MR. T. NICCOL ON THE TANIWHA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 5997, 5 February 1881, Page 5

MR. T. NICCOL ON THE TANIWHA.

From a letter written by Mr. T. Niceol to Captain Anderson, we make the following extracts :—"Melbourne, January 24th, ISSI. —My Dear Anderson, —I hope you and other friends will have recovered from the annoyance of our defeat, but I can assure you we have not been beaten on our merits. It was our misfortune to sail both races with light airs, and our canvas was too heavy and not large enough, and just imagine sailing two races and not making a. tack in either, thereby losing all the benefit of our greit weatlierly qualities. If we could have known it would have been better to have had a regular skimming dish. Both races were sailed with the great balloon topsails. There is no doubt they have far better material here for yacht sails than ours. It is just as close as ours, but not more than half the weight, and the least air of wind fills it out. They can also do with much smaller blocks, aud their running gear is just like silk. It is nianilla, specially made at homo for yachts. The Secret had a bran new fit out, and you may know how well she was going when she beat us the two first rounds, and it was only when the wind freshened a little in the last round that we showed any sailing, showing clearly that the wind was far too light for our sails. The most provoking thing is that regatta day was the only cabn day in Hobson's Bay since we have been here. In fact, every time we went out cruising before the race we had reefed canvas, and a nasty jump of a sea, so that we were quite taken by surprise when it turned out calm, and unfortunately we had taken in 4\ tons extra lead, expecting a blow, and as they have a rule that ballast cannot be altered after 9 p.m. of the day previous to the race, we could not put it on shore the day of sailing. That, of course, with the light wind was against us. I tried all I could to get up another race with the Janet, with a wholesail breez«, but Mr. Clarke would not do it. His excuse was he had made his arrangements to send her over to Hobart, and he could not alter his plans. The altogether has been a slow affair; no excitement afterwards. The people here all like the Taniwha, and are quite satisfied she can sail, from the way she caught them all in the afternoon, when the breeze freshened."