YACHTING

Evening Star, Issue 21991, 29 March 1935, Page 4

YACHTING

[fly Tn Bailis Bot.J \ ; YACHTSMAN S CALENDAR. March 30.—Ravensbourne Club (Cuthbert cup). April 6.—Vauxhall Club (Vauxhall cup and Sell memorial shield). April 13.—Broad Bay Boating Club (Oliphant cup and club racei. April 20.—'Vauxhall Club (C. C. Wakefield cup). April 22 (Easter Monday).—Rortobello regatta. A Plucky Action. “ Heave To ” (Ravenshourne) hat forwarded a letter to say that in last week’s notes “ The Bailer Boy ” lit the cat “ out of the bag ” by referring to the rescue of a lad who fell overboard from a yacht. The remaindii of the crew’, states the correspondent, were sworn to secrecy as he was afraid his parents would debar him" from yachting if they heard of it. “The Bailer Boy ” can sympathise with the unfortunate lad in this respect. “Heave To,” who is well able to judge, considers it a very plucky action for a lad, and refers to an accident which occurred oft Challis’s some time ago, when a boy fell overboard and by the time the yacht had rounded np to him he had sunk. The rescuer’s prompt action in jumping overboard is to be highly commended, particularly as he is not himself a strong swimmer. Both rescuer and rescued are keen yachtsmen, and it is to be hoped that this accident will not result in their being debarred from the sport, as it is lads of spirit and dash who will in the future be the skippers of our representative boats.

CRUISE OF THE BISSY GIRL. »

Captain Victor Brisson recently- returned to Auckland after cruising for twelve months in Australian waters and in the Western Pacific in his ketchyacht Bissy Girl. With him , were Mr and Mrs Raymond Hardley, of Titlrangi, who joined the yacht in Sydney, and a Polynesian deck hand, Nikola* who comes from Tuomotu Island;

Captain Brisson spent several weeks at Auckland last year, and when he sailed on March 3 Mr and Mrs Hardley went for an eight days’ cruise with him up the coast, visiting Kakau and Whangaruru, and returned to Auckland when Captain Brisson cleared from Whangarei for Sydney. From Sydney, Captain Brisson went on a cruise amongst the Melanesian Islands, calling at the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, the Isle of Pines, and Santos Island. During this cruise Captain Brisson was laid up for some time with a boil on the knee,'and it was then that he received some unwelcome additions to the ship’s company. Cockroaches got aboard, presumably in some stores, and since then the Bissy Girl has been the scene of an incessant war, in which the casualties have been all on one side.

When Captain Brisson returned to Sydney from his island cruise he ifid Mr Hardley converted the galley, which was placed forward of the salbon, into a comfortably-furnished two-berth cabin, the stove and pantry being shifted aft. The Bissy Girl left Sydney on January 30 for Lord Howe Island. After ten days there Captain BrissOn sailed for : Auckland, but flat ialihi alternated with stiff head’ winds delayed the yacht, and the passage took nineteen days. Captain Brisson has not yet decided where he will wander next, but it was expected that the Bissy Girl will remain at Auckland for about a week. REGISTRATION OPPOSED. A suggestion that all pleasure craft bn the U’aitemata and Manukau Herboars and adjacent estuaries and creeks should be registered to facilitate identification in the case Of mishaps has met with a favourable reception in official circles, but has been criticised by yachtsmen themselves (states an Auckland newspaper). ’ “ At present there is no form of compulsory registration for pleasure craft,” said the harbour master. Captain H. H. Sergeant. "On numerous occasions we have had the greatest difficulty in identifying boats, and often, when some small craft is taken in charge aft£r having broken adrift or digged Ha anchor, it remains at our slipway for days until the owner claims it, Thera have been instances where a boat hak been challenged at nights for not carrying lights, and it has been necessary to secure the aid of the police before th 4 crew would give the name of the craft. It certainly would be a great help if some simple form of registration was introduced, but as it is outside the jurisdiction of the Harbour. Board I think it is a matter for the Government.”

Captain W. Wilcox, Superintendent of Mercantile Marine, also expressed the opinion that registration ot unit* of the pleasure fleet was desirable. Ha emphasised that a registration to bf of value would have to be comprehensive and accurate, embracing ill changes of ownership. This would entail considerable organisation. He .suggested that as an alternative all boat* should carry their names on the bow and stern. The secretary of the Auckland Yacht and Motor Boat Association, Mr A. J. Collings, said the association had-kept a register of both yachtsand lanncbee of the clubs affiliated to it since 1914, and had always been prepared to gike the police any available information. “ It has been our policy not to encourage any unsafe type of boat,” said Mr Collings, "and the success of toe association’s efforts is borne ont by the fact that remarkably few accidents have occurred. Practically aB drownings have been as a result of the napsis© of small craft, such as dinghie|, whick are so numerous that their re» gistration would be quite impracticable.” . A number of prominent yachtsrae* criticised the suggestion, stating that the system, if adopted, would meag endless fomalitibs similar to • th«ke necessary when registering a motorcar. The freedom of the sport would bn seriously curtailed. Tho proposal does not necessarily mean that numbers. similar to thos'a used on the fishing fleet would, have to be displayed on every pleasure craft It would be possible to have a small brass plate with a number engraved on it fixed in'some regular position, s® that a boat could be immediately 1 identified, thus saving unnecessary alarms and searches.