YACHTING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 98, 18 January 1908, Page 9

YACHTING.

* (i)r JMaksreei ) .. k I COMING EVENTS. Jan. 18.—"Tlu£d race ' for ■ 14-footers. and race for Ist.class yaolits.-.C'■ 22.—AnmvBfsary Rogatta. r , , .Jatf. 25.—Handicap-races for lstp2ndy -and' N 3rd class yachts ( \ Feb. races for Ist-class " - for Mills Memorial. ]?eb, 14.—Handicap races for' Ist,- 2nd, ahd 3rd class yachts H .:<~,,Thp, yachting-.woj-Jd' .is , busyat I '"-v. making preparations - for the - event-, of ' the ycur,. Anniversary. Day,. which falls on Wednesday, next... Tho forthcoming , regatta .bids ; f A).?.. U>- cojipso any,. tjiat: have:"becn 'held, of i , ,W9. y®®rS)! 'yachtsmen.'showing an seuthußi- i - ;; asm only- fori tho ro-' • ■ gatta,,. butfor. tho.: immediate. future of. tho--sport. .Most.,6f.tho;boits hre:being cleanodw-. iUid*rpyDrhaulcd -iH:,anticij)atioii' of tnetracesj " a pd -some excellent contests are looked for.- ,' raco for the "third- 1 - ■ class, startlng>at.;ll.;6'clock,, has been altered so .as to tako in: tho*"Halswell instead ■of .the \ Jqrjiingham^b.udy.iAThe. alteration , will mako 1 ' : a!i..Brknot..fio.UKe>iastead of 5J over)tho old - v cpurse,. .ThQ;atter(jtion has been made in r&« ?P9.nso- to :requestß- from .-a- number of -third- ": ■ i cjass who consider their , boats ■' > ; aro:-quito- capable- of .going-round the larger; course., u Tho<■ second, third-class\event,: will bo f-v o\or tho old.course. ; ? ..iJlffotts.'arQTtbenigimade to induce/a couplo v.; of, r <iu,tsldo: yachts; to - come over for the' re- - •: gattarv.lt-is -stated, that the-Wanderer may: cojne over. from -Nolsoii) and: the'. owner> v of • the, Rona',now,: or. l'jcton,. is also being' approached 1 ' _ ;,;, ■i/'lt' is-, to' .bo ..hoped tliati- the. the ■ • Ngaira wilh make , a'., sporting race vfor=~ r the ■ first-class "eventj >even .if. • they.' risk. 5 ■ losing':. tome -more, goar.v. v From .all.. aco6uhts,.'the - v Ngaira behaved.splendidly on the tnp to the • Sounds, and local'yachtsmen are anxious to* see her come out i . v .The. centre-board :half-rater Dauntless,: one \ ' of ..the smart , quartette of half-raters. which-.' • provided, excellent' racing every Saturday- a 1 fow years ago,, is.to come out again onvAnni- : 1 :veisary Day,., when: sho will try conclusions ; - ■ with the third-class brigade. ~ Arthur, Holmes• will, not have his new boat ' in 'tho water - for.regatta day. The little packet is practically finished, with- thc excep- -< tiori;'of • tho a few finishing touches.! The third-class event oil: Anniversary Day'"".* iproniises. .to'.., bo ; the \bcst-. cbhtest! that-, has -been experienced in this popular class.- There 5 • will-., be something,, like 1 , twelve or thirteen; ' entries; and-the winner, should havo to move ■■•< ■ to come in much :ahead. In-a horse-race there, are always a number ot sure, firsts . which your, friends will advise you to put your iaith- to; :but on: Anniversary 'Day ' Mainsheet" would not care>to name a winner in any of the.classes, except the first, ■ be fought out up to!tno finishing . line every time. ' ' : . •'■• . . •;. - On. Wednesday., afternoon - tho Te Khuna (Jlessrs. Smiths ...and-(Jharlesworth) . was - noticed doing >a run in the harbour.; She . carries a great, spread ot .-canvas, and: showed Up well, in the gusty wind olt Oriental Bay. On tho beat . across Evans Hay sho showed 1 that .;^q i i^S![j^<^Viurh'of/sii^;,Vlliis\iß' : 'v'''.r tho hist • time -tho .owners. havo given her a - lair trial, and tho amateur builders arc well satisfied. vvj_/.--^'.V..r, When people raise a.cry about the dangers : of yachting they forget that, more people die in' their, beds-th'an.at, sea,■ and -t-h'ese. same '• wouldv'lopk !aghast at .the; old;tuhe' ; : V ' s&'ijtl-baßgeK'-'v••'l'hfcse'.Matsvjfere'in vogue :... ' foi- thirty 'years, or. so-betweeiiilßso.aud, .i: ,They ' werbj' boats; (halwleckcrsf we.