JUDGE'S BAY REGATTA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 8999, 12 March 1888, Page 6

JUDGE'S BAY REGATTA.

The first , portion of this pleasant little •aquatitt meeting, consisting /• of eleven events, which was set down for decision on Saturday afternoon, attracted a large number of people to Judge's Bay. The ferry steamer Victoria, which acted as flagship, brought a considerable crowd of spectators from Queen-street, and this was, during the afternoon, constantly augmented- by boatloads from the shore at Parnell. During the first hour or so of the racing, the bay presented a very animated scene, being filled with boats of every size, description, and hue, the majority of which were darting hither and thither in what would seem, to one accustomed to seeing " young Auckland afloat," to be a ohaotio mass that must surely lead to frequent collision and disaster. Such ft result, however, did not come to pass} and although one or two "swamps" occurred they were due more to "larking" than to serious accident, and in all cases the occupants of the upturned craft (in one instance, a tub), were helped quickly out of the water, and started afresh on their rambles. The strong wind and heavy sea that was running, however, militated considerably against the success of the rowing races ; and the persistent downpour of rain that began at about four o'clock caused the postponement of several events, and the rather summary ending of the day's proceedings. . The active officers of the club were Starter, Mr. F. J. Sanderson ; umpire, Mr. L. Bloomfleld ; judge, Mr. W. W. Porter ; and although the firstnamed had very difficult Work to get the crews away in good order, owing to a number of outsiders who repeatedly got in the way, they all discharged their duties to the satisfaction of the public. The particulars of the events which were decided were as follows ■ Yacht Dtngies.—There were but two starters—E. Sweeney and J. Greenand these had not gone far when they mutually fouled, and had some difficulty in getting clear. Sweeney then took the lead, and won easily. Skiff Race.—For this event there were two contestants Logan and W. Clayton, the other entry, T. Carmichael, not coming to the post. A good start was effected, and the pair got away on even tbrms, which were maintained until near the turningSaint, the hulk Clara Hargreaves, when ogan drew away, and held his opponent (who steered very badly) safe all the home journey, till within about 30yds of the finish, when he unfortunately shipped a big sea, i which caused him to lose one of his sculls. In endeavouring to recover it, his boat swamped, and Clayton was thus enabled to row in and win easily. Pair-oarkd Skiffs.This race was confined to youths under the Age of 21, and groduccd a good field of five, viz. :— ilbert and Nicoll; A. Carmichael and A. Busby, " Zeta"; E. R. Bloomfield and H. McCausland, "Saionara"; R. H. McKenzie and J. Tizard, "Loloma"; W. Bailey and J. Patterson, "Ain." The course was about one mile and a-half, being from the flagship to a buoy in Mechanic's Bay, thence round the Clara Hargraves and back to the flagship. After a lot of trouble the five competitors were despatched on equal terms. Bailey and Patterson took the lead, closely followed by Bloomfield and McCausland, McKenzie and Tizard being the last. On passing the flagship on the way to the hulk, McCausland and Bloomfield were in front, with Carmichael and Busby next, and Patterson and Bailey rowing hard close up. This order was maintained and the hulk rounded, and on the upward journey, although the second pair spurted,' the leaders hold their own and drew away, winning easily by half-a-dozen lengths, the same distance between the second and third. Rob Roy Canoes.—Only two competitors, T. Carmichael and J. Tizard, faced the starter for this event, and after a good race Carmichael came in first with a bit in hand. . Racing Dinoi'es.—This event was looked upon to furnish the most Interesting race of the day, and was limited to juniors under 21. There were seven entries, and all started, their names being— 'Farquhar, black and white ; J. W. Lusher, light blue; R. Masefield, dark blue and Wnk; H. Kissling, dark blue; T. H. McCausland, black and white; C. Kilfoyle, " Foam," dark and light blue ; A. Bailey, "Jessie," blue and gold. Just, however, as they were getting into line, the rain came on, and the race was rowed in a blinding shower, which, with the heavy sea, made very hard work for the oarsmen, and also rendered it very difficult for the spectators to distinguish one boat from another. The course was the same as in the pair-oared skiS race, and on the return journey past the flagboat Masefield had a commanding lead, and rounded the hulk considerably ahead of Kissling, who was second. On the stretch home, however, he had to slacken through shipping water, and Kissling led him for a hundred yards, but the Ponsonby boy overhauled him again, and won, with something in hand. Farquhar and Bailey retired early from the race, owing to getting more water aboard their light crafts than was convenient, while the duluge of rain which came down obscured the other starters from the view of the majority on the flag-boat, who began hurriedly to exchange the inefficient shelter of the awnings for that of the cabins. A break in the showers, however, occurred, and the Tub Race was gone through. C. Petley and C. Farquhar were the only starters, and after an amusing contest the former won, both contestants suffering a capsize after the race. Racing Dingies.This race was for boys under seventeen years, the course being from the flagship, round the hulk Clara Hargreaves, and back. The entries were: S. Scott, W. H. Cook, C. V. Langsford, A. Busby, and H. Bailey. A good race ensued, and the result was : —W. H. Cook, 1; J. Scott, 2; C. Langsford, 3. Before this race was finished the downpour had again commenced, and boats were skurrying in all directions for shelter, so that the committee decided to postpone the remaining events on the programme till next week, when, it is hoped, more propitious weather will prevail. The Victoria then got up steam and landed her passengers, many in a rather damp state, at the Queenstreet Wharf at about six o'clock.