YACHTING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20642, 14 February 1929, Page 4

YACHTING.

. By Eoddeb. FIXTURES. February 16. —North-East Harbour Club races. February 23.—St. Leonards Regatta; Otago Yacht Club- races. March 9.—Bavensbourne Regatta. March 23.—Otago Yacht Club (harbour race). March 30. —North-East Harbour Club races. April I.—North-East Harbour Club races. SANDERS CUP CONTEST.—AKAROA. February 14, first race; February 15, second race; February 16, third race. At a recent meeting of the Eavensbourne Regatta Committee, a draft programme for the regatta to be held on March 9 was approved. The programme is practically similar to last year’s. It was announced that Mr D. Boreham had presented a trophy tor the model yacht race. It was decided that the prizes won at the regatta be presented at a function to be held on the evening of March 9. The various launch races will be decided on the Mark Foy system. The committee dealt with various regatta details. A very enthusiastic spirit was in evidence, and the regatta should be a great success if the weather, is favourable.

The revised programme of the season’s activities has been forwarded by the secretary of the North-East Harbour Club. On Saturday the races postponed in January will be held. Those will consist of an allcomers’ motor boat, allcomers’ yacht, and an outboard motor boat race. On Easter Saturday the annual race for the Elliott Cup (12ft Gin and under-yachts), and an outbo.ard motor and a members’ motor boat race will be held, and also one or more races Between Takapnna class boats for the challenge cup. The Easter Monday programme will consist of the annual race between local yachts for the Strang Cup. model yacht races, and the final races for the Cornwell Class Challenge Cup. At a meeting of the Auckland Yacht and Motor Boat Association on February 5, Mr W. A. Wilkinson asked what was the position regarding the proposed remit limiting the crew in future Sanders Clip contests to youths under 21 years. It had gone forward as the opinion of the Auckland Association. He questioned the matter at the ..time, holding that it was a vital and revolutionary proposal and not in the best interests of the sport. He thought _ that it was a man’s job to sail a boat in the annual, contest-for the blue riband of . boat sailing in New Zealand. The nian who presented the cup for competition was also of the opinion that the present conditions should not be changed. In Auckland they had the equivalent of a Sanders Cup contest almost every Saturday, but in the south they had fewer boats and less choice of crews.. The present conditions were the result of over 10 years’ experience, and the one loophole he knew- of was that of a minimum weight. This flaw had been discovered- by Mr G. Andrews, builder and. skipper of the Betty, over three years ago, and it was time it was altered. . Some might prefer a larger boat, but this -would add to the cost, winch was already high enough. He proposed that the present conditions as to crews be adhered to. Mr O. A. Moller supported the proposal, and said that in the interests of the Jellicoe class, and more especially the southern centres, it was advisable to allow men to sail the boats. He thought it would be a hard matter to get much choice of young men capable of sailing in Sanders Cup races outside rLf + , Vcry , f , ew youths could afford to build one of the present boats for t ie class, and it was no use building a tioat. The contest did a lot of good for the sport of boat sailing in the southern centres, if not in Auckland, and lor that x-eason alone it should be continued. Mr Gordon Miller said his expenence in Dunedin and Lyttelton was that boys were hard to get for crews for fkn ° l ?^ erG ' x Mr .Wilkinson’s motion that the present conditions as to crews be adhered to was carried.

SANDERS CUP CONTEST. Considerable interest, not only in Otaco but in other-parts of New Zeaknd S °s being taken m the 1929 contest for the Sanders Memorial Cup. The first rare will be sailed on Akaroa Harbour to-day, (.he second, tq-morrpw, and. all subsequent races early next week until one boat has secured three wins.. This boat, whichbe ’ have the honour of being the champion 14-footer of the Dominion, and the successful province will hold the coveted trophy for one year. ■ \ i 3l ' s should be more even, as Betty, which won the cup for CanterSJi I®!? ln s . uccess i' on - has been discarded, and three boats will be making then first attempt to win the prize. All the boats competing must be of the Rona mo? ~T be, contest held at Lyttelton in 1U27 therefore, saw the end of such boats as Winifred and Peggy, so far as the banders Cup races are concerned. This year Canterbury and Wellington have built new Rona type boats, and Southland having discarded Murihiku 11, will pin its faith in an amateur-built boat now known as Murihiku 111, -while Otago will again be represented by Eileen. Auckland has selected the beautiful Avalon to carry its colours. The Otago skipper and his crew enmbe relied upon to uphold the honour of the province. It is an experienced crew, and the skipper has sailed in every contest. The mam-sheet hand, A. Dawson, and‘the fo rard hand, Robertson, are experienced yachtsmen. :• • ■ The various provinces will be represented in the Akarqa contest by the. following boats and skippers:— Auckland—Avalon, A. Willetts. Wellington—Clyde, N. Rowntree. C anterbury—Colleen, F. Morrison Otago—Eileen, G. E. Kellett.. Southland—Murihiku 111, V. Bragg

Eileen, which represented Otago in the Stewart Island contest last year, was built by .Mr T. Leach, at Ravensbour-ne. in October, 1927, and launched early in November She was an untried boat at Stewart Island, but proved the third best craft in the contest. Eileen, has improved to a marked degree since then, and she should be in the running at Akaroa Avalon was built towards the end of 1925 by C. Bailey and Sons, at Auckland, fox* Mi* Frank Cloke,. , The boat represented Auckland at the contest held in Dunedin in February, 1926. She was defeated by Betty for the cup after very, dose racing. In February, 1927, Avalon represented Hawke’s Bay in the Lyttelton contest, and, securing one win, qualified for the -final races. Last year Avalon represented Auckland at Stewart Island, and was again the runner-up for the cup. Clyde, the Wellington representative,- is a new boat. She has a light-weather reputation, although she is capable of holding her own in a breeze, and if the conditions at Akaroa arc to her tikin?, she will be a hard boat to beat. It is not merely that, she has impressed, the-selec-tor above all the others; she has revealed sailing qualities which stamp her as well worthy to represent the province. Colleen, which is owned by Mr F. Dobbie, a Lyttelton yachtsman, is a new boat. She was built by her owner, who spared nothing in an effort to make the boat quite as good as any in New Zealand. In the trials held at Lyttelton, Colleen demonstrated that she is a good light-wea'ther boat,' and her sailing powers, off the, wind could only he equalled by Betty, Morrison, who-will sail Colleen in the contest, is regarded as one of the be.st yachtsmen .on the Estuary. He was a member of Betty’s' crew in the Stewart Island _contest, and during the 1925 contest, sailed at Auckland, was a member of. the crew of Linnet. , Murihiku 111. formerly known as the Evelyn, was built in 1927 by Mr A. J. ® a V- Invercargill, and was sold to Mr Gordon .Johnston in October, 1928. Mr Johnston and crew sailed her in the estuary at Riverton for some time and then took her to the Bluff regatta, where, saded by the owner, she finished second to Munlukn 11. The boat was taken to Stewart Wand early in January, She competed in 13 trial races with MuriInku I and Murihiku 11, winning six raevs. Since she was purchased by Mr Johnston ; Murihiku 111 has - been improved constderablv by new rigging, sails and a general polish up. ' hollowing is the record of Sanders Cup contests since the inception in 1921: &*■ w dinner. Where Sailed. . Heather (O.) Auckland. ■ ■ £ eseit (A.) Dunedin. S ona (A.) .- Auckland. 3no- E° na (A.) Wellington. ■92 a lona (0.) Auckland.. 19‘-6 Bvtty (C.) Dunedin. 1927 Betty (0.) Lyttelton. 1928 Betty (C.) Stewart Island.