VISITING YACHTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23274, 17 February 1939, Page 14

VISITING YACHTS

POINT CHEVALIER RACE ! AN EXCITING FINISH TAREE LOSES ON HANDICAP The Point Chevalier Sailing Club held an invitation handicap race for the three Sydney 18ft. yachts and local boats yesterday afternoon. The winner was Arline, which defeated Taree (Sydney) by the narrow margin of os. The race was sailed in a fresh south-westerly breeze, and created a great deal of interest, well over 1000 spectators following its progress from the clubhouse and the Point Chevalier Reserve.

Owing to the rough weather the visiting boats, which were towed to Point Chevalier, did not arrive until 6 o'clock and the start was delayed for an hour. One round of the course was sailed and the handicaps were halved.

The Mark Foy system of giving the handicaps at the "start was used and this brought about a very exciting finish between Arline and Taree. St. George (Sydney), which capsized in the first race for the world's 18ft. championship on Wednesday, had the misfortune to split her mainsail and was forced to retire. f Visitors Use Small Sails

The Sydney boats used their small sails and the local yachts were reefed. The'course was a triangular one of about four miles and the race started and .finished off the clubhouse. The limit boat, Tiare, was sent away first at 6.3 p.m., and the rest followed at intervals, according to their handicaps. The scratch boats, Taree, Malvina, St. George, Riptide and Vaalele, crossed the line together at 6.8 p.m. The first leg of the course was a beat to the Walker buoy and after the boats had been sailing 10 minutes Jewel retired. St. George pointed higher than Taree, but the latter was sailing very fast and passed her Sydney rival before reaching the mark buoy. The limit boats, however, were still holding their own out in front./ The St. George Retires Rounding the first buoy the times were: —Tiare, 6h 21m 10s; Arline, 6h 22m 255; Surprise, 6h 22m 30s; Manene, 6h 22m 40s; Taree, 6h 23m 31s; Malvina, 6h 23m 525; St. George, 6h 23m 555; Vaalele, 6h 24m 6s; Riptide, 6h 24m 255. St. George had trouble at this stage and retired. Taree was smart with her spinnaker and drew well clear of Malvina, which later headed Vaalele. At the second beacon Taree ran into fourth place. Malvina lost her tack, and Vaalele passed the Sydney boat. At the Cape beacon Arline was 15s ahead of Surprise, which was 51s in front of Taree. Manene followed 21s after Taree, with Vaalele and Malvina two minutes further astern. After passing the beacon the boats had a beat to the finishing line and when they broke tacks Arline was still in the lead, but was being pressed by Taree, which had meanwhile passed Surprise. Arline's Narrow Win Excitement ran high as Taree and Arline approached the finishing line, and although Taree's skipper made every effort to pass Arline, the latter, which kept further out from the shore, maintained her lead long enough to cross the line the winner by ss. The Australians were first to congratulate Arline's skipper, W. Rogers, on his success.

The finishing- times were:—Arline (2£m), 6h 50m; Taree (scr), 6h 50m ss; Surprise (2im), 6h 50m 10s; Manene (Jm), 6h 52m 20s; Malvina (scr), 6h 53m 235; Vaalele (scr), 6h 53m 265; Riptide (scr), 6h 51m 30s. Jewel, St. George and Tiare retired. Manaia capsized on her way to Point Chevalier. The result was: Arline (W. Rogers), 1; Taree (B. Swinbourno), 2; Surprise (M. Paul), 3. The Sydney yachtsmen were the guests of the Point Chevalier Club at a dance in the clubhouse last night. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP THE SECOND RACE TO-DAY . The second race for the world's 18ft. sailing championship between the three Sydney boats, Taree, St. George, Malvina, and twenty of Auckland's smartest M and V 18-footers, will be held to-day. The race will start at 3 p.m. off St. Mary's boathouse wall. The winner of the first race was Manu, which defeated Jeanette by eight seconds.