YACHTING G. STANTON’S HEPCAT WINS HARBOUR RACE TROPHY

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29397, 27 December 1960, Page 11

YACHTING G. STANTON’S HEPCAT WINS HARBOUR RACE TROPHY

Excellent handicapping made for a close finish after a Mark Foy start in the harbour race conducted by the Charteris Bay Yacht Club yesterday. Boats up to 14ft started in the event, which was the opening race of the club's Christmas and New Year holiday series for both local and visiting yachtsmen. The eight-mlle harbour race was sailed in a strong easterly wind, and was won by Hepcat, skippered by G. Stanton.

The event carried the Currie Tnopihy with it, and attracted a small, mixed fleet. Hepcat is one of the 12ft kittyclass which is commanding an increasing popularity among Canterbury yachtsmen favouring the catamaran type of craft Hepcat was the first boat over the line, and held its position over the triangular course to lead the rest around the point home. The course was from Charteris Bay to Governor’s Bay wharf, past Quail Island and about Pile Light for the third leg. Boisterous conditions on the harbour provided a brisk, wet sail, particularly on the second leg of the one-lap course when the fleet

—which held together remarkably well—was beating. Leander Crew

Perhaps the best performance of the day was given by the skimmer yacht Topaz, which started 10 minutes behind and came home second less than three minutes behind Repeat. P. Pritchett was at the helm of Topaz, with N. Ware as for’ard hand. Pritchett will next week be sailing in other waters, for he has been named as crew in F. Simpson's R-class yacht Sari, which will be competing for the Leander Trophy on Waitemata Harbour.

Another skimmer did not do so well. It was Dianne, off the same mark as Topaz but which came home almost four minutes after. I. Currie skippered Dianne, and D. Fisher, the owner and usual skipper, was crew. Cherub Competition

From the point of view of competition the greatest interest in the race lay in the comparative performances of two of the new Junior Cherub class of yacht.

They were Pania and Hylite. which came in behind Topaz, all boats crossing the line within five seconds of each other (but the Junior Cherubs had started together three minutes ahead of the skimmer).

The week-end before Pania (J. Rountree) had scored equal points with the top-class boat in the province—P. Braithwaite’s Invicta—at the Canterbury championships on the Estuary. - The form of Hylite (E. Mace) could not be determined as it had to retire almost at the beginning after splitting a rudder in the shallows.

Pania led home yesterday, but Maee and his crew, D. Mackie, managed to get more out of the final yards of the kite run. and in the last short sprint from the point to the finish line put in a strong challenge. Although Mace managed to urge his craft to a speed almost half as fast again as Pania’s, he had left his run too late and nosed ahead inches over the finishing line.

From appearances yesterday it seemed that Pania and Invicta will not have the Junior Cherub title all their own way. Results, showing handicaps and finishing times, were as follows: Repeat (&. Stanton) 15min, 1:28.16. 1: Topaz (P. Pritchett) 5 min. 1:31.4, 2; Pania (J. Rountree) Bmin, 1:39 9. 3; Hylite (E. Mace) Bmin, 1:31.10. 4; Clipper (C. Tyson's Idlealong with G. Anderson as ’crew) 4min, 1:33.16, 5: Dianne (I. Currie) smin, 1:35. 6.

R. Neale's big catamaran Witchcraft also raced with the fleet. It started 15 minutes behind the first boat away (Repeat) and came home at 1:32.6, which in an open race would have given it fifth placing.