RACING IN ROUGH SEA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11672, 12 April 1916, Page 5

RACING IN ROUGH SEA.

YACHTSMEN IN TROUBLE. A series of accidents occurred in connection with the combined cruising race for yachts and launches which was held at Auckland last Saturday afternoon. Six of the Wait-em at a clubs combined to make the final day's racing of the season noteworthy, and Islington Bay, Motutapu, was .selected as the destination. A strong south-west wind, wi£h occasional squalls, was blowing, and a high sea was raised in the liarbolir. The I fleet of yachts made a fine spectacle as f they raced' with .reefed mainsails before | the wind. The squally nature of weather caused much: trouble. AVhen rounding North Head the twenty-foot; mulletboat I? cm a capsized and sank, and her crew were rescued with.jcliffieulty. The North. Shore Yacht Club's firstclass boats Ilex and Heartsease were una-blo to eonmlete the journey on account of accidents. The Heartsease broke her boom on North Head and' the (lex had her mainsail blown out in the Motutapn-R a kino passage. The mullet boat Starloeh also "had her mainsail blown mva.y. A Grammar School boy has built and rigged' a twelve-foot open boat, and : tbTr ho sailed in the race to Islington i!av and actually finished the course. The crews of most of the yachts had a particularly rtrpmious time, and on , many occasions it was only good seai n:r.nship- that .saved craft from disaster.