LYTTELTON REGATTA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5760, 2 January 1897, Page 7

LYTTELTON REGATTA.

Patrons— His Excellency Lord Glasgow, and the Hon E. J. Seddon. Com- . mo-ore— Mr E. G. Wright, M.H.E. Vice-Commodores — Messi'3 J. Joyce, M.H.E., and F. Waymouth. Hon Treasurer —Mr T. L. Smith. Hon Secretary —Mr G. A. Lewin. Hon Assistant Secretary — Mr C. G. Curtis. Judges — His Lordship the Bishop of Christchurch, his Worship the Mayor of Christchurch, his Worship the Mayor of Lyttelton,' Captains J. W. Clark and T. M'Clatchie, Messrs H. JJ. Webb, H. Thomson, J. Ashley, J. T. Brice, C. Aschnian, Commodore and Vice-Commodores. Timekeepers — Messrs H. Kohn and F. J. Smith. Starters — Messrs A. G. Johnston ancl E. Craddock. Eeferees — Messrs J. F. Grierson and T. L. Smith. Battery and Flags — Mr G. Dimond. Flagship and Luncheon Committee — Commodore, Vice-Commodores, Messrs C. Kay, G. Laurenson, A. Ehind, J. Sowden, J. T. Brico, J. C. Macintyre, his Worship tho Mayor of Lyttelton, and Captain C. Thomas. Course Committee — Sailing: Messrs J. H. Collins and G. Dimond ; Eowing : Messrs A. Ashman, J. E. Galbraith, W: Harkiss, C. G. Curtis and T. L. Smith. Fireworks CommitteeMessrs A. Ehind, J. Sowden and J. Toomey (Superintendent Lyttelton Fire Brigade). Sailing Committee— Captain Clark, Eev E. E. Chambers, Messrs F. Waymouth, C. Aschman ancl G. A. Lewin. The' forty-seventh annual regatta was held at Lyttelton yesterday, and can fairly he claimed to have been a success. The wind, which at times blew very hard, somewhat militated against the intentions of those managing the regatta ; but, taking into account the adverse circumstances, everything went off satisfactorily. The morning broke with lowering clouds, ancl for a time the weather prophets were much inclined to predict a bad day. However, about ten o'clock a fresh sea breeze sprang up, and a fine day was then assured. The wind, however, increased in force, till during the afternoon it was blowing sufficiently strong to test the sailing qualities of the yachts, but as a nasty jobble was occasioned the rowing men Avere considerably hampered. As a matter of course the town was early astir, and enterprising business people, and those who were catering for the public in the railway yards, were to be seen busily employed preparing for the reception of the thousands who were expected, and, as matters turned out, paid their annual visit to Lyttelton. The railway yard was studded with canvas, for besides the tents of those who attended to the wants of the inner man, there were those of others who appeared to be reaping a rich harvest in providing for the amusement of the visitors. A merry-go-round, a performing kangaroo, ' the usual shooting galleries, and a thousand and one other " shows " of greater or less merit were there to catch the nimble shilling. In London Street sports were conducted, while swimming races were j held in the dock. j The regatta itself produced plenty of sport for the sailing and rowing enthusiasts, and the sub-marine explosion, which j thousands came to see, was an impressive spectacle. It was in connection with the explosion, however, that the boisterous wind played the most havoc; so much so that the exhibition on the lines planned by Captain Falconer had to be abandoned. The floats showing j whero tho mines were to be laid had | no sooner been got into position than •the wind increased, and they were buffeted about in all directions. However, by manfully sticking to the task in the face of adverse conditions the " blow-up " was got off satisfactorily. The three mines were sent up simultaneously, and the large charge of gun-cotton hurled a tremendous volume of water many hundreds of feet into the air. Captain Falconer and his staff wero highly complimented upon their success under trying circumstances. The concussion from the discharge avhs plainly felt throughout the town. The mine was fired by Mrs Bean, daughter of the Premier. One of the essentials to the success of the Lyttelton regatta is the presence of a suitable flagship, and on this score the committee have every reason to be pleased. Shaw, Savill and Albion Company's ship Wellington, in command of Captain C.

