THE BLUFF REGATTA.

Southland Times, Issue 3288, 3 January 1879, Page 3

THE BLUFF REGATTA.

The Bluff Animal Regatta took place yesterday, and proved a most enjoyable and successful affair that will long be remembered with pleasure by the thousands who witnessed it. We use the numerical term advisedly, for there must have been quite two thousand visitors from Invercargill and the country districts. The occasion had, in fact, been looked forward to as affording opportunity for a; good outing, irrespective altogether of the regatta itself, and we daresay there were hundreds of people who took their annual view of the sea and ships yesterday, and also exquisitely enjoyed the close foregathering with old Neptune. Happily the sea-god's relative, who is supposed to govern the weather, was in a happy frame of mind yesterday. He -frowned a little in the morning, when a few'shdwefs fell, but long before ribon the weather cleared up, and excepting that iEolus was in the ascendant and blustering, the day proved most delightful. It certainly blew hard, quite half a gale, but it was a healthy breeze, fraught with ozone, and fresh from across the wide waters of the "middle ground." Anticipating . heavy traffic during the holidays, the railway authorities essayed to provide for it by running five trains to the Bluff, each on the Ist and 2nd January. This met the requirements of traffic on the first day, but not on the second, when, according to the official returns, nearly 1500 people passed by train from Invercargill to the Bluff. The great majority of these went by the two forenoon trains, one of which , started at a quarter-past 10 and the other an hour later. The first train was crowded, and the other, consisting of 22 carriages, was literally crammed to the platforms, and a large crowd of persons . could not be accommodated, and so had to_ be left behind. However, it was 'announced } ;; tfiat^anbther train would leave at a quarterlpast 1, and with that they had perforce to. be satisfied. Unfortunately i this time : : kept. It was nearer half -past two 'when "the train left, and so the holiday was virtually lost to a great many people, tp their great disappointment. dare r . say the general manager can give sufficient reason for the delay, and we are aware that on such extreme occasions as that of yesterday, he is hard pushed for rolling-stock. This, however, will be.obviated as soon as the line is through to Dunedin, for then extra carriages can be supplied when needed. We need scarcely say that all available rolling-stock was utilised yesterday, and as indicative of careful management, the general traffic was conducted without hitch oifaccident o£ any .kind. Whilst 'dealing with Ih'e subject of public accommodation \ve may allude to the existing inadequacy of the provision for issuing tickets on excursion days., This ,was painfully manifested -yesterday when hundreds of people were surging in and about the entrance of the station, and struggling for places at the one delivery window. Extra provision for issuing tickets should be made under such circumstances, but as in the case of the rolling stock, .we presume the manager utilised all the appliances he had aij command. When will the American "system of retailing tickets in certain authorised shops of towns be introduced in this colony 1 It is the very sure way out of the difficulty. High holiday^ was kept at -the Bluff and the usually quieHifctle town was'takenby storm. Anticipating this the committee made arrangements for- using the two large ships at the Bluff, the New Zealand Shipping Company's Waitara, and the Albion Company's Jessie Headman, as -flag - ships. The formei was however the flag ship " par excellence ' and on board her the judges took their stand .ajpjcLtbe racesVere'' started and finished from "her. With their usual hospitality the companj provided lunqh for a large number of visitors to whom special invitations had been issued and we need hardly say were widely accepted. It was a sumptuous repast elegantlj served, and at two o'clock the company sal down, Captain McKelvie presiding, with Mi Willcocks, the company's agent, officiating as croupier. There wjw no formality, toasts and

