YACHTING AND ROWING

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11435, 3 February 1923, Page 8

YACHTING AND ROWING

ON THE HARBOUR NEWS, NOTES, AND COMMENTS. (For the "New Zealand Times.”) It has been announced that the visiting craft at Auckland for the Sanders Cuip -contest will be seen racing in the Ro®s Cap, a special race for their class on regatta day, together with Desert Gold. The wind was very fresh for the Victoria Cruising Club’s regatta at Auckland last week, necessitating in come cases two and three reefs down at the start, but eased up after the rain came on. The -direction varied from nor'-nor’-east to nearly due east, which gave a beat down harbour and a 6 far as the Beacon, while the boats that sailed round the islands had a very stiff beat all the way to Billy Goat Point, off the extreme end of Motutapu, after which the course was all off the wind.- ' The yacht Amai 'has been purchased by Mr McGoldrick. The Wanderer was slipped for cleaning purposes last week, and on being let ’ back into the water, lashings to the arms of the cradle were inadvertently slaked away, thus leaving one side entirely unsupported. There happened to be overmuch human ballast on the weak eide, and the vibration occasioned by the run of the cradle caused the yacht to fall out flat—fortunately not before a few feet of water were under the yacht. The crew and many helpers immediately got to work; and the yacht was soon snugly at her moorings once more. The Southland boat Murihiku arrived in Auckland last week in good order. The Dunedin boat Winifred and the Christchurch boat Linnet arrived later. Word was received by Mr Patterson, who is looking after Winifred on behalf of Mr C. Speight, her owner, that the boat was damaged on the way up to Wellington on the s.s. Holmdale. She had a hole in her port side near the stern, but the extent of the damage was not stated. Several local 14-footers were placed at the disposal of tthe visiting crews, and in spite of the rough weather advantage was taken of the offers to get acquainted with local conditions. Lads under the age of 16 who sail in the centre-boarders, will sail the yachts in a general handicap race this afternoon. In this way the Evans Bay Club hopes to give the lads an early grounding in the sailing of the larger craft. The winner will hold for one year the fine cup presented for this race. The Evan s Bay Club’s annual picnic will Ire 'held at Worscr Bay on February 25th. The i-tft class race for the inter-club omi Jhold at present by Mr Johnson’s Cooee) will be sailed in the bay to-day over a triangular course, covering the distance of seven miles and 40 yards.

The first of the visiting yachtsmen to take part in the Sanders Cup contest at Auckland consisted of seventeen, six cominn- from Invercargill, and the others from Dunedin. The visitors were met at the station by Mr Alex. Burt, commodore of the Royal N.Z. Yacht Squadron; Mr T. B. Johnston, chairman of "the Auckland Yacht and Motor Boat Association, the body controlling the contest, and Mr W. A, Wilkinson. The Dunedin men were:—Messrs C. W. Rundstrum, Doug. Patterson. George Kellett (skipner of Winifred), C. Connor, R. Connor. N. Trewin tcrewl, F. Goodman, R. B. Francis, A. E. Dawson, and T. Cordock. The names of the Southland men are:—Messrs' Arthur Moffett, Tom Bragg. V. Bragg. TT. Hanson. W. Johnston and T. Widdowson, who are staving at the Thistle Hotel, except Mr Moffett, who is at the Central. Describing the 14ft one design class race at Auckland last week, a eorresnondent states:—"The entries in this class,

which sailed t w o rounds of a harbour course, were: Kona, Iron Duke, Nyria, Charm. Betty, Resolute, Kewpie. Rangi, and Joan. Kewpie and Rangi did not start. From a good start Betty was smartest away, followed closely hy Charm, Joan, Iron Duke, Resolute, Rons and Nyria. All set spinnakers for the run to the Watchman mark. Iron Duke’s crew being smartest, and Charm the slowest. Betty continued to lead on the run up, but they had not gone fai on the beat down harbour to the next mark in Shoal Bay when Rona worked into the lead, after’ which she was never headed. Off Northcote Point the wind was very tricky and Rona improved Lei position l)y working l close inshore. Charm, the Tauranga boat, left the other six and worked right down the Ponsonbv shore before standing acioss to the Shoal Bay mark, but this proved a bad move, and she was last round here, a position from which she never recovered. Rona rounded this mark with a lead of lmin 16sec from Iron Duke, with Joan and Resolute handy. This order was maintained on the lead across to the mark off the tide deflector, and the first round was timed as follows:—Rona, 3h 55m; Iron Duke, 3h 57m 15s; Joan, 3h "56m 50s; Resolute. 3h 57m 255; Betty, 3h 57m 535; Nyria, 3h 58m 555; Charm, 3h f>9m 455. Little change took place in the run up harbour for the second time, but on the beat back Resolute improved her position, working into second place, and the finish was timed as follows Rona. 4h 40m 51s; Resolute. 4h 43m 595; Iron Duke, 4h 44m 525; Joan, 4h 44m 535; Nyria,- 4h 43m 4s; Betty, 4h 46m 265; Charm. 4h 47m 58s. Rona thus wins bv 3m 8s from Resolute, with Iron Duke third.”

In- view of the fact that the ocean races of the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club and the Evans Bay Club are scheduled for the same dav (to-day), vacht owners at Evans Bay have decided to postpone their own ocean race and join in with the sister club so as to have a race with a maximum number of boats. Easter was suggested as the time for the Evans Bay Club’s ocean race. " A general meeting of the Evans Bay Yacht Motor Club was held last week, when arrangements were discussed for the annual picinic for limbless soldiers to be held at Mahanga Bay on February 11th. Four yachts and a large flotilla of motor-boats will convey the guests, who will be embarked from Customhouse steps. A comprehensive programme of sports, etc., has been drawn up, and given a fine day the outing should be r.n i even greater success than in previous years A member of the Evans Bay Yacht and Motor Boat Club writes as follows:—"In view of the fact that lads who are in crews of centre-board yachts were sailing the larger yachts in a general handicap race (which took place last Saturday; but owing to a light breeze was not finished and is to 1* resailed at a later date) the racing committee decided that there should be no race for centre-boarders on that day, as some of these boats would be grievously handicapped if one or more of their regular crew were away in the other race. This was arranged for the purpose of giving the boys a grounding in the sailing of the larger craft, a fine cup going to the winner of the event. Four of the centre-hoarders sailed a race, however, due to a misunderstanding.” Three crews faced tflie starter in the youths’ double sculls at the Wellington regatta on Saturday in connection with the Mothes Shield contests. The two Wellington Club crews gained the lead and passed the post separated by two lengths. Tlie Star Club made a poor third. The appeal issued in Auckland for funds to send D’Arcv Hadfield to Australia to row J Paddon for the sculling championship of the world, has met with success, for Mr John Marshall, of Hemnera, who has always taken a keen interest in rowing, and given several trophies, donated J2lO to the fund, and agreed to

guarantee the balance of the /StOO required, so that Hadfield' can go, into training at once, and need have no further anxiety as to the financing of the project. This generous offer should also stimulate the efforts of the committee, and should be the means of other sports-, men in Auckland, and in New Zealand, giving financial assistance. The afternoon’s honours in connection with the rowing regatta for the Mothes Cup, on Saturday last, undoubtedly went to the Wellington Club. This club secured 39 points. The Star Club were the next on the list with 26, Petone only achieving 12 points in the whole of the contest. Wellington had an easy victory. Last season the Petone Clnb were winners by a fairly (substantial margin. The rules provide for five points for first place and two points for second The shield was won by the clnb securing the highest number of points at both regattas. The next contest will be held some time in March. In the maiden fours at the Mothes regatta on Saturday, four crews contested this event. After a neck and neck race from the fifty yards mark the Star Clnb gained the decision over the Wellington Club representatives bv half a length. Petone were a length behind. The second Wellington crew secured third place. The first. event at the Mothes Shield regatta on Saturday provided an interesting contest, the four crews in the lightweight maiden fours keeping together until almost within striking -distance. Wellington then shot ahead and secured the verdict by a short length. The No. 2 crew from Petone secured second place. RACE TO PORT UNDERWOOD. The Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club 'hold« many races during the season, but perhaps the most interesting event ot the year is the eighty-mile ocean race to Port Underwood and back. The ocean race will take place this week-end, when ten yachts will compete—a record number for this race. The yachts will start at 2 p.m. to-day and race to Port Underwood, where their times of arrival will be taken. They will then anchor in Ocean Bay for the night, and will be started on the return journey at 8 a.m. on Sunday. The following yachts have entered : Marangi (owner, B. Clarke), Kotiri 11. (J. E. L. Cull). White Heather (H. Smith). Wanderer (F. Hadfield). Atalanta (W. Hill). Galatea (I. Tringham), Romp {A. J. Ibbotson), Windward (G. G. Nicholson). Rawene (N. D. Blair'. Seabird (D. Kirkcaldie and W. Lerwell'. The time taken to cross the Strait will be governed entirely by the weather. Given a fresh breeze, the time taken by the average yacht is about seven hours, but there have been many cases where yachts have been becalmed outside for two days. Mr G. Jackson, one of the most experienced "deep-sea” yachtsmen in Wellington. has consented to go over to Port Underwood in his fine auxiliary yacht Psyche, and act as time-keeper and starter for the fleet.