YACHTING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20536, 11 October 1928, Page 4

YACHTING.

Bt Ruddbe. FIXTURES. October 27.—North-East Harbour Club (opening day). November 10. —Otago Yacht Club (opening day). THE COMING SEASON. The yachting season will be in full swing in a week or two. Fitting-out time is here, and around all the bays and beaches and in every nook and corner one will shortly find crews hard at work on their boats each week-end. To the majority of the young men this work is one of the pleasures of the sport, next only to the joy of feeling the boat rush along as a good breeze drives her up or down the harbour. The spirit that starts members of crews scraping and painting in earnest should continue until the boat is launched and ready to face the starter with the other fellows, and the keener a man is about getting his boat ready, the keener he will be to get a good start. While rather early to forecast the prospects for the 1928-29 yachting season in Otago, so far everything points to it being one of the most successful recorded for some years. Already there is quite a stir in the work being done at the .various hauling-out areas around the_ harbour. Members of crews who have finished with winter sports are now eager to get afloat and they are losing no time in getting their boats ready for opening day. Quite a number of new owners will be seen afloat this season, and these are already showing pride in their new possession by hard work'and keenness to be afloat and try out the paces of the new boats. While only a limited nuinber of new sailing craft will be seen out this year, and small ones at that, probably half a dozen fine new motor boats and speed boats, now in the hands of 109 a! boatbuilders and individual builders, will swell the present fleet of motor-driven craft. Some owners intend installing more powerful engines in their boats. Chief interest to motor boat men will be the splendid new launch now being built by Messrs Miller and Tunnage, at Port Chalmers, for Mr J. T. Paul, commodore of the Otago Yacht and Motor Boat Club, This boat will be the largest and best-equipped pleasure craft on the harbour. She is expected to be ready for launching in a few weeks. Mr C. W. Sundstrum, who spent such pleasant times afloat with the Noraua, before the boat was sold to Mr A. Brett, of Auckland, has decided to take an active part in the sport again. He has placed an order for an up-to-date launch, which will be ready early in the season. Particulars of the new boat will appear in this column shortly. Special interest will 'also be paid to the speed boat sections. The addition of several new craft will provide additional interest, not only amongst those connected with the sport, but also from the public point of view, as the boats will prove an added attraction at the various regattas. In addition to the club racing and regattas, there will be the usual preliminary trials between the 14-footers to select a challenger for the Sanders Cup. At this stage it is difficult to name the possible starters in these trials. There are only two boats that can claim attention, these being Eileen, which represented Otago at Stewart Island in February last, and Kia Ora. Heather is a back number, and as Winifred is not eligible, the trials will probably be confined to Eileen and Kia Ora. All the clubs have held their annual meetings. Each meeting was well attended, and the enthusiasm shown indicates that a great revival of interest in boating has set in. New members have joined up with every club, and the prospects for a successful season are very bright. It is pleasing to be in a position to report that every club came out with a good record last year, and with new blood in the ranks this year “ Rudder ” prophesies a very pleasant and successful season for all those connected with the sport during the summer months. GENERAL NOTES. Boat builders in Otago are having a rather busy time at present. Several boats, both pleasure and fishing craft, are under construction in most of the yards, and the Otago fleets will be considerably augmented when the season opens. Daphne, after being hauled up at Ravensbourne for the winter, was launched last Friday from Mr E. Leach’s slip. The boat looks very spick and span, and is a credit to her owner (L. Clearwater). Daphne will go to Broad Bay this week to her moorings. The Otago Yacht Club Committee has kept alive the interest of members during the closed season by holding several functions. These functions have been responsible for keeping members together, the committee realising that by fostering the social life ot the club that comradeship so essential to sport is strengthened. The first monthly meeting of the NorthEast Harbour Club Committee was held recently. It was decided to open the season on October 27. Various sub-com-mittees ’were appointed to caiTy out the season’s activities. It was also decided to ask Messrs A. Lindsay and E. A. Davys to act as handicappers in the motor boat and yachting sections respectively. A new addition has been made to the small sailing craft in the harbour, a 14foot V-bottom boat having been built by Mr E. Leach, ot Ravensbourne, to the order of Mr A. Reeves, of Dunedin. The boat is of tlie sea-class design, from the plana by Mr G. Honour, of Auckland. She is of the square-bilge type, with Vbottom sections forward,, which should prove suitable in this harbour, but that point cannot be determined until the boat has been tried out. Critics who have inspected the boat at the boat harbour cannot find any fault with her. She is a well-finished job in every way, and quite equal to many of the sailing boats built in Otago. Mr E. Leach built the 14footer Eileen, Otago's challenger for the Sanders Cup last year. It is understood that Mr Leach has also built two dinghies since Eileen was launched. In all probability he will build another sailing boat during the coming months. A glance around the Otago \ acht Club s quarters at the boat hai’bour reveals a scene of activity- that spells well r sport this coming season. The launch Nell has had her cabin burnt off and is undergoing a general overhaul. Ness is having a small cabin fitted, which will protect the engine and make things more comfortable when the boat is heading into a sea. Jewel, Marewa, Nomad, Experiment, and Rewa have been painted, and should be launched shortly. The new crew of Minnow are hard at work getting her spic and span. It is understood that Minnow will be moored at St. Leonards ,in future. Both Carina and Rewi have been burnt off and are almost ready for the water. The new cabin on Pacific is about completed, and although there is a fair amount of work to be done yet, her owner is endeavouring to have her ready for the opening of the season. A start has been made on Adelaide, but very little work has been done as yet on Viking, Rover, Southern Star, Grey Seal, Result, or Wee Mac. Latona was painted some time ago and is ready to have her engine installed. Several of the boats have already been launched, amongst them being Ugie, Wainui, Moana, Rata, and Waitere. If the enthusiasm displayed by owners and crews is maintained throughout the summer months, the season should be one of the most successful the club has had for years. A well-known Stewart Island yachtsman, in a recent letter to “ Rudder, * states that southern boating men have not yet considered the proposal put forward by Mr J. Hislop (Auckland) that six boats be constructed by one builder for the various provinces which compete in the annual contest for the Sanders Cup. He is of the opinion that most of the Stewart Island yachtsmen are in favour of the proposal. Personally, the writer of the letter thinks it is a very good suggeestion, as it would enable all the centres to compete on an equal footing, or nearly so, so far as boats are concerned. He is of the opinion that the Sanders Cup contest is a test of seamanship and not the building of what he terms “ freak ” boats. A correspondent writes as follows: Yachtsmen interested in the sport would like to know if the Eileen syndicate has given any consideration to the question of the purchase of new sails for Eileen for the coming season. He says that, in view of the fact that Eileen put up such a creditable performance at Steyartlsland last February, she deserves new sails this season and give George Kellett every opportunity to get the best out of the boat. One veteran yachtsman is of the opinion that Eileen can win the Sanders Cup. The suggestion put forward by the correspondent is worthy of consideration by the syndicate-