ARNST RETAINS THE TITLE.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIV, Issue 77, 7 April 1910, Page 2

ARNST RETAINS THE TITLE.

EASY WIN IN ROUGH WATER

INTERVIEWS WITH THE

CONTESTANTS

(Lyttelton Times Correspondent.) AKAROA. April 4. The race between Richard Arnst, ■of Tai Tapu, and George Wheich, of Ak'aroa, for £300 a-side and the championship of the world, was rowed on Akaroa Harbour this afternoon. Arnst won, easing . up, by three lengths. The time was 21min 50 3-5 sec.

Postponements are always vicious in. sport. Men are presumably trained, to the day and crowds gather at the appointed time to witness a contest. Conditions of wind and water prevent the fulfilment of the plans, the, competitors spend a day in idleness, the spectators loiter about until evening and then go disappointedly home, and the interest has suddenly dropped out of the event. The more important the contest the more seri©uSjt is the effect of an adjournment. Akaroa has discovered all this for itself, and Akaroa feels to-night, apart from the defeat of its man, that it has lost in prestige and popuiarity. As a matter of fact, the people of the town themselves did not realise until now how exasperatingly tricky their harbour can be. Sailing meoi, of course, know its viciousness well, but the conditions that sailing men desire are precisely those that render sculling impossible. This mojfning broke beautifully fine, with ev<efry prospect of a fairly favourable day. By nine o'clock a light breeze from the north-east was rippling the harbour waters, making them a pretty picture, set in bold hills and flooded with an abundant sunlight, but no tin^ wanted pretty pictures at the moment. Business, as John Bull is supposed to be everlastingly saying, is business, and there was important business forward, business in which rippling waters and sunny swelling seas and brisk breezes had no place. It is all very well to go scudding before the wind in a tidy little hooker with all sail set, or to take great seas in a fast motor-boat. Akaroa «an give its guests treats of that sort at any time. To-day it prayed unanimously for a flat calm.

after ten o'clock the champion, with his brother for a comSanion, took a spin down to the reen Point buoy for what he called a "pipe opener." It was just an «asy paddle for the most part, but -every little while, to quote him again, he "put in one or two good and strong," testing his muscles, and incidentally also his boat and gear. He pleased the experts immensely this morning, for he was obviously going in, better shape than he had been at the. end of last week, and the power •of. his leg drive was more evident than ever. He used his body well, and the finish of his stroke, the last little kick that makes all the difference, was, to quote Harry Floyd this time, "a treat for tired eyes." Arnst -told me when he came back to the shed that the sea was getting up a little down by the buoy, and that the breeze was fresh outside the shelter of the shore.

A minute or two later George Whelch came out with Westenra, pulled down below the «Point and hack. He had had a spell since Thursday morning, and may' have been feeling the lack of work, but there was little fault to find with him this morning. Of course, he was not extending himself, and gave no real indication of his forni. Out of the boat he looked as hard and as well as ever, and there was no reason to suppose that he would not row the race of his life. Nevertheless, ho had gone out of favour since Saturday. Arnst was unwell during last week, and looked unwell up to Saturday. Even then he was not at his best. To-day he looked in first-class condition, and the change was so marked that it was in itself sufficient to account for the growing popularity of his prospects. But to resume the narrative. The middle morning found the nor'-easter freshening, and anxious eyes were being turned to every quarter of the sky. No one in Akaroa was seriously attempting to work, and even the boys in school, it is said, were making excuses to look out of the windows at sea and sky. By one o'clock, however, the breeze had dropped, and. a light air was drawing from the west at the town end of the course. It was bringing an uncomfortable little roll across the harbour and across the course!

I ran down to the starting point again tcnday in Mr M'Cullough's speedy little motor-launch the Kelvin. We had Richard Arnst, J. Arnst

and Fetlon aboard, not to mention the champion's boat, and we picked up Mr A. E. Craddock, the referee, on the way down. It was evident that the race would.be rowed, and as luck would have "it, the breeze was drawing from the south-west, down the harbour, so that the sea, instead oY getting up, was decreasing. At Porter's Point there was enough movement on the water to keep the boats jumping. It was delicate work handling the wager boats under these conditions, but Arnst's boat w^s put ashore. Wheich kept his on his launch until the referee gave them the signal to get afloat, and then he stepped into his frail craft from the deck of the launch. Arnst took the chance of a bump in the shingle, but avoided danger and safely negotiated the kelp off shore. After the men were afloat there was some delay while the excursion boats got clear of the course, and then the contestants paddled to the starting point. Mr Craddock tossed a coin, Wheich called "Heads" and lost, and Arnst took the inside running. By five minutes past three the two were side by side off Porter's Point, the boats rising and falling quickly in the joggle, or jobble, or bump, as the alleged nautical experts variously described the water's movements. The start' was to be by mutual consent. The men were taking no chances at this stage. Both wanted to get away on, in anticipation of the jump, and the consequence was that they were soon a hundred yards or more from the starting point. The referee called them back, and they recommenced the game of watching and making feints of starting. Again the process of "touching her up," aided by the southerly breeze, carried the boats away from the starting point, and once more the referee had to call the men back. Then Wheich broke away, only to find the champion still dwelling. It looked as though Arnst was a little nervous, and as a matter of fact he subsequently confirmed this impression. Finally, at 3.17 p.m., the two caught the water together to the second, and were off on their journey. The challenger dashed off at 42 to the minute, the champion moving at 32. and the former was soon a few feet ahead. The second minute found Wheich still going at 38 and Arnst at 28. Wheich had obtained a lead of perhaps half a length, but Arnst crept up to him, and they rowed together for a quarter of a mile, Wheich dropping to 32 and the champion.to an even 26. At half a mile Arnst had a lead of half a length, and the race was never afterwards in doubt. The mile was cut out in Smin 36sec in spite of the aforesaid "jobble," the champion leading by a couple of lengths. Here Wheich, who had slowed to 28, quickened to 30, but was soon back at the lower rate, having made no impression on the leader. Indeed, the farther they went the farther the champion drew away, until with a mile and three-quarters gone he was leading by eight or ten lengths. Running into the rip below Green Point Arnst slackened to take the rough water quietly, and Wheich,

spurting for a few strokes, lessened the gap. Then, as they passed the buoy a mile and a quarter from home, the champion resumed his steady 26. He steered wide to avoid the reef, while the local man took inside water. Whelch was now rowing better than at any previous stage of the race, getting a swing that had been quite absent from his work in.the rougher water, and moving with altogether more life and vim, but he was hopelessly in the rear, and, although he rowed 30, while Arnst slackened to 24 and then to 22, it was obvious that the championship was in safe keeping. Arnst, easing up, passed the judge's boat three lengths ahead. The time, as taken by Mr E. E. Lelievre, 4 was 21min 50 3-ssec. The start was made a hundred yards past the appointed place, so that the race was very slow, the rough water and the ebbing tide doubtless being responsible.