messing about in boats

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30108, 17 April 1963, Page 13

messing about in boats

The Blanchards Three generations of the Blanchard family competed in racing at the Waimakariri Sailing Club’s Easter regatta last week-end — H. M. Blanchard, his son, R. M. Blanchard, and his grandson, Tony. H. M. Blanchard is commodore of the club. He began sailing late in life, towards the end of the Second World War, and—now aged 61— he is probably the oldest active R-class skipper in New Zealand. He built his first boat, Chaos, eight years ago and for the last two seasons has raced another dinghy, Chaotic, which was sold at the week-end to the former Stewart's Gully skipper, A. Lance. Blanchard, who has in the last few months been taking an increasing interest in junior skippers, will devote his time in the future ¥ ¥ * Off Season Yachtsmen in Canterbury will not go into hibernation this year. Two clubs have arranged winter sailing programmes— Christchurch and Pleasant Point. The innovation was made in Canterbury last year by the latter club and was a resounding success. The numbers of boats and crews it attracted indicated that many yachtsmen are quite happy to keep on the water in the off-season as long as the wind is not too fresh and the sun is shining. Two class fleets in particular propose to patronise the winter racing intensively. They are the Olympic Finn classes and the O.K. dinghies. The Christchurch club will begin its programme of eight winter events next Sunday afternoon at Moncks Bay. The Pleasant Point programme has not yet come to hand.

to P-class monotypes, but J intends to build another ■ boat, a 10ft Flying Ant, for • two-man instructional pur- J poses as well. ■

R. M. Blanchard has • been sailing in Idle Alongs J for about 12 years and ■ used to have his father as 1 for'ard hand. At the week- J end he was crewing in C. « Holland’s Hush. Tony, who • is aged 12. spent Easter in J

the Waimakariri club’s new ■ boat. Wee Mak. He has J just begun sailing.

Boat Show ; The National Boat and J Outdoor Sports Exhibition a being organised by the ■ Canterbury R class squad- J ron and the New Brighton , Power Boat Club will be • held in Canterbury Court, J Addington, from October J 19 to October 28. Under ■ the chairmanship of Mr • E. N. Peverill, of the J power boat club, arrange- a ments for the show are ■ well under way. Pursuits ■ such as camping, angling , and caravaning will be ■ catered for as well as • boating in the displays. J The secretary of the Can- a terbury Manufacturers’ • Association, Mr R. T. • Alston, who is now in a Australia seeking shows ■ for the New Zealand In- » dustries Fair before the J boat exhibition is also a looking for entertainment • for the latter. ¥ ¥ ¥ I

L. S. Bamford, of the Christchurch Yacht Club (above), has left no doubt in the minds of observers that he is the leading O.K. dinghy skipper in Canterbury. At the Kairakl regatta last week-end he repeated his performance of winning scratch racing on the Estuary by taking the regatta championship with a large margin—in spite of being compelled to add ballast to his boat after measuring a couple of days previously. ¥ ¥ ¥ Squatters The Pleasant Point i Yacht Club has taken ex-’ ' ception to an item appear- , ing in this column, a quota- • lion from a City Council ] report which read: “There , appears to be no record of i this club having any j authority to use (the , island at the South Brigh- i ton bridge) either under j the New Brighton Borough , Council or the City Coun- i cil.” The club commodore, , Mr E. R. Frost, says the , club has a 99-year lease of i Rat Island from the Marine j Department, to which the , club pays rent. According i to the club's rule book the ' late Mr D. G. Sullivan , "was responsible for put- i ting the through Par- ] liament which allows the , club to rent Rat Island.” < ¥ ¥ * ! Moths Hopes of establishing the i lift Moth class in Canter- 1 bury are held by G. Miller. ] of Auckland, who visited i Christchurch last week-end ' and who will return next | month for future promo- i tion. More than 400 Moths < are registered in New Zea- | land, about 40 of them in < the South Island. At last ■ month's South Island ctaam- J pionshipe at Pohara Beach, ( Golden Bay, 22 boats were 1 entered. The title was ] taken by F. Ashford, of ■ Pohara. The Moth class is 1 particularly strong at J Westport and Greymouth. ■