YACHTING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22164, 18 January 1934, Page 5

YACHTING

By Rdddek.

FIXTURES January 20.—Port Chalmers Club’s rates. January- -24,—New Zealand Z Class ■ Wallinf: Championship-, January 27.—North-East Harbour Club’s races.', ; '/ '■/■.: ' • February 3. —Otago annual regatta. Sanders Cup contest at Lyttelton. February 10.—Port Chalmers Club's races (yachts and motor boats). February 17,—Ravensbourne regatta. February 24.—Kavensbourne Club’a Local Race (Rpsa Cup)i March 3.—.Vauihali Sailing Club’s races (yachts and motor boats). ON CRUISING? As the result of the;tw<> mishaps to Auckland • "yachtjs during the holiday 'cruising season, suggestions have been made .by - a section : of the public that restrictions should be placed on , the activities of - yachtsmen’, undertaking cruises. Needless to say, these suggestions .are, not being received tod, well by -those nioet ,' closely ■concerned with the sport-. ' " , ■ ; ■; ” THe-’ rmajority of the Auckland sailpre,” • said one “ have learned their, seamanship in the acknowledged best school of sailing—the small .boat—-where the slightest mistake is usually 'attended 'by very marked results'. From these boats - they graduate -to the larger vessels, by; which time- they- are usually well endowed with those qualities .that make, a yachtsman—common sense, speed pf action, knowledge of weather Conditions, and skill in ,handling boats. ’ The ,attitude of’ the clubs belonging to the' Auckland ’Yacht and ’Motor ■■ Boat Association is that,-owners .and captains'ol boats setting out for cruises have it constantly, kept in mind that it is their responsibility to ensure 'the safety of their crews / and any visitors who may be on board; Rigid rules laid 1 down by the Marine Department would involve the employment of a ■lai;ge.' number. of inspectors, and cruising would lose a lot*,pi iLcharm’.by the, imposition of a , number of . irritating restrictions. Where boats ply for hire or where men are employed to sail them there mijst.natually be the strictest observance of the by-law* , CO P' Cerhing the safety of passengers and crew*. ■ ■- . V': ' NORTH-EAST HARBOUR CLUB Skippers; are . reminded ..that, the next series of club January 27—a11-comers’ hiptor boats - and all-commers’. yachts, , Mr Barton will handicap the motor boats and the skippers of the yachts will handicap themselves, this, method haying proved very, successful on. previous occasions. The skippers are ,to pass in their- handicaps, half; an hour before the race. Entries t close on the Wednesday before the race with the secretary.. The two R.N-V-R, cutters will be sailing in the Yacht Race. • . The club has now resumed its .fortnightly dance, and the next function will be held on Saturday next. , ~ - .. The, committee has, decided to hold its ahiiftal outing for the Ladies’ Committee on Saturday, 24, when the ladies will be taken to Carey’s .'Bay for a picnic., ’ The .launches Matewa, Stella, Jewell, and Rena,.will convey them. The skippers of .the local boats, intend to compete at the Port Chalmers jubilee regatta on February. 3. The club’s secretary is, taking.' entries up ' till ' Saturday next, and Any boat owner in town wishing to enter may obtain entry forms from Mr C. J, Hook, in Dunedin: ,The local Model Yacht Club is a very live-', body and, continues, tp sail, races on Tuesdays,' Thursdays, and Saturdays. Three classes are Sailed each night. V‘ The club has Suffered a very serious ipsg‘in' the death of’lts commoddfe,’ Captain'E. E. Nicholas, who, died at Christchurch after: a long and painful illness. . SPEEDBOATCONTEST It is pleasing to note .(writes Bobstay,” in the Christchurch,.-Sun) - that the Otagp. Association has' decided, to support Canterbury in . its effort to made the speedboat contest an open one, and. it is to be hoped now that the move, will be agreed to by the Yachting Council, as seeing probable, for there is no' doubt that if the .contest is to. be a success there should’be, ; as many starters in the races as .possible, : ' . , /j- . j. ■ . It' appears .that the'chief objection to fnakipg the, contest Open; to all-comersis that some of the members of the Otago Association are :of the ' opinion that the assopiatiop should : nieiet the expense, of sendjhg a boat and crew to the contests; but there are'several reasons why this should pot be done. Surely the associations are saddled with enough at present —all those who have served as delegates tp assPclations know how difficult it is to raise /chough money to send a boat and crew to the Sanders CUfe . contest every year—arid to ask them to, dp any more ■ would not be reasonable; Of course, if the Otago Association is wealthy or can raise the-money withput difficulty there is nb; reason why it, should, not select a . boat ’ and: crew: and gend them, to a . contest, but this’ should be no reason why any other owner of/avepecd boat - in' the province should nqt be allowed to enter his boat ah'd ship /it, to the centre!..where; the ’ contest is, to be run',’. - The'first’contest is to be'held next month at Lyttelton,, and at the Conference the point will be fully discussed, and something difihite;decided upon.

