YACHTING

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 33, 9 February 1920, Page 7

YACHTING

THE OCEAN RACE A CLOSE FINISH. Splendid weather prevailed for the Port Nicholson' Yacht Club's Ocean B&ee to Port Underwood and back. The seven yachts made ? fine sight getting- away in a bunoh from the starting line at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Waitaiigi, Marangi. Ailsa, and Galatea all set topsails. Near Point Halswell the speed- . ier boats began to draw ahead. Ma.rangi managed to pull ahead of Waitangi, and, ■ with leading jib and spinnakei set, increased her advantage until she leached Chaffer's Passage at the entrance. Passing Island Bay the yachts' were in the" following order :—Marangi, Waitaiigi, and Wanderer, the firstnamed fairly close inshore; Ailsa, Galatea, and lolanthe making further to-the southward. At Sinclair Head Marangi ran into a calm- patch. 'Here she was overtaken by Waitangi. Wanderer worked close inshore, and held a splendid 1 i jvin'd all the time. Before Waitangi and Marangi got away from the doldrums, Wanderer—from being a mile or so bohind Marangi—improved her position to I between two and three miles ahead.' Ailsa, Galatea, and lolanthe struck the calm patch also. Crossing the Strait Waitangi pulled ahead of Marangi, and : the latter was unable to improve her j position noticeably upon Wanderer. The breeze blew fresh in the Strait, and Marangi took in her. topsail, resetting it off .the entrance to Port Underwood. Waitangi and Wanderer struck a calm patch outside the port, and Marangi overhauled them. The two leading boats, however, got a slight air which, took them into Ocean Bay. Marangi missed it, and lay becalmed for two horns. Ailsa, in the meantime, came along, and very nearly overtook the Marangi. The times at the mark boat at Ocean Bay, Port Underwood, were as follow :— Waitangi (scr), 8.55 p.m.; Wanderer (MOmin.), 9 p.m.; Marangi (70min), llhr 7.30 man. p.m.; Ailss (120min), llhr. 2.30 p.m.; Galatea (180min), 11.50 p.m.; lolanthe (240 mm), 12.10 a.m. Fresh, squally conditions in the port caused all yachts to start back at 9 a.m. yesterday under reefed canvas. Ailsa evidently expected ' more wind, because she set V. topsail over a reefed mainsail. Outside the port Marangi was the first to shake but the reef, and setting her topsail and balboon jib soon was challenging Waitangi's place as leading boat. The breeze freshening, topsails camedown and working headsails were substituted for the light canvas. | Wanderer showed great speed under all plain, sail. Waitangi passed Island Bay at 1.8 p.m., averaging over eight knots on the passage, Marangi following seven minutes later. Wanderer followed sevenl minutes later, with Ailsa about the same time behind. An interesting contest between Marangi and Waitangi took place in the beat up to Point Halswell. Marangi managed temporarily to get ahead of Waitangi, crossing h«r bows in one tack. The big yacht, however, was too powerful, and when Point Halswell was passed obtained the lead again. Marangi set her topsail again, and a spirited bout resulted in Waitangi finishing 55 seconds ahead of Marangi—a close finish for a run of about 44 miles.

The finishing times yesterday were as follow :—Waitengi, 3hr lmin 30sec p.m. ; Maa-angi, 3h>r '2min 25sec p.m. ; Wanderer, 3hr 18min 15sec p.m. ; Ailsa, 3hr 29min 30sec p.m. ; Galateaj 3hr 59min ssec p.m. ; lolanthe, 7hr lOmin p.m. Upon the adjustment of handicaps, Messrs. Hadfield and Clark's Wanderer wins, with Messrs. Smith and Rowell's Waitangi second, and Messrs. Scott and Jordon's Galatea third.

The auxiliary yacht Psyche 11. by courtesy of her owner, Mr. G. Jackson, acted as mark boat at Port Underwood.

The intericlub cup race held by the club on Saturday resulted in a win for the Nan (I. M'Gregor), time 4hr 38min lOsec, with the Geisha, 4hr 43min 18sec, second, the Mire, 4hr 45min 4sec, thirci, the Gil Bias. 4hr 47min 30sec, fourth, and the Mahan, 4hr 53min, last. The yachts all started from scratch at 3.45 p.m.

The open class centre-board race, which had been previously postponed, started at 4 p.m. on Saturday and resuited as follows:—Illinois, Shr smin 16sec, first; Waxehou, shr smin losec, second ; Irex, shr 6min 36see, third. The Nautilus, with 4min start, did not finish.