Boats Sunk, Shells Swamped In Lyttelton Regatta

Press, Issue 30996, 28 February 1966, Page 15

Boats Sunk, Shells Swamped In Lyttelton Regatta

About 3000 spectators, mostly on the Gladstone pier, saw speedboats holed and sunk, a rowing shell swamped and water skiers going topsy-turvy on the inner harour at Lyttelton on Saturday.

A south-west wind and a considerable swell through the moles made it impossible for the rowing eights to go across the entrance, reduced the fours’ races to paddling, slowed the speedboats and upset many water skiers.

The Sumner lifeboat. Rescue 11, was the only entrant in the inner harbour section of the regatta which was not affected by the choppy conditions. It sailed serenely round the harbour, all crew men standing. Ten speedboat races were

held on a short rectangular course, the back straight running along the Port New Plymouth and the front straight along the Corinthis. Both ships, as were all other berthed in the harbour, were dressed for the occasion.

Echo, an outboard runabout driven by H. Brown, won the cup given by the New Brighton Power Boat Club for most points gained from tile nine handicap races on the programme. Tango (A. Haywood), with 19 points, was second, two points behind Echo. Suzy Wong (T. Torrens) was third, with 17 points. The runabouts handled the conditions better than the faster boats, apart from the skiffs. Pedro (W. Daker), Thunderbird (N. McVicar) and Miss Zenith (D. Ching). The skiffs leapt clear of the water, rolling through 70 degrees on the turns and twisting and barrelling out of the water like marlins on a hook, tn the cross-current and chop opposite the bow of the Corinthic.

The handicapping was excellent. five boats finishing within 20ft in the third race, and four being almost abreast in the fifth. The most powerful boat present, W. Legge's v-bottom Skat Kat 3, powered with a

Chevrolet 283 engine, made the spectators gasp when displaying its terrific acceleration. Legge had hardly opened the throttle on the big boat when he had to throttle back on the short, choppy runs. Thunderbird kept Skat Kat hard at it to win the "King of the Harbour" final race of the day. Both boats were leaping clear of the water. Thunderbird handled the turns well, but Skat Kat had enough acceleration to win by a length after an exciting duel.

Boats Collided

In the second event. Slow Coach <M. Duder) and Miss Alpine <E. R. Carter) collided on the start-finish buoy. Both were holed at the stern. Duder put Slow Coach, a v-bottom., fibreglass runabout powered with an outboard engine, hard at the wharf about 50 yards away.

The craft collided broadside on with a pontoon, and began to sink rapidly. The £SOO Mercury engine was under the water. Helpers managed to get the craft half on the pontoon after baling, and a mobile crane was used to haul the boat on to the wharf.

Carter got the Alpine-Sunbeam-powered Miss Alpine under the wharf and held it up with a rope slung under it and tied to two piles until It was hauled on to the wharf by the crane. The excitement had not died down when the outboard engine fell from Yellow Witch 18. Matthews) during a race. For-

tunately. the engine was held by a control cable The boat was towed to the wharf, and Matthews dived from a pontoon to retrieve the engine. Water skiers from the Christchurch Water Sports and Ellesmere Aquatic Clubs, many of whom will represent Canterbury in the New Zealand championships at Auckland next month, performed skilfully and bravely under the conditions. Bill Rusk only 15, drew applause for his trick ski ing, turning circles and skl-backwards at 25-30 m.p.h.

Overcame Difficulties

Backward and forward swans, pyramids and graceful manoevures were performed by the girl skiers, including Paulette Clapshaw, aged only 12. and Faye Willets. 20. and Colene Willets. 14. The water was cold and dirty, the surface choppy, but skiers overcame the difficulties bv their enthusiasm and skill.

Three composite rowing fours from the Avon Kaiapol. Cure. Union and Lyttelton clubs got away >n a race after two crews had'fouled at the start. How ever, they had to reduce speed to paddling when crossing the entrance to the Inner harbour

Two eights set out from the patent slip but had to turn back at the mole. The chop on the water could have broken the longer shells In two. Two other composite crews started in a second race The crew in the shelter of the breastwork drew ahead, but the other shell had the bow canvas swept away and it swainped. The crew took promptly, if reluctantly. to the water. Crew and shell were rescued by the rowing marshal's launch.

The events on the inner herhour were marred by conditions which were to the liking of the yachts racing outside the moles. However, the regatta was sufficiently successful to encourage the organisers In their aim to make it. again, an annual occasion.