LIVELY SAILING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26028, 17 December 1945, Page 6

LIVELY SAILING

YACHT CLUB’S HARBOUR RACE THELMA WINS STRENUOUS EVENT A severe test of seamanship was provided in the Otago Yacht and Motor Boat Club’s annual Harbour Race yesterday, the contest being sailed in half a gale of wind that raised a steep sea and created conditions that were survived by only a small proportion of the fleet which crossed the starting line. The course extended from the boat harbour, round the three-legs into the eastern channel and down to Grassy Point, thence across the cross channel to the Victoria channel, and back to the boat harbour. It was obvious when the south-west wind began to freshen an hour before the start at 11.30 a.m. that conditions at the lower end of the course would be far from pleasant, particularly off Grassy Point, where the flood tide was expected to kick up a bad sea. Most of the competitors, who were confined to the keel yachts and more seaworthy centre-board boats, reefed down in anticipation of a dusting on the way round the course. This anticipation was fully realised, for - when the fleet reached the cross channel they had to contend with a heavy quartering sea and a very strong tide. All the boats, however, negotiated the cross channel successfully. Earlier than this Shadow (D. Ritchie) withdrew with a broken forestay, and Rewa (N. Montgomery) took shelter at Challis’s. Heavy Sea in Channel There was a heavy sea running in the Victoria channel, and here disaster overtook the two leading boats, the 14-footers Eileen (J. Chalmers) and Rawene (B. Peititt). Both of these boats, carrying full sail and flying spinnakers, had opened up a big lead on the rest of the fleet in the run down the eastern channel, and were in close company when they gained the Victoria channel, but within a few minutes of each other they succumbed to the rip created by wind and tide and capsized. A larger centre-board boat, Kia Ora (R. Brown), also got into trouble when she threw her skipper overboard near St. Leonards and had to withdraw from the race. The veteran keeler, Thelma (R. Marks) had a big advantage over the lighter boats in the rapidly-diminishing fleet on the hard thresh to windward up the channel and drew steadily ahead, finishing an easy first. Annette, the only other Idlealong to complete the course, was excellently sailed by G. Fleury, and crossed the finishing line, after an exhausting battle, about 25 minutes in> actual sailing time behind Thelma. Annette, unfortunately, had to be disqualified as she crossed the starting line ahead of the gun, and her skipper had not seen the recall flag. It was extremely bad luck for Fleury, as he handled his boat very skilfully in the heavy going, and would have taken second place on corrected times. Merlin, sailed by W. Brown, was next across the line, a little over half an hour behind Thelma, and then came Starlight, another small centre-boarder, which with a crew of five, and sailed by L. Goodfellow, came through the test very well. An R.N.V.R. gig, sailed by N. Woodhouse, put up a good showing until it reached the Victoria channel, but the dipping lug rig of this boat made the working of short boards up the channel a laborious and slow process, and the skipper eventually crossed the channel wall to get more sea room and automatically disqualified his boat. The results were as follows: Thelma (R. Marks), scr, lhr 54min 50 S ec ~ ~ ~ ~ 1 Merlin (W. Brown), 22min, 2hr 4min 45s<*c .. ~ 2 Starlight (L. Goodfeilow), 27min, 2hr 14min 28sec 3 Also started: Shadow (D. Ritchie) 6min, Kia Ora (R. Brown) 18min, R.N.V.R. gig (N. Woodhouse) 40min, Eileen (J. Chalmers) 13min, Rawene (B. Pettitt) 14min, Annette (G. Fleury) 21min, Rewa (M. Montgomery) 25min, Monowai (A. Coutts) 27min. Vauxhall Club Race A fleet of 16 boats took part in a race conducted by the Vauxhall Power Boat and Sailing Club on Saturday afternoon. A freshing north-east breeze sent the fleet round the triangular course in smart time, the race being won by Evelyn (R. Todd), the Otago representative at the forthcoming Sanders Cup contest, Koneke (R. Davys), the province’s challenger for the next Idlealong Championship, being second. Rewa (M. Montgomery), another Idlealong, was third.