“Stigma on Auckland if Sanders Cup Died”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 528, 28 November 1928, Page 6

“Stigma on Auckland if Sanders Cup Died”

COST OF CONTESTS SEVERAL CLUBS APATHETIC “Southern men look upon Auckland yachtsmen as the cream of participants in the sport in Australia and New Zealand, and they therefore look to boating men of the Waitemata to give a lead. It would be a disaster and a stigma upon this city if the Sanders Cup contests were allowed to die.”

So said Mr. O. A. Moller, chairman of tlie Auckland Yacht and Motor-boat

Association, last evening, when the question of sending a challenge for the Sanders Cup, to be competed for in February at Akaroa, was brought forward. Mr. A. J. Collings, secretary of the association, remarked mat cue financing of a challenger was becoming more difficult year by year. Last season the expense to the association was £bS, and to meet this £53 was contributed by the various clubs, and £ 5 was given as a donation. The deficiency to the association, was therefore £lO “There has been a deficit for several years,” said Mr. Collings. Mr. Moller said that Auckland had virtually saved Otago yachting as a result of the institution of the contests. Waitemata men apparently did not realise what the Sanders Cup meant to Southern yachting. It was the boating classic of New Zealand. SPOON-FED HERE “We are spoon-fed here in boating, and we simply say we have as much as we want, and why worry?” declared Mr. Moller. "I appeal to you as yachtsmen of New Zealand, and not only as yachtsmen of Auckland. What a disgrace it would he if we dropped out! We thought the contests good enough, to start, and are we going to pull out all because of a cost of £5 to each local club?” “If I belonged to a club that could not find £5 for the Sanders Cup I would resign,” he concluded. “The Devonport Yacht Club will not support the contest this year because the committee feels the object of the Sanders Cup has been defeated,” said Mr. M. Ensoll. “We feel the boats are not being built for the sport, but for other purposes. The rich man has put up the prices, and excluded the boys, for whom the contest was originally designed.” UNMEASURED BOATS Mr. H. J. C. George stated that the present opinion of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron was antipathetic toward the contest. It considered that when unmeasured boats were permitted to compete, as had a certain Southern boat for the past three years, there was uo incentive for Auckland or other parts to challenge with any hope of success. Mr. Moller appealed to delegates to stress the value of “this classic”, to their respective clubs. He would endeavour to visit clubs and to present, the case for the contiuuatiou of the contest. It was unanimously resolved to forward a challenge, although some delegates pointed out that they would have to consult their clubs as to whether they felt disposed to hear a share of the expense.