THE FOURTEEN-FOOTERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18463, 26 January 1922, Page 3

THE FOURTEEN-FOOTERS

RACES FOR THE SANDERS CUP

Tho first race for the Sanders Challenge Cup is set clown for February 4, subject to the approval of the visiting competitors. A conference will bo held prior to the races taking place, when various matters will be discussed and a working basis arrived at. 1 . Mr W. J. P. M’Culloch’s Heather —which won the Cup from the Iron Duke at Auckland last year—has been selected by the Otago Yacht Club and Motor Association to defend all challenges, and she will be opposed by the Linnet, of Lyttelton, the Iron Duke, now of Wellington, the Desert Gold, of Auckland, and the Murihiku, of Southland. The Iron Duke was sailed last year by her- owner, Lord Jellicoe, but it is not known yet whether he will be able to come to Dunedin in time to take the tiller of his boat in the contests to be sailed here. In his absence the Iron Duke wiil be sailed by Mr G. F. Bothamley, who sailed her in her trials. It is interesting to note that a member of the Iron Duke’s crew will be Mr ■' Bob ” M’Culloch, a brother of W. J. P. M’Oullocb. Tho Heather is under the control of the Otago Yacht and Motor Association, and the association has appointed Mr Edgar C. Hazlett and Mr Bert. Nees to select her crew. The selectors will no doubt appoint Mr M’Culloch to sail the Heather if tho breeze is at all fresh, and he will be permitted to pick his crew, subject to the more or less nominal approval of the selectors. Whether, however, the selectors will request Mr M’Culloch to give place to Mr Wiseman if_ there is a light breeze—Mr Wiseman being permitted to also pick his own crew —remains to be seen. If some of the yachtsmen at Port Chalmers had their way Mr M’Culloch would have to give way to Mr. Wiseman strong breeze or light. Fortunately, however, the association has appointed two unbiassed yachtsmen,. Messrs Hazlett and Neds, to do the selecting, and these two gentlemen will certainly not allow any personal feeling to enter into their deliberations. They will select the crew ■which they consider most likely to do the best for the Heather and the province of Otago. While this is freely admitted, there appears no valid reason why Mr M’Oulloch all on Id not sail his boat even in, a light breeze. Allowing that his three victories out of four races with the Heather in the Otago trials were obtained with strong breezes in evidence, no great argument can he adduced that. he would not do equally as well in a light breeze. The Murihiku. the Southland challenger, has arrived in Dunedin, and her crew are now trying her out in the harbour. Desert. 'Gold, the Auckland challenger, is considered" a very fast boat —in fact, the Otago yachtsmen who went to Auckland last year with the Heather’s creto were informed that she was a faster, boat than the Iron Duke. Whether their contention was correct or not will be discovered when these two boats meet in the challenge races next month.The, Linnet is the name of the Lyttelton challenger. Her owner, is Mr' S. Sinclair, who was in Dunedin for the bowling tournament.