AQUATIC NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6065, 31 December 1897, Page 4

AQUATIC NOTES.

[By Jason in " Canterbury Times."! The weather curse, which appeared to affect Lake Forsyth when the Christchurch Regatta Club held its annual fixture there, seemed likely to depart wheu tho foreigner left it in disgust and tho running was taken up by a local committee. The first Little River regatta last year was favoured by splendid weather, but last Monday the old curse was as prominent as ever, though not sufficiently so as to prevent the holding of the regatta, for the course selected by tho officials is less affected by wind than the old one. As the excursionists passed across th« Ellesmere flats, and the wind bowled and the rain squalls beat on the cars, prospects looked anything but rosy for a successful gathering. The rain cleared off, however, and though the high wind remained, it blew less fiercely and steadily in the afternoon, and when the train wended its tortuous way along the shores of tho lake on its homeward journey the mile course was almost as smooth as a mill-pond on a calm day. Naturally, under the discouraging conditions, matters progressed none too satisfactorily for the committee. A delay at the start, which might have been picked up under happier circumstances, was gradually added to, until two hours had. been dropped, and the last event, the Youths' Double Sculls, was not rowed, though Akaroa went over the course. Whether ! the committee will recognise the performance is another matter. The officials did ' all that was possible to mend matters, but j their efforts were nullified by the time taken by the crews in rowing to the start against the wind, and the trouble the starter had in getting the boats in a ! fairly decent straight line, the wind blowing them all over the place. ! The crews which rowed a rather short, catchy stroke had most success. The long stroke practised by most of the town crews met with little success. Ido not take the result of the racing as any criterion of the merits of the various crews, and fully ! expect in some cases to see other crews \ winning at Lyttelton on Saturday. The Maiden Pairs was won by the light Lyttelton crew, who rowed a short, sharp stroke, admirably suited to the conditions. Union, who were expected to win after their Akaroa experience, were much too laboured ; 'but Wairewa rowed a lively stroke, and so did Avon, who made a splendid finish. The same Wairewa crew caried off the Maiden Double Sculls after a rattling sprint at the finish with V.M.C.A., who failed to last. What the result would have been had not Canterbury and Union fouled, I cannot say, but I shall expect to find Canterbury somewhere about at the finish at Lyttelton. The Senior Pairs v/aa the surprise of the day. In the absence of Samuels, the Avon stroke, who was down with influenza, Canterbury was much fancied, but they utterly failed to , negotiate the broken water, and gave up after trying for. half a mile. The downfall of Wairewa was quite as unexpected, and the performance of the Avon crew, with Wheeler, an untrained man as stroke, either makes them a wonderfully good pair or Canterbury and Wairewa nraeh- overrated. The Union crew, who won, rowed surprisingly well. Nicholls rowed with great dash, and Lee kept splendid time, which was very necessary under the cireivustauces. Chapman seemed somewhat laboured in his work, and kept the one-length stroke going even when challenged at the finish by Avon. In the Senior Double Sculls, Chapman and Eeed had an easy win, Avon and a second Wairewa crew, with W. Chapman (who rowed untrained), making a splendid finish. In rowing two such splendid race 3 in a practically untrained condition, Wheeler is deserving of the highest commendation. With Akaroa absent, the Junior Double Sculls was regarded as a very open affair, but the untried Wairewa crew (Williams, who had been taken from the Seniors and placed with Coop) proved much too good for the others, and Union, who were rather fancied, were only just able to beat Lyttelton for second place. The V.M.C.A. were out of it, this being the third race of the stroke man Phipps. whose day's work, on the whole, was very satisfactory. The Pairs was won by Lyttelton somewhat easily. At Akaroa this crew and Union rowed a dead heat ; on this occasion Union had no chance of settling the question of which was the better crew, as stroke's slide carried away after a few strokes had been rowed, and it was Wairewa who hunted Lyttelton home. Akaroa, the " dead bird " for the Youths' Pairs, met unexpected opposition from Avon, who had them all out at the finish. The meeting of these crews at Lyttelton should prove decidedly interesting. The Lyttelton light weights rowed a good race, but Canterbury seemed unable to stand the pace. The Wairewa Club finished first in the matter of prize money, securing <£2S for three firsts and two seconds ; Lyttelton, with two firsts, took £1± ; Union", with a first and a second, .£l2 ; Avon, with three seconds, £8 j Akaroa, with one first, .£7 : V.M.C.A., with one second, ,£2. Mr A. E. Craddock had a trying time starting at Lake Forsyth, but he got through his arduous day's work very successfully. Not a complaint was heard from a single crew, and I doubt if any other person has so worthily filled this, responsible position at Canterbury regattas. Certainly no one has during recent years. Among those missing from the band of boating men who visited Lake Forsyth on Monday, was Mr F. D. Kesteven, who for the first time for something like twenty years, failed to see a regatta held within easy distance of Christchurch. Another regular attendant at regattas that I missed was Mr J. R. Evans. The ranks of the old hands are gradually thinning. What Little River rowers would do withiout those two enthusiastic sportsmen, Messrs H. D. Buchanan and W. H. Montgomery, it is hard to say. Not only do they take a lively interest in ,the Waiwera Club, but their services are freely placed at the disposal of the Regatta Committee, and two better workers in their respective offices could not be found anywhere. The stench arising from decaying matter was almost unbearable at Lake Forsyth. Fortunately, it was not quite so much in evidence at the finish as it was farther up the Lake. Had it been the high wind and rough water would have been minor troubles compared with the horrible, nauseating odour, and I am thinking that the regatta would have, been left entirely to those directlj interested in carrying it out. I had a chat with Chapman at Lako Forsyth on Monday about his trip to tho other side. He was greatly disappointed at having only one opponent in tho Singlescull Championship of Victoria, after having gone to such an amount of trouble and expense in.preparing himself for tho event. He was unable to say hoir it camo to bo reported that ho intended to visit England, as there was no truth whatever in tho report. The rowing in Melbourne is, to his idea, considerably above whnt ho saw in Sydney at tho Ualmain Regatta, mid ho says those who saw the old Queen's Drivo crew have a good idea as to the Victorian style. Alluding to tho short outrigger shell used by Chapman in tho single-scull championship of Victoria, "Tridont" writes as follows iv tho Australasian :— Slio is v short boat, and naturally has mom bciun to provide her buoyancy, aud aho is deeper from stem to stem. Tho idea hns always prevailed that a bout short as sho would not hold her way between tho strokes like tho ordinary wagor boat, but this idea was dispollod wluju Chapman was fairly going. Tho comparison between tho two boats unmint l>o bull or described than by faying that tho wnger boat is to tho stum]) outrigger what tho "ordinary" bicyclo is to tho pneumatic*, safety. Many of us when wo suw tho first pneumatic safety thought what a clumsy machine it was compared with what wo then thought tho graceful " ordinary." 1 would not be surprised if in the course of a few years the wager boat will bo us obsolete as the " ordinary " bike.