YACHTING GAZELLE ONLY BOAT NOT TO CAPSIZE

Press, Volume C, Issue 29467, 20 March 1961, Page 17

YACHTING GAZELLE ONLY BOAT NOT TO CAPSIZE

A high south-west wind on Lyttelton Harbour on Saturday afternoon did more damage to racing yachts than the rogue westerly a week before. Only four boats managed to finish among the 18 starters in an R Class championship event, and the winner was the only entrant not to capsize. Eighteen other yachts started in an associated handicap race and only six got as far as the finish line. The Rs numbered the biggest fleet of yachts in the class seen on a Canterbury water this season.

The Waimakariri dinghy Gazelle, skippered by G. Cooke with his brother C. Cooke as crew, won the main race which was over a three lap course of about nine miles.

The Cookes were reefed down. They were the only boat to do so, and their move paid handsomely.

The brothers were the top Canterbury crew after the Mander brothers in the national Leander Trophy contest at Auckland in January; and last month at Port Chalmers—where Gazelle was the defending boat—they retained the Otago Quadrant Championship for South Island competition in the class.

Gazelle has been sold and the Cookes will deliver it to its new owner after Easter. The yacht is of a design similar to the dinghy Result, whose plans were prepared by D. Harrison.

Saturday's championship race carried the Irene Stacey trophy with it \

Tbe. Christchurch Club dinghy Sari (F. G. Simpson) led the H’s to the top mark from Freeway (C. Papps*. Impetuous (B Wall). Fresco (B. Treleaven). Vision (A. W Shields), and Result (G Good) Simpson mistook the direction of the gybing mark and headed wide, allowing Shields and the others to slip through Run of 11l Luck For the third time running on Lyttelton Harbour. G. Mender’s Frenzy struck trouble. First, with B. de Thier crewing. the craft became so waterlogged after a gybe capsize that it had to withdrawn in a heavy blow. Second, with F. G. Stmpson crewing, the boat was making fast time on a run when the wind pulled the mast forward, shattering deck beams. That was eight days ago. On Saturday. Frenzy tipped over on the first beat of the race. Mander’s for’ard hand on this occasion was his regular championship crew this season. A. Holland (Stewart’s Gully). The Waimakariri dinghy Revel (I. Donaldson), had to withdraw from the race when a shroud broke and the mast went over. Treleaven hoisted a spinnaker in Fresco, the only boat to try one in the boisterous conditions. It was only a small kite, but it was big enough for a gust of wind to catch and caosize the boat. Fresco was righted, however, and carried on. Sari Wrecked Simpson had regained a good deal of his lost ground with Sari at this stage, and was lying second to Vision when a bent gudgeon in the rudder assembly forced a withdrawal. Simpson, with his for’ard hand. P. Lawrence, who had been working well on the wind, managed to get the boat to Erskine Point, only to have its hull stove in. when, nearly full with water, it was pounded on the slip At the top mark for the second time. Vision cansized when its for’ard hand. B. Marriott, was attempting to recover a spinnaker boom w’hich had gone adrift and was floating away. Papps and B McKnight. in Freeway, were left in front, but they, too. capsized to windward with the kite up on the second round. By this time the field had been whittled down, so that Gazelle, with less sail area than anyone, was leading. Second was H. England and L. Wales in Pirouette. They had made a good recovery after capsizing. Fresco came home third, making up ground, and the fourth and last boat to finish was J. Park’s Fact. Park had gone over during the race and his unusually flattering position was due to a concentrated effort to stay sailing rather than race as had most of the rest. Finishing times were: Gazelle, 3.48.49. 1; Pirouette. 3:50.5, 2; Fresco, 3:51.18. 3. Fact. 4:8.33. 4 Fresco Wins Sweepstake Light, flukey conditions on the Estuary yesterday were an anti-climax after hectic conditions in yacht racing on Saturday. A mixed fleet of nine craft went over a four-round lowtide course between Moncks Bay and the Sumner bar. but much of the time was spent in looking for wind or pushing off the muck B. Treleaven and F G. Simpson. in Fresco, went away to the front with a fast spinnaker hoist on the starting line, and were never headed. Fresco won the sweepstake race absolutely and on handicap. The only feature of note in an otherwise peaceful sad was a battle between the Canterbury Finn skipper. D Bryson, and P. G. Mander (Christchurch club). Mander lost ground during the race on a sandbank. but worked his boat Fintahi up until he was on more or less even terms with Bryson's Pandora. At one stage the two tacked with Bryson covering and heading towards a bank with Mander unable to cut through because of no right of way. If positions had been reversed. Bryson might have been forced into the mud. or into a sheer-off; as it was Bryson came about for the mark which it seemed he would certainly make first, for it was only 40 yards off. Some clever tiller work by Mander brought Fintahi between Pandora and the mark with a whisker to spare on either side, and Fintahi went away in front. At the finish, however. Bryson managed to take Pandora in front of Fintahi by a length.

Waimakariri Wins Inter-Club Shield

Waimakariri Finns filled the first six places in inter-cluh racing at Stewart’s Gully yesterday. Light easterly conditions and good river water made the annual contest one of the best for several years.

Nine yachts represented the Kairaki club and seven craft took the water from Stewart's Gully. On the over-all results. Waimakariri won the challenge shield.

The first Stewart's Gully boat to finish was K. Henderson's R class dinghy Horizon, which came in seventh.

G. Milne had bad luck in his Moth Dianne, which broke a mast.

Results were:— Fintere (G Hobson), err. 1:17.22. 1: Finui (J. Owers). 3min. 1:17.47. 2; Dorsal (C. Vincent), 3min. 1:19.3. 3. D Mclntosh, in Gwen-a-lyn. won the third heat of the Gisborne Cup open race (he was the only one to finish) and took the trophy having aggregated the most points in the series.

A third place in a P class event was sufficient to give E. Agnew enough points to win the Charles Agnew memorial trophy. R. Dempsey was first in the final heat W. Parnham second.

Banks Peninsula Cruising Club

Results from races held by the Banks Peninsula Cruising Club over the week-end were: Points Championship Race (Lyttelton to Port Levy*—A class: Tainui (A J. Lugg). 75 Imin, 1; Gale (L G Holder*. 76 84min. 2. Freedom (E B Payton*. 79.54 min. 3. B claws: Windward (A. Laban). 76 72mm. 1; Dolphin (A J Stmmancei. 80 54ml n 2: Hy-Ute (E. R Morrison). 82 02min. 3.

President’s Trophy (A class). —Perie Banou (W M. Cotter). 125 smin. 1: Main Royal (P C. Mangos) 128.75 min. 2: Tuckana (C Dickie). 131mln, 3. Committee’s Trophy (B class). —Bona (O G. Morgan) 143 16min, 1: Myth (J. Buick). 153 min, 2 Hy-Lite (E. R. Morrison). 155 min. 3.