FRUSTRATING YACHT RACE

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32764, 15 November 1971, Page 24

FRUSTRATING YACHT RACE

A lack of wind forced the shortening of the Banks Peninsula Cruising Club’s 150-mile offshore race on the week-end, but soon after this decision was made, the wind piped up into a blow that caused the dismasting of one yacht and an inner forestay to snap on another, putting both out of the race.

Only four of the nine 1 starters finished the) 'race, the first home,) Ffantasy 111 taking 44' [hours to cover the 60 or) so miles sailed. I In ideal conditions, the faster keelers in the fleet; [would have covered the! [whole 150 miles in about 26 [hours. I Flukey winds and long periods of dead calm 1 plagued the yachts from the j start on Friday morning. A !heavy ground swell,.overlaid' by a short chop, made the; windless drifts uncomfortable, and most crews were very tired by the time they regained Lyttelton yesterday. DECISION AGREED The decision to shorten the course was agreed to by the fleet on Saturday afternoon when the leaders had got no further than just out of Akaroa Harbour after rounding the course mark off Red Point.

At one stage inside the harbour the winds were so contrary that the leaders; were running downwind out; of the harbour and yet the other yachts, going in the opposite direction, were also' able to run downwind. A 20-knot southerly! [sprang up soon after the 'course was shortened and at 2 p.m. the trimaran Rebel (A. Allan) broke her mast just ' above deck level while carryling full sail. The outboard! auxiliary on Rebel could not 1 be started and D. Matheson’s, [Main Royal stood alongside! ;the trimaran until the Akaroa fishing boat Morangi; arrived to tow Rebel into! Akaroa. The other trimaran in the race, G. M. Copland’s Lady G„ which was in Akaroa at the time, remained there to tow Rebel back to Lyttelton yesterday. Main Royal continued in the race, but when off East Head the wind changed yet again, to a gusty southerly, and her inner forestay snapped. Main Royal withdrew and motored back to

uyiienun. CABANA OUT At this time L. Bachop’s 40ft Cabana, which had alternated the lead with S. F. Corrick’s big ketch Melita and T. and T. Rolton’s little (Ffantasy 111, was a clear 'leader, but without wind and in a heavy slop. Cabana, too, resorted to the motor. Of the four yachts still sailing, Ffantasy 111 was well in the lead and finished at 4.56 a.m. yesterday, an houf and a half ahead of Melita. with A. P. Geddes’s Mistral 20 minutes further back and E. Ackroyd’s Tawanui 80 minutes behind Mistral. On corrected times, Tawanui won by 47 minutes from Mistral, taking the Cotter Rosebowl and the first division trophy. Mistral won the second division trophy, with Ffantasy 111 second and Melita third.