SANDERS CUP BOATS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18664, 21 March 1924, Page 12

SANDERS CUP BOATS.

JUNE AND THE RONA.

VARIATIONS DISCUSSED.

REPORT BY MEASURED

[BY TELEGRAPH.— OWX CORRESPONDENT.] DUNEDIN. Thursday.

At a meeting of the Otago' Yacht and -Motor Boat Association, to-night, Mr. G. P. Lindsay, who was one of those appointed to measure the June and Rona at Wellington, submitted a full report. He stated that as the Sanders Cup contests proceeded the question arose concerning the similarity of June and Konini to Rona and June and Rona were measured by Messrs. Bailey (Wellington), M. Smith (Canterbury), and himself. June and Rona were laid out side by side, and great pains were taken by these gentlemen to establish exactly the difference which was proved to exist in the dimension and appearance of tho two boats. »

The various points from which the moulds were supposed to be patterned were marked out exactly on the two boats. It was found impossible to apply the moulds to the dnside of the boats without damaging and dismantling them. The result of the comparison of tho hulls disclosed several variations. The planks on Rona were brought out almost flush with the stern, whereas those of June were stopped fully l£in. from the stern. This had. a tendency to aggravate the difference in appearance in the bows of the two boats.

The keel of Rona was cleaned away almost Hush with the garboards, giving her a very flat bottom aft in comparison with June. The general impression formed by the measurers was that the plans and moulds supplied were truly and faithfully made according to the design of Rona, thereby showing an. honest attempt by the Auckland Association to send out an exact impression to any builder who wished to construct a boat similar to the Rona.

A letter was received from Mr. I). Paterson in connection with the. different types of boats built from the plans of the lion a. By no stretch of imagination, he said, could any person say iiiat June was anything like Rona. As one who had hoped for an equal contest by equal boats, seamanship to be the concluding factor in winning the coveted Sanders Cup, it was most disappointing. The chairman suggested that the letter be. held over until the next meeting. Mr. Paterson would be present at that meeting, and there were probably many questions which delegates wished to ask him in connection with tho contents of his letter.

The meeting agreed with the chairman's suggestion. The chairman, at the close of the discussion, said it appeared as though they would not get much further forward in regard to unravelling the problem why June and Konini were so different from Rona. He was quite sure that the Auckland officials had acted fairly and squarely in the matter of the plans and templates sent to the Otago and other associations. When the Otago officials were in Wellington there appeared to be a general impression that Otago had been badly "let in" in regard to June. That was after the Auckland, Napier, and other officials and crews had seen June in action. The Otago Association could not do anything further in the matter until a full report on the question had been received from the officials in Auckland. The discussion was then dropped.