REGATTA AT KAWAU

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21717, 5 February 1934, Page 14

REGATTA AT KAWAU

ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON VERY SUCCESSFUL FUNCTION RAWENE WINS BLAKE CUP Brilliant sunshine and fresh winds inado the week-end a most successful and enjoyable one for the Koyal New Zealand Yacht Squadron which held its annual regatta at Kawau on Saturday. The Governor-General, Lord Blcdisloe, and Lady Bledisloe were present for a short period, during which they witnessed tlie ladies' race. They left later for Jhissell in the Government steamer Matai. The two cruisers of the Now Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, H.M.S. Diomcdc and Dunedin, were lying off A]minion House Bay, tho Diomcdo acting as llagship. Tho cruisers were thrown open to the public during the regatta held on Saturday and a great number of people availed themselves of the opportunity to watch the racing from this excellent vantage point. The Hon. J. G. Coates, accompanied by i\lrs. Coates and daughter, arrived on Saturday from Matakana in Mr. L. Nathan's motor-yacht, while tho Earl of Hard wick was also present. A truly beautiful sight was presented when tho dawn broke over Mansion House Bay on Saturday. The two naval cruisers, anchored abreast off the outlying point, and tho smart little vessel Matai, set in a background of innumerable yachts and launches, and surrounded bv the high cliffs covered with tall pines, made u sight of rare contrast and beauty. Go-ope?ation of Navy By 10 o'clock, when tho gun was fired for the start of the ladies' race, thero was a good fresh breeze, and the sixteen yachts crossed the line with their lee rails awash to one of tho best starts seen for many seasons. Tho boats competing in tho general handicap and the naval whalers' race wero favoured with an even better breeze than that of the morning. Tug-o-war and wood-chopping contests were held between teams from the cruisers and from tho island. To conclude what undoubtedly was one of tho most successful regattas held at Kawau by tho squadron, thero was a dance at tho Mansion House. Captain Cosmo Graham, who entertained tho executive and members of tho squadron on board tho Diomodo in tho afternoon, presented tho Davis Cup for tho ladies' race and the Berthon Barrel Cup lor the general handicap during the evening. Mr. J. H. tfrater, commodore of the squadron, expressed thanks and appreciation for tho cooperation of the Navy. RACE FROM AUCKLAND Tho race from Auckland to Kawau for tiio .Blake trophy resulted in a win for Mr A. GifTord's Rawone. With tho dead beat to windward out of the harbour Waione was in tho load. Sheets wero brought hard aboard as soon as North Head was rounded so as to lay a course through Whangaparoa i. assage, and tho order of tho boats when parsing tho Rangitoto Lighthouse was Ra;vene. Waione, Victory, Prize, Ngatoa and llielnia, with tho remaining boats spaced out astern. About 8.30 p.m. the wind freshened nnd , hove to and put in two reefs and Thelma went into fourth place. Thero was a -big roll coming in from tho open sea and this stopped the smaller craft to a, largo extent. Tho A class boats now forged ahead, for tho most part in their respective order of size. When about a mile from Tiri Island Thelma overtook Prize. Victory and Waione, Pi awe no maintaining Iho lead until after tho boats had passed through the I assage, when she was then displaced by tho Thelma. Ngatoa took out her reefs before tho' completion of the race and finally finished ahead of tho Waione in fifth place. Tho race started at 7 o'clock and tho finishing times of tho first six boats were:— Thelma, llh 8m 39a; Rawene, llh 12m 635; Prize, llh 10m 22a; Victory, llh 2.3 m 40sj Ngatoa, llh 25m 17s; Waione, llh 29m Cs. On corrected times the result .was:—• RawGno (15m), lOh 57m 535, 1; Prizo (17m), lOh 59m 225, 2; Victory (19m), llh 4m 40s, 3; Waione (24m), llh 5m Gs, 4. LADIES' RACE The race for yachts with ladies nt the helm drew fifteen entries. Tho boats got away to an excellent start and Thelma, Prizo and Waione wero slightly ahead. Thelma. with Prizo in her wake, gybed round tho mark first, followed by the fleet in close order. Hero calamity befel what should havo proved to be a most exciting race. The second mark, which was a buoy with a flag attached, had blown over, with tho result that tho majority of the boats cut the course, iho Waitangi being the only yacht to find the mark and complete tho raco and win the Davis Cup. Sho was sailed by Miss E. Frater. GENERAL HANDICAP RACE In tho general handicap race, sailed for a cup presented by Commander Berthon, tho C class yacht owned and sailed by Mr. T\. M. Drafiln was successful. There was a strong north-east wind and most boats carried full sail. Tho raco started at 2.30 p.m., tho boats getting away closo to gunfire. Ngatoa, Thelma and Rawene were going within a boat's length of one another until tho first mark was reached. Thelma gybed round first, closely followed by Ngaloa, Rawene, Lady© Wilma, Mahaki, Prizo, Victory and Kotuku, tho other boats being closely bunched together. Oil the beat from tho second mark the positions were little changed and tho boats finished in the following order: —Thelma, Ngatoa, Rawene, Prize, Victory. Moana, Waioiie, Ida, Waitangi, Ladye Wilma, Ilex, Koliri, Mahaki, Kotuku, Janet and Medina. On corrected times tho result was:—Kotuku USim), 3h 40' m 41s, 1; Ladye Wilma (11m), 3h 42m Gs, 2; Kotiri (12im), 3h 44m 495, 3. NAVAL WHALERS In a very keenly contested raco for tlie naval whalers held in tho afternoon 11.M.5. Dunedin's galley, sailed by Lieutenant Winch, was first. A notable feature of this race was tho amount of interest and rivalry it created on the two cruisers whoso decks wero lined with enthusiastic sailors. Tho result was:—Dunedin galley, 1; Diomcdo first whaler, 2; Dunedin cutter, 3; Diomcdo galley, 4.