RACE ACROSS TASMAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20821, 13 March 1931, Page 12

RACE ACROSS TASMAN.

THREE YACHTS TO START.

FIRST STAGE TO SYDNEY.

CONTEST BEGINS TO-MORROW. TWO CONTINUE TO MELBOURNE. Flying the Akarana Yacht Club's pennant, tho Auckland auxiliary keel yacht Rangi will start to-morrow afternoon with the other two vessels, the auxiliary yacht Oiinara, of the Royal St. ' Kilda Yacht Club, and the Norwegian yacht Teddy, in the race across tho Tasman Sea to Australia. After racing with the Oimara and Teddy to Sydney, the Rangi will continue tho contest with the Oimara over a second section to Melbourne, a distance of 600 miles, each boat resuming tho rac<* after spending 48 hours in port at Syd-

Tho Rangi will bo sailed by Lieut.Commander W. C. Juler, lato of tho Boyal .Australian Navy, who will havo with him as crew Mr. D. Kirkcaldie, of tho Port Nicholson Royal Yacht Squadron, owner of tho yacht Seabird; Mr. A. Clarke, of Auckland, and a fourth member who is yet to bo namedi Mr. W. G. Parkinson, of Otahuhu, has been added

to tho crow of tho Teddy, which was published in the Herald yesterday, bringing her total complement to five, while Mr. F. J. Rennell, owner of the Oimara, has secured the services of Mr. C. Constance, of the Akarana Club, thus increasing her crew to four. Mr. Rennell hopes to take a wireless operator also. A Private Treaty. Although one of the "Royals," the Rangi, is not being regarded by the officials of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron as its official entry. Her appearance is the result of a private treaty between the owners concerned. The entries of the Teddy and the Ojmara were sent forward by the Yacht Squadron yesterday to tho Melbourne committee for the purposes of handicapping. Tho Rangi's entry is being sponsored and sent forward by the Akarana Club, whose burgee she is also entitled to fly. The conditions under which the race will be sailed were signed by tho owners of tho Teddy and Oimara at the squadron's rooms yesterday afternoon and were subsequently approved by the Rangi's owner. The race is timed to start at two o'clock.

Interviewed regarding tho Rangi's entry yesterday, tho owner, Mr. W. A. E. Leonard, of Remnera, who returned to Auckland from tho 'Bay of Plenty on Wednesday evening, stated that it was definite that tho Rnngi would compete in the race. The owners of the three vessels, Oimara, Teddy and Rangi, had agreed on a private sailing match under condi-

tions decided by the owners in conjunction with tho flag officers of tho Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Statement by Owner.

" The entry of the Rangi does not represent the official competitor of the squadron, as the race is entirely, a private one," said Mr. Leonard. " The officers of the squadron consider that, seaworthy boat that sl.c is, her speed and displacement do not represent the best that Auckland could offer if larger boats were available. It will, however, lend added interest to the race that an Auck-land-built boat is competing." The trip of the Rangi, added Mr. Leonard, had been made possible by the generosity of an Auckland business man, who under the noni-de-plume of "Mainbocm" had advocated an Auckland representation through the correspondence columns of the Herald, and had agreed to carry tho insurance on tho Rangi. The Rangi, which started on a cruise earlier in the week, was recalled by a wireless message sent through Kawau. She will be rigging at tho Harbour Board's slipway to-day. The Oimara was hauled out of the water at St. Mary's Bay yesterday and cleaned. If time permits the Teddy may also go up to-day. ,