Choice Of Boat Is Causing Concern

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31378, 25 May 1967, Page 14

Choice Of Boat Is Causing Concern

The Canterbury Rowing Association is concerned that the New Zealand eight to row in Canada in August will not have the best available boat.

At a meeting of the association last evening, Mr F Richards said that the crew was an extremely able one, and the present Sargent and Burton boat the crew was using for training was fast, and particularly suited to it. He said that the problem to be faced was whether the Italian Doneratico boat purchased by the New Zealand Rowing Council, would be equally fast. The crew had rowed in a boat built to Doneratico specifications and had found it too small, he added. Mr R. Stiles told the asso ciation that the council claim ed that by buying a Doneratico boat in Italy and having it freighted to Canada, £lOO would be saved. However, Mr Stiles said that he had offered to build a boat along the lines of the Sargent and Burton craft, and also make a £lOO donation towards freight charges. This would prove considerably less expensive than the purchase of the Italian boat, and would not involve valuable overseas funds, he said. Mr B. Walker, president of the association, said that if the council was concerned with economy, it would have been better to accept the offer from Canada to supply

boats, including some Doneratico makes, to the visiting teams on loan. Mr Walker also said that as the tour would cost about £5OOO, it was hardly worth saving £lOO if it would in any way hinder the crew. As the matter was urgent, the meeting decided to telephone the council in Wellington, and urge that rather than the Doneratico boat, either the Sargent and Burton boat, or one of equal performance provided by Lite-Craft, should go to Canada with the crew.