YACHTING

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 131, 27 February 1937, Page 26

YACHTING

The Easter Regatta

PAREMATA’S DECISION

To be Held as Usual

(Br

Spinnaker.)

A cheerful spirit was evident iu all Wellington yacht clubs last Sunday as the news spread that the Paremata club had decided to hold the four-day Easter regatta this year. The gloom which had descended at the thought of a regattaless Easter was lifted, and it is to be hoped that this denotes a determination to accord the Paremata club the support it deserves for overlooking its own interests to foster those of the sport as a whole. The interest in the destiny of the regatta was evidenced by the presence of the Paremata residents and members of other clubs at the meeting at Paremata. The four-day feast of racing which Paremata annually provides usually finds the club about £45 out of pocket, and the members, arc growing hardened to approaching the regatta with less than that amount in hand. At the moment the club’s credit balance is only about £3O, although they are fortunate in that, unlike some clubs, they, have no. debts, but this amount could with benefit be spent on the clubhouse and equipment. The members will feel repayed for their sacrifice if the regatta is as successful and well-attended as in past years, and visiting yachtsmen can show their appreciation by assisting financially to the limit of their ability through entrance fees, the purchase of programmes and ribbons, and the dance.

The Programme. It is expected that the programme and prize-money will be approximately tte same as last year, when £44 was offered. Pour provincial titles will be deciaed: The Tauranga championship, the 14footer square-bilge championship, the 14footer open championship, and the Zclaes championship, which carries with it .the Duncan Cup. Takapunas will also compete for the Vernon Grove Memorial Cum and in a series of races for the Quirke Memorial Plaque. For 14-footers, there will be a. series of races for the Josephine Brady Cup, and Idle Alongs will have a special scratch race for the •title of regatta champion.

This Week’s Racing. Keel yachts will race at Evans bay today the prize being the Bucholz Cup. There will also be handicap races for launches and all classes of centreboarders in the bay. , First-class centreboarders will race lor the Kirkcaldie Cup at Port Nicholson, where there will also be a handicap race for Idle Alongs.

“Linibies” Picnic Tomorrow. To-morrow the limbless soldiers of cllington will be the guests of the Evans Bay Yacht and Motor Boat Club at the annual picnic, to be held at Worsen Bay. The picnic was originally in the programme for January 31.

Wellesley II Afloat Again. T. Kirk’s Rona boat, Wellesley 11, which was badly damaged when she capsized and went on the rocks near Thorndon breastwork while racing at Port Nicholson for the Wylo prize a fortnight ago, was afloat again at Evans Bay last week-end.

Vanguard Not Racing. A gloom of inactivity seems to have settled over Vanguard’s shed at Evans Bay. Her name regularly appears in.the handicaps, 'but it is several weeks since she was seen in action. Her performances were showing a decided ment before her sudden cessation of racing. Tauranga Under Spinnaker. The unusual, although not unprecented, spectacle of a seven-footer carrying a spinnaker —apparently an Idle Along work—was seen at Evans Bay last Sunday. This lad was certainly showing initiative, and with mainsheet, tiller, spinnaker sheet, spinnaker tack and centre-board to look after, he must have had his hands full. He looked as if he were about to get into trouble once or twice, but he always recovered himself.

Lyttelton’s Snipes. In the Snipe Lyttelton has a class cf 12ft. Gin. yacht that has not yet reached Wellington, and on its appearance it will not matter much if it never does. The Snipe is a narrow square-bilge boat—very square, with almost vertical sides and very shallow bottom. Both bow and stern are sharply cut away. She is Marconi rigged, -but because of her lack of body the Snipe is unable to carry anything like an adequate spread of canvas for light weather, and in a blow she is difficult to handle. Several of these boats, from Lyttelton and nearby clubs, were seen out at the regatta during Sanders Cup week, but their performances were not comparable with those of Takapunas, much more Idle Alongs. In a lumpy sea they staggered and gave their crews a very wet ride.

However, this class has become so popular that it has been allotted a registration letter Y, and there are several dozen in and around Lyttelton.