Speedboat Regatta Spoilt By Wind

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31543, 4 December 1967, Page 16

Speedboat Regatta Spoilt By Wind

The Canterbury speedboat championship regatta at Lake Forsyth yesterday was spoiled by a strong north-east wind. The chop on the lake was so bad that none of the fast boats could race, and none of the championship events was held. A crowd of several thousand saw one handicap race in which the small racing runabouts took part. P. Knight put hi* 109 m.p.h. hydroplane, Bel Air 111, In the water just to keep faith with the spectators, but the water was so rough that he was unable to get the boat above 40 mji.h. The waves on the lake were big enough by mid-afternoon to hide boats going up the side of the lake away from specta-

tors at shore level on the south i side. D. Cameron, who had brought < Miss Print II all the way from Nelson, had a run to entertain the spectators. The big craft, which is likely to become the first V-bottom speedboat in New Zealand to do 100 m.p.h., could only be driven on quarterthrottle. The boat, powered by a specially-tuned Chevrolet engine imported from the United States, weighs one ton and a half. But the waves broke over the lifting bow and spray got into the engine causing the boat to break down. On Saturday, Cameron had Miss print II doing 80 to 85 m.p.h. on the straights of the

short course and passed 10 rivals to finish fourth in a handicap event. Yesterday he could not get the engine going again to compete in the elimination drag racing—with the wind. Miss Pacific (D. Wood) won the event easily, throttling back to make the races against less powerful opponents seem exciting. J. Stokes, in his new SK-boat, Juella, went very well in the handicap races on Saturday. Miss Julie, driven by E. Sutton, who began racing this season, also went well, while Gay Erin <B. Bracey) gained two good placings. Sabrina (I. Nugent) won the J. Wilson Cup; Suzy Wong (T. Torrens) won the Captain Owles Trophy: Javelin (B. Savage)

won the Corsair Lighthouse Trophy, and Grey Angel II <J. Peverell) won two races, and Magpie (J. Wilson), a new boat, raced well.