Ocean-Race Yacht Has Crew Of Farmers

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30952, 7 January 1966, Page 3

Ocean-Race Yacht Has Crew Of Farmers

An all-farmer crew of yachtsmen from Canterbury will compete in the Wellington-to-Akaroa ocean race on Saturday .

The race is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. but may be delayed because of bad weather.

The crew of four fanners will man the 28ft Bermudan ketch Spree, which is owned and sailed by Mr H. T. Grigg, of Culverden. All are experienced yachtsmen. The Spree is one of five Canterbury yachts entered in the 160-mile race in which 15 yachts, including eight from Wellington and two from Picton, will take part. With Mr Grigg as crew’ members will be Messrs P. Bush (Parnassus), J. Wanklyn (Hawarden), and K. Coop (Port Levy). PACIFIC CRUISE

Last year Mr Grigg sailed several thousand miles in the Spree during a cruise of the Pacific which included visits to Tahiti and the Cook Islands.

The race, which starts from the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club in Wellington, has aroused much interest among yachtsmen throughout New Zealand.

The starter will be WingCommander C. W. Bromley, who sailed single-handed in a 28ft sloop from Britain to Auckland. He is assistant director of the Rothman Sports Foundation, which is sponsoring the race. It is the first yacht race between the North and South Islands since the centennial ocean race from Wellington to Lyttelton in 1951, when two yachts were lost in storms and 10 yachtsmen perished. The race will finish at the Akaroa wharf and if the

weather is favourable the leaders should arrive by Sunday night or Monday morning. However the race might take considerably longer if the weather was unfavourable, said the secretary of the Akaroa Cruising Club (Mr J. F. Bevin), The race is considered an important development in New Zealand yachting be- . cause it will provide valuable

background for possible later participation by New Zealand yachting crews in ocean racing in Britain. Canterbury entries, including the Spree, are Entreaty (D. C. Gould). Tainui (R. T B. Lloyd), Ngatahi (J. R Parkhouse) and Calypso (A. D. Couling). The result will be decided on handicaps by the Royal Ocean Racing Club formula