YACHTING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22716, 31 October 1935, Page 4

YACHTING

By Rudder

SANDERS CUP TRIAL After being postponed last Saturday owing to the unfavourable weather conditions, the first trial race for the Sanders Cup will be held on the Upper Harbour on Saturday next. Eight 14-footers will be seen in action in the race, but of these only three —Betty, Val, and Eileen —are eligible to be sailed at Auckland in February. The others which will be competing on Saturday are: Heather, Squib, Winifred, Yvonne, and Rada. The yachting season will also be opened on Saturday afternoon at Port Chalmers, when, given fine weather, an interesting day's sport should result. OTAGO YACHT CLUB With opening day taking place at Port Chalmers next Saturday, and in anticipation of a good summer season, boat owners have been active around their craft, and are nearly all in readiness for the fixtures that will be held. The boats still on the slipway at the boat harbour are: Demon, Rover. Tairapu, Shamrock, Ideal, Naitiri, and South-

em Star. Many of these will be launched before Saturday. Dr Cottrell's fine launch Ngaio is at Port Chalmers for painting, and will be at Port on Saturday. During the week-end Wairangi, Rewi, Electra, Carina, Lark, Wanaka, Kelvin, and Sadie K were seen at various beauty spots round the harbour. The launch Stella made a trip to Purakanui on Labour Day. Sadie K has recently been purchased by Mr M. Bachop, who will still sail' with his brother in the yacht Tucana. The Myrtle, a launch well known at Port Chalmers, has been renamed Marina. At the last committee meeting of the club the syllabus was discussed and a recommendation made for races before Christmas. Boat owners are urged to hand their entries to the club captain or caretaker as soon as possible.

NORTH-EAST HARBOUR CLUB That the bay is fast becoming a hive of industry for the yachting fraternity of the harbour was clearly illustrated by the number of boats that favoured the bay residents with their presence over the week-end. Labour Day week-end will be remembered as ideal from a yachtsman's point of view, as each day the sailing conditions were good, and consequently all classes of boats were to be seen on the water making ready for the opening of the season proper. Four or five of Otago's best 14-footers were out with everything spread, racing in friendly combat, and the new boat, Waiata, and Mr Challis's Thelma were also in action. The speed boat Sadie K., going all out over the club's course, interested a big gathering at the boatshed and on the roadside. Rather amusing was the manner in which the owners of Oleta hit the water on Sunday. One only needs a couple of such spills to realise what to do under such circumstances next time. A hint at this juncture would, therefore, not be out of place. . First (writes a correspondent), it is futile to try and put any boat in stays unless she is under way when luffing, otherwise she will always miss the stay, as happened on four occasions before the Oleta capsized. Secondly, when running heavy under pressure before the wind, never attempt to gybe, especially if only out for pleasure. Always take the safe course and take a round turn out of your boat, otherwise, even if she does not capsize, as happened on Sunday, you are running a big risk of taking the stick out of her. The commodore is busy painting hie new purchase in readiness for the combined opening day next Saturday, while the two launches, Jewel and Rena, are very nearly ready to take the water from the club's slipway. , Joy has just completed her overhaul, and on Monday her party enjoyed a fishing expedition to the Heads.

The weekly card nights of the club continue to attract good attendances, the prize winners last week being Mr and Mrs Tuckey. The committee members have been busy building a new cradle for the slipway and overhauling the club plant generally, and are now looking forward to a good attendance of residents at the annual regatta meeting on Thursday next. VAUXHALL CLUB Vauxhall yachtsmen took full advantage of the fine weather that prevailed over the week-end. All the 14-footers were to be seen on the harbour on Saturday and Sunday. As the Sanders Cup Trial was postponed, the skippers of Squib, Val, and Betty had a race themselves. This race resulted in a win for Val, with Squib a close second. On Monday, Heather and Betty sailed down to Broad Bay in a light nor'-easter, calling in at the various wharves, and, altogether, spent a very delightful day. Mr A. L. Clark has finished overhauling his runabout, Miss Valerie, and she is now riding at her moorings for the summer. A very enjoyable social- function was given on October 24 by Mr Cyril Pettit in the clubhouse to celebrate his wedding, which took place on Labour Day. It is expected that he will still find time to take the tiller of the Squib.

