A PLEA FOR THE SMALL BOATS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 102, 1 May 1936, Page 13

A PLEA FOR THE SMALL BOATS.

Describing the Cornwell Cup races held in Auckland as a contest well worth while, Captain W. J. Keane, chairman of the Wellington Yacht and Motor Boat Association, made a plea for the wider encouragement of the Takapuna boats ■used in the contest. His plea should be given active support by the yacht clubs to which it was addressed, more especially as it is possible that the 1937 Cornwell Cup contest will be sailed at Wellington, says "Mainsail," in the Wellington "Post." Captain Keane's view was that it would be in the best interests of the younger yachtsmen to maintain for them a class between tlie Tauranga class, for boys, and the open Idle Along class. As things are at present most of the Tauranga boys go directly to a larger type of yacht, principally of the Idle Along class, in which they have to pit their immaturity against the seasoned skill of yachtsmen, who, comparatively speaking, are veterans. If the psychological factor of early discouragement through defeat is disregarded this open competition does no harm, but it would be obviously preferable to maintain separate classes for separate age limits, and that can best be done by widening the popularity of the Takapuna boats.

Against the Takapuna boats is the argument that it is more difficult to handle them than the Idle Alongs. That may be so. but the difficulty is not so great as to prevent their successful use by boys, as the Cornwell Cup contests and the quality of the racing at Pareinata and Plimmerton, to quote a local example, give evidence.

Yacht clubs in and around the capital city would be doing a service to the rising generation of amateur seamen if each club were to keep at least three Takapuna class boats always on the register for use as an intermediate step between Taurangas and adult sailing.

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