, which they request should be made by flashlight or torch as the yacht crosses the line. Usually one of the crew is familiar with the Morse alphabet, and the following are the letters for each boat:—lorangi, letter A; Nga Toa, B; Waione, C; Ladye Wilma, D; Queenio, E; Mahaki, F; Janet, G; Rover, H; Revel, I. Centreboardcrs: Celox, M; Mavis, N; Varuna, O. This is a simple yet accurate method of informing the judges of the yacht's identity, and it is to be hoped that, in the event of darkness, the letters will be practised and given clearly as they cross the line. The signals will be acknowledged by the officials.