speeches '\.-.bwng^.^aiy(^^-ih'^j ; -gdiMts-- simply partaking of mi^celienl> repast rind enjoying it all the more in consequence. X;-, A" private pkrty was also entertained on boaTd the Jessteßeadman# Whilst there was feasting r in the saloon; the crowds deck^^ arranged themselves ;ih > small ''picnicing parties and heartily enjoyed their alfrescQ meal. ■ The first event on the; programme was the •Dingy Race; which wa^started punctually at I 11,-a>m;'' -Three boats entered, -and got away | well together on the signal gun being fired. \ Anderson, in a short time; .took the lead, and 'erained so rapidly every stroke that the other ■ tvrp- boats, seeing iheir chance of winning 'rapidly diminishing, turned and.-pulled.Jnj so i that Anderson liad:a walk. over. " ■ V ;.V Owing ;-to the heavy: S.W. breeze the Sailing '■ Committee decided upon deferring ;the four-; :pa^re(i outrigger skiff race until the weather," rrnoderatedj and' the cutters were instructed to itake their places at the starting line. Only ifour showed up, but.the Nautilus, just beatJing up the harbor from Stewart's Island, was arid started with the others. -Owing ■to' the strong breeze a ivery bad stai-t was :made, ithe^Sarah Jane getting away first,: but to keep the perch buoy? on thelport -hand necessitated her and the ; Dolly Varden lumng up; which" gave the. Hannah (who was :well to windward), the lead, and the fpllow•mg'order was maintained- in sailing but of ithe harbor :— First, Hannah •• Second, ; Sarah 'Jane; third,; Dolly Varden; after.jWhichcarne (the Nautilus, arid the Alam last. „\ This posi[tion was retained luutil .rounding -.-the black: 'buoy, outside the harbpr, when the weatherly 'qualities of the Alarm, told, and ; as soon as iclose on a wind she rapidly drew ahead ana to windward, . and : ronu ded the upper buoy- half a mile ahead of the others. In coniing back to round the buoy jboat- in the iNorth channel the Alarm . .increased hor distance, the Hannah being next,with the Sarah:. ; Jane.a good thirdi and'the Nautilusbringing ;up the rear/ .The Dolly, yarderi :^quietlyr but of the race^ her > chances iseing, ■nil. This ofderwas kept to tlie finish; ;, . . The third race was not on the programme, : •and was improvised to meet a desire on the ;part of the ships in port, to try the respective •merits of theiiv gigs. Two boats entered, [the Jessie Readman's aridthe Waitara's, the ; latter being nowhere from the , beginning. i The great event. of the day was the coutest between the Inyercargill and Bluff - Boating ! Clubs in their^ iour-oared. outrigger .■ skiffs. iThisrace was'closely: contested until just at jthe I finish, when, •^^^ appafently, the . staying jpowers of the Bluff crew ; gained the.advanfor their colorsi- -A good start was effected; "and afterVa r short distance had been igone over the Inyercargill boat. forged ahead ; about three lengths, which position was reItained until reaching the second stake, when ithe knowledge of :the course came to the asfsistarice of the Bluff crew, arid enabled them {to gain an advantage, -the coxswain of the 'Invercargill boat evidently not understandiug the course, and so the Bluff crew were euiabled to cut off a comer and draw ahead f level "with their opponents. They then gradually forged ahead and took the InvercargiU's water, and just hel* the lead until rounding the buoy boat, 5 when the Invercargill; boat again .got even, and, held it until i about half way back'- Then she went astray, : and the Bluff boat had it., all their own way, and came in a winner by half a dozen [ lengths. -The distance was three miles, and time 22 minutes, which is very good considering the fresh breeze and lumpy water. The : Bluff crew were Tipperary (stroke), Knox, McDougal, and Tason (bow), coxswain, Watson. The Invercargill crew were Atkinson (stroke), Keith, Basstian, and Sayers (bow") ■ The ships' open sailing boats were next started, three running; the Jessie Readman, sailed by Waddel, taking the lead when rounding the buoy boat, and leaving the others nowhere throughout the race. Whilst the sailing race was going on the whaleboat pulling race was started, the contest being between two of Messrs Nichol and Tucker's boats, manned by half-castes. This was easily won by the Ringarooma, steered by Owen. *On the return of ,the ships' open-sailing boats, the open to all comers was started, three additional boats joining the ships' boats. A good start was effected, the Gazelle taking the lead,' followed closely by the Jessie Readman, the Eliza Mary third, and then the Ann Gambles, Waitara, and the Nonesuch. This order was retained until rounding the perch buoy on the return, when the race appeared to be between the Gazelle and the Jessie Readman, the former keeping the lead about a quarter of a mile. The wind at this stage, in beating up to the buoy-boat, increased so much that the Gazelle was unable to cany sail to it, and ultimately filled, so that sail had to be lowered, which enabled the Jessie Readman (Waddel) to get ahead, and afterwards she had it all her own way, winning easily. The next and concluding race of the day was the pair-oared outrigger skiffs. Three boats came to the start, the crews being Tipping and Knox, Bluff ; Bowen and Kingsland, Invercargill ; and Atkinson and Basstian; Invercargill. The boats got away together, but the BhifE crew soon drew ahead, and had it all their own way to the finish. When half-way back to the wharf from the rounding stake, the Invercargill boats gave up the race and headed for the shore. The only mithap of the day (then occurred, Atkinson and Basstian's boat capsizing. They were picked up by the other boat, and suffered nothing more than a good soaking.