YACHTING

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 91, 11 January 1935, Page 2

YACHTING

Incidents of Tasman Race BARRON CUP EVENT New Cruiser for Auckland (By “Spinnaker.”) The yacht race from Auckland to Melbourne, a distance of 1630 miles, in which the Auckland-owned yacht Ngataki and the German yacht Te Rapunga started at 3 p m. on December 8, was won by the latter, which finished at 5 p.m. on December 27. On board Te Rapunga were Captain Dibbern, master-owner, .Messrs. Gunter Schramm (who sailed with Gaptain Dibbern from Kiel), A. E. Vaile, J. N Tattersfield, and F. J.; Norris. Messrs. Tattersfield and Norris are well-known Auckland yachtsmen; Mr. Vaile joined the crew for the experience. .' The crew of Ngataki were: Mr. John W. Wray, owner-skipper, his brother, Mr, G. B. Wray, Messrs. R. Hunt, M. Robinson. and I. Graham. Both boats are about the same size, Ngataki being 34 feet long and Te Rapunga 33 feet. Handicaps were worked out by the rules of the Ocean Racing Club of Great Britain, which encourages a bigbodied type like Ngataki, and she had a time allowance of 17 hours from Te Rapunga. Te Rapunga finished at 5, p.m. on December 27, and Ngataki arrived the following evening, with the result tha, the former won the race. Bv completing the course of 1630 miles in 19 days 2 hours, Te Rapunga put up a creditable performance, especially when it is considered that the winds encountered were mostly easterlies. From the w liner’s sailing time must be deducted fully two days which she lost by having to put into Russell on her way Up the coast. Tliis gives a net sailing time of about 17 days, equal to an average speed for the distance of 1630 miles of approximately four knots. , ~ After the yachts left Auckland a very hard easterly blow was experienced on the northern coast. Te Rapunga put into Russell leaking at the rate of 80 gallons per hour. It is believed that Ngataki, which is a much slower sailCr than Te Rapunga. was left out of sig.lt astern by the time Te Rapunga had reached Cape Rodney, 40 miles on the course up the northern coast. Neither boat was sighted from Cape Maria Van Diemen, the conditions being foggy, so that troth would give the cape a wide berth. After leaving Russell at daylight on Tuesday. Te Rapunga was seen off tho Cavallis at 6 p.m. the same evening heading north with a north-east wind. The lightkeeper nt Cape Maria reported easterly winds for the week after the yachts left. Cruising From Plimmerton. During the holidays many of Plimmerton’s fleet paid visits to Titnhi Bay and Mana Island. On December 30 the Takanunas Swallow and Torment (Z class boats) worked ten miles along the cons, ngainst a head wind as far as Pukerna Bay. where they put in and spent the lunch hour, returning home late.ih the afternoon. There is always a particularly nasty rip to be negotiated in making this passage. but this was the second occasion on which one of these bouts had made the trip, the journey being uneventful. New Cruiser launched.

Moanalua, a new 46ft. Gin. power cruiser built by Mr. W. A. Boucher, was launched at Auckland recently. The vessel made a short trial, but the engine was not run at a high speed. The launch, which is a fine addition to Auckland’s fleet of pleasure craft, incorporates many novel features (says tho “New Zealand Herald”). Amidships is a 12ft. wheelhouse, from which the engine and usual navigating equipment will be controlled. It will also be possible to operate the power capstan for the anchor from the wheelhouse, which is fitted with cupboards and seats that may be converted into bunks. The crew’s <|tiiiriers,are aft of the chain locker, and ‘then there is a forecastle lounge fitted with two berths. Alongside this is the galley, and next is the engine-room, which will also accommodate electric light generating plant, and two 150gallon tanks for frosh water, There is a double-berth cabin aft of the wheelhouse, and then comes the main cabin, fitted with four berths. Aft of the main cabin is a cockpit of the self-emptying type, provided with cushioned seats. The jietrpl tanks are beneath the cockpit. The cabins are finished in different, colour schemes, while the wheelhouse is in mahogany. A novel ventilation system, comprising wind chutes incorporated into the design of the wheelhouse roof and conveying fresh • into the interior of the craft, Will dispense with the customary cowls. A wireless receiving set is carried.

