THREE BOATS DISQUALIFIED IN FINAL RACE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 16 January 1939, Page 8

THREE BOATS DISQUALIFIED IN FINAL RACE

WON BY BAY OF PLENTY ; :

MAYFAIR (NELSON) RUNNER-UP FOR TITLE ROSE MARIE'S FINE SAILING IN FIFTH EVENT The Bay of Plenty boat Rose Marie won the 1939 New Zealand Idle Along Sailing championship with 22 points, Mayfair (Nelson) being runner-up with 19 points. The five races in the contest were sailed on Nelson Harbour on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the last event on Saturday afternoon completing three memorable days’ sport. The contest from a sailing point of view was most successful, and enjoyable for the crews, but it was somewhat marred by several unfortunate occurrences, which, under the rules of sailing, made it necessary to disqualify a number of boats. Every boat had a protest to make to the committee following the sailing of the fifth and final race, the outcome of the hearing of evidence being the disqualification of three—Rose Marie (Bay of Plenty), Tornado (Wellington) and Vagabond (Marlborough). The third and fourth boats to cross the finishing line were Marita (Canterbury) and Mayfair (Nelson) respectively, and as they were the only two to survive the protests, they were allotted the points for first and second places. All the protests arose out of a set of circumstances when the boats were practically in line from windward to leeward approaching the first leeward mark after a short run off the wind from the start. Vagabond held the windward position, the order of the boats to leeward being Mayfair. Marita. Rose Marie and Tornado. In trying to round the buoy a general mix-up occurred. resulting in every boat being interfered with. In fact at one moment it appeared as if every boat was in contast with at least one other, the middle boats being jammed on both sides. The root of the trouble was the starting of the race off the wind, but it was not intended by the committee to set a course which would allow a run to the first buoy. When the course was fixed and the written instructions issued to the skippers, the wind was a light southerly, but before the race was started the wind had changed to the north. Therefore what was intended to be a beat became a run by the shifting of the breeze. SAILING HONOURS WITH ROSE MARIE With the exception ol the fouling of the Mayfair, which came about as the result of the unfortunate set of circumstances at the first leeward mark, the sailing honours of the race went to Rose Marie whose skipper. R. Mackrell, and crew are to be complimented on a fine display of seamanship. It was a two-point course of ten miles to be covered in three 'laps, and the wind was light northerly. Following the run and the general mix-up. Vagabond rounded the leeway mark first, closely followed by Mayl'air, Marita, Rose Marie, and Tornado. At the first weather mark the order \£as Mayfair, Marita, Rose Marie. Tornado and vagabond. On reaching the second leeward mark Rose Marie had taken the lead, followed by Tornado 18 seconds away Mayfair was in third position, but turned only one second ahead of Marita, with Vagabond in a hopeless position. At the end of the second beat Rose Marie had a lead c f 48 seconds on Tornado. followed by Marita. Mayfair and Vagabond. Running for the third leeward mark Rose Marie and Tornado kept a course nearer the Boulder Bank, thus gaining the benefit of the tide eddy. Marita and Mayfair tried to buck the tide running in past the wharves. Rose Marie rounded the mark 41

seconds ahead of Tornado and 2 minutes 41 seconds ahead of Marita which was closely followed by Mayfair with Vagabond a long way back. Rose Marie, expertly handled, held her lead on the final beat before running to the finishing line . which she crossed 38 seconds ahead of Tornado. Marita was third. Mayfair fourth, and Vagabond last. Rose Marie’s time was 2hr. 22min. ssecs.