YACHTING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18000, 10 November 1926, Page 6

YACHTING.

NEWS AND NOTES. FIXTURES. Saturday. .November 13—B Class and Junior Members' Races over Sumner Course. Saturday. November 20—A and r Classes over Redcliffs Club Course-: Saturday, November 27—8 and C Classes over Sumner Course. Saturday. December 4—Combined Race for President's Trophv over Club Course. Last Sat.urda*y was to’have seen races for two classes of yachts at. Redcliffs, but owing to a shortage of crews the A class race was postponed, the C class boats being the only ones to race This is the second race to be postponed this season, the B class race on the last Saturday being a fiasco owing to the failure of the wind. It is to be hoped that the remainder of the races can be sot off to time-table or the disruption consequent on the holding of the Sanders Cup contest in Lyttelton this year will find the usual racing programme behindhand. Seven bofts started in the C class race in ft real nor'-west gale. All were reefed down and carried heavy weather Gad Fly, the new Takapuna 11-footer, was first across, followed bv Fidget, Alerte. Brownie, Bluebird, Eureka, and Spray. As soon as the boats got into the outer channel n hard thresh to windward commenced in the considerable sea raised by rhe opposition of the wind and the strong flood tide. Fidget took first place, with Gad Fly and Alerte fighting hard for second place all the way to windward. After passing Skylark Island, Alerte lost time in shaking - out more sail in a desperate attempt to overtake the leaders. She dosed up again, but Fidget followed suit just before reaching the Heathcote buoy, Alerte then shaking out her full sail. Fidget rounded first, about 2Jmin ahead of Gad Fly, with Alerte and the others following. On the run back Gad Fly gave a, great exhibition of planing and gained considerably on Fidget, whose weather stay gave way in a hard squall about that time, making it necessary to nurse her for the rest of the race. Gad Fly rounded the Tripod first, followed by Alerte and Fidget, the two latter having considet-ahle difficulty in the squalls through having shaken out their reefs. Mistaking the course, Gad Fly overstepped the Avon buoy and lost several minutes, which cost her the race. Alerte and Gad Fly