MISS SYNDICATE The committee of the Otago Power Boat Club is making every endeavour to have Miss Syndicate ready for her trials early in December. A gearbox has been designed and cast locally and is now being machined and fitted up. The hull has T>een completely overhauled and recaulked. The interior is to be sprayed with a specially-prepared paint, and the hull will be then ready for the installation of the power plant. The engine has been completely overhauled and the horsepower increased. The club is indebted to all yachtsmen who have assisted or have offered the use of any gear at their disposal which will be of benefit to the club. All going well, Miss Syndicate should be an attraction at the Macandrew Bay regatta on Boxing Day. Club members have received reports from the Havelock and Picton owners. The Picton Club reports that everything is well in hand for the staging of the next Masport Cup, which will be held m Picton on January 22, 1936. At the date of writing, no new entries were expected, but, with alterations and improvements to the Wanganui, Havelock and Otago boats, a faster contest is expected. When l one remembers that the last contest was won at a speed of approximately a mile a minute, the promise of more speed should add greatly to the excitement which always prevails during the contest. YACHTING IN AUCKLAND No one can doubt the popularity of the sport of yachting in and around Auckland when aware that there are 17 duly constituted yacht and motor boat clubs and five model yacht clubs all in active operation. These clubs range in age from the 64 years of the "Royals" to the two-year-old Heme Bay Club. The majority are well established, and only three are less than 10 years old. With two exceptions, all have clubhouses of their own, with facilities for members, where regular meetings are held and gear can be stowed. Some of these buildings are not large, but they all play their part in the sport and represent much hard work and careful planning of functions to help things along. It is in this branch of the sport (says " Speedwell" in the Auckland Star) that the fair sex always shows a great interest. They are not content with presiding at afternoon teas or dance suppers, well as they carry out such duties, but the interests of the ladies in the sport is much wider. They now have a regular place in a number of boats' crews, especially in motor or auxiliary craft, and enjoy the week-end cruise as much as their brothers. This is a comparatively recent development of the sport, and is still growing. One time a boat with ladies on board was looked on with disfavour and given a wide berth, but this attitude has long since departed. In addition to the 17 clubs, there are five model yacht clubs in Auckland. " Speedwell" classes them with the senior clubs, for they are certainly doing their part in promoting interest in our sport, and it is a very practical one. Sailing model yachts of the modern type gives one a very good insight to the effects of wind on sails, the rules of the road, and fosters a love for all classes of boats, bringing recruits to the sport, without which it would soon cease to flourish. Looked at from a commercial viewpoint, yachting is worthy of every encouragement. Certainly a record in the history of the sport, this season no fewer than 17 new keel yachts will be launched on the " sparkling waters" of the Waitemata. This alone represents an expenditure of well over £IO,OOO. ■ In addition, there is easily another £SOOO spent in getting the older boats in commission each year. This only represents £lO per boat for 500 craft, 300 sailing and 200 motor boats, which is not an excessive estimate when all craft under 20 feet are taken into consideration. In fact, 600 would not be over the mark. NOVEL BOATS Two international 14-foot dinghies and an American " frostbite" dinghy will be interesting additions to the fleet of the Koyal Port Nicholson Yacht Club this season. One of the former type, the Tere, is already on the club register, but it has never been placed in commission by the owners —Messrs Hollie, Fitzgerald, and W. P. Rollings. With the advent of a twin it is likely that it will take the water. The one now being built is owned by Messrs B. A. Corcoran, W. J. Martin, and K. Wiilson. These dinghies are smooth-skinned, Bermuda-rigged, with an adjustable rudder capable of fore and aft movement on a pivot. Compared to them the Rona-Jellicoe boats are beamy. Something even more novel is the " frostbite " dinghy which will shortly be built to the order of a prominent club officer. It gains its name from the fact that it is raced by American yachtsmen during their severe winters. The building of several hundred of these little craft in the United Stateg testified to their popularity there, and was inevitably followed by the formation of a controlling body, the Dinghy Racing Association. The boat measures between 10 feet and II feet 6 inches in length, and will be used by it« Wellington owner as a tender for Sounds cruises, as it can easily be carried across the Straits on the deck of a keeler. As a utility craft it will carry five or six people, though it races with a crew of two. Sails and rig are to be imported from the United States, and the boat will be built from the plans of John G. Alden, the successful American naval architect.