Thomas, made an ideal flagship. The Lyttelton Band, under the' leadership of Bandmaster Porteous, played selections on board during the day. The steamers Flora, Wakatu, Jane Douglas, John Anderson and' the launches Canterbury and Waiwera ran excursions, and a large number of people availed themselves of the opportunity of making a. short sea trip. The commodore, Mr Wright, was unavoidably absent, but special mention is duo to tho vice-commodores,' BJ'r J.Joyce and Mr Waymouth : to the starters; Mr A. G. Johnston - and Mr Craddock, who had anything but a sinecure.in getting the crews away in the rough water; and the timekeepers, Messrs Kohn and Smith. Mr W. Howey, of the City Buffet, Christchurch, provided an excellent luncheon for the subscribers. THE SAILING RACKS. To yachtsmen a nOrth-eastorlywihd in Lyttelton harbour produces the ideat'eonditions for a test of speed, and therefore yesterday's breeze was hailed with delight by then^i Iv the first : class event Pastime j won comfortably from Onawe ahdZephyi'.' I- The display of the last-named was somewhat disappointing, but the heavy water' operated against hor . j>rospects. W.aterwitch showed a wonderful turn of speed in the second-class race, and never gave Kiaora or Venture a " look in." Both Mr Miller, of Pastime, and Mr Kennett, of Water-witch, are to be complimented upon their success. Eettina had no difficulty in disposing of Aone, and the sea wag too rough to allow the fleet of boats from H.M.S. Lizard to display their real qualities. The following are details : — YACHT KACE, for yachts over 1 rutin? and not x_cce?—u ig 5 rating. First prize i.'_o, second prir.e —3. Waterwitch 11. (R. Kennett), I*3 rating, 7min 41sft.i ... .... ... 1 Kiaora (Collins Bros), JJ'l rating, scr 2 Veiv ure (W. Newton), l - 9'ratiu^,'l_jin"o3'sec ... 3 The wind was blowing a whole sail breeze from the north-east. Waterwitch was well timed over the line, ancl crossed a few seconds after the gun-fire, with Venture second and Kiaora third. Waterwitch increased tho gap between herself and Venture, in. the. short lead to the reef buoy, and when . sheets, were hauled aboard for tho weatherly journey she had a commanding lead. Waterwitch appeared to relish the fresh breeze, while Kiaora very soon overhauled and passed Venture. When they broke tacks off the pier, Waterwitch had the weather gauge of the others by a long way, and at this time was looking higher and going faster through the water than anything else in the race. Continuing the weatherly journey towards Camp Bay, Waterwitch improved her position, and at the completion of the first round tho boats were timed as follows : — Waterwitch lhr 40min, Kiaora lhr ITuiin 30sec, Venture lhr 24sec. Very little alteration took place in the positions throughout the remainder of the race, and Waterwitch completed the'"' journey a winner, at 3hr 45min 3sec, followed by Kiaora at 3hr 46min osec, and Venture some time later. CHAMPION YACHT RACE, for reputed s raters; yachis over 5 rating will bo permitted to sail on allowing time and v quarter to orating; yachts under 5 raring to receive only three-quarters time allowance. First prize „40, second „10. Pastime (ST. Miller), 7"2 rating, sor 1 Onawe (C. Brown), .'S rating, Cm in Usee ... 2 Zephyr (I{. J. Scott), s*l rating, smin __sec ... 3 When the gun fired the three contestants were in close company, coming for the line with a big head of speed. Zephyr was first across at lhr Omin losec, v/ith Pastime lhr Omin 22sec and Onawe lhr Omin 27sec. The short l lead to the reef buoy saw Pastime and Zephyr engage in a luffing match, while at the same time Onawe was slipping away for the mark. Onawe was first to haul on the wind for the weather journey. Pastime was next, with Zephyr close on board. The weather journey was not long in progress before Pastime assumed the lead, and Zephyr did not improve her prospects by making a short board, and going about in midstream. When the boats again came in view, Pastime had a commanding lead from Onawe, with Zephyr in the rear again. • No alteration of consequence took place throughout the race, ancl Pastime finished an easy winner at 4hr 2min 52sec, followed by Onawe at 4hr 19min 38sec, and Zephyr at 4min 22min 50sec. YACHT EACE, for yachts not exceeding onerating. First prize £... Bettina (W. Sinclair), •59-rating, Smin 2oscc ... 