Wlioso the Responsibility? When a motor-boat is Chattered and an engine breakdown occurs while on charter. who is responsible for the damage, the owner or the charterer? The question arose in Scotland recently and was the subject of a court action. The owner of a motor yacht entered into an agreement for the charter of his boat to a party. An engine breakdown occiirrcd. The owner asked tlie hirer to submit the question of responsibility aud damage to two arbitrators. Tho hirer refused to do so, and the case was brought before the court for settlement on this point. The court decided that the hirer must nominate an arbitrator on his own behalf, or the sheriff would do so.

Novel Handicapping System. A system for handicapping yachts which appears to have fl good deal to commend it was explained recently by Dr. G. Stuart Moore, of Auckland. “I inaugurated this system in the Burnham Yacht Club in 1897,” he said. “In this club we had vessels of all sorts of rigs and sizes. And as each owner knew all about the capabilities of his own vessel and also that of most of the others, I drew up the following scheme: Before the race each entrant was given a card; on this was the name of each boat entered. Each owner had to put down the time allowance he considered correct for every boat but hie own. So if five entered ne filled in the times for the other four. These cards were collected half an hour before the race, and the times of each boat’s handicaps were added up and divided by four. The result was the handicap for the race. The sailing committee bad the right to amend this if any handicap was obviously incorrect “In prcatice it. worked‘out wonderfully well. In one case 13 starters from 2to 20 tons (T.M.) raced from Brightlingsea to Burnham (about 20 miles). I was sailing the 20-ton cutter Rowena and was scratch boat. All came in within five minutes on corrected time. I lost third nrize by three seconds. Of course, later, when yachts were built to Y.R.A. rating, this system did not apply “In the same year the lion, secretary of‘the Burnham Yacht Club put forward a scheme the same as the Mark Foy. It was tried on a day with a light wind. My half-rater Joker was a light-weather boat. Just after the start the wind cropped a lot and I soon caught up tho limit boats and passed them, and iio one could catch her in that light weather,' so tlie race was practically over in 10 minutes. This resulted in it not being tried again, although it gains such good results with a steady wind.” Plimmerton Racing.

Apart from the Heretnuilga Regatta, there has been no competitive yachting in Wellington over the holiday period, many of the larger craft having been on cruises. There has been some racing at Plimmerton, however, and last Saturday the second race was sailed in the series for the Barron Clip. This is for competition between Rona class boats from Paremata and Plimmerton, and Paremata won the first race of the series. On Saturday, however, there was but one Paremata boat, Miss Josephine, to compete against three from Plimmerton, Kia Ora, Clyde and Unia. The race was won by Clyde, with Miss Josephine second, giving one win to each club. The next, race is to be sailed on Paremata Harbour. The course set was from the clubhouse to Barber’s Point, out round the reef to Maori Bay. and back to the clubhouse, twice round. Miss Josephine was first away, and led to Barber’s joint, closely

followed by Kia Ora and Clyde, with Huia some distance back on account of a bad start. On the beat to the reef the first three changed places, and the order round the mark was Clyde, Kia Ora, Miss Josephine, Hula. This order was maintained round Maori Bay find back to the clubhouse the first time round. On the second round the boats were still in the same order round Barber's Point, but on the beat to the reef the second time Kin Ora overtook Clyde, with Miss Josephine and Huia well astern. On the lead to Maori Bay and back to the finishing line at the boathouse the boats were still in the same order, and the result, with finishing times, was as follows:— Clyde (G. Redward, Plimmerton), 6.13.41 1 Miss Josephine (W. B. Ginders, Paremntn), 6.22.36 2 Huia (A. McArthur, Plimmerton) 6.25.30 3

Kia Ora (6.13.41), sailed by K. Pickering Plimmerton, finished first, but was disqualified for fouling Clyde on the second beat round the reef.