IDLE ALONG CONTEST

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 30, 5 February 1941, Page 5

IDLE ALONG CONTEST

FIRST RACE DECIDED

WIN TO WELLINGTON

(By Telegraph—frcss Association.)

CHRISTCHURCH, February 4

The Wellington crew won the first race in the interprovincial Idle Along sailing contest at Lyttelton today. West Coast made a good showing in the early part of the race, when the wind was light and flukey, but did no good later when a strong southwesterly came up. Nelson finished second after a very creditable performance and Canterbury were third.

Two more races will be sailed tomorrow. The contest is sailed under a points system, and five races will be held unless one crew secures an outright* win before the series has been completed.

The course today was windward and leeward and there was only the lightest of airs from the south-west when the race started at 2.30 p.m. At the end of the first round West Coast had a lead of lmin Bsec from Wellington, with Canterbury lmin 7sec behind Wellington. During the second round the wind freshened and Wellington rounded the mark lmin 35sec ahead of Canterbury; West Coast had dropped back fourth. The Wellington crew lost the spinnaker sheet, but in spite of this gained the lead on the run and kept it in the beat up to the finish, winning by nearly five minutes from Nelson.

Finishing times were: Wellington, 5h 8m 225, 1; Nelson, 5h 13m 9s, 2; Canterbury, 5h 13m 255, 3; West Coast, 5h 18m 6s, 4; Marlborough, 5h 23m ss, 5.