PROLONGED CONTEST

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22351, 24 February 1936, Page 10

PROLONGED CONTEST

YACHT RACE TO KAWAU VARIABLE CONDITIONS MET Once again adverse weather conditions made tho annual cruising race to Kawau, part of the Itoyal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's annual regatta, a long and rather unpleasant journey, which in normal weather should have taken not more than four hours. They kept yachts at sea right through the night. Yachtsmen of many years' experience stated that the}' had never seen such uncertain conditions, and at one stage of tho night boats were becalmed in places as far apart as the Rangitoto Channel, the Noises, Waiwera, the Tiri Passago and the mouth of the Wade River. The variability of conditions was also indicated by tho fact that, while some crews got at least four drenchings during tho night, others did not see a drop of rain, and, while some yachts were tearing along rail awash, others were swinging helplessly in a heavy oily swell to the annoyance of sailors and tho more marked discomfort of those, who were, for tho time being, passengers. Fortunately all tho boats had cleared the Rangitoto Channel or were well inshoro when tho Mariposa left on her voyage to Sydney, as at that stage none could* havo manoeuvred out of her course. At least one crew had the unsatisfactory experience of rolling off the Milford Beach for several hours, hearing the waves breaking and helpless to get away to son, while Ngatoa, the boat which eventually won, ran without a break to almost within sight of the finishing lino to lie becalmed while many of tho other boats crept up. Ngatoa finished soon after 4 a.m. on Saturday and nearly an hour later tho other boats began to finish, somo of them having little timo to breakfast and prepare for the morning raco.