YACHTING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 18157, 23 December 1922, Page 5

YACHTING NOTES

[By Olive Branch.] Boatswain, pipe all hands on deck and splice the main brace, for this is the fesi, vm season. “ Olive Branch ” wishes all the readers of these notes a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Good entries have been secured for both the Macandrcw’s Bay and Broad Bay regattas. A race for youths has been auued to tho respective programmes, and our junior yachtsmen have given their hearty support, and entries for this event are very good. Mr Ivie Brown, ono of our most enthusiastic yachtsmen and secretary of the Board Bay regatta of late years, ia here ou holiday leave from Auckland. Mr Brown sails in one of the big keclers in Auckland. Ho returns north on New Year’s Day.

Efforts are being made to make the orpjianage picnic, which is one of the Otago Yacht Club’s most important events, a huge success this year. The club is at all times much indebted to tho residents of Broad Bay and the Ferry Company for the important part they take in entertaining tho children. Mr W. Colvin has got the Tui 11. looking good, and everything is in readiness for instilling a 6 h.p Ferro. She should have a good turn of speed. Tho committee meetings of tho Broad Bay regatta arc being well attended, and Mr L. Paul is proving an energetic secretary. Mr F. Goodwin ,has placed his crib at the committee's disposal. The Kia Ora boys are fast getting broken into the spirit of yachtsmanship. On Tuesday afternoon Messrs Georgo M'Gregor, R. (Miller, and Jas. M'Pherson, with tho assistance of tho worthy secretary of the O.Y. and M.B. Association (Mr J. D. Cameron), measured the Winifred, Vahnai, Eunice, and Heather. This completes tho measuring of fourteenfooters wiiiich are competing in tho trials. I have not heard the result of tho measurements. The association is much indebted to these gentlemen for their labors.

The time is fast coming when Otago wall be asked to submit tho name of the challenger for the Sanders Cup. So far tho Winifred holds a substantial lead in points for the final selection. Had the Eunice not committed so many breaches of the rules she would have been the leading boat, having secured two firsts and two seconds out of five starts. The Heather has not been able to strike form yet. Last year the Heather, Winifred, and Eunice fought out a battle royal. The point system has not been tbe success I anticipated. Auckland has, to my mind, shown us tho right way out of the difficulty by selecting three gentlemen to follow all tho races, and decide the speed and seamanship of tho respective crafts and crews. Is it not feasible yet for tho local asociation to rescind tho motion that there bo seven races and do away with the points ? Let crews be selected for, say, three boats most likely to uphold Otago’s honor, and from the crows of the baits competing select the best skipper and crow, irrespective of what club they belong to.