1 Aone (A. L. Smith), '90 rating, scratch also started. Aone was first away, but Bettina was not long before she showed in front, and at the completion of the first round had a very long lead, so long in fact that Aone at this point discontinued the contest, leaving her solitary rival to finish alone. SHIPS' BOATS SAILING. First prize £5, second £2. H.M.S. Lizard's cutter (Lieut. Boyle) 1 Four -other boats from H.M.S. Lizard also started, but the weather was too boisterous for most of them, and only the cutter completed the course. THE BOWING EACES. The strong north-east wind raised a rather uncomfortable jobble, and this was especially unfortunate for the crews rowing on the outside courses. However, it is doubtful if, under other circumstances, any of the results would have been different. In the Maiden Double Sculls and Pairs there were fields of eight in each, and keen contests were produced. Timarn, which rowed very well indeed, won the

Pairs, having Akaroa for their nearest opponents at the fini.h, but iv the Sculls the tables were turned. The youths' events also brought out good fields, and in the Pairs and Double Sculls the Akaroa couple again demonstrated their superiority by winning in hollow fashion, while in the Youths' Pairs, Sinclair, of Lyttelton, repeated his Akaroa performance. There were only two entries in each of the senior events, but Union and Little River provided good races. The former won the Scriils and the latter the Pairs. Union _anuexed the Junior Pairs, with Canterbury second. There were two protests. Canterbury protested against Timaru in the Maiden Pairs for boring them, but the referees, with the information at their disposal, had no dilliculty in disallowing the protest on the ground that each crew was some distance off its proper course. There is no doubt that the best crew won "Avon-protested in the Junior Pairs; as they were interfered with by a- passing steamer. This, was, no doubt, true, but the umpires ruled that as each boat had to submit to its own-mishaps, and as this was not a mishap due to any of the other competitors, the protest could not be entertained. ' Avon, however, had tho sympathies of all rowing men in the regrettable occurrence. The following are details : — MAIDEN PAIR-OAK RACE. I'irst prize £S, second prize £o. Timaru I? owing Club ('•V. O'Callaghan bow, F. M'Cnlloiiffh stroke) 1 Akaroa Boating Club \h\ Porhaui how, J. Woodill stroke, G. Black cox) 2 V.M.C.A. Bowing Club (J. A . Redpath how, F. Saxton stroke, L. Hugh cox) " Union, Wairewa, Canterbury, Lyttelton and Cine also started. There was a strong breeze blowing at starting time, and a good deal of difficulty was experienced in getting the eight boats into line. Just after starting a slight foul occurred between Timaru and Canterbury, but it was not suiiieient to aitect the result. Timaru. commencing to forge ahead, had a commanding lead when turning the buoy, with Uuiou, Akaroa and V.M.C.A. in a bunch, the others failing off. Timaru, rowing splendidly, continued to increase their lead, while Akaroa and V.M.C.A. led tbe others. Timaru Avon by iivo lengths, with Akaroa half-a-length in front of V.M.C.A., Union well up fourth, Wairewa fifth,' Canterbury, Cure and Lyttelton in a bunch. No time was taken. SENIOR PAIR-OAK RACK Prize, £12. Wairewa Boating Club (W. Heed bow, C. Chapman stroke, Reed eoxi 1 Union Rowing Club (C. Ehert bow, W. F. Samuels stroke, O. Barnes cox) 2 Wairewa jumped away with tho lead, and, rowing with plenty of life, had a good lead in passing the wharf. When they turned, Wairewa had a lead of three lengths, and although Union made repeated efforts to catch the Little River men, they were without avail. Wairewa won by fonr lengths. Time — 9min 39sec. JUNIOR PAIK-OAK RACE (New Zealand Rowing Association definition). First prize £8, second prh'.o £". Union Rowing Club (F. A. Moore bow, A. Nicholls stroke, 0. Barnes cox) 1 Canterbury Bowing Club (F. bi. Wright bow, L. W.Appleby stroke, H. Winstons cox) ... 