SANDERS CUP DELAYS

Evening Star, Issue 18541, 25 January 1924, Page 2

SANDERS CUP DELAYS

THE NEWi PROGRAMME. TWO RACES A DAY. JUNE AND KONINI TO 13 MEASURED. NOT RONA-TYPS. [From Our Own Rf.postee.] WELLINGTON, January 24. Unfavorable weather again intarfaff«4 with tho arrangements for resailing tita first Sanders Cup race to-day. The raco which was abandoned on Wednesday after, noon owing to the boisterous weather vas to have boon resailed at 11 o'clock 1 this morning, but a southerly gala wafl ■ blowing an hour before that time, and tbs Sailing Committee considered it wise postpone the event until 3 p.jru, in ti6t nope that the weather would improve Tlie Sailing Committee met again &A § i p.m., and. although the wind had abatc4 considerably, it did not deem it safe i» send the boats over any course, The teas was therefore postponed until 10.30 {UB< I on Friday. 1 It looked to most visiting yadhtonffli M! if it was possible to get the race o 3 tMj ’ afternoon, and keen disappointment expressed by spectators and crews ajikftj However, the decision of the Sailing Oom* mittco was, no doubt, the right one. Di face of this decision, Konini and Linnei went out and practically sailed over thp greater part of the regatta coarse. Lin* net’s skipper, however, on return to tlbdl boat harbor, expressed the opinion that it was blowing hander than on the. previous day, and that he did not consider it safa to sail any course. The greatest factor in connection with tho Sailing Committee’s decision was that there wore a large num« her of motor launches moored in the boat harbor, but no one was there to man theiHj, and tho committee would not tak® tho risk of sending tho boats out unless each competitor had a follow-up launch; as, if any of them had capsized, they would have been blown ashore and smashed on the rocks.

From the appearance of things, Wellington boating men are not skilled in tho art of picking up crews in distress, as all the damage to June was caused through the rescuing launch going over the top of her, and then turning her at too high a speed in the heavy seas. Of course, those crows who fancied their chances in the heavy weather to-day were disappointed when the Sailing Committee announced its decision.

The postponement of the race in the morning was welcomed by the crews of Juno and Konini, as it gave them more time to repair the damage done to the craft. June’s crow were out early at the boat harbor, rerigging their boat: but they had everything in readiness by 10 a.nx. Other crews were busy attending to minof leaks and drying wet sails and clothes. The majority of the spectators of yesterday's race had been heard to voice a grievance in regard to the lack of consideration shown to the general public in the way of opportunity of viewing the races. The chief complaint is that in* sufficient notice is given of the course to be followed. The Dominion Yachting Council decided on Monday evening that the course should bo fixed by the Sailing Committee one hour before the start of each race. Unfortunately for the general public, it is impracticable to give much more than an hour’s notice of the course to bo followed, -as the choice depends largely upon the weather, which, in Wellington (as every local yachtsman knows), is liable to unexpected changes. The folly of racing small boats in a strong wind in Evans Bay was demonstrated on Wednesday. The bay is a storm-tossed sheet of water in a heavy southerly. It is probable that most of the races will new be sailed in view of the city, starting from a line off the Clyde quay wharf. SPEEDING DP, TWO BACKS A DAY. An emergency meeting of the Dominion Yachting Council wos held this afternoon at the boat harbor, when it was decided to rescind the resolution to sail one race a day, and the programme now arranged is for two races on Friday and two on Saturday, starting at 10.30 and 3.30. An important point raised by the president ox the Otago Yacht and Motor Boat Association was the difference in the built of Konini and June. Mr Holler staled that neither of those boats appeared to be of the Eona type, and the Otago delegate was successful in getting a resolution carried to the effect that Messrs M. Smith (Canterbury) and Bailey and Jukes (Wellington) be appointed to measure Eona, June, and Konini at the conclusion of Friday’s races. Napier and Otago are satisfied that their boats do not como up to the Eona typo, although Konini is a far bettor boat as regards adherence to the Eona type than June. Konini’a skipper stated that even from the inside the floor space measurement of Konini was not equal to that of Eona, and the stability of the Napier boat was nothing to be compared with that of the Auckland boat. As far as Otago’s argument was concerned, June in no way comes up to tho standard of Bonn. WHOSE SAILS ? It is reported on good _ authority that Linnet has been sailing with the new set of nails recently Imported from England for lona at Port Chalmers. If this is a fact—and several Dunedin followers of the sport have every reason to believe the statement to be true — yachtsmen have every cause to feel aggrieved. Should the weather be favorable, it w hoped that the contests will '.begin m earnest to-morrow, as crews and traitor 3 alike are chafing at tho delay. In fact, all concerned are hoping that the races will bo concluded on Saturday.