YACHTING

Evening Star, Issue 19381, 15 October 1926, Page 11

YACHTING

[By Fok’aed Exm-J

Owing to the uninviting weather during the week-end there was little or no boating done, though in a number of cases owners took advantage to overhaul their gear and start on the interior work. Mr ALL Robinson has been putting in some hard work aboard the Marewa, and she should be ready for the water soon. Mr D. Paterson has almost finished the Silver Fern. In addition to the usual overhaul, this launch has had a new carburetter fitted. Jim Thompson has the Experiment looking very trim with her new Marconi rig, and he is only waiting for tlie fine weather to come.

So far as can bo gathered, only one Rona type boat is being built in New Zealand this season. Otago expected to have another contender, for the honor of representing the province in the Sanders Cup tests on Lyttelton Harbor, but the boat will not be ready to sail in the trials. Clearly there is a falling off in interest in the Rona type boat. Why? She is purely a racing machine, and an expensive one at that for her size. She costs nearly £8 per foot, and then the boat can bo used only for racing. There is no pleasure being perched up on the gunwale of a Rona boat when out for a Sunday jaunt when the breeze is piping and the white tops are rolling along. Some years ago “For’ard Hand” was convinced that the small boat would gain rapidly in popularity. The Takapuna typo suits the younger yachtsman, but the man wants a boat which will take _ him practically anywhere in any kind of weather. The Rona class does not meet his requirements, and he must look elsewhere. If he would like a direction, For’aid Hand ” would advise him to obtain, the plans of the 14-footer Seamew type. The plans appeared in the ‘Rudder.’ They were of a beamy boat cat rigged. If the writer’s memory serves, the first boat of the Seamew design was built in Christchurch by Mr J. F. Day, who named his boat Omega. He was one of the first builders of the 28footer Seabirds, of the same design as the yawl in which the late Thomas Day crossed the Atlantic. The Redcliffs yachtsmen fancied the new type, and soon Mr Charles Monck had Sea Pup out. Then the commodore, A. T. Round, had Seamew, and then came Seagull and other boats of the same type. They have changed the original rig to that of a sloop, and with the mast moved hack a little and a jibboom affixed these craft were given increased speed, as well as sailing much closer to the wind. For racing and cruising they are splendid. The Seamews would not be many minutes behind Winifred or lona over the Otago Club’s course, aud, what is more, the yachtsmen could venture outside the Heads in safety. The Seamews could be built for about £7O, fully rigged. They would he ideal on Otago Harbor, A 38ft x lift keel yacht has just been confyleted by_ Mr O. Bailey, of Auckland, for a resident of Whangarci* who intends using her in the fishing industry. She has a straight stem and a tuck stern, and resembles a mullet boat. Tiie new craft, wmch is fitted with an engine, was launched last week. The 35ft keel yacht Maroro, which was formerly one of Auckland’s bestknown fishing boats, is shortly to_ be broken up. This boat was built thirty years ago for Mr J. Quinn by Mr 0. Bailey, jun., and in_ spite of her age the kauri planking in the hull is in a wonderful state of preservation. It is interesting to record that the actual time occupied in building the Maroro was only six weeks, the work being carried out by Mr Bailey and two apprentices.

A start on the new 14ft Jellicoa boat for Southland was made last week by, Mr C. Bailey, jun. The keel has been laid, and it'is expected that planking operations will bo commenced this week.

it is understood that a regatta is to be held at Pukcteraki at Christmas or Now Year, at whichever time the tide suits best. This should prove an attraction to this holiday resort, and it is expected that some of the local launches will make the trip.

At tho meeting of the Utago Yaclit and Motor Boat Association on Wednesday it was decided to Bold the trial races for tho election of the Sanders Cup representative on November 6, 13, 20. 27, and December 4 and 11. The smallest vessel to enter Philadelphia from Europe in many years, Honeymoon, a 58-foot motor yacht, piloted by a crew of two, recently arrived in the American seaport after a three weeks’ voyage from Amsterdam (Holland). Now. the yachting world wants to know when the Atlantic will be crossed in record time by a power boat. Tho Aquitauia and Mauretania hold the steamer records, but over a year ago an announcement was made from America that Harry L. Brainhack was building a hydroplaneto maintain an average speed of sixty miles per hour across to England. Shortly after that announcement “For’ard Hand” wrote to Gerald T. White, editor of the famous magazine ‘ Rudder,’ and Mr White, in his reply, said he was sure tho attempt would be made before Jong. It is a wellknown fact that both Mr White and Mr Brownback are friends, the editor having accompanied the designer and builder of engines and planes on some of his record-breaking runs. Incidentally, Mr White mentioned in his letior that another enthusiast had brought to his office plans of another boat to make tho attempt. Now that swimming the Channel is ft weekly happening the venturesome will be out for some new thrilling achievement, and tho speed kings will be tackling tho Atlantic. Let us hope that they get across in time made only by a break-nock speed, for ibe success would load. to great development in marine engineering and designing. The Atlantic has been crossed by seapkne, Zepplin, and 28-foot yawl, so now. the hydroplane is awaited. PORT CHALMERS NOTES. Tito new officials of the Port Club make an exceedingly strong combination, and can be expected to put in some good work this season under tho very capable leadership of the commodore, Air G. A. Wiseman. A committee meeting will be held early next week to make arrangements for tho.opening of the season and the allocation of dates for races and ladies’ days. The official opening will probably be* hold about the first or second Saturday in November. Wot weather last week-end prevented much work being done on the boats under overhaul, but nearly all are now ready for launching, and at an early date the club, fleet will bo .at full strength. Tucana is looking spio and span in her new coat of paint. Dale Bros, have made a start on their launch Muratai, and under their combined efforts sho will soon be in commission. Pakeha is now nearly ready for the new season. Her owner has spent no end of work to get her in first-class condition. Lure is on Mr Wiseman’s slip having her periodical survey and overhaul, ALLOCATION OF POINTS. Now that tho Otago Yacht and Motor Boat Association has decided to use a points system in selecting the Sanders Cup representative, it remains to adopt a suitable system. The following is a method evolved by Mr E. Moore, of tho Leigh-on-Sea Sailing Club, England, and, though at first sight it seems complicated, a few moments’ study gives one a complete grasp of the details. Regarding the new' formula .(tho . /n i* i ma &

‘Field* says) in scoring points, a few simple facts are generally admitted—(a) A yacht winning a race with, say, ton starters • is of greater merit than winning with, say, sis starters, (b) A yacht finishing last out of ten is a worse performance than coming last out of BIX. (o) The formula should give a correct relative value to each boat’s performance, taking into consideration j the number of competitors in the race, j (d) The system should encourage boats - to start frequently, (e) It should give some value to a sail-over, (f) It should ; bo easily applicable to two or more j classes in the club during the season, I and should treat them fairly, even if: the classes each have a different number of competitors. This is desirable so that a prize can be given for the best “points" score for the season in any class, (g) It should not depart from the simple and understood principle that the relative value of the points when there are three starters should bo 3 for a win, 2 for a second, and 1 for a third, and with four starters 4,3, 2, and 1, and so on. ... Let points = the number of points scored by a boat in each race, S = the number of starters in each raco,_ P ~ the place or position of tho boat in the race. Points » 100 X (8 + I—3) S + 1 E.g., a yacht that is third in a race of seven starters receives 100 X (7+ I—3) 7 + 1 » 100 x 6 >= 62J points. . „ We recommend this system to all clubs who give a points prize, and a table can bo prepared so that each skipper may see at a glance how many points he has scored. Next week another system will bo explained. WHAT IS A YACHT? Terms in nautical matters have to ho caret ally and wisely employed. In the course of centuries names take on totally different meanings. Such words, for instance, as galleass, barque, galleon, cutter, sloop, pinnace, wherry, and various other terms do not always signify the same kind of craft in different localities even in the same century. A wherry of to-day is ono thing on the Thames and something vastly different on tho Norfolk Broads. Likewise a cutter may be a ship’s boat or a 100-ton vessel rigged with sails. Yes, nautical terminology is ambiguous. At the boat haibor on a recent weeknod “For’ard Hand” overheard a discussion on tho word yacht, which, to most Dunedin boating men, signifies a vessel used exclusively for cruising or racing. In his famous nautical dictionary of the eighteenth century (at which time yachting as a sport was so limited as to bo totally different from modern conditions) Falconer defines tho yacht as a vessel of State, usually engaged to convey princes, ambassadors, or other great personages from one kingdom to another. Anything less suitable than this for a definition of the present-day yacht could hardly bo imagined. What would the public have to say if the papers announced that T.B.H. the Duke and Duchess of York wore visiting New Zealand and Australia in the yacht Renown? The same authority also states that private pleasure vessels, when sufficiently large for a sea voyage, are also termed yachts. Now, a privately-ewned pleasure vessel is not necessarily a yacht, else we might call yachts those two galleys (now lying at the bottom of Lako iNemi) in which Caligula was wont to disport himself on the water, fitted as they were with baths, galleries, saloons, growing trees and vines. The Rat o jWight, in which Queen Elizabeth was fond of enjoying the sea breezes, was less a yacht than a Royal ship: and, just as the Duke and Duchess of York are going to cruise in H.M.S. Renown, she will still remain a battleship, and nob a yacht. Slot only was the word yacht not in use during Elizabethan times in England, but even the Dutch, who introduced tho word, had not begun to use it. At any rate, in a Dutch dictionary of 1573 the word is not found. . Sir Anthony Deane, in the time of Charles 11., remarked to Samuel Popys that before the date 1660 " we have not hoard of such a name (as yacht) in England." That famous nautical writer, E. Eebble Ohatterton, made a very close search among nautical records and other works up to the close of the sixteenth century, and he is convinced that’ Sir Anthony was correct in his assertion. How the derivation occurred will now be explained, so far as it has been ascertained. There is an old Dutch word jager, meaning a hunter or sportsman. A secondary meaning is “ the rider of the horse that diaws a boat.” It was also the equivalent of the French chasseur, the verb jagon meaning to hunt. Thus jaght means hunting or chasing; hence the jaght-schip is derived, which may mean cither (1) ft vessel employed in the service of sportsmen, or (2) a ship that would sail very quickly, like the hunted atiimal, or (3) a ship that was towed along the Dutch canals by a horse. But whichever of these three alternatives may have been correct, it oan be readily understood that the jaght schip could in time be known by the abbreviation of jaght.