YACHTING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20322, 2 February 1928, Page 4

YACHTING.

By Ruddeb.

FIXTURES. February 4. —St. Leonards regatta. February 11.—North-East Harbour Club picnic. February 18. —Otago Yacht Club (second series of races). February 25.—North-East Harbour Club races; Port Chalmers regatta, March 3. —Fort Chalmers Club races; Ravensboumo regatta. March 17. —Otago Yacht Club (Moffett Cup race); Ravensbourne Club races. April 7.—Broad Bay Club races. SANDERS CUP-STEW ART ISLAND, February 17, first race; February 18, second race; February 20, third race; February 21, fourth race. ST, LEONARDS-BURKES REGATTA-, The St. Lconards-Burkes Regatta, will bo held on Saturday afternoon in the Middle Harbour. A good attendance of the publio and favourable weather are all that is required to make the regatta a success. Members of an energetic committee have devoted considerable time to the tion s for the revival of thi s equatic function, and as good entries have been received for all the events, there is no reason why the committee should not bo satisfied with tUfU results attained to the present time. ' SANDERS CUP CONTEST. ARRANGEMENTS WELL JN HAND. It is only a matter of two weeks before the 1928 contest for the Sanders Cup will be commenced on Paterson’s Inlet. Stewart Island. In another week or so tne Otago challenger Eileen will be polished and then crated for the southward journey. Tho Stewart Island Yacht Club is doing everything possible to assist th e other provinces in the way of taking delivery of the boats when they reach Bluff. The secretary of the Otago Yacht and Motor Boat Association has been advised by Mr T. Brag? that members of his club will take delivery of Eileen at Bluff and attend to the shipping of the boat for Stewart Island. Mr Bragg has also advised that accommodation has been secured for the Otago crew, officials, and others, to the number of 22, at Thomson’s boardinghouse. This news ip very satisfactory. A lot of work has yet to be done by tha Stewart Island Club, but thanks to aa energetic committee which i s supervising arrangements in Invercargill, the work ,» being carried out in a thorough manner,Arrangements are in hand for the leasing of a room to be used as a dub room by tho yachting visitors. Mr Bragg has intimated that everything possible will be done to entertain visitors. The Stewart Island Yacht Club has consented to _the Sanders Cup being presented •o the skipper of the winning boat at Invercargill, where the ceremony will most likely be performed by Sir Joseph Ward,who is patron of the club. The Wellington crew has been allocated to Topi’s boarding house, and the Auckland and Canterbury crews will be drafted to Hick’s and Hansen’s respectively. In addition to the Sanders Cup contests there will be an open race for 14-footers 'daring the cup week. This means that ell the provincial challenging boats and the Southland 14-footers Susan B, Munhiku, and Tom Thumb will meet in com test. Should the hotel and house accommodation be over-taxed there will be plenty of room for late-cocners on several boats anchored in the .bay. Owners have generously stated their willingness to have any of visitors free of charge. This 1# the spirit which is going to make the contest at Stewart Island not only a memorable one, but also a successful one. The decision of the Bluff Harbour Board to run daily services to the island to cope with the traffic is a pleasing one. The boatsheds at Thule Bay are well bn .the way to erection. The sheds should be ready before the contest. The Southland Times states that a Dunedin enthusiast who has the interest of the contest at heart, and "knowing what will cost to conduct the races, forwarded £lO to the Stewart Island Club. The contest will cost the Southland club about £3OO. . Mr A. B. Moffett, commodore of the Stewart Island Club, is in charge of the Invercargill Committee. In an interview last week, Mr Moffett said that the first race' wiJI be sailed on Friday, February 17. Visiting yachtmen are expected to roach the island on the previous Saturday, February 9. There wilj be boats and crews from Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago. Napier will not compete this year, so that with the Murihiku II there will be five boats. Paterson Inlet has been decided upon as the venue, but if the weather in the inlet is too rough the races will be held in Half Moon Bay. Paterson’s Inlet provides a much better sailing coprse than Half Moon Bay. Thera are no tricky winds coming over the hill* and down the gullies such as there are in the bay, and this gives every boat aa. equal chance. Local knowledge is of no value under these circumstances, and besides longer courses can be set. This dm vision was arrived at at a meeting lie let recently at the island by the committee Of the club. Tho Bluff Harbour Board will probably arrange that two trips will be maim to the island on Wednesday, February 15. ois first trip will connect with the 7 a.m. train from Invercargill and will leave Bluff about 8.30. Tho second trip will connect with the 2.15 train and will enable visitor* from Dunedin to go through in the one clay. On Thursday there will be one boat connecting with the 9.15 a.m. tram from Invercargill and on Friday it is the Intention to run one boat connecting with the 7 a.m. train. This will enable visitors to roach the island in time to see the first race. Tho duration of the days of racing will depend upon the results of the eany races. It is possible for a conclusion to bo reached in three days, but it may take live or even six days' to reach finality. On Monday, February 20. and tne following day if the races are still in progress, similar arrangements are expected to be made to those for February 17 and 18. At a meeting of the Otago Yacht and Motor Boat Association on January 26 several members said that if the Otago crew went across to Stewart island *>n February 11 their stay would be too pro* longed. The general feeling was that tne crew should have at least two days’ practice on Paterson’s Inlet before the racing commenced. Mr G. Andrews, owner and skipper of Betty, arrived in Dunedin last Monday from Christchurch, on his way to Stewart Island. He called on Mr J. T. Pam, president of the Otago Yacht and Motor Boat Association, on Tuesday and discussed matters in connection with-the contest. Mr Andrews said that Betty would be despatched from Christchurch on February 6 for Stewart Island. Tho 1928 contest promises to be very close and interesting. All the competing boats will do within three years old, and a strictly one-design class will be racing for the first time. Murihiku 11, Eileen Betty, Wellesley 11, and Avalon are of the approved Rona design. The Wellington challenger, Wellesley U, is a new, boat, but, like Eileen, she has not been thoroughly tried out in a reefing breeze. The following is the official result of tha yacht race sailed at Macandrew’s Bay on January 7:—Lassie 1, Bute 2, Mavis 5. The committee of the North-East- Harbour Club ha s decided to hold another race for the small class of yachts on a date yet to ba fixed. The has been some dissatisfaction and confusion in one or two club s owing to tha clashing of dates for club races. The North-East Harbour Club has suffered in this respect, and it has been necessary to postpone certain races. _ would be to the benefit of clubs if a stipulation were made for the submitting of all racing programmes to the Otago Yacht and Motor Boat Association early in the season for approval. The parent body would then have little difficulty in allotting racing days in such a way that there would bo no clashing of dates. The North-East Harbour Club intends to move in this direction before next season, and to do everything in its power to prevent the overlapping Of club racing dates.