P class yachting to S. A. Mander

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32801, 29 December 1971, Page 20

P class yachting to S. A. Mander

S. A. Mander (Canterbury) won the South Island P class yachting championship at Pigeon Bay yesterday when he resisted a strong- challenge from his closest rival, SField (Nelson), in the final heat.

However, another youthful Canterbury skipper, E. L. Snowden, took most of the honours in the series. Snowden was a comfortable winner of the third race, but his prospects of over-all victory had been lost by a disqualification after Monday’s event. With Snowden out of the running, four of the 19 starters had varying chances of outright success. Mander and Field had the most

I straight-forward assignments, one simply having to finish ’ ahead of the other regardless ' of positions, while Miss M. ’ A. Stemmer (Canterbury) and ■P. Maynard (Canterbury) were still contenders if they ’ could win the last heat. ASCENDANCY WRESTED Snowden, as he had done on the previous days,, immediately assumed control, interest being fixed on the fortunes of Mander and Field. At the completion of the first triangle, Mander, lying fifth, had only 9sec to spare over Field. On the next leg of the course, Mander wrested an ascendancy, and when the competitors began the beat towards the finishing line he had improved to third, while Field had slipped back to seventh. The Nelson representative was able to recover little of his lost distance and had to be content with being runner-up. The consistent Miss Stemmer separated Snowden and Mander yesterday, and was third over-all. MaynardCanterbury’s entrant in the national Tanner Cup contest next month—was fourth on the final assessment, with the luckless Snowden next. . A steady easterly wind provided the most reliable conditions of the series for yesterday’s race. The championship was held in conjunction with the Pigeon Bay club’s regatta, which attracted a record entry of more than 60 boats in almost every rating class in the province. DETAILED RESULTS Third race.— Echo (E. I. Snowden. Canterbury). Ihr 16mln 20seo 1; Metro (Miss M. A. Stemmer, Canterbury), 1:17.38, 2; Barnacle (S. A. Mender, Canterbury), 1:18.2. 3; Red Baron (N. Larkin, Otago), 1:18.24, 4; (Tyke (P. MayFinal pointe.—Mander 190. 11 Field, 168.57, 2; Miss Stemmer, 161.91, 3; Maynard, 150, 4; Snow-