YACHTING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18641, 23 February 1924, Page 12

YACHTING.

MOTES AND COMMENTS.

The Northcote and Birkenhead annual regatta, which took place last Saturday, was one of the most successful in the history of the club. Record entries were received and in almost every instance all the boats that had entered faced the starter and completed the course. There was a fresh northerly breeze during the afternoon which gave the boats a lot of leading but very little beating. In the races for first-class yachts and the visitors the only real windward work was from the Resolution buoy to the* buoy in ltangitoto channel, the remainder of the cours9 being sailed with eased sheets. These conditions, however, enabled all the races to finish in quick time. A feature of the regatta was the largo number of entries received for the visitors' race ? which totalled 20, all the boats starting with one or two exceptions. Both the Sadie and Wairiki sailed remarkably well in this race, showing the remainder of the fleet the way round the course, including Speedwell and Starlight. Wairiki finished first but was unable to give Sadie her handicap, the latter securing the first prize and Wairiki the second. In the race for the X class Queen March added another- win to her credit, beating Rona over the finishing lino by 39 seconds. The winner led pretty well throughout the race, arid even in what little windward work there was she kept ahead of Rona. On the lead up the harbour, however, the latter only set her working jib as a leader, but Queen March left nothing to chance, carrying her usual spinnaker. , The Akarana Yacht Club's annual cruising race to Cowes Bay, Waiheke, will be held on March 8. All classes from the 16ft. to the first-class yachts and launches will be catered for. In the evening a social and dance _ will be held ashore at Cowes. Tho club s well-known orchestra, under the leadership of Mr. P. Payne, will be in attendance. A feature of the speed-boat races held by the New Zealand Power Boat Association on Saturday, was the consistent performance of Miss Auckland. In the first race, a general handicap, she was only beaten for third position by one second, but had no difficulty in winning the race for over ten knots and also the open speed championship of New Zealand. Piissvfoot, Miss Devonport (which was making her first appearance) and Green Stripe (Wanganui representative) were all disappointing. Green Stripe had trouble before the start of the first race and took no part in the day's racing ; Miss Devonport started and finished in the second race, but was not firing in all her cylinders in the third event, and gave j up; Pussyfoot broke down early in the second race and did not compete in the championship event. Of the other speedboats Miss Eileen, which entered at the eleventh hour in order to make the vac* j ing more interesting, finished fifth in the general handicap, and had the misfortune to come into ocllision with Miss Alberta j while waiting for the start of the race , for boats over 10 knots.