SENSATIONAL YACHTING

Evening Star, Issue 21641, 9 February 1934, Page 6

SENSATIONAL YACHTING

FOURTH SANDERS GUP RACE TO LAVINA OTAGO AND CANTERBURY SKIPPERS HAD RACE BETWEEN THEM MISTAKE LETS WELLINGTON IN [Special to the ‘ Stab.’] CHRISTCHURCH, February 8. The fourth race in the Sanders Cup contest was sailed at Lyttelton to-day in a hard southerly blow, all the boats having to put a reef in. The race took a sensational turn when the Wellington boat, Lavina, after being more than four minutes behind Irene and Eileen, with half a lap to go, suddenly picked up on the others through a mistake on the part of the Canterbury and Otago skippers, and took the lead in a tearing race for the finishing line. Lavina carried away her spinnaker boom, but carried on. Unfortunately a collision took place between Irene and Lavina at the last turn, and although Lavina crossed the line osec ahead of Irene, the result was in doubt until the evening, when the Sailing Committee announced that it had awarded the race to Lavina, and disqualified Irene for a breach of the rules of the Yacht Racing Association (England) in that, having cleared the mark, she did not observe the rules governing overtaking vessels and improperly rounding marks. ■ Two races have been arranged for tomorrow. Irene (Canterbury) has now won two races, and Eileen (Otago) and Lavina (Wellington) one each. To-day’s race was sailed in a hard south-westerly blow, with lumpy sea. The boats made sensational time over the nine miles’ triangular course-, and the race will go down in memory as the most exciting ever sailed by 14-footers at Lyttelton. Eileen (Otago) was third, but Val (Southland) had to retire after the jaws of his spinnaker boom broke. , The race was full of thrills. Eileen and Irene looked to have the race to themselves when, at a critical period in, the last lap, both skippers made a mistake in overrunning the buoy, leaving the way open for Lavina to make up all the lost ground and turn first for the run to the finish with a lead of 48sec. Tills should have given Lavina the race easily, but her spinnaker boom snapped, and she was almost overhauled. Eileen went away to a beautiful start, Hying across the line a little ahead of Lavina, with the other two following. It was a rim to the first mark, and in the strong wind Eileen and Val used their leading jibs as spinnakers. Val had trouble with her leader, and lost ground, while the others flew at terrific speed before the _ strong breeze. The run took seven minutes. Lavina made the buoy first Cseo ahead of Eileen. Lavina has the reputation of being a fast boat off the wind, in a blow, and she certainly proved it by the manner in which she overhauled the Otago boat. Irene rounded the mark 19sec after Eileen, and Val was smin later. On the next leg to windward, Eileen, Lavina, and Irene had a close and exciting tussle, but Eileen again showed her qualities in going to windward, and at the mark turned with a lead of 33seo from Irene, who was 3sec ahead ot Lavina. Spinnakers were out m a twinkling, the work of the forward hand on Eileen being particularly good. Before the stiff breeze the boats made rare speed on the next leg. The times at the end of the round were: Eileen, 11h 4min llsec. Irene, llh 4miii 19sec. Lavina, llh 4miu 24soc. Val had retired with a broken spinnaker boom.

Irene overhauled and passed Eileen soon after the start or the second round, and at the first mark had a lead of 25sec, Lavina 23sec back. Eileen was outsailing Irene again .into the wind, and Lavina . was dropping back, and it seemed as if Eileen and Irene would fight out the race alone. Eileen reached the mark linin 33sec ahead or Irene, and Lavina was nearly 2inm behind. Off the wind Irene was undoubtedly faster than the Otago boat, and with the help of her spinnaker was soon neck and neck with Eileen, and

shot past her at the mark, passing it ivitb a lead of 16sec. The times were: Irene, llh 33min 45sec. Eileen, llh 34rain 4sec. Lavina, llh 35mm 17scc. Irene retained her lead on the next W and was in an excellent position. If she could hold her load against Eileen in the beat to windward she looked a certain winner. It was probably over-anxiety on the part of both skippers which caused them to make a mistake. Watching each other’s every move, they paidiio attention to Lavina, and when they overshot the mark the Wellington boat weathered both of them. She had a cleai dead of 48sec, with the race in .hand. Lavina, however, looked like losing it when her spinnaker boom snapped. Irene was going at furious speed, fast overhauling Lavina, which, of course, had no spinnaker, when, neai the finishing line, they collided; but Blau, in Lavina kept going, and just won. Times: Lavina, 12h llmin 42sec. Irene, 12h llmin 4/ sec. Eileen, 12h 12nnu 12scc. i