WELLINGTON SUCCESS

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 114, 8 February 1937, Page 2

WELLINGTON SUCCESS

Lavina Wins N.Z. X-class Yacht Championship LYTTELTON REGATTA (By Telegraph—From- Spinnaker.) Lyttelton, February 6. More than 100 craft, including the Sanders Cup representatives and yachts from Auckland aud both coasts of the South Island, to-day took part in the biggest and most successful yachting regatta Lyttelton has- seen since the war. Seventeen races, offering £lO9 in prize-money, were on the programme, catering for every type of craft. The weather was on its best behaviour, with brilliant sunshine and a splendid full-sail north-easterly wind. Several thousand people thronged ' the breastwork all day, a band, a punt full of black-faced comics with . little respect for their own safety, and the burning and dynamiting of an old harbour bord lauuch adding to their amusement. Wellington’s Sanders Cup representative, Lavina, gave a remarkable performance in winning the New Zealand Challenge Championship for X-class yachts. Coleman was a shade eager at the start ' and was recalled, losing more than three and a half minutes before Lavina finally set out in pursuit of the fleet. At the end of the first lap she had worked up to fifth place, Huia, Avenger and Colleen (Canterbury), and Endeavour (Auckland) being ahead of her. At the completion of the .second round the spectators were astonished to see that Lavina had now overhauled the leaders and she rounded in first place, followed by Huia, Colleen and Avenger at intervals of a few seconds. This lead she increased to .46 seconds on the final lap, Colleen passing Huia to finish a minute ahead in second place. Avenger was next and Endeavour fourth.

In the handicap race for X-class boats in the morning, Endeavour and Lavina had a grand fight for first place. Endeavour flying home before the wind a few seconds ahead. However, both crossed the finishing line in the wrong direction and were disqualified, the race going to Avenger, with Huia second, and the Southland boat, Rawene, third. The Auckland challenger, Manu, made a desperate effort to capture, the Britannia Cup, which carries with it the championship of the 18-foot class. By a couple of lengths she failed to overhaul the Canterbury boat, Malay, while Dottrell, which had a very poor start, was only feet behind Manu. The three boats had the crowd wildly excited as they raced for the finishing line under a press of canvas off the wind. A conspicuous entrant in the A-class keeler races was the black-hulled Pastime, the oldest yacht in commission- in New Zealand. She won the ’New Zealand championship for Canterbury at Dunedin in ISBB, and she still retains such speed as to warrant her being rated scratch in first-class keeler races.