SANDERS CUP RACE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18050, 27 March 1922, Page 8

SANDERS CUP RACE.

TREATMENT OF OTAGO.

CONTROVERSIAL POINTS.

CHARGES AND A' REPLY.

The attitude of Mr. J. McCulloch, owner of the 14-ft. one-design sailing boat that represented Otago in the contest* for the Sanders Cup at Auckland last year and again at Dunedin in February of this year, has como in for some severe condemnation in a statement issued by the officials of the Otago Yacht and Motor-boat Association. ft will be remembered that in his speech made at the presentation of the Sanders Cup to tho representatives of the Auokland Yacht and Motor-boat Association at the conclusion of this year's contest, Mr. McCulloch said: "I do not consider that we got a fair go. I was told in Auckland that I would never have the pleasure of managing a boat again; but I won the races here and did sail a boat again. Our own representatives wero up against me. I know that they are, and others know it, too. I may be speaking rather straight, but that is what I think about it. It was done, however, and they got away with it. Anyone can win a race; but there should be fair play." Dealing with the races in Auckland last year the official statement says that although Mr. McCulloch agreed to abide by the decisions of the Otapo committee i in all matters, it became evident soon after arrival in Auckland that he was determined to act according to his own j views. His vacillation and indeoi&ion | were snob that on the day of the first race the Heather bad never been down the harbour as far as the turning mark, and had not the competing boat got first away and led on the first leg, it is quite possible that an erroneous course would have lost, Otago the firet race, and the only one which Mr. McCulloch succeoded in j srinning. Further than this, although the |

crew sent up with Mr. MeCu'loch was as good as Otago could to this day produce, he astounded tho management by making

a proposal that he should be allowed to put the Otago crew out of the boat and replace them with Auckland men. It was only when the committee threatened to withdraw the Heather from the con. tost and return to Dunedin that Mr McOulloch gave' way. Incident ol Alleged Sculling. Coming to the contest of February last, the statement gays that it is of interest to note, in view of Mr. McCulloch's assertion that his own representatives were against him, that of all the boats competing Mr. McCulloch was the only skipper who sailed the whole of the the races, and in his efforts he was loyally supported by the association and the yachtsmen of Otago generally. Reference is then made to the protest entered by Mr. McCullough on the ground that the Murihiku crossed the half-tide wall. This protest was disallowed by the judges. It i<, stated that in the final race of the sen©, he found fault with the Desert Gold for "sculling," and prepared a protest against her. He wished to hand this to the commodore, who declined to take it, the rules providing that it must be handed to the judges. He then stated that the skipper of the Mimhiku would support his allegation, and upon his being called into the pavilion and asked to state the facts, Mr. Hansen said that he saw the sculling going on, and that Mr. McCulloch started it. The protest was not put in. In summing np, the statement says that the trip to Auckland was made free of expense to Mr. McCulloch. While here he won one race out of three and Mr. Wiseman won the other two. which gave Otago the cup. t, Dunedin Mr. McOulloch sailed in seven races, succeeding' in winning only two, and lost the cup for Otago, whereupon he thought fit to revile the representatives of the association for beinfc unfaii to him. Mr. McCulloch Denies the Charges, Mr. McCulloch ha* issued a reply to tins statement, in which he makes a! general denial of the charges contained' in the statement. He says that before the course in Auckland was changed he su-ested that it would be only fair to i put an Auckland man in the Heather as 1 a guide, as the currents and eddies on the original course were difficult for a visiting yachtsman to negotiate. In justification of his protest on the ground that the Murihiku crossed the half-tide wall, Mr. McCulloch points out that in local races a boat is open to disqualification if she sails over the wall, ' and says that special instructions were! issued to each skipper prior to starting each race, that no boat was to cross the wall. He then odds that in the last race— won by Desert Gold-ho did not " scull " Heather. He swung his rudder to get Heather round the buoy at Anderson's I Bay in the flat calm, but certainly did not "scull." This was proved by the fact that he was first round the huny, but last to get away from it, being over a minute even behind the Murihikn, He makes it clear that in making the assertion that he had not " had a fair go" he was not referring to any conduct by the opposing crews. His complaint was that he did not have the support of many of the prominent officials in Dunedin. He suggests that underhand methods were employed in an endeavour to prevent him from sailing in the two last races of the Dunedin series. Heather Sailed to Best Advantage. " I asked Mr. Hanlon (the Otago commodore) to point out where I had failed in handling the Heather previously, and I ' also asked him what he knew about sailing a boat, anyway," says Mr. McCul-i loch. " I ask him again now. At Auckland, moreover, there were so many! Otago experts who know better than L did how the Heather should be sailed, 1 that I naturally became upset, and made statements which I realiso now were injudicious. I maintain that I sailed the Heather at Auckland to her very best advantage, and I would like to ask Messrs. Hanlon and Nees why, if they consider all their accusations are fair, and prompted only by the best interests of sportsmanship and yachting, they ever al-i : lowed me to sail for Otago again." Dealing with the statement that he lost' the cup for Otago, Mr. McCnlloch points i out that only one of the competitors in'' the Dunedin series won more/than two races—Desert Gold with three. In cor.- \ elusion, he quotes from the minutes of ' the first meeting of the Otago Club, fol- : lowing the return of the Otago represents- ' tives from Auckland as follows:—" It * was reported bv the committee of man- ' agement that the Auckland contest was ' got off successfully, and the whole of the ' arrangements in connection with the con- ' test were satisfactory, and the conduct of j the crew was exemplary." ' ' i