YACHTING

Evening Star, Issue 21623, 19 January 1934, Page 6

YACHTING

[By Thb Bailee Boy.] .YACHTING CALENDAR. January 20.—Port Chalmers Club’s . races. January 24i—New Zealand Z class championship commences (Dunedin). January 20.—Port Chalmers Club’s rapes. January 27.—North-east Harbour .Club’s races. February 3.—Ravensbourne Club’* yacht and motor boat races. February s.—Sanders Cup contest Commences (Lyttelton). February 10.—Port Chalmers Club’s races (yachts and motor boats). February 17.—Ravensbourne regatta. February 24.—Ravensbourne Club’s local race (Ross Cuv). March 3.—Vauxhall Sailing Club’s races (yachts and motor boats). March 10.—Ravensbourne Club’s yacht race (Bowie Cup). March 17.—North-east Harbour Club’s yacht and motor boat races. March 24.—Ravensbourne Club’s yacht race (Cuthbert Cup). March 31.—Vauxhall Club’s gala day (yacht and motor boat races). Easter Saturday.—Broad Bay Club’s ' yacht and motor boat races. FLOTSAM AND JETSAM. The North-cast Harbour Club will conduct its annual Ladies’ Committee outing on February 24 at Carey’s Bay. During the gale of the night of January 17 the well-known Stewart Island passenger launch. Grace Darling broke her moorings and was driven on to the rocks near Golden Bay, where she was smashed to pieces. The launch was the property of Mr F. Traill, of Woodslea House, and was one of the most ■ornamental of the. Stewart Island launches. She was well known in Otago Harbour, being built by, Mr J. M'Pherson, of Dunedin, and had won many trophies in regattas. There were many willing helpers, who salvaged the engine. - ‘ j A race was sailed on Houhora Harbour in January, 1931, over » course of seventeen miles, between Mr Peter M'lntosh’s 30ft whaleboat- Tainui, a genuine Bedford whaler over >. seventy years old, and Mr. Percy Thode’s 18ft ■M class yacht Mischief. Mischief won by 7min 25sec after' a good race on the wind, where Mischief, was 22min ahead of the whaler, the" latter sailing on the run home. The whaler, handled by Peter M’lntosh, is credited with a t record run to the Three Kings bn the occasion of the wreck of«the Elingamite, when he wps'able to.save a number of the; passengers. Thb boat is still in commission in Houhora. The Mischief is now back in Auckland. PORT CHALMERS REGATTA. It is reported that arrangements for, the holding of the Port Chalmers re-, gatta on February 3 are well. forward. ■Entries for the-various , events "close tomorrow, so those who intend to compete, but have not yet sent in their entries, should lose no time in doing so. The sailing and power-boat events will ■ he started; on the .Mark Foy system, and the committee has decided to allot a third prize of a case of. petrol in the launch races BURKES-ST. LEONARDS REGATTA. A strong, committee has in hand the running of the Bufkes-St. Leonards regatta, which has been set down for March 3. A young element has been placed at the head of .affairs this year, and under Mr A. Middleton (president) and Mr J. A. Robb (secretary) they should make a success of the event. Increased, rowing races have been provided for this regatta, and there will be six events for the oarsmen. DEATH; OF CAPTAIN NICHOLAS. Yachting on Otago Harbour is the poorer through the death of Captain E. R. Nicholas, commodore of the North-east Harbour Boating Club. Captain Nicholas had a long and successful career at sea in the employ of the Union Company, and was later given a shore billet. He was elected commodore of the North-east Harbour Boating Club two years ago, and was a tireless worker in its interests, His work as that club’s delegate to the Otago Yacht and Motor Boat Association was also deeply appreciated, and his place will be difficult to fill. SANDERS CUP REGATTA. At a meeting of the Regatta Committee of the Christchurch Power Boat and Sailing Association recently various matters in connection with the Sanders Cup week regatta were discussed. The following events and courses were decided upon

Speed Boat Handicap, for boats faster than 12 knots. —Course starting through moles, then round the Western Shag Reef Light outside all piles, round houseboat Mawatira in Diamond Harbour, back round Pile Light and Western Reef Light, round houseboat again, finishing between the moles. Distance, six and a-half miles.

Yacht Handicap, for vessel 14ft and under 26ft.—Course starting inside buoy at bend of eastern breakwater, round the pile near Pile Light, round Parson’s Rock buoy; twice round, finishing at the starting line. Power Boat Handicap, for boats slower than 12 knots.—Course same as for speed boat handicap. Yacht Handicap, for vessels under 14ft.—Course starting inside buoy at bend of eastern breakwater, round pile at north-west end of Shag Reef, round the starting buoy; twice round, finishing at starting point. Canterbury Championship, for 14ft one-desigri class.—Windward : and leeward course, starting inside buoy at bend of eastern breakwater, round buoy off Battery Point to pile off Pile Light; three times round, finishing jvt starting point. This course is for an easterly wind; if the wind is southerly the course will be reversed, when marks will be left on the port hand. Yacht Handicap, for A class keelers. •—Course same as-for the 14ft and under 26ft class race. SIXTY MILES AN HOUR. Several hundred persons turned out to watch the trial run of Mr F. Freeman’s speed boat, Miss Wanganui, with which he hopes to lift the New Zealand speed boat championship from Picton (says the ‘ Dominion’s ’ Wanganui correspondent). Miss _ Wanganui was taken over a fifteen-mile course, mapped out between three bridges, and did sijtig miles as bpuj; la thg gjpjghtg and

came through with an average speed of fifty miles an hour over the whole run. _ Mr Freeman expressed himself as being very pleased with the boat. CORNWELL CUP CONTEST. Arrangements are well in hand for the annual contest for the Cornwell Cup for class Z boats, which will commence in Auckland on Saturday. January 20 (states the ‘ Herald ’). The crews and visiting delegates will arrive in Auckland toward the end of the week. On the Friday prior to the first _ race the visitors will. be given a public reception in the Takapuna Boating Club’s premises at Bayswater. OUTSIDE THE HEADS, “ Centreboarder,” in a letter to the ‘Evening Post(Wellington) makes a few remarks which may be of interest to local yachtsmen : “ I noticed in the yachting notes a paragraph criticising a cruise made by a 14ft centre-boarder outside the harbour entrance—i.e., to Island Bay and Baring Head. ‘‘ln my opinion the crew of the boat in question is to be congratulated on its keenness and enthusiasm. I fail to see that there is the slightest risk in a boat of this type going within, say, two hours’ sail or the Heads, providing #hat the boat is seaworthy and the weather suitable. It is simply a matter of judgment and reasonable care. “It would be much more to the point if attention was focused on the danger of inexperienced boys and men venturing out in unseaworthy boats with possibly only a vague idea of how to handle them. Capsizes in Wellington Hafbour are becoming so frequent as to merit some action being taken by the yachting clubs concerned. “1 think I should say in conclusion that one well-known Evans Bay boat has made five trips to Island Bay without mishap of any kind, and also that a prominent member of the club has been more than halfway across the Strait in a small 12ft centre-boarder. “ There are three cardinal rules in yachting: (1) A sound boat; (2) sound gear; (3) sound judgment. These are far more important than mere quibbling as to where a boat should go and where it should not go._ It is through ignoring the above points that most yachting accidents arc caused, with the result that ' this finest of sports is brought unfavourably into the public eye,’i