SAILING RACE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7065, 17 January 1885, Page 3

SAILING RACE.

Notes by " Ikon Pot." The first of the series of three sailing races for the cup presented by the New Zealand Shipping Company to the Hawke's Bay Sailing Club comes off this afternoon in the bay. The yachtsmen at the port have been very busy overhauling and cleaning their boats and fitting new suits of sails to their craft. The course has been carefully laid out by tho club's custodian, and every care has been exercised in placing the buoys in such positions that whichever boat wins will win by really good handling, there being a chance for all. Those that lose ground in the running can make up the distance in beating, and with the wind abeam. Tho onerous duty of handicapping has fallen to the lot of Mr W. Duncan, and seems to have given every satisfaction, open boats that have never won a race having the highest handicap, and those that have won are allowed time to enable them to compete with decked boats, except in the case of the yacht Mystery, which has always managed to bring up in a really good position as last in almost every race she haa been entered. The following are the positions and handicaps : -1, White Squall, 13imiu ; 2, Ada, 13£min ; 3, EUrida, 13|aifn ; 4, Fairy, lljinin ; 5, Lorna Doon, 13|min ; 6, Comet, scratch ; 7, Nancy Loe, llytnim ; 8, Wave Queen, scratch ; 9, Mystery, lorain. The course is from between a boat and starter's flag off the eastern pier, round a I buoy off Sturm's Gully, thence round a buoy to the eastward of the ships, and back to the starting point, keeping all buoys on the port hand, and over the course home again, making three miles in all. The race commences at 2.30 sharp. A gun will be fired at 2.25, preparatory to another gun at 2,30 to start. Should there be a, fine north- east breeze, and no sea in the bay, I should think the Fairy or the Nancy Lee will be placed first, those boats seeming from their first performances to have the best of it, but en the other hand should a heavy wind be blowing and a lot of jobble the Comet or Mystery may be expected first, and even judging from the performances of the Mystery we may expect to see her Bhow well to the fore.