. OTAGO ANNUAL REGATTA Boat owners are reminded that entries for all races at'the regatta at-Port Chalmers on February 3 close oh Saturday next. For-each of. the motor boat events a third prize, consisting, of ' , a case of petrol, " has' been allocated! by the committee. . ‘ The ra'ccfl will-' be conducted under the Mark Foy. system. 1 i', ; y ‘ . ' SANDERS. CUP REGATTA . Ah' -attraetive.-- regatta- pro'grairirae has been drawn"qp for <.ganders’*;Grip wrick' at -Lyttelton,- apd), officials .were appointed and ’ couTisea’chosen': at . iheefing oi>- the Ghristcbulfph• Sailirig ? arid Power -Boat ■ A^ Bociation - ’ last; ? The ’,following evebfa! were : decided'"6ri: Handicap "'(for.-'bbath.,faster ■tKan , J ,l‘i knots), Yacht 7 Handicap,: (fbr ' ve'seejs , ,14ftj and under' 26ft)'; -Power Boat ’ Handicap (for bhats slowhr Thhhfl2 .knots).;. Yacht 'Han* dieap’ (for wesacls! underl4ft),; Canter-bury-Championship (for; 14ft one-design class): Yacht' Handicap (for A! class keelers)-. - . -. . . • ; ’•. - BURKES-ST. LEONARDS REGATTA ; Thc r I>o,hardg Rega(ta Conlmittee has ndw resumed" Operations, apd the annual fikturd -has been, set; dowp tor March 3.- A- strong fcommitt.ee, including a nijmber of - new members,. baa been formed,' with Mr 'AV■Middleton-as- president, -arid Mr Wi A; Robb again occupying ■- the! Secretarial office) V;. Qne of, the features of the ' regatta' will be the increased ’ number of Towing events, Which, the committee, feejs. .will meet' wjtb the approval of followers of: the sport, and the yacht and motor boat events will be well; up to' the usual standard. Model yaclit races; will also .be. included' in the programme. The trophies won during the afternoon'will-bo presented at, a coar cert, tp be held in the evening, and. it is hoped that the regatta-will receive the support it deserves, )both, from -boating and rowing enthusiasts and from the public, Z CLASS CONTEST: The Z Class contest, or boys’ sailing championship, will open at Dunedin on January 24, and will be conducted by a conference at which each competing port will be renresenfed bv one delegate. Delegates will be present from Wellington, Plimmertori, Paremata, Kaiapoi,. Christchurch,- Lyttelton, Port Chalmers. Dunedin, and Invercargill. - The - principal question to be discussed at ■ this conference will' be the Otago proposal that competing ports -should bring their own boats, instead of the defending port supplying all the boats as at present. At lase year’s conference at Lyttelton the proposal was defeated, ami it was again turned down when a postal vote among the associations was taken during the year, on the casting vote of tlie chairman. Wellington strongly opposed it on the grounds.-chiefly, that the provid-. ing of all the boats by the home port was a = stimulus to building, and that the change would increase the expense of the contest,. Against this it was contended that the holding of the last two contests at Dunedin and Lyttelton had not resulted in the building of any new boats—indeed; in Canterbury another class was proving much more popular—-and as far as expense was. concerned, it had coat Lyttelton abouti£l7to import boats for

the last contest, which would have paid the freight on sending a boat away with the crew for some years. Remits by Canterbury provide for the alteration of the rules to cover the new cup given by the Port Nicholson Motor /Boat Club; the discussion by. the conference of genera! matters relating to the rules; the ratification ,of decisions by the council, and that decisions ratified shall stand until the next conference. STANDARDISED BOATS While much is being accomplished in the classification of sailing boats for the benefit of the sport it is hoped (writes a correspondent of the Evening Post) that the day is not far distant when the Wellington Provincial Yacht and Motor Boat Association will turn its attention to the square-bilge 14-fpot boats of which there are quite a number, as a strictly onedesign class in this direction is a much felt want. While a fleet of miscellaneous boats may be pleasing to the eye, fleets of standardised strictly one-design classes have a much deeper meaning for the yachtsmen, and this has been largely in evidence during the Sanders Cup trials at .'Wellington and elsewhere, the only discoverable difference being in the ability of the men who handle them, which is as it should bd, The fluctuating temperamental differences or ability in mdn play a large part in a blue ribbon contest. Thesfe qualities in past days, obscure at all times, were often clouded oyer when restricted or liberty-designed boats-were allowed to be used. CRUISING IN BRITISH WATERS “ There is a tremendous demand in England to-day for email cruising yachts,” said Mr C. Coxen, a noted Portsmouth yacht builder, who reached Melbourne a few' days ago on a holiday visit toy Australia., All Mr Cosen’s forefathers have been seamen or boatbuilders at Portsmouth. His great grandfather was opeof the first white men to land in the North-Island of New Zealand. He was engaged on a whaling cruise, and l\is ship was Wrecked there, in 1810. Mr Coxen spoke of the growth of cruising in . British waters. iSmall sloops and yawls were used, fitted with auxiliary engines and rarely exceeding eight tons. These vessels were so designed that they could be sailed single-handed, and were pftep taken on long cruises.