YACHTING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22822, 5 March 1936, Page 2

YACHTING

By Ruudeb,

FIXTURES March 7. —Ravensbourne Regatta. March 14. —Ravensbourne Club: Rost, Cup (local boats only), March 21.—Vauxhall Club: Wakefield Cup, Jell Memorial Shield, Vauxhall Cup (members only). April 4. —Ravensbourne Club: Cuthbert Cup (open to all clubs). April 11.—Broad Bay Club. —Yacht and motor boat races (open to all clubs). April 18. —North-East Harbour Club: All-comers’ yacht and motor boat races. RAVENSBOURNE REGATTA The regatta to be held on Saturday at Ravensbourne promises again to be one of the most successful held for some time. The afternoon will be opened with the 13ft and Under Yacht Race, which has drawn seven entries. The 18£t and Over 13ft Yacht event has attracted the field of 10 entries, while the All-comere (over 18ft) has drawn eight entries. For the motor boats record entries have again been received, there being 16 in the race for boats 8 m.p.h. and under, while the other race for launches over 8 m.p.h. has attracted 10 entries. Swimming and model yacht races have a large part in the afternoon’s proceedings. and the public is assured of an excellent day’s outing down the harbourside. There is a train and bus service from town from two o’clock onwards. The regatta will be concluded with a dance and presentation of prizes in the Raveusbourne Town Hall in the evening. There will be a bus back to town at the conclusion of the dance. NORTH-EAST HARBOUR CLUB On Saturday last the boat owners of the North-East' Harbour Club spent a busy afternoon preparing their craft for the annual picnic, which was held the following day at the fish hatcheries. The weather conditions on Sunday were rather boisterous, but nevertheless there was a fairly large crowd present. The party arrived at the hatcheries about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, and after spending an enjoyable time studying the various types of fish, was provided with a picnic afternoon tea by the commodore. The return journey was commenced at about 5 p.m., and a race was held back to the club’s shed. The winner was the commodore’s launch Ngaire, with Jewel second and Maratu third. The-race was a self-handicap one, and as only 4min separated the placed boats the result was a highly satisfactory one. This is the first time that such a contest has been held by the North-East Harbour Club. On Tuesday night a very successful card evening was held to open the winter season. i The yacht Vera has arrived f back at her moorings after being away for about a fortnight on a pleasure cruise to Oaraaru. OTAGO POWER BO N AT CLUB At the last committee meeting of the Otago Power Boat Club the secretary was instructed to arrange a suitable date for a special general meeting of members. This meeting has now been arranged for Monday next, and will be held in Mr J. H. A. M'Keefrey’s board room. The committee has for the consideration of members a scheme to build a new challenger for the Masport Cup. At a meeting of the Picton Association in January, at which all contesting provinces were represented, the suggestion was made that a conference should be called of all provinces interested in the Masport Cup. Negotiations are now in progress, and the Otago Power Boat Club will, at its special meeting, appoint its delegates to the conference. It is a recommendation from the committee that the club start early on a scheme similar to that of previous years to finance the next challenger. The Sir Henry Segrave Cup, won at the South Island Championship Regatta by the Miss Syndicate, has been received by the club and will bo on view at the special general meeting. ENCOURAGING TAKAPUNAS Describing the Cornwell Cup race as a contest well worth while, Captain W. J. Keane, chairman of the Wellington Provincial Yacht and Motor Boat Association, last week made a plea for the wider encouragement of the Takanuna boats used in the contest. His plea (says "Mainsail," in the Evening Post) should be given active support by the yacht clubs to which it was addressed, more especially as it is possible that the 1937 Cornwell Cup contest will be sailed at Wellington. Captain Keane’s point was that it would be in the best interests of the younger yachtsmen to maintain for them a class between the Tauranga class, for boys, and the open Idle Along class. As things are at present most of the Tauranga boys go directly to a larger type of yacht, principally of the Idle Along class, in which they have to pit their immaturity against the seasoned skill of yachtsmen, who, comparatively speaking, are veterans. If the psychological factor of early discouragement through defeat is disregarded, this open competition does no barm, but it would be obviously preferable to maintain separate classes for separate age limits, and that can best be done by widening the popularity of the Takapuna boats. Against the Takapuna boat is the argument that it is more difficult to handle than the Idle Alongs. That may ba so, but the difficulty is not so great as to prevent tljeir successful use by boys, as the Cornwell- Cup contests. Yacht clubs in and around the capital city would be doing a service to the rising general of amateur seamen if each dub were to keep at least three Takapunas always on the register for use as an intermediate step between Taurangas and adult sailing. CRUISING RACE TO KAWAU Once again adverse weather made the annual cruising race to Kawau, Part oi the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron s annual regatta, a long and rather unpleasant journey, which m normalweather (says the New Zealand Herald) should have taken not more than four hours. They kept yachts at sea right through toe night. Yachtsmen of many years experience stated that they had never seen such uncertain conditions, and at one_ stage oi the night boats were becalmed in places as far apart as the Rangitotq Channel, the Noises, Waiwera, the Tin Passage, and the mouth of the Wade River. The variability of conditions was also indicated by the fact that, while some crews got at least four drenchings during the night, others did not see a drop ot rain, and, while some yachts were tearing along rail awash, others were swinging helplessly in a heavy oily swell to the annoyance of sailors and the more marked discomfort of those who were for the time being passengers. Fortunately all the boats had cleared the Rangitoto Channel or were well inshore when the Mariposa left on her voyage to Sydney, as at that stage none could have manoeuvred out of her course. . * At least one crew had the unsatisfactory experience of rolling on the Muiord Beach for several hours, hearing the waves breaking and helpless to get to sea, while Ngatoa, the boat which eventually won, ran without a break to almost within sight of the finishing line to lie becalmed while many of the other boats crept up. Ngatoa finished soon alter 4 a.m. on the Saturday, and nearly an hour later the other boats began to finish, some of them having little time to breakfast and prepare for the morning race.

