UNIQUE DESIGN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23272, 15 February 1939, Page 15

UNIQUE DESIGN

BOATS FROM SYDNEY HUGE SPREAD OF SAIL SPECIAL BUILD FOR RACING All factors that make for speed are embodied in the design and rig of thu three crack Sydney boats Taree, Malvina and St. Gorge, which are in Auckland for the world's 18ft. yacht championship to be held this week. Differing materially from New Zealand craft of the samn class, the visiting yachts, with their undecked hulls and maximum spread of approximately 2000 square feet of canvas, are designed solely for racing purposes. Costing about £..1125 to build and rig, the Sydney boats contrast fundamentally with their New Zealand counterpart. The Aucklar d 18-footer is essentially a dual-purpose boat, possessing the sturdiness and comfort essential for cruising and a sufiicient display of sail and turn of speed for racing. On tho other hand, Sydney Harbour offers comparatively few cruising facilities for small craft which do not venture beyond the heads, and this has resulted in New South 'Wales yachtsmen evolving a distinct racing hull of Australian cedar, weighing about Bcwt., and capable of carrying a huge cloud of sail. Cleneral Lines ol Hull Where it is customary for Auckland boats to be half-decked, the visiting yachts are of the open, skiff type, with only a small area of decking at the bow to give a footing for the agile forward hands. The general lines of tlie hull provide a good deal more lift than in the case oi New Zealand boats, whilp the lack of any pronounced turn of the bilge is also apparent. Several times the length of the New Zealand bowsprit is the bumpkin, built on sulficiently massive lines to carry the heavy setting of canvas embodied in the large extra sails. On either side of the hull are the lee-cloths, either of which can be raised in an instant to add height to the gunwale when the boat tilts.

The accurate use of human ballast is an important feature of the Australians' sailing technique. Although tho complement may lie reduced according to the weather, eight men comprise the normal crew. Battens are fitted around either side with ropes attached, and, on the command of the skipper, the crew swing oub and act as ballast, the ropes also enabling them to "lift" the low side of Ilhe yacht from the perilously close waterline. Adjustment of Plate

Two men are required to conveniently handle the iron plate which is housed in the centreboard case amidships. In the Tared, it is 6ft. in length and has a depth of 2ft. 6in., and only years of experience enable a skipper to adjust the fin advantageously. Often it is altered several times before a yacht is sailing successfully. Three nets of masts, booms and gaffs of varying sizes are carried by each boat, and only tho conditions prevailing on the da.-/ of a race enable a skipper to make his choice of rig. Although the Sydiiev yachts can carry about " double tins canvas of similar Auckland craft, practically the only sail peculiar to tlie visiting boats is the ringtail, which is used to extend the size of the mainsail when a boat comes off the wind.

However, it is considered that the Australians also use their spinnaker to better advantage, the sail being kept rigid By moans of u jockey pole to the brace and a "kicker" off the end of the bowsprit A parachute spinnaker is sometimes used when the wind is dead astern. Masts Slightly Raked Another feature of design of interest to Auckland yachtsmen is the "tabernacle,',' into which the mast is stepped, a series of notches! enabling the mast to be slightly raked either fore or aft. When it is laid ai't, there is a better chance for the boal; to lift in a seaway. Lightness is combined with strength in the hollow masts sind spars, which are constructed in 9ft. sections of Oregon pine. Not lease among the factors which have contributed to the outstanding successes of the Australian boats is the care lavished upon them by their owners. They are on the water for racing perhaps once a week and the remainder of the time they are in the sheds, where they receive constant attention. The enthusiasm of the crews in maintaining and preparing their craft was well described by one veteran Sydney yachtsman \cst<*rday when he observed that the boats were nursed and pampered like babies.