THE KING'S YACHT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 164, 13 July 1935, Page 21

THE KING'S YACHT.

THE FAMOUS BRITANNIA. Of all the racing yaelits afloat in the ua.\s .When Britannia sailed against the -American yachts, Xarahoe and Vigilant Kln S S vessel alone remains. The others have all gone to the scrap heap, says a leading British yachting writer. But the King's cutter to-day is still tlie most popular racing yacht afloat, as well as being the most remarkable ever built. Jt has often been asked why the King does not build a new yacht to compete on equal terms with the modern vessels. The answer is that His Majesty loves Britannia. lie has known her and sailed aboard her since lie was a young man. He has owned lier for years and has won scores ot liard-louglit races with her. Alter the war, when it seemed that the sport of yachting was dead, it was the King .with his cutter Britannia who saved the situation. His Majesty's interest in the sport of jaclit racing has always been an exceedingly active one. He is a sailor at heart and a lino helmsman. All the liner technicalities of the game he studies closely, and the various alterations, modilicatious and changes of rig that have been made to Britannia of recent years have been carried out. under liis instructions. 4.1 £~ . '' iu ' entirely to his enthusiasm 111211 Britannia has boon kopt up to da to. and because of his keenness to get the best out of liis yacht that" she is still capable of winning prizes 111 her fortysecond year. During the winter Britannia again underwent certain alterations, so that when she meets Mr. Lambert's Yankee slie will be setting the very latest fashion in sails, blie is, indeed, a very modern old lady. In order to get the last decimal point of knot of speed out of her the copper sheathing has been removed from her hull so as to reduce surface friction, and her rig lias been changed in order to enable the setting of one of the new quadrilateral Jibs of the type lirst used aboard Endeavour last summer. But while Britannia's rig lias been altered many times, she remains practically the same below decks as she was when King Edward first sailed aboard her in 180,' J. On her saloon bulkheads, or walls, arc photographs of family groups showing King George as a midshipman, and oilpaintings and water-colour sketches by the Chevalier de Martino, marine painter to King Edward, of incidents in lier career. In most modern racing yachts comfort is sacrificed for weight, and some are fitted below with only the bare necessities insisted upon by the rules. But with Britannia this is not the ease. If the decorations of her cabins are old fashioned they are nevertheless charming, and all contribute to telling the life story of the most remarkable racing yacht aiioat—an ash-tray won at this regatta, a cigarette box won at another, the silver plate in the companion deckhouse recording her successful visits to the Mediterranean regattas, the cushion embroidered with her racing flag—all souvenirs of lier racing career. To know Britannia is to understand why her owner has never replaced lier with a more modern vessel. Quite apart from these sentimental reasons for keeping Britannia in commission, the King can. still justly claim that he has a line racing yacht. To the man in the street it is probably difficult to- understand why such a yacht built so long ago has not become out of date, or how the yachts built to-day can possibly fail to beat so old a vessel. The answer is simple enough. For various reasons the hull, form or shape of racing yachts has changed comparatively little since Britannia was built. The great advance has been made in (lie design and shape of sails, and tliis advance has been influenced by the progress of aviation. Provided, therefore, an old yacht such as Britannia lias been well cared for and lier rig changed with the times, there is no reason why she should not win her fair share of prizes against newer vessels. Whether in this his jubilee year the King will beat the American cutter remains to be seen. She will lie sailed by Sir Philip Hunloke, who is one of the finest racing helmsmen alive, and Britannia should add to her long string of winning flags this summer. When the winds are light she cannot hope to hold the modern vessels, but when winds are strong it is expected that the grand old cutter*will beat the American at Cowes just as she beat those other visitors more than 40 years ago. CLUBS' ACTIVITIES. Tills Is.the season when club activities are..confiixjed to. social events. The. prison* giving'fs.'tW""biggest