2 Wairewa Boating Club (G. Coop bow, r. 31' Manus strode, A. Reed cox) 3 Avon, Lyttelton and Timaru also started, Akaroabeing absentees. Union were first away, with Lyttelton and Canterbury closo up. Just after the start Avon were much hampered by a passing steamer. The race was very close for the first half of the distance Union being still in the lead, with Lyttelton, Wairewa and Canterbury pushing them closo. Union turned first and, maintaining their advantage to the end, won a well-contested race by two lengths, with Canterbury second, two feet in front of Wairewa, Lyttelton fourth, the others close together. Time — 6min 23sec. PAIR -OAR EACE, for youths nnd»- twenty-one years of nga. Fir3t prize £?, second prize £3. Akaroa Boating Club (G. Whelch bow, J. Hemingway stroke, G. Black cox) 1 Lyttelton Rowing Ciub (3. Bamford bow, S. Sinclair stroke, G. AVilson cox) 2 Wairewa Boating Club (T. Nutt bow, T. Williams stroke, A. Read cox) 3 Lyttelton, Canterbury, Cure and V.M.C.A. also started. This was a good race. Lyttelton (Sinclair) went away with a strong lead, hotly pursued by Akaroa and Little River, with Lyttelton (Webb) close up. Sinclair had a commanding lead on turning, but was unable to maintain his position in the row homo against the wind. Akaroa won by two lengths from Lyttelton, with Wairewa a length away third, Lyttelton (Webb) fourth, the others in a bunch. Time — 6min 22sec. SHIPS' BOATS ROWING RACE (four oar^).. First prize £10, second prize £3. Enseuada (Captain Toye) 1 Brunner (Captain Spence) 2 Landscer (i 'aptain Stahl) 3 Ensenada was the first to show in front, and won comfortably by four lengths. Time — I6min 23sec. SESIOB DOUBLE-SCULLING RACE. Prize £12. Union Rowing Club (C. Ebert bow, W. F. Samuels stroke, 0. Harnes cox) 1 Wairewa Boating Club (W. Reed bow, P. M'lilanns stroke, A. Read cox) ... i This was an excellent race for a mile. The two boats turned together, but half-a--mile from the finish Samuels spurted anc won by four lengths. DOUBLE SCULLING RACE ; for youths undo) 1 won ty-one years of age. First prize £8, secont prize £3. Akaroa Boating Club (G. Whelch bow, J. Hem- Ja ingway stroke, G. Black coxi ... H Wairewa Boating Club (T. Nutt bow, T. Wil- fl hams stroke, A. Reed nox) fl Lyttelton Rowing Club (S, Bamford bow, S. ■ Sinclair stroke, G. Wilson cox) H Cure aud V.M.C.A. also started. H Lyttelton and Akaroa assumed commanH

at the start, with Wairewa in hot pursuit. Lyttelton went to the wrong buoy, and fouled Cure. Akaroa at this time had assumed a strong lead, while Wairewa had worked into second place. Akaroa won in hollow fashion, with Wairewa second aud Lyttelton third. Time— Cmin 22sec. MAIDEN DOUBLE SCULLING RACE. First prise £?, second prize £3. Akaroa Boating Club (P. Perham how, J. Woodill stroke, J. Black cox) 1 Timaru Rowing Club (W. O'Callaghan bow, P. M'Cullough stroke) 2 Union bowing Club (A, Juriss bow, L. V. Ebsrt stroke, 0. Fames cox) " Lyttelton, Gtnterlmry, Cure, Wairewa and Y.8f.0.A. also started. This was an excellent race between all the boats for half a mile. Akaroa were first to the turning buoys, with the others all in a cluster. Lyttelton turned very badly, and in the row home against the wind Akaroa forged ahead at a good pace, while Timaru and' Union engaged in a heck and neck contest. Union were defeated by three feet for second ..place, Lyttelton 'being fourth, with the others in a cluster. SINULK SCULLING HACK. First prize £5 seoond £2. , Union ßowinsr Chih (W. I. Samuels, Barnes cox) 1 Wairewa Boating f.lnb (W. Read, Head co_) ... '2 Wairewa Boating Club (_\ M'Manus) ;' 3 Avon (Wheeler) also started. Samuels aud Read went away in company, ancl on turning, the former had tho advantage, with M 'Manus aud Wheeler close together. Samuels came away on the row home, beating the Little River man by four lengths, M'Manus third and Wheeler last. SINGLE SCULLING RACE, for youths under twenty-one years of age. Prize £3. Lyttelton Mowing Club (S. Sinclair, AVilson cox) 1 Akaroa Boating Club (G. Whelch) 2 Akaroa (Hemingway) also started. Whelcnand Hemingway appeared to have a slight advantage over Siuclair when they had rowed a quarter of a mile, aud they turned in close company. In the row home against the wind Sinclair, who was favoured by the best position, took command, and although Whelch pushed him hard all the way, the Lyttelton man won by a boat's length. Hemingway gave up two hundred yards from home.