FAST MOTOR CRAFT FOR NAVY The first use of high-speed motor craft by the Royal Navy was in that exciting form of the C.M.B.’e, whose exploits during the war, by the way, seem never to have received due recognition. But after the war high-speed craft were neglected by the Admiralty (says a writer in the “Blue Peter"). The launches, pinnaces, and picket-boats in service with H.M.s ships remained of the pattern established long ago, while for much work of importance steam still retained the preferIt was not until 1927 that the Admiralty was convinced that naval small craft were antiquated. At any rate, it was about that time that a substantial contract for new high-speed motor craft was placed with the manufacturers of the original C.M.B.’s. These vessels were 62 feet in length, and their speed was 26£ knots. In their hull shape generally they were reminiscent of • the C.M.B.’s, but with the important modification that the wheelhouse or helmsman’s cabin was placed in the forward part of the vessel and not aft. The 1927 boats were also much larger, for the war-time craft were round about 40 feet in length.

The success of these vessels is likely to lead to a revision, of aIF the Royal Navy’s small craft—though the process will be characteristically slow, no doubt. The navy’s smaller picket-boats are gradually becoming modernised. An example could be seen at the jubilee naval review, where a 45ft boat was in service. ' The most recent motor craft for the naval services recently underwent official trials on the Solent, when a speed of 24 knots was attained. The boat is 45 feet in length and Oft 6in beam. The outstanding feature of the construction is the hard chine with V-shaped bottom sections, while the notable point about her appearance is the raised deck which gives standing room below. The machinery in the new picket-boat is housed at the forward end of the cockpit. It consists of two petrol engines, each of 140 h.p. . . . .. ■ . V Painted the familiar service.grey, with varnished upper works and chromiumplated fittings, the new boat is one of the smartest of all naval craft. Six lifting rings are fitted so that the craft may !be hoisted on board.