Yachting Notes.

Free Lance, Volume XV, Issue 801, 5 November 1915, Page 20

Yachting Notes.

By Skipper

THE season has commenced fairly early, and a good many boats are down. The white wings of Port Nicholson have been augmented by the arrival of two very serviceable yachts in the Galatea and the Viola. The former boat strikes me as being ,iust the thing, for this haa-bour. She is a small edition of the Ailsa, and from the way she shaped in a blow the other day, should shake some of the larger boats up. The Viola "is a large Lizzie, shapes very well in a wholesail breeze, but is not very good in a seaway. The other yachts out are the Rawene under 'her" yawl rdg, the Siren, which has not been up this winter, and the Miro.

The Amai was earlv in the water., but met with a misfortune. The Isca. ran into her and chopped her mainsail to smithereens. However, her owner had ordered a new set of sails from Auckland. This is alleged to be another of those cases where the vessel on the port fcack did not keep a proper look-out.

. The White Wings was launched, this week, and has had 12cwt of lead added to her ballast. The Waitangi is ready to go down, so also are the Viking and Waimoa. The Rona is having a new deck planking put on, and as soon as that is done she will take the water. The Seabird, looking very spick and' span, is ready; so is the Wairere No. 2.

The Nancy Stair has been painted black, and will be fitted up very shortly. The Lizzie, under her old mainsail, lias been out, and shaped better than when she had her new sail on.

The burning question that has been troubling yachtsmen for some weeks has been the proposed amalgamation of the Port Nicholson Yacht Club with the Te Ruru Yacht Club and the Te Aro Sailing Club. A large meeting was held lately, and the question was thoroughly gone into. The senior club made it a condition that the name of the Port Nicholson Yacht Club was to be retained, and for this consideration they iwere willing to hand over the whole of their assets, including a balance of about £20, to the management of the Te Ruru Yacht Club, two committeemen from their club to be on the executive. The amalgamation was carried by a large majority, but the old members of the junior club fought hard to retain their name or one to be agreed upon by the whole. They were, however, defeated. The result is that several of the most prominent supporters of the club will drop out, notably Mr. Waddilove, the most energetic and up-to-date commodore the club has liad. The Te Aro Club have not as yet signified their of the scheme, as it is thought they will have to abandon their claim to the Thorndon Dinghy Club Cup, which has been competed for annually between the Heretaunga Boating Club and themselves for some years. Feeling is running very high, and it is a moot question whether the scheme will eventuate. * » •» >s The Petone Boat Harbour, which was to be such a boon to yachtsmen at that end, has turned out a frost. In a southerly the boats can hardly hank out, and 'in a strong north-west wind the gusts come from under the wharf and fairly lift the boats almost out of the water. It is" now proposed to put more stringers on the piles so as to break the force of the wind and the sea. Some very fine launches have been added to the benzine fleet lately. One which is stiil on the hard is a very fine class of a sea-going boat, and the owners should have some good fun over in the Sounds this forthcoming season. The old yacht Patronus (formerly the Good Templar), of Auckland, has finished her career, and now lies stranded upon the beach in Evans Bay. There also lies the keel of that old-fashioned boat, the Ngaira. I believe the planks of her hull are to be made into a launch by a Kilbirnie resident.

The Ailsa, which is in the boat harbour, will not be seen out this year, as her crew are all away at the front.

The Waitangi will this season be out under cutter rig. It was always a beautiful sight to see her legging it out of Evans lSay an all weathers. Should there be any race for first-class yachts this season, other boats will have to get a long start before they can finish ahead of the old clipper.