affair during the winter, and each club endeavours to gather in all of the members and their lady friends for this occasion. A number of clubs have held this annual function, and the good feeling existing between all clubs 011 the Waitemata and Manukau was evident by the presence at each one of representatives from most of the sister clubs. This happy position does much to further the welfare of our sport, and may it continue; During the coming week the Ponsonby Cruising Cltib and the Manukau Senior Model Yacht Club will hold their prizegiving, both on Wednesday night. The Ponsonby Cruising Club will be at Peter Pan and the Manukau Club at the Foresters' Hall, Onehunga. In each ease the club lias changed its venue for the occasion from last year, the accommodation required for members and visitors now being double. The principal trophy to be presented at the Ponsonby club will be t lie Upton Cup, valued at t 2."i0. It was won b.v Mr. C. J. rollings' Tain'ariki, ' flying the flag of the "Hoyals." This boat, which put up such a great record in her first season, lias been purchased by Mr. A. Thompson, president of the Ponsonby Club, for his three sons. She will be fitted out with permanent hatches and bunks, and will make quite a comfortable cruiser. Her young skipper is very keen to try his hand at the new boat, for his previous best ship was a l(>-footer. Mr. Graham Park, secretary of the Manukau "Model Club, won the annual harbour race this year with his 4-footer Kauri 111. The prize was a cup presented by Mr. Ernest Davis. While these prizes are to be presented at the Tamaki Yacht Club's prize distribution, this cup may be on view at the Model Club's night. Tiie Ponsonby Model Yacht Club's prize niglit is to be 011 Saturday next at Point IJrin. The trojiliies will be 011 view in Lower Queen Street during the week. ACCIDENT TO MR. J. WORTHINGTON Sir. J. Worthington, owner with his brother of the smart 22-footer Ivomuri, whose record appeared 111 this column on June 15, met with a very serious accident at Whangarei, where lie was working at his trade of a builder. He is at present an inmate of the Whangarei Hospital, and his condition is regarded 11s serious. All members of the Ponsonby Cruising Club, of which he Is vice-commodore, and yachtsmen generally, will join in wishing him a speedy recovery. The commodore, Mr. F. W. .Toffers, has expressed the club's sympathy to his parents. ONE MAN—ONE BOAT. The latest Olympic Games bulletin issued by the German organising committee gives details of the new centre-board class which will be used in the monotype races in Kiel Fiord next year. "The types hitherto used in the Olympic contests have been eitliqr tin; 12-foot dinghy or a recognised monotype boat," states the official bulletin. "Experience, however, has shown that these boats are not sufficient to enable a helmsman to give the finest evidence of his yachting skill. Therefore, when- it became known in Germany, where centre-board sailing lias always been speciallv popular, that an Olympic regatta would be held in 1930, efforts were at once made to secure, the replacement of the existing tvpes by a boat which would enable the possibility of true yachting skill being brought into play,' and-which through the exhibition of the full art of individual sailing would add to the sporting attraction of the contest. "Several years of co-operation on the part of German designers have now led to the production of 'Olympic centre-boarders,' an improved all-round boat which, in view of her small dimensions, is exceedingly fast. The dimensions of this boat not only please the eye of the expert but also that of the I layman. Her overall length is lGft 4in, maximum beam oft Cin, mast height 20ft, and sail area 107.5 sq. feet. Experience has shown that its speed is beyond any expectations; owing to the happy proportions between the hull and the occupants' weight lier stability is so great that a heavy wind can be encountered without danger. Exact building regulations ensure the uniformity and equality of the boats. "The German Yachting Union hope that the new 'Olympic centre-boad"r' will prove t<> be the classic one-man boat for the future •- Numerous orders for the new type have already been placed." PRIZE NIGHTS. Tulv 17^— Ponsonby Cruising Club Inly. 17—Manukau Model Yacht Club. Tulv 20 —Ponsonby Model Yacht Club. j„ ]v '>3 —point Chevalier Sailing Club. August 10— Devonport Yacht Club. August 17 —Akaralia \aeht Club. t August 17—Orakei Model Club (annual meeting). . „ , . . September 7—Tamaki Yacht Club.