RETAINED BY TAURANGA

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 13427, 14 April 1944, Page 4

RETAINED BY TAURANGA

WIHAU SHIELD

OWEN MACKAY WINS CONTEST AT ROTORUA

Sailing in the Wihau Shield contest for Tauranga Class skippers at Rotorua on Monday, Owen Mackay, who represented the Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club, was successful in winning three of the four races and thus retains the shield.

In addition to his three wins, Mackay gained a second. The run-ner-up in the contest was D. Thomas, who represented the Mount Maunganui Yacht and Power Boat Club and who scored one win, two seconds and a third.

The contest is one for skippers, boats being changed after every race. By retaining the Wihau Shield, Mackay has succeeded in winning all three major Tauranga Class contests for his club this season. He began by winning the New Zealand Inter-club Tauranga Class contest for the Tauranga Cup sailed on Tauranga Harbour in. January, and followed this up by winning the inter-port contest for the Auckland Province for the United Services Trophy. The Wihau Shield contest was sailed in conjunction with the New Zealand Fresh Water Championships at Rotorua over the week-end, the most successful skipper in the championship events being Thomas. Sailing Hi-Ho from scratch in a handicap race on Saturday, he gained first place and on the following day he was first in the Tauranga Class championship. In an Idle Along Class handicap race sailed on Monday, Bluebird, sailed by Thomas off the 4min mark, was successful.