messing about in boats

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33065, 4 November 1972, Page 4

messing about in boats

? (By

J. O. COFFEY)

Impressive scene

There are few more colourful sporting sights than a large and varied fleet of yachts, and spectators at the first of the four Estuary Pennant races last Sunday were treated to just such an attractive and relaxing scene.

Entries in the various classes totalled 137, only a few short of the record for a pennant event and most pleasing because of the early starting time. In addition, a junior P Class race at the neighbouring Mount Pleasant club attracted 29 youngsters. With several other boats and their crews sailing in a non-competi-tive role, it is probable that there were nearly 175 yachts on the Estuary at one time.

This is indicative of the popularity of the sport and the strength of the three Estuarv clubs, Mount Pleasant, Christchurch and Pleasant Point. Mount Pleasant can boast of about 80 P Class registrations, and nearly 40 Sunbursts are regularly launched from the club. Instruction in the basic fundamentals of the sport is readily available, each of the clubs in Canterbury having a nucleus of experienced skippers fully qualified and willing to pass on their knowledge.

The choice of classes is apparently ever-widening, one of the most recent to make its debut at Estuary Pennant level being the Tiger Cub catamaran. Three of these craft started on Sunday, but none officially completed the course. Seasoned campaigners took the honours in the Finn and Jollyboat sections, the results of which were not immediately available after the finish. J. S. Wearn (Jolifin) led home B. G. Winters (Tif-

fany) and G. Bradlex (Finnig) to remain th* strongest challenger to th« Olvmpic Games Finn repte sentatives, B. G. de Thier and B. E. Treleaven. F. Dickson and F. Bad deley (Jolly Red) were the top Jollyboat pair, from A F. Burgess and B. R Marriott (Calypso) and I Hobson and B. Sinclair (Roger). R Class mishap The preparation of the Jackson brothers for the South Island R Class championships at Lyttelton next week-end was seriously disrupted when their two-man craft, Guru, was rammed in a collision at the start of a race at the harbour last Saturday However, they hope to have repairs completed in time for the island contest. Similarly, the equally promising England brothers and the experienced A. W. Shields expect to be back in competition next Saturday and B. Kitson is likely to resume today. J. Rountree continues to dominate line honours in the class, although T. Champion has shown improvement at the helm of Rage. C. Morgan and H. Miller are still finishing off Rendition before making a belated start to the season. November diary Three South Island championships — in the Javelin, R Class and O.K. dinghy divisions — have been scheduled for Canterbury venues this month. Javelin and R Class crews will be sailing at Lyttelton next Saturday and Sunday and the O.K. monotypes will be racing at Sumner Bay on November 25 and 26. The O.K. skippers have a prior engagement this week-end. with the first two heats of their provincial series at the Estuary. Other major events in November are the final heat of the Peter Mander inter-secondary schools J.C. class contest (at the Estuary today), the Charteris Bay Cup (tomorrow) and the Beveridge Trophy open handicap race at the Estuary on November 19. Canterbury catamaran crews have important trophy races at Charteris Bay today and tomorrow, which should assist the leading skippers in their build-up for the South Island championships at Picton next week-end.