NEW BOAT SPLITS

Press, Volume CI, Issue 30007, 17 December 1962, Page 17

NEW BOAT SPLITS

' Much Gear Broken A newly-completed 14footer had its keel split from end to end during racing in a piping east wind on Lyttelton harbour on Saturday afternoon. It was the Mount Pleasant Javelin, owned by L. Nicholls, who was crewing with S. Loader at the helm. Another Javelin skippered by H. L. England, of the Christchurch Yacht Club, retired from racing after a rudder gudgeon had become unequal to the stresses imposed upon it. Considerable damage to tile 36-boat fleet continued the season’s run of broken boats and smashed gear, making this summer so far one of the most expensive for Canterbury yachtsmen. At least three other boats experienced structural trouble —all 12ft 9in R Class dinghies. Canterbury’s two clinker ply craft of this class—D. Harrison’s Retort and M. Holland's Contort—had their centre cases split G. J. Good’s dinghy. Reply, flooded after the starboard side of the transom had been bodily torn from the hull. The strong wind gave skippers and crews some exciting rides “downhill,” but there was a toll of capsizes and broken spars which resulted from a number of wild, surfing runs during which boats raced out of control. A. W. Shields and B. R. Marriott, in the former's racing dinghy Radiant, were flying before the wind in the lead when the boat’s lightlyconstructed mast sheered off two feet above the deck. B. J. C. Wall, in another dinghy, had a kite boom snap in two. In quick succession, Wall’s spinnaker, foresail and mainsail were torn.

Further on, the former Olympic triallist, D. Bryson, sailing a 14ft 9in Finn, retired after the boat’s boom broke. At least one collision took place, both boats retiring. They were T. Smith’s Idlealong yacht and a Takapuna skippered by the Canterbury Cornwell Cup representative, W. Parratt.

Result* were:— ■ _ Olympic Finns.—Flntahi (P. G. Mander) 1, Finn Sarby (B. de Thier) 2. Fintere (G. D. Hobson) 3. _ _ R Class—Frenzy (G. S. Mander and A. M. Holland) 1, Impetuous (B. J. C. Wall and B D. Taylor) 2, Fantastic (G. J. and C. J. Cooke) 3. Idlealongs.—Peyche (C. F. Dann and D. R. Smith) 1. Tyrade (J. May) X Air Raid (R. Flaws) 3. Takapunas. Finnessa (P Tlssiman and G. Gass) 1. _ Open Class—Pinta. X Class (C. J. Barter) 1, Van Tromp. Flying Dutchman (J. F. Morrison) 2. Vision, X Class (A. F. Burgess) 3.