YACHT FROM MELBOURNE

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 40, 17 February 1931, Page 11

YACHT FROM MELBOURNE

TO RACE THE RESTLESS

Absolutely unheralded —although * message received by the Secretary; of the General.Post Office from th« Chief Postmaster, Nelson, at 10.22 a.m. to-day, probably referred to her, the Melbourne-owned yacht Oimara sailed up the harbour shortly after 11 o'clock thiß morning at the end of her 1200----mile voyage from Eden, New South! Wales, and after being nearly ten days at sea. At 12.30 p.m. the Oimara berthed at the Tug Wharf, to be boarded by the Health a,nd Customs officials and then, under her auxiliary power, crossed tha Lambton Harbour to the Boat Haibour. The message from Nelson read as follows: — "Lightkeeper Cape Farewell reported late last night that a ketch-rigged yacht passed close in yesterday afternoon, and set course for Wellington with good breeze blowing." TO MEET ALL-COMERS, The Oimara has been. in. the news quite a lot during the past few months, as the result of a challenge issued to the world by her owner, Mr. F. J. Bennell, Melbourne dentist and yachtsman, who is anxious to stage a transTasman yacht race. Many contradictory statements were published as to whether the race was to take place, one message received from Melbourne j early in January stating that tha ' Oimara was leaving to race the Wellington yacht Restless across the Tasman. 1 At the time this cable was received in Wellington, Mr. J. M'Lean, owner of the Restless, was absent on a protracted cruise in the Sounds, from which he is not expected to return. ,until after Easter. A "Post" reporter was informed at the time that before leaving for the Sounds Mr. M'Lean had told the caretaker of th 9 Boat Harbour that ho did not intend t« race the Oimara across the Tasman, although he had had the race with the Oimara in mind with certain conditions. It waa thought in tho Boat Harbour that if Mr. Bonnell brought his yacht across, Mr. M'Lean would race Mm round New Zealand. Tho Oimara was built at Launceston, Tasmania, ten years ago. She is a ketch-rigged yacht of nine tons, is 43 feet in length, over all, and has a beam of 13 feet. She had a6O h.p. Diesel auxiliary engine, costing more than. £600, installed, it is stated, specially; for the Tasman race. Last Christmas she won the Melbourne to Tasmania race and proved herself a good sea boat in very rough weather. She can carry enough fuel for a 100-mile trip at full speed. Beforo leaving Melbourne for Wellington, she made a trip to Sydney and back, and was then laid up at the Flinders Naval Depot for a week while repairs were made to her engines.