YACHTING

Southland Times, Issue 22770, 21 December 1935, Page 19

YACHTING

(By

“Spectator.”)

Invercargill News. T. Metcalf’s Pakeha is receiving an overhaul in view of her trip to Stewart Island early in the new year. Many owners are busy preparing for an early departure for the island. Eureka is afloat again on her new moorings, and Marungai is looking smart with her new coat of paint. Commodore J. R. Colbran will carry out a complete refit of Alert after the holidays. C. Bricknell’s auxiliary ketch is afloat again. She has been renamed Lena for this season. Her 4 h.p. Dunn engine gives her a good cruising speed. Messrs Georgeson and Tinnock’s Islander has her engine reinstalled alter overhaul. G. Nelson intends to increase the sail area of Cachalot. She will then do better in light weather. Messrs Stevens and Macalister had their first sail in Hooky on Wednesday evening. They have a solid boat, a good type for beginners in the sport. I hope to see them compete in to-day’s race. S. Jensen launched his snipe during the week-end. He is to be congratulated on the excellent finish of the hull and rigging. This boat will stand up to plenty of hard work. The inclusion of air tanks under each deck will make her an easy boat to right in the event of a capsize. She is named Pintail. The speed-boat lona has been purchased by G. Royds who intends taking her to Queenstown in the near future. Gough Bros, have been busy getting Irene into first class order. The hull has been repainted and polished. Rosita has had a lot of trouble with her spinnaker which appears to be oversize. If the sail does not break away clean the boom drops into the water, thus checkng the way on the boat. J. Nelson hopes to procure a new suit of sails for her. This boat was sailed very well on Wednesday when she beat Evelyn decisively. The latter has put up much better displays in the past. Huia’s misfortune in Saturday’s race was a sudden surprise to her crew. She is very lively in puffy winds, and although conditions were very mild both before and after she went over. The sudden puff which caught her was sufficient to keel her over before she could be squared away. The Races Held. The first race on Saturday was sailed down channel to tuft buoy and back in a good south-westerly breeze. Suzette led all the way followed by Mavora, Colleen, Huia, Omit, Evelyn and Rosita in that order. Mavora dropped astern on the run home, Huia going into third place with Omit in close attendance. The order was unchanged at the finish and Suzette crossed first with Colleen second and Huia third. Two rounds of the triangular course were sailed for the second race. The breeze held strong for the first round, but died away and became puffy in the second round. Suzette did not compete in this race. Mavora was first boat away, the rest of the fleet starting in the usual order. Omit and Spindrift closed up on Huia on the first lead down channel, while Evelyn and Rosita were together at the lower turn. The order’ was unchanged on the run to the bay and the beat out commenced. Colleen, Omit, Spindrift, and Mavora worked the lower harbour on the beat, while Huia, Evelyn and Rosita worked the northern side. Colleen held her lead when the channel was reached, while Mavora was lying second at this stage. Omit and Huia turned together into the channel, and began a luffing match for the windward position which was gained by Omit. The latter experienced trouble with her spinnaker and Huia drew ahead. Evelyn took the lead from Rosita at this point. At the end of the round Colleen still held command from Mavora. Huia turned just ahead of Omit with Spindrift close behind with Evelyn and Rosita astern. Huia, Omit and Spindrift led down channel together on the leg to the lower buoy. The Takapunas still held their positions at the turn, while Omit and Spindrift passed Huia to round the mark ahead of the latter boat. Spinnakers were smartly set on the run to the Bay. Huia drew up holding the wind from Spindrift and Omit, but the latter turned the buoy in the lead, while Huia gained the inside position from Spindrift on rounding the mark. The fourteen-footers and Huia again kept up, while Omit, Spindrift and Colleen sailed well down the harbour. The wind became light and flukey at this stage. The boats on the upper harbour got a good slant of wind for a while only to lose it again. Colleen was still well ahead at the end of the beat out. Evelyn went into second place on the turn into the channel followed by Spindrift with Omit, Rosita and Huia all together at the mark. Evelyn was unable to catch Colleen on the final run, the latter crossing to secure another win. Rosita had spinnaker trouble on the final run, but succeeded in holding Omit. Huia gradually drew up to windward and gained the advantage from Rosita and Omit. She was working into a good position when her spinnaker skied in a sudden puff and she capsized, leaving Rosita to sail into fourth place slightly ahead of Omit. Mavora came up in the rear.