-'Woulil' call 'varying frbm.'JUft.;. Bft. ! to' •13ft/.; beahi;'■ :'l'he r most . successful of these • flier's ■ were; about.-. 28ft; : ■ pver",';all.'!,,: : According,,., 'to tho size; each 4bafc earned thirty to 'ninety. .. sand bags, each of 50IbI! weight,- and a crow v.of half :a dozen':, to One boat, 'the Dare; Devil,- csiried ninety'' bags,- and .witK"the'-la'rgest' , iiail spread of .any,boat alloat for her size. Every time the ' skipperJ;; ga.ve : ;,'tho.> i order ■ "Ileady l -'JlJout • .". .shipsji' - bags,!had to .be... changed over to tho weather side by fifteen ' J . men, aiid this must havo'required some lively -.- hustling.- As anyone would Oelieve, a capsize was not ■an uncommon , occurrence,. but the ' i boats rarely, it'ever, sank, as tho sand bags '' were 'piled- up on tho weather coamings and went by the board if siho. capsized. The boats ; were very popular in the Uhited States, and prizes '.amounting to; £300 were often ottered tor their, races; 'In'orie. cout-est between the Susio -S. and; the Meteor yio owner of the' , former boat, who' had niatlto the. race 10.00 / dollars" aside, lvas so bent on. winning that at tho fimsliHig line -lie -bailed the judge'up with a -revolver as the boats 1 raiced up,, and .' i made him declare, his boat the winner by a few iuchcs when 1 , she really lost. The mostbuilder/ of these American boats was ail' Irishman named M'Gicghan, who ; 'turned"out some really marvellous, boats. Vlf a few-of the 'deep-keel yachtsmen were t suddenly transferred oack thirty years and , put into one, of .theso boats, 1 wonder whera ■they' would bo. Those men knew-what- real sailing meant. , They worked every breeza as carefully 'is though life depended on -it, whoreas your deep-keel mail hardly cares a rap for a squall: }fe only reckons that it' . moans a couiilq of planks of-the dock under." A correspondent, writes that lie hears with - -fcgret.that.the I?.N.\ r .C. has.deeidcd.to raiso ..tlie..prize-mpiiey, : for first,, second,'.and third class yachts on\ Anniversary Day. ;At the present time,-according'to 'tho writer, the 1 i'.N. l'.C. -. is., giving- away: 1 more prize-money..'; every year thap.-any..,other pile!club;in New Zealand. Tho ■bitlance-shccts' of the, various clubsj ;ho- savs, prove that. If-tho money originally- oflereu was not'big enough.-for . somei "pot-hunters,', our corespondent's! advico /is,.. " Lct.'4hcso''.aforesaid!vpob-fiuntefig.:. V. subscribe it themselves:''-- TJi.e; competition in ; races hero is poorer than anywhere' elso in New Zealand, and this raising of tho " potmoney " will |iiot!better affairs. . What has tho P.N.Y.C'. : ':"'to/ offer; members (besides.' racing) for tlieir guiiiea? ■ What is the l'.N.y.C. doing to encourage new members and new yachts? The answer to both questions vis Nothing." Tho sooner the I'.N.Y.C. hasra,club-house of its. owii tho sooner will yachting become the- sport it. should be.-■ Tho cluiris just now beginning to get on it's legs again, thanks to the efforts of a few enthusiasts, and the very first thing, it docs is to empty out its coffers'for the solebenefit of ; a few.p.ot-huiiters. ' ' Most-'of. the local yachtsmen .are quite satisfied to race for the prize money originally agreed upon by the iiicmbors at the last general meet- 1 ;-ing." This latest' alteration is the result of an agitatioii .niade by thoso members: who ought to know better. It is all'very well to refer to clubs in England that have. no clubhouse of any description and. exist solely foe racing purposes,: ainl how successful they are, etc., but it must-be borne in mind that the members of-theso racing clubs are also members of clubs who have clubhouses, etc. This prize-money business savours too much of the "All Golds" scheme, and the sooner it is stamped out; tho better. Our correspondent r,egrets to say. tliiit lie. is very much disappointed with the snorting notions possessed by some of . tho' officials of tho P.N.Y.C.