SAILING RACES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6004, 14 February 1881, Page 5

SAILING RACES.

A sweepstakes race for open sailing boats about '20 feet in length was started at 2 o'clock on Saturday afternonn by Captain John Melvenzie. The competing boats were; the Madgie, Observer, Hattie May, Witch, and Eunice. There was a nice northerly breeze! An admirable start was effected, the'boats getting under way -within a few : seconds. The Observer had the'windward position,-whilst the Eunice was slightly behind the others. The'Madgie quickly took 'the leading position, the Hattie May being to windward, and the Y/itch considerably to ; leeward. The Daphne buoy was rounded; in the following order :— Madgie, closely followed by the Observer, then the Hattie May, Eunice, and Witch. ' The Observer then made two or three short boards and stood over for the North Shore, finally fetching the baths. The others steered down Orakei Bay, and thus . lost ground. The Sandspit buoy was rounded as, follows :'— Observer, the Madgie about three minutes later, the Witch about six minutes behind the Madgie, and the Hattie May two minutes after the Witch. The Eunice did not complete the race. After this stage the contest resolved itself into a struggle between the Observer and the Madgie for first place. Passing up the stream opposite the wharf,: the Observer headed the Madgie by, say, •2m. 455. Coming down the Madgie had gained by a few seconds ; but at the Daphne buoy, on the second round, the Observer was about 2m. las. ahead. The final beat from the Daphne buoy to the Sandspit buoy was about to take place. Many were of opinion that it was very improbable that the Madgie could gain the two minutes ; other men of experience said there were two winds to run the gauntlet off, and one boat might have a breeze whilst the other lay in the doldorms, for sufficient time to alter the relative positions of the boats. As the two boats neared the North Shore, the wind fell light, and the Madgie overhauled the leading boat. It may here be stated that, as usual, the Observer was not properly rigged for racing. Her mast was too short for the sail, and up to reaching the vicinity of the Sandspit buoy, in the second round, there was one reef in the sail. This was shaken out shortly before the buoy was reached, that mark being . rounded by the Madgie at 4h. 54m,, by the Observer 4h. 56m. Thus it will be seen that from the Daphne buoy to the Sandspit buoy the Madtie beat the Observer above 4 minutes. The buoy rounded, the Observer began to gain on the Madgie, and on the run up to the Daphne the lead up to the Bella Marina and down again to the wharf she succeeded in reducing her opponents' lead by lm. 225. The winning post was reached : Madgie, oh. 24m. os.; Observer, sh. 25m. 335., the former winning by 3S seconds. The Witch was passing the wharf running up as the Observer reached the winning post, and the Hattie May was a long distance behind her. Judged by her past performances, the Hattie May should have done better, for there was a fair working breeze on Saturday. Possibly, whoever was sailing her could throw some light upon this point. At the start, the Madgie was the favourite. It is but fair to say that she was in better trim, for not only did the Observer's sails not fit, but she was ballasted for heavier weather than the race was run in. The Madsjie was sailed by Marshall, and the Observer by Ike Hunt.

Another race came off on Saturday afternoon, for £5, the competing boats beim> Hooker's Minnie Adah and Jones's Travelling Tinker. The course was from the Queen-street wharf, round the Nore Shore buoy, thence round the Daphne buoy, up round the coal hulk and back to the wharf. The Minnie Adah won by seven minutes.