Burgess X Trials

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30342, 18 January 1964, Page 11

Burgess X Trials

"p’OUR trial races to select a Canterbury representative to compete for the Sanders Cup in Auckland in March will be sailed on Lyttelton Harbour this week-end. The trial boats and their crews are: Pinta-—M. C. Holland, K. Fitzgerald, and a third man. Vision —A. F. Burgess, R. A. Burgess, D. Taylor. Xebec—N. Norris, O. Souter, R. Flaws. Tumanako —G. S. Mander, D. A. Elder. A. M. Holland. Mander, having won the Sanders Cup twice previously, is the favourite; but in a boat that does not appear to be going as fast as it should, loss of his “killer” instinct with advancing years, and lack of form as shown in recent years, he is not a hot favourite. For all that, Mander will be very, very hard to beat, his years of hard contest sailing having given him a working knowledge of more tricks on the water than most skippers ever read about.

His strongest competition is expected from Burgess, Who represented Canterbury last season in Pinta, which he borrowed, and who has been sailing steadily in recent workouts on the Estuary and harbour. Burgess led for most of the journey at Lyttelton last Saturday, Mander overtaking him and winning by 23 seconds only on the last kite run to the finish; and on Sunday a* Charteris Bay Burgess was well ahead when Mander withdrew. Mander designed the lines for all four boats in the trials. Pinta, which won the Cup in 1957 at Akaroa with J. F. Morrison at the helm, has a surprise crew. Now owned by R, Parratt, it will be sailed by a former Canterbury Idle Along representative. M. C. Holland, whose brother is crewing with Mander. M. C. Holland agreed to sail the boat only in the last week and has had no X Class sailing to tune up. A sound skipper on occasions, it will be interesting