A further race was sailed on Wednesday evening when Mavora. Colleen,

Cachalot, Evelyn and Rosita contested two rounds of the triangle in a light westerly breeze. The limit boats held their lead on the leg down channel, while Evelyn crossed the starting line ahead of Rosita, the latter getting a bad start. The lower turn was reached in one board and spinnakers were broken for the run to the Bay. Cachalot lost ground early in the race, lack of sail being her trouble. Rosita closed up on Evelyn on the beat out of the Bay and the two fourteen-footers came up channel together with Evelyn slightly ahead. Rosita beat Evelyn cleverly on the turn, and gained the windward position for the second lead down. The latter succeeded in closing the gap by the time the lower mark was reached again and was first around for the run. Rosita overhauled Evelyn on the run and the beat out commenced. On reaching the channel Rosita was again in the lead having overhauled Colleen and Mavora. Cachalot retired at this stage. Rosita increased her lead on the final run and finished first 40sec. ahead of Evelyn, with Colleen 2min. 20sec. behind and Mavora fourth. The new system of starting by numbers displayed on the wharf in conjunction with the usual flags proved very successful last week and will be in use for the rest of the season. Wellington’s Representative. The Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club’s 14ft X-class yacht Lavina, is to represent Wellington in the Sanders Cup contest at Auckland next month. Sailed by Arthur Johnston, J. Nolan, W. Corrin, and L. Robertson, she conclusively proved her superiority in Port Nicholson by winning all five of the local trials, thereby taking the Campbell Cup for the provincial X-class championship. Cornwell Cup Contest. Thirteen entries have been received by the Takapuna Boating Club for the twelfth Cornwell Cup contest, which carries with it the blue riband of junior yachting in New Zealand, says the Evening Post. It is to be sailed on the Waitemata, beginning on Tuesday, January 21. The crews will represent Otago, Timaru, Kaiapoi, Christchurch, Lyttelton, Wellington, Paremata, Plimmerton, Tauranga (the defenders), Auckland, Manukau, and Whangarei. At the conference to be held at Auckland in connection with the Cornwell Cup contest the Wellington Association will propose that the old system of determining the winner by sailing until one crew has won three races, be abandoned in favour of the system evolved for the finding of the winner of the recent Campbell Cup contest, for which a definite number of races was fixed.

With 13 competitors in the Cornwell Cup contest it is possible that 27 races will be sailed before the winner is found and this gives some hope that Wellington’s proposal will be adopted, if not for this contest, for future ones. Incidentally Southland and Canterbury are at present giving consideration to the Wellington system, while Otago has refused to adopt it. Replies have yet to be received from other centres.

Presented to the Takapuna Boating Club by Walker and Hall in 1924 the Cornwell Cup is a massive sterling silver one. It derives its name from John Travers Cornwell, who at the* age of 16.*. fought in the battle of Jutland on H.M.S. Chester. When the rest of his comrades, comprising a gun crew, were killed he kept the gun in action singlehanded in spite of a heavy fire from the German warships, and he received wounds which later resulted in his death. He was awarded a Victoria Cross, and both Admiral Jellicoe and Admiral Beatty notified the Admiralty of his bravery. The donors of the Cornwell Cup gave it to foster the sport of boat racing among the youth of New Zealand in the Takapuna Clubs 12ft Gin one-design class of yacht. Rules made for the contest limit the crew to two; both to be under 19 years of age. At least 17 stone must be carried, any Jess weight of the crew to be made up. The centre in which the contest is held is to provide the boats and billet the crew, and boats are to be drawn for before each race, no crew to use a boat more than once until all have sailed in it. The first crew to win three races wins the cup. Only true Takapuna boats are permitted and crews are allowed to use their own The Takapuna class had its origin in 1920 when the late Mr Bob Brown, of Northcote, Auckland, designed and built three different boys’ boats. A thorough trial was given them and the present Takapuna type was decided upon, seven boats being built to the design in 1921. The popularity of the class caused its rapid spread and a total of more than 60 boats has been built, about half of them in Auckland, where the class has evoked more than the usual interest this year since the decision of all New Zealand ports to sail for the cup on the Waitemata. Plans and moulds for the boat have been sent to Sydney, South Africa, America, and Norfolk Island. The principal dimensions of the class arc: Length, 12ft 6in; beam, sft; depth amidships, Ift 4in; planking, 3-Bin, bottom, Jin; mainsail, hoist, 16ft 2in; boom, 12ft; leach, 18ft 6in; spinnaker, hoist, lift; foot, 10ft; leach 13ft. Moulds are used to measure all boats built to the class and full size patterns can be obtained from the Takapuna Club for a small fee, half of which is refunded if the patterns are returned in good order. The results of the previous contests and the winning crews arc as follows:— 1924.—Auckland, D. Mackie and A. C. Robb. 1926. —Canterbury, H. Norris and G. Brassell. 1927. —Auckland, I. McMaster and D. Rogers. 1928. —Auckland, I. McMaster and D. Rogers. 1929. Auckland, G. Carter and D. Rogers. 1930. Auckland, E. and R. Tabuteau. 1931. —Auckland, V. Field and E. Tabuteau. 1932. —Lyttelton, W. Tissiman and R. Hendry. 1933. —Auckland, V. Field and R. Bell-Booth. 1934. —Tauranga, G. Carter and R. Densem. 1935. —Tauranga, G. Carter and R. Densem.