Barnacle Bill receives praise

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33741, 14 January 1975, Page 24

Barnacle Bill receives praise

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND.

The performance of the 42ft Wellington yacht Barnacle Bill (Ron Jarden) in winning the 250-mile third trial race for the New Zealand Admiral’s Cup team won praise from a fellow-competitor, Evan Julian, the skipper of Inca yesterday.

“We all had our chances somewhere along the way,” said Julian, “and we all had our turn sitting in a hole and watching the other boats come up to us. “But full marks to Ron Jarden and Ray Haslar. They had that boat going particularly well.” That Barnacle Bill and Inca took first and second placings answers the views of some critics that these two Sparkman and Stephens designs are now aged for Admiral’s Cup racing.

The designs may be two or three years old, but to the

credit of Jarden and Julian nothing has been spared in keeping both yachts highly competitive.

Another Sparkman and Stephens designed boat, Koamaru. sailed by Brian Millar, of Wellington, took third place in the 250-miler and lumped up into fourth spot on the over-all standings.

Barnacle Bill leads the over-all points table after her second win of the series. The 250-miler finished in the early hours of yesterday.

Jarden returned by air to Wellington yesterday for three days of business before returning for the next three trials on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Barnacle, with 43 points from a sixth and two firsts in the opening three of nine trials, is belying the fact that she is by no means the latest design in the 12-boat fleet. Skippered by Haslar, she has made a terrific start to the trials, taking full advantage of every opportunity to come her way in the light airs and flat seas of the Hauraki Gulf. Inca’s second, with her eighth and third in the first two races, puts her third on 37. Inca’s crew kept the 45-footer up with the 50ft Corinthian and the 48ft Quando (Jim Edmonds) after leading the fleet across the back of Great Barrier Island on Saturday. Some of the crews sailed the last 24 hours of the slow race without food and little to drink. But J. McKenzie, chairman of the trials sailing committee, said there had never been any thoughts of shortening course or abandoning. The postponed third heat, a 30-miler, will be on Friday.

i Total points and dropping worst performance in brackets:— Barnacle Bill, 43 (36); Gerontius, 40 ( 29); Inca, 37 (32); Koamaru, 34 (32); Aggressor, 30 (26): Corinthian. 28 (19i; Natelle, 28 (22); Lisa. 19 (16); Snow White 18 (12): Whispers of Wellington. |1« (13); Quando, 15 (13); Vulcan, 1 (I).