YACHTING NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10562, 8 January 1896, Page 4

YACHTING NOTES.

I (By Yachtsman.) ! Since the Port regatta there have been no los 3 thma two regattas and a Yacht Club race — I rither too much of a good thing iv so short a j time. i For the Broad Bay regatta, on New Year's Day, tb.3 weather left nothing to be desired, j and a.psrfect siiliog breeze was blowing from | the north. Boating men all agre3 that it wa3 i the most enjoyable regatta yet held thsre, I la tho Ojiea Boat Race the Volunteer carried ! off the first prize, wi'ch the Thistle second. ■ Toe 16ft Siiliug Race has always been a ■ favourite, and more so than ever this year on ; acxuni of. the new boab Vigilant competing. i Last year the Vision had it all her own way, : but t.ui? year she foiiud a tough opponent in I fha Vigilant, which nine horaa fi-S5, with thn j Vision senond. They are bo^.h wonderfully ' smart bo*t% and it is as yet hard to say whica i is the faster, as when th*y met at Ravensbourne (he Vision won after the most exciting and the closest race of the season, The Yacht Race, thrc; tons and under, waa , won by the Lyttelton loat Aoue, with the -, Phantom second. The Aone won as she liked. j The Dish won the race for 20ft boats, the i Curbine being second. ! The Yacht Raca was a very pretty race, ! quite a number of bosti competing, comprising j Stst and second class; the first class allowing ! thi second four minutes, which they wera able jto do with ease, Leader won with a lump to j spare, Trilby second, and Thelma third. i Ous of the most interesting races of the day wui the iv.cc in which the y?.chts were to bs a-.i!i*l by ladies. Matakar.a (sailed by Misa Buct) took first prize, and Xhelnia (sailed Sy U\s-i Gufarie) secured tho second prizs. B)th ladiea showed themselves wonderfully skilful at handling the tiller. The j Trilby did not tike kindly to the fair sex, and would not be guided, thu» IOSIIIS her chance. The following day the Ravansbourne Kegatta I took place. The weather had broken, and the [ wind was oti the light side fur tbe sailing 1 races. . The I^-Katsr R*cs was again a gift Ito th« Aone, an she simply won as she liked. i The Dream came second. I hear the Aone has i been purchased by a Danedin gentleman. The First-cliss Yacht Race attracted the White Wings, Trilby, Thelma, ar.d Hutakana. The wind was S.E. and light. The Matakana w»3 first away with the Thelma close after her, aad thea the Wing.?. The Trilby seemed to have some difficulty iv crossing tae buoyline, no doubt owing to her balb-fin coming in contact with it. When once away she went along fast. As thf-y neared the three legs it was seen the Thelma had weathered on the Mataksua. The three rounded very close together. TheThslma gained going down, and.steadily increasing her lead, won with a bit in hand. A fiop. race ensued for second place between the Mfttskan* and the Trilby, the former gaining it. The wiad seemed rather light for the Trilby. • On Saturday the O.Y.C, re-sailed the first club race. The weather was most b.-fHiog bsfcre the start, and yachtsmen were quite at sea as to what sa.il to carry. Those who risked it came off best, but it wai a wonder tbiogs were cot reversed —tbe Leader would have been fairly in it then. It was quite a. treat to see the advertised time kept, and I hope to see it always thus. In the thirdclass and open boat events only one competitor in each started—the Waierwitch andPs>che, They had a siil over. Itisapity those iv charge did not stop tbe race after sailing once round. For the second-c'ass only two boats cams to the line, Matakana and Winifred. No doubt the weather frightsned the others. The first round, nnd in tact wsll on in the second round, it lcoksd as if Winifred would Rave her time, but the wind coming away I from the S.B.W. freed the Matakana, which had a leeward position. Tfao Waterwitch considerably hindered the secood boat in this race, especially when rounding the red benoon. This ; should uoihaveoccurred, seeing t ha Waterwitch i was Silling over tbe course. The First-class Race, started with a light S.E. breeze, jus! enough southerly ia it to alow of spinnakers I beiug carried. Trilby got a nica lead. Thelma went away nfxti, and then Wings, Leader, and Anouyina. On the run down Thelma gshied on Trilby, and was tbe fist to get round the buoy. Trilby set her topsail on tha first round in the hope of picking up the Taelma, which di<l not set the top.'sil til! the secowd round. In the light . wind Thelma proved a very slippery customer, and, gaining all th« way, won handsomely. The Leader spoilt her show by using her ?m*.U mainsail. Wings and Anonyroa did not scfm to hava much show. I have no doubt the Wings is going as well as tver she did, but she d>!.e not se«ni to have improved. Of course ib is very easy to sit nud write about these things, but after carefully watching her sailing my idea is she would gnii at her besfc with a largK centre-board. There is not tbe shadow of doubt she is as fast as anything in the harbour through the. water. She has gcod natural stability, and should do well with a centre-plnte.