YACHTING

Evening Star, Issue 20427, 7 March 1930, Page 15

YACHTING

[By Foe'abb Hand.]

FIXTURES. March B.—Burkes-St. Leonards Club race for Shamrock Cup. Marcli 15.—Vaushall Cluh's regatta; Otago Club's races. WEEK-END TIDES. Saturday.—Taiaroa Heads: 9.03 a.m., 9.34 p.m. Port Chalmers: 9.43 a.m., 10.14 p.m. Dunedin, 10.13 a.m., 10.44 p.m. Sunday.—Taiaroa Heads: 10.08 a.m., 10.41 p.m. Port Chalmers: 10.48 a.m., 11.21 p.m. Dunedin: 0.25 p.m., 0.30 a.m. CLASHING OF DATES. The clashing of the Otago Club's races with the Vauxhall regatta next Saturday is the worst example we have had of the result of the lack of cohesion among the clubs racing on tho harbour. Some years ago the association, at the commencement of each season, received applications for racing dates from the clubs and then drew up a syllabus for the summer. Of course, that system did not give general satisfaction, but it i was much preferable to the present | haphazard method of clubs racing at will irrespective of functions of major importance having been arranged for the same day. The Otago Association would be well advised to call a conference of the clubs to bring down measures to prevent a repetition of the farce now existing. A proposal which would undoubtedly have a beneficial effect on racing would be to draw up a comprehensive programme for tho season, the fixtures being arranged on a circuit. That would mean the allocation of certain afternoons to each club in turn. All boats would thus be gathered over one course each Saturday. Bigger fields would result for the club races, and by thus helping each other the clubs would not only be fostering the much-needed spirit of amity, but also would provide better | racing I It is up* to the Otago Club to give way to the regatta next week. _ . v FLOTSAM AND JETSAM. Mr M'Pherson is still engaged on the designing of the cruising boat for Mr Jack Hudson. The boat will probably be installed with a six-cylinder Morris marine engine. All yachtsmen will join in wishing Mr Hugh Speight many years of happy cruising on the sea of matrimony. Hugh launches out into his new life on Tuesday. He has always been a fine sportsman, and lie will doubtless continue to speed about the harbour in Argo. His bride-to-be is Miss Katrina Bardsley, daughter of Mr JV. J. Bardsley, who has taken such an active interest, in yachting and other sports at St.. Leonards. Mr W. G. Hewitt is launching June 11. to-morrow morning. He has missed the best part of the season, but the launching will give him time to tune his craft up to take part in the Vauxhall regatta. Mr Hewitt anticipates getting well over fifty miles an hour From June. Baby June is to make her reappearance at the Vauxhall regatta. Mr M'Kenzie, of lnvercargill, has purchased the outboarder Aloha, and, making her first appearance last week on the lnvercargill Estuary, Aloha defeated Miss Oreti, up till then the crack of the Southland fleet. For the Wakefield Cup Race and the outboarders the Vauxhall Committee has marked off its course in correct style. It is marked with steel posts which will not alter with the tides. It is reported that Mr. Somerville, who put Hennione into commission this summer after a long absence from the water, is contemplating the building bi another boat i SOUTHLAND LOOKS AHEAD. Although, because of a, slight hitch, Southland s was this year unable to sena a boat to Auckland to compete in tne Sanders Gup contest, the sailing men at both Stewart Island and lnvercargill are very keen, and there is a good deal of rivalry between the enthusiasts at Eialfmoon Bay and those who do their sailing on the illstuary at inver cargill. Tho lads in the south say that there is no chance of their being absent at the next contest. Victor Bragg, of Stewart IslfMM), hah purchased Itona from Auckland, and with her ho intends to give the owner of Val a good go.for the honours to represent Southland in tho next testIn audition to these two boat* there are three others in the south—Murihiku 11., Murihiku HI., and Tom Thumb. The last-named boat was formerly owned by T. Bragg, of Stewart Island, but she was sold recently to the Gough brothers of lnvercargill. On a recent visit to Stewart Island, " Bobstay," of the Christchurcb ' Sun,' was very pleased to see the ehthusiasm that was being taken in tb«» Sanders Cup. The contest which was held there in 1928 did a lot toward fostering the sport in the south. SANDERS CUP BOATS. That drastic changes were necessary to bring about, a revival of interest in the Sanders Cup contest, which wau gradually dying out, was, according to a well-known Canterbury yachtsman in tlie Sun,' the opinion of most of the saiang men who were present at the last ccntes' He said that in Auckland, the home of yachnni:, the class was dead, and in spite of the number of clubs and yachtsmen there, only one boat had been built in live years. Ln fact, there was sc little interest being taken in the class and the contest that financial difficulties threatened to make Auok land withdraw Mom the contest. The Auckland Association's motion to have boats measured before every admitted, he said, to be a move to break up the present class, in the hopti ot getting something more popular with tho Auckland sailing men. There was a decided reversion of feeling everywhere, ho said, from the one-design to a restricted-class boat,, since thero would bo much more inducement to build if one were free £o

put his ideas aud improvajaeTfts into tho design, and amateur builders would not bo frightened of building for fear of not being able to keep true to the design. Racing with tne one-design class had certainly proved to be no closer than with the old restricted class. Auckland men were advocating the adoption of their M class for the contest, These are 18ft unballasted centreboard boats, much in favour there for day sailing as well as racing, and are capable of use to a limited extent foi cruising. Dealing with the measuring of boats, and the decision at the dominion con ference, he said that the present position was absurd. A lew minutes v. .tb » rule would show that no boat built would comply with the requirements ol the present speoibcations. Although the measurer might make allowances, there was no standard, and no one could tell what was right or wrong, and associations would be faced with the position that when they sent a boat away they would not know if it were eligible or not. No boat could bo turned down under the; circumstances.