YACHTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 234, 2 October 1937, Page 20

YACHTING.

SYDNEY 18-FOOTERS. GREAT SAIL CARRIERS. AUCKLAND BOAT INVITED. CLUB WHALERS' RACE POSTPONED. (By SPEEDWELL.) .. Several '''"lis in Sydney hold races for the 18-footers, which is Australia's national class of sailing boat with strong following at Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Theprincipal club in Sydney for 18-footer activity is the Sailing League, with headquarters at ltonia House, George Street, llie onicf'rs of this and kindred clubs are ever ready to extend hospitality to visiting yachtsmen, more especially If from New Zealand. Mr. Geo. Dennes, commodore of the Herne Bay Junior Yacht Club, recently paid a short visit to Sydney and Melbourne, where he received many kindnesses from the local yacht clubs, especially the 18footers' League, who extenaed an invitation to him to send the M class Manene, owned l'y his son Colin, to Sydney to compete in L j aj - ue race for a special prize at the Sydney Anniversary Regatta next Janunry. there will be several open events, including the international 18-footers' race, when it is hoped boats from all Australian States, New Zealand and America will compete. Sydney 18-foo.ters haVc alwavs been noted for their huge sails, up to 1600 ft being stated as their carrying capacity at times. This area is comprised in mainsail and jib of 600 ft, spinnaker, set from tlie top of the gaff (see illustration of Lightning), containing about 500 ft and ballooner of about equal area. It has always seemed incredible to the overage Auckland yachtsman that an 18footer can carry such sail, but "Speedwell" has seen them doing it. When it is remembered that our 18ft M class carry 250 ft in mainsail and jib, with approximately the same amount In a spinnaker and about 200l't in a leading jib, the sum total of 700 ft is very small in comparison. The 18ft V class, mostly square bilge boats, carry another 200 ft at least, but even then the total falls far short of the Sydney boats. It must be admitted by Sydney yachtsmen, as it is apparent to visitors, that these huge sails are only set when off the wind and in light to very moderate breezes, which are the prevailing winds in Sydney. It will be very interesting if one of our local 18-footers can be sent across, as it will settle in the only satisfactory way the long-standing doubt of which class would be the faster on an ordinary racing course with a good proportion of "on the wind" work. It is more than likely that negotiations now under way will result In one of Auckland's 18-footers going to Sydney with her own crew in January, 1938. THE CUP CONTEST. AMERICAN REVIEW OF THE RACING. American journals ore noted for their original style on any subject, and the last contest for the America's Cup has given full scope to some of the writers who have made up for a lack of the fundamentals of sailing by a full supply of alleged humour. One of the most reasonable reviews of the situation reads as follows :— England has a great blue water tradition and that makes the continued successful defence of the America's Cup all the more astonishing. Since 1870 tnere have been 14 challenges by British sailors and two by their Canadian cousins and the cup is still here. That adds up to 67 years, making it one of the longest pursuit races in sports history, with the Stars and Stripes still fluttering along In front. The *ig and size of the challengers and defenders didn't seem to matter much. They raced with boats as big as Reliance, which was almost !)oft at the waterline and 148 ft overall, and with boats as small as Mischief, a stubby craft only 61ft on the waterline and 67ft overall. They raced with mahogany hulls and bronze hulls and aluminium hulls and steel hulls. They raced on time allowance and boat-for-boat, and the result was always the same; the defender won the series and the cup stayed In this country.

Juat a Genius. This observer doesn't know when the yachting authorities laid down the current requirements for J class sloops, but it must be that the designers and bout builders of this country huve u peculiar guuius for turning out the fastest boats of that type. It isu't all a matter of home waters and a native skipper of exceptional skill. That explanation might do for a few series, bu>t it couldn't cover all the windward beats and leeward runs that have been made in pursuit of the America's Cup since 1870.

Cast a weather eye over some of the records in other classes. In tlie Olympic yachting couipetitiou of lin California waters, the I'nited States sailors scored in the international Star class and in the international Nnielre class. llm Sweden won the international 0-metre class and France won the Olympic monotype event.

On Kiel Buy in ilKJti the monotype event went to t lie Netherlands, Germany tinik the International star class, (ireat Britain sent out the winning boat in the international ti metre class, and Italy sailed off with the victory in the international S-met re class. Hard Lines. So they can build line boats in the shipyards of many nations and they have the sailors to man them and bring home the prizes in in tenia t ionn 1 competition. 'l'he freedom of the seas is more than a figure of speech in a sporting way. But for all that passing around of the prizes in sailing i-ontesrs on ba.\s. sounds, estuaries anil deep blue seas, the America's j Cup has not been lit'teii liy foreign hands over a period of t,7 years. Sailormeu said it was a close call in 1 r«:>4. Skipper T. <>. M. Sopwith certainly had a tine boat in Kndeavour and one that many experts said was a tritle faster than Rainbow, the defender. It was said that Skipper Sopwith. handicapped by a patehed-up crew, was outsailed by Skipper Vanderbilt with a slightly slower boat. It may well have been that. Harold Vanderbilt has not only revealed himself a master helmsman on a tall sloop, but he has been sailing those Newport waters for many years. lie knows the ways of the wandering winds in that quarter. lie knows the set of the tides and half a hundred other little things that come in handy in blue water competition. But Endeavour made a good contest of that i series and Skipper Sopwith was not dis- | consolate in defeat. He went back home to build a better boat.

When he returned this time he said he had a better boat in Endeavour 11., and Charles F. Nicholson, the veteran fiosport builder who turned out both Snpwi'th sloops, agreed with him. Tt could hold a full point closer on the wind, and sailing races are won or lost on the wind. So Skipper Sopwith was well satis-fled and filled with high hopes. He had spent time and money and effort, but he harl time and he enjoyed the effort, and what was £100,000 or so if he could win the America's 1 Cup after so many otner bold Britishers had failed in the quest?

But at tlint supposedly favourable juncture fur British hopes it became apparent that \V. Starling Burgess «nil Olin Stephens had turned out almost a marine miracle in Ransrer, and Skipper Vanderbilt was still on deck to take the wheel. That was hard lines on Skipper Sopwith. Stopping Short. It's too bad that the rules halted this series with four races. Endeavour 11. was setting closer as the festivities went along. The Last race was the closest, anil the way they came down to the finish line seemed to indicate that in another day or so at sea they might have made it a photo-finish with the British sloop getting the decision.

There was no doubt that thousands of j seagoing spectators would have cheered a; British victory off Newport. And not in any spirit of kindly condesension. either. ; It would have made ii more exciting series | lor the onlookers. It would have stirred up more interest in wider quarters. After! all these years in this country, a trip abroad | might have put a new shine 011 the silver. ewer, the odd-shaped, long-necked, wide-1 mouthed pitcher they call the America's | Cup. And it would have lieen fun to see the ( way we set about trying to bring the cup 1 back to this country again. How much advantage lies in home I waters? Is an invading helmsman at a' disadvnntge in the blue water off Brenton | Reef? Would the result have been thoj same if the contests liad been held off the Isle of Wight? Nobody can say for certain, but perhaps some day those things j will be gone into close-hauled 011 the star-: board tack. But not in the immediate or | even the near future. Thomas Octave Mur-: doch Sopwith did his best, but lie just' didn't have euough boat under him to lift, that cup. 1 RACING FIXTURES. ' * ! October 3.—Fonsonby Model Yaclit Club's final races. , , October 9.—Royal Akarana sailing dinghies. October 2.").—Royal Akarana sailing dinghies : final races. October -~t. —Orakei Model Yacht Club's , opening races. 1