BOATING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19107, 28 February 1924, Page 5

BOATING.

"It Rudder. Perfect boating weather and no complaints. Everybody is well sunburned and the season will long' be remembered. Tile Otago Yacht and Motor Boat Club will hold a carnival on the Caledonian Ground on Wednesday evening next which promises to bo of more than ordinary interest. Fireworks, snorts events, and other attractions have been arranged and a gala night is promised. Music and mirth should be the order of the evening and the club will have the co-operation as a joint promoter of the Tramways Band. I understand the arrangements are well in hand and that the fireworks display, which will be under tho direction of tho Chinese residents, will be something above tho ordinary. An art union is being held in connection with the carnival, the tickets for which admit to tho grounds and also give chances in prizes for mineral specimens. The Local Challenge Cup will be raced for on the Ravensbourne course on Saturday afternoon. Tho race will start at 3 o’clock, and May, Experiment, Kia Ora, Seagull, Mahana, Winifred, and Valmai have entered.

The second series of club races will be sailed under the auspices of the Otago Yacht and Motor Boat Club on Saturday, March 8. The Port Chalmers Sailing Club will also sail a series of races on Saturday, March 15, when the club again invites all clubs to be represented. The Oliphant Cun is to be sailed off by the North-East Harbour Club on March 22. It will he remembered that this cup was won by Mr C. Speight’s Winifred last year. The race should draw a good crowd of visitors to Macandrew’s Bay. Mr B. S. Irwin’s generous offer and sporting spirit in handing over his 14-footer Mona and gear to the North-East Harbour Boating Club is to be commended. The club intends to draw up conditions, and Mr Irwin can rest assured that his boat will be well cared for at the hands of the North-East Harbour Boating Club, which deeply appreciates the opportunity of looking after this boat. Mr Irwin recognises that this is the only club without a 14footer, and seeing that there are a number of young boys at Macandrew’s Bay capable of handling a 10-foot or 12-foot boat, he intimated to an official that his pleasure would be in seeing the boys learning the art of sailing. Mona has not yet been properly tried out, and she may yet have to be reckoned with. Mona was sailed to the Bay on Monday evening by Hook Bros and A. M'Donald, three young members of the club. The next mooting of the club will go into the question of selecting a crew to sail (he boat and making arrangements to safeguard the crew and boat from accidents. Ideal weather was experienced last Saturday, and about 2COO people attended tho annual regatta at Ravensbourne. The district presented a gay appearance, as a record crowd was in attendance. Mr A. Moss’s Meldora was used as flagship, and the vessel was moored at the end of the jetty, where tho sailing officials were able to have easy access without the use of a dinghy. The programme prepared by the Regatta Committee was varied and interesting,' and tho lovoly day with a fresh ncr’-ezst breeze, proved ideal for the various events. The officials, who worked hard to moke the re gatta a success, got the events off promptly, and have every reason to congratulate themselves on the result of their labours. The Commodore (Mr H. E. Moller) and tho secretary (Mr G. Orosbie) deserve special mention for the way in which the regatta was organised, and the committee gave them every assistance. It looked as if Tucana. was going to add another win to hor list at the Ravensbourne Regatta last Saturday, as she was eight minutes ahead of Miti when rounding Ohallis’s buoy. At the finish of the run to the Three-legs Miti had gained on her, and in the beat back to the finishing line Tucana lost, the wind, while Miti, to the rear, caught a south-east breeze, which enabled hor to gain five minutes on Tucana, thus securing first place for Miti on her handicap. In the motor boat events at the Ravensbourne Regatta on Saturday tho spectators were much confused by tho races interlapping, and the impossibility of distinguishing winners. For those most concerned, however. there were many points of interest. In the 4 h.p, and under Orari won nicely by Imin 44seo on her first start. Grace Darling, in second place, put up her usual smart performance, and Eunice (third) was consistent. In the class over 4 h.p. and under 8 h.p. Ripple won with Imin 6seo in hand, but Revenge lost 2min at .the start owing to engine trouble. With a good start Revenge would have won on time. Fan ran well, as usual, and held Intruder on handicap. In the class of 8 h.p. and under 12 h.p. Marewa registered another win, but Eclipse would have won but for going round the wrong pile. , In tho 12 h.p. class and over Dr Cottrell registered his first win with Ngaio, which has improved in speed. Actea (second) put up a very consistent performance after her long voyage, and Imp (third) registered her best performance yet With her now engine. In the 18ft and under race Experiment used Heather’s old sail, and she was manned by a light crew, with Duncan M'Phcrson” at the helm. She was 25sec Ahead of Mahana crossing tho home line, but lost the race on her handicap, having to concede Mahana l^sec. In the 12ft boys’ sailing dinghy race Carl Moller, in Elsie, sailed a good race, in which his boat was the winner. At the start be manoeuvred Elsie to the starting line just as tho Blue Peter was lowered, but there was no gun, as it misfired. Ho was evidently up to the rule of starting, as ho was off the moment the flag dropped, while the other boats waited for the g»in, and lost a considerable amount of time before starting. Winifred and lona sailed a very close race in the 14-footer class. Towards the finish lona gained on Winifred as the latter boat hugged the wall, and it looked very much as if lona would win, but Winifred got over the finishing line 20 seconds ahead of lona. The prize money won at the Ravensbourne Regatta will bo paid out on Monday evening at 8 o’clock at fhe boatshed. Ravensbourne, also at Messrs Miller and Tunnago’s office, Port Chalmers, and Mr W. J. P. M‘Culloch’s office, Stuart street, Dunedin, on Tuesday, the following day. At the meeting of the Ravensbourne Regatta Committee, held on Monday night, tho secretary (Mr George Crosbie) reported that the expenses of the regatta to date were £99 3s 9d, and that the expenditure of a few more pounds would be quite sufficient to meet all their obligations. This could be readily done, as, with subscriptions and entrance fees a sum of over £lls was in hand. The crews of most of the motor boats competing* at the Ravensbourne Regatta were somewhat confused concerning the proper course last Saturday. In the first race for motor boats (4 h.p. and under) all the launches turned the wrong pile at St. Leonards as there was no flag on pile 17. which they were supposed to round. Dr Moody in Aotea, previous to his race, had taken the precaution to go over the course, and he discovered that there was no flag on this turning mark. He eventually secured a flag from the flagship and flagged the pile. The launches in the thfco subsequent races therefore had no excuse, hut some of them did not go round the right pile. After the regatta Tucana, Lennox Lass, and Miti set off to Broad Bay. but were becalmed. The launch Reliance took Tucana in tow-, while Marewa towed Miti. Lennox Lass drifted to the cross-ditch, when she struck a southerly and made her moorings under close reef. Miti was just on the, point of picking up her moorings at Broad Bay on Saturday when Norana. inadvertently ran over them cutting the mooring buov to pieces and submerging the chain. Miti hung on to Mahana’s mooring for the night. In (he morning Mr C. Snndstrum was up early, and was able to pick up Mifi’s moorings after patiently grappling for them. One of the officials at tho Ravensbourne Regatta was loaning over tho side of tho flagship to get a model yacht at the regatta on Saturday, when the field glasses which he had brought back from the war slipper! out of their case into the water. Since this happened a number of boys have been endeavouring to procure them by diving, but so far without success. Tho launch Waipori, which is moored at Vauxhall, broke from her moorings in a southerly blow' last Thursday, and was piled on Waverley Point. The crew of Waiata saw her predicament, and hauled her into the bend. Waipori is now on the slip fo receive minor repairs. It is reported from America that the schooner Harpoon, built by W. Nutting for a trans-Atlantic race, dragged her mooring ashore in a gale, and became a total wreck. The Harpoon did not have a verv long sailing career, but she did very well in competition with Long Island Sound boats. Much audacious sneak-thieving among the yachts and motor boats is reported from Auckland. _ All aquatic enthusiasts in the northern oitv are anxious that a police patrol should be put on watch to guard their property. The value of yachts and motor boats on the Waitemata is estimated to amount to something like £200,000, so the anxiety is quite justified.

The success of Queen March in the last races for her class has given tho oneilcsign class a decided fillip. As wo have often pointed out (says ’ Speedwell” in the Auckland Star), it is a good thing for any class to see the wins well distributed, and while Rona at one time appeared to be the only pebble on the beach yet site ha: now been beaten twice by Queen March while Nyria and Iron Duke have ah' beaten her home. Certainly tho last foraces have been sailed in comparative!, light winds, but in Wellington Rona proved good in just such weather. Queen March is improving each time she meets the champion, and every credit is due to Mr A. E. Matthews for the way he handles her and looks after her generally.

Tho Auckland Power Board Association had a day for the speed boats on Saturday week, but they proved rather a disappointment thi-ough no fault of the club (says an exchange). There were three events staged, for each of which the ■ entries were good, but out of all the starters only two got home without some, trouble. Pussyfoot, which did so well on Regatta Day, had not her jib in good running order after its bath, and she early developed gear trouble. Miss Devonport, which was making her debut in this club, also struck trouble. Miss Alberta and Miss Eileen were too polite to each other and collided. Green Stripe, our visitor from Wanganui, also had minor engine trouble. Tho boat which one would have thought able to see it out was Defender, but she stopped too. while Esther G. lost her water scoop and got warm. The champion, Miss Auckland, completed her races, but was unlucky enough to collide with one of tho launches at the end of the wharf after the final race and damaged her truck so much that she bad to be taken home at fop speed. This only left Catherine and Don out of trouble. Rather a formidable chapter of accidents which could hardly happen again, and the club might consider holding another speed boat day before the season ends. That the public do take an interest in fast boats was shown by the fact that at least 400 persons paid for admission to the end of the Kind’s wharf. The most important race of the day was the Open Speed Championship of New Zealand, Miss Auckland being scratch, Miss Devonport 30sec. and Don 18min. Miss Auckland won by 3min 3sec, averaging a speed of 25.32 knots.