MODEL YACHTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 87, 13 April 1934, Page 11

MODEL YACHTING.

ORAKEI CLUB. The Orabei Model Yacht Club has six trophies still to be won, and expects to continue racing until the end of May. Crusader (F. Cloke) and lorangi (Gordon Bevins) are equal with 33 points for the Jensen Shield for highest score, and have agreed to put both names on it. These races have been run on tbe penalty system all through the season, the system working to the satisfaction of members. By this method of automatic handicapping, all the boats start off scratch at the \ beginning of the season. Each winner is penalised to the extent of lm 30s, the second boat going back Ira and the third 30s. This has been used for both 3ft and 4ft classes. When they race together the 4-footers allow the 3-l : ooters 3m on the club course. The club is taking a keen interest in the forthcoming inter-club contest, and will also enter a strong team for the harbour race on the 28th inst. The first of the inter-club contests will be .held on Saturday week, April 21, when the Manukau Club will visit the Orakel Club. MANUKAU CLUB. The Manukau Senior Model Yacht Club concluded the final heat for the Harrison Cup last Saturday for the race across the Manukau Harbour at Onehunga wharf and back to Mill Bay. Falcon was the winner. Maybe won the Moore trophy for the Park one-design class. To-morrow the club will hold the final heat for the club handicap trophy. This club will visit Orakei Basin on Saturday, April 21, to try conclusions with the home club in the 3ft, 4ft and under 12.1 in beam class. On Saturday, April 29, the Ponsonby Club will visit the Manukau Club at Mill Bay, where the finals of the inter-club contests will be decided. PONSONBY CLXIB. After the club's races last week the teams were chosen to take part in the inter-club matches with the Orakel and Manukau clubs. In the 3ft class the boats will be Ship of Joy, On Dit and Tamarika. In the 4i't class they are Lena, Waitere and Clara C. In the under 12Jin beam class the boats are Scout, Lark and Enterprise. By courtesy of the Manukau Club the date first-named, April 15, for the races between the two clubs, has been altered to April 29, as several of the Ponsonby skippers were unable to take part this week, owing to sailing in the final yacht races. Some very close finishes were witnessed at the club's final races last week-end, a visitor being Mr. V. M. Dickinson, commodore of the St. Andrew's Bay Model Yacht Club, Dunedin. The club's Sft championship was won by Mr. W. T. Matthew's Ship of Joy. The 4ft championship fell to Mr. L. Pohlen's Lena. The Point Erin Cup for juniors was won by On Dit, sailed by Jack Speight, and the Watchman Cup by Scout, sailed by Mr. H. A. Lowe, late of Whangarei. YACHTSMEN'S INTEREST IN MIDGET CLASS. Great interest was taken in the Heme Bay Sailing Club's midget class race on Saturday week for old boys. The competitors were yachtsmen with years of experience in sailing larger craft, and they included Captain Percy, of Parnell (tbe winner), who was one of the owners of the Celox when sho was first built. Olley Kiley, who gained second place, was wellknown as a keen sailer ot open boats In their palmy days 30 years ago, his last boats being Miss Mischief and Seahorse afterwards sold to Jasper Caider, now chapiiun of the yachting Ueet of the Waitemata, and still as keen as ever to further the Interests of yachting. The third was Jack Hodgson, who, with his brother Athol, also a competitor, owned several yachts and motor boats, the latter including Tahatu (a 40-footer, sold to Samoa, for use in administrative work amongst the islands of the group), Defender (ex Scrlpps 111., a well-known, speedy, cedar-planked 35l'ooter, built by Lane, and now on the banks of the Northern Walroa, where she has lain for years. Also the T.P., a smaller boat used by the Hodgsons when at tbo Bay of Islands, to run up to Russell. Athol Hodgson was always keen on sailing, and owned a Jellicoe 14-footer, and the M class boat Molly, now on Lake Tarawera. Messrs. George and Ivo Dennes used to sail in their keel yacht Siola, after which their midget is named. Roy Lidgard recently built a 10ft 6m sailing dinghy for his son, age 12, to compete in the class. Ho sailed her himself in this race, finishing fourth. Len Bell has had most of his experience in a motor boat. He enjoyed the race, and 6ays it beats sailing models. Mr. W. Tupp is the owner of the 24-footcr Why Not, which liaa had groat success in the 1931 and 1932 seasons. At the second race for seniors further entries were received from the ranks of older yachtsmen, among them being George Tyler, formerly a boat builder (Tyler and Harveyi who turned out a number of smart motor boats. lie is also an experienced yachtsman of the open boat days. Vol. Masetield is very well known to all Ponsonby boating men, the Masefield family I having been identified with yachting iu this district for the past M years. Like others he does his cruising now with the aid of a motor. .Many of the old crew of the Thetis will wlsn him luck. When compared with some of the competitors. Jack McWhirter (skipper of Valeria), Jack Will, cocks (skipper of Otira) and Vlnce Hogan (skipper of Sceptre) are youngsters, aud will require watching by the handicappor as they are in constant practice in the boats mentioned. The idea to interest the older hands in the sport is a good one and deserves to be encouraged.