messing about boats

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32460, 21 November 1970, Page 14

messing about boats

(By

Avalyn Trophy B. G. de Thier, who missed the major Finn class events last season because his yacht, Finnsarby, was being transported home from the world series at Bermuda, should confirm his excellent early season form by winning the Avalyn Trophy (Canterbury championship) at Charteris Bay this week-end. The provincial contest may well prove to be a step towards de Thier completing a hat-trick of national title successes. The New Zealand champion in 1966 and 1969, he will again be a leading contender when the 1971 series is held at Charteris Bay in January. In the opening heat of the Christchurch club class handicaps last month de Thier led home the current South Island (B. E. Treleaven) and Canterbury (J. S. Weam) titleholders and he has since prevailed against his rivals in races at the Estuary and at Lyttelton. A disqualification for making the fundamental error of sailing the wrong course cost de Thier victory in the first of the Estuary Pennant heats two weeks ago. Treleaven and D. Bryson made similar mistakes, with the first placing eventually going to W. H. Beere by 14sec from Weam. Finns dominated the handicap placings in the Pegasus Bay Trophy race during the Christchurch club’s regatta on Sunday, Bryson sailing particularly well to finish second behind the Flying Dutchman of G. S. Mander and D. Nixon. D. Eastmond, who was third in both provincial and island series last year, filled a similar position on this occasion, with de Thier fifth on corrected times. Bryson, de Thier and Treleaven have been using new rigs this season, but Treleaven’s progress has been disrupted to some extent by sail problems. An interesting competitor in the Avalyn Trophy series will be the Englishman, E. Cave, who has returned to the class after taking part in the world O.K. dinghy championships at Takapuna. B. Winters will be competing for the first time this summer and entries are also expected from J. Butterfield and possibly one or two other Timaru skippers. The last Canterbury championship developed into a thrilling duel between Weam and Treleaven, with the outcome a win to Weam by the meagre margin of 0.3 points resting on performances in the final heat. Treleaven later reversed the placings in the South Island event at Kaikoura, scoring 11.4 points to Weam’s 14.4. Weam, the surprise winner of the sixth race, Treleaven and Bryson later travelled to Auckland for the New Zealand contest and the experience gained there should assist them in their attempts to unseat de Thier from his top ranking. "Talk In" A briefing on the administrative and technical aspects of running yacht-

ing contests—with particular emphasis on the five New Zealand series to be sailed in the province later this season—will be held at the Mount Pleasant club on Wednesday evening. 1 The Canterbury association has extended an invitation to club and class officials to attend the “talk in,” in addition to those persons who will be responsible for the management of the major JaVelin, Finn, P Class, O.K. dinghy and catamaran championships. Mr H. L. England, the province’s delegate to the New Zealand Federation, described the evening as “part of an education programme open to any administrator who controls competitive racing.” One-day regatta The annual Lyttelton Regatta will this season be restricted to one day— Sunday, January 31— instead of the two days of sailing that have been held for the past few years. Mr lan Treleaven, the president of the Canterbury Yachting Association, said that the change was made in an attempt to gain more entries. It was hoped to attract yachts from Timaru and the West Coast and possibly Picton, Nelson and Dunedin. In previous seasons visiting yachtsmen were reluctant to compete because of the necessity to stay overnight, while a number of local yachtsmen were content to take part on only one day. The Banks Peninsula Cruising Club has encouraged its members to sail ■by introducing championship points races for the first and second division classes to coincide with the regatta. There were no points at stake last season. B. Legg, a former inter-Dominion Javelin representative and a heat winner at the last national championship series, is having a new Flying Dutchman built, while I. McGill purchased Lucius from J. Scholes after a four-year association with Javelins. Last season J. Bilger and M. Ross gained a notable double by winning the world F.D. week series at Adelaide and the New Zealand Javelin contest at Murray’s Bay. D. Hutchinson also made the change when he began crewing for the former Olympic champion, H. O. L. Pederson, in the larger class. Alpha series Amigo, skippered by A. Minson, captured the inaugural Alpha class championship when it finished first in all but one of the five races at Lake Wakatipu last week-end. The privately-organised event for the year-old class was sailed at Frankton Arm in predominantly light, unpredictable conditions with occasional strong southerly squalls. P. Minson (Aphrodite) was second over-all, and R. H, Shelton (Alpha) took third .’place. The Alphas have ■ yet to be recognised as a racing class in Canterbury.