Versatile yachtsman has found his niche

Press, 18 June 1986, Page 44

Versatile yachtsman has found his niche

By

BRYCE SIMS

After almost 45 years of sailing in various classes of yachts, John Morrison is satisfied that he has found his niche. The well-known Zephyr class skipper has been competing seriously in Canterbury and national class yachting since the age of 14. Morrison, who comes from a third-generation sailing family, was first introduced into the sport by his father at the age of eight, sailing in a 30-foot Scow and M class yachts on the Estuary. During the war years, when it was not so easy to go sailing, he turned his hand to making model yachts, and sailed them on Victoria Lake in Hagley Park. After the war ended, Morrison went back to yachting with his father, in a Frosbite. At the age of 14 he made his first venture into boat building. He built his own Frosbite, which he sailed regularly for four years. He first represented Canterbury at the age of 18 in the Frosbite national contest at Hamilton, with limited success. For the next two seasons he sailed with Brian Taylor, and they finished runners-up in the 1950 contest at Auckland and the 1951 championship in Christchurch. In 1952 Morrison moved into the faster, more competitive R class yachts and he had instant success, winning numerous races on the Estuary, and also the coveted Beveridge Trophy, one of the main Estuary openclass events. In the same year he finished second to Peter Mander in the national Leander Trophy contest on the Estuary. Morrison then built himself a 14-foot X class yacfcX the first with a

fibreglass hull, with the thought of competing in the Canterbury Sanders cup trials in 1956. With Morrison at helm, Peter McKeogh forward hand and Desmond Gardiner mainsheet (now both in Auckland) the trio won the trials. This, Morrison said, “was possibly a greater achievement than winning the contest for those were the days the Mander brothers dominated the sport.” Graham Mander had won the Cup for Canterbury the previous two seasons, and in the trials the first crew to score three wins qualified. Mander and Morrison went into the final crucial race with two wins apiece. On a tight lead, Mander, who was sailing with his brothers, Peter and David, gambled on flying a spinnaker, but he capsized, and Morrison won the race, and the nomination. This, he feels, was the highlight of his yachting career. After winning the trials, Morrison competed in the Sanders Cup contest at Akaroa, finishing with three wins to take yachting’s most prestigious trophy. £

In 1958 he ventured into the Olympic Finn class. He sailed these for two seasons with minimal success, but finished second to Peter Mander, in 1958 in the Canterbury Championship on Lyttelton Harbour. He then crewed for his father in the 1959 and 1960 seasons in the keeler, Rainbow, at the Banks Peninsula Cruising Club, recording several good wins. With a hankering still for small boats, Morrison built and sailed a Flying Dutchman class yacht, and competed in the Interdominions on Auckland Harbour in 1960, but with only modest success. A school teacher by profession, Morrison introduced yachting into Christchurch high schools in 1962, with races being held on the Estuary from the Christchurch Yacht Club. Yachting is now a major sport in many schools, with national events held annually.

In 1966 Morrison turned his hand to building a Javelin yacht. He went to Australia the same year with Peter Beaumont, one of Canterbury’s top sailors as his crew, and contested, unsuccessfully, the unrestricted 14 foot world championships on Sydney Harbour. Morrison returned to the Flying Dutchman class in 1968 with his son David, and the combination finished twelfth in the nationals at Pohara Beach, Nelson.

He rejoined the Christchurch Cruising Club the same year and sailed his own designed and built keeler, Pinta. But again he was attracted back to small boats, sailing in Lasers for two seasons. He then turned his hand to the Olympic 470 class, spending three seasons on

Lyttelton Harbour. In 1983 he was attracted to the Zephyr class, buying a secondhand craft in which he finished second in the national event on the Estuary. The same year he won the Canterbury title, which he retained in 1984, and he then finished third in the nationals at Auckland. Last summer, Morrison had a fine season — winning the Canterbury, South Island and national Zephyr titles. He hopes to travel to Auckland next summer to defend his national title. However, while Morrison says that he has found his niche in Zephyrs who knows where this most versatile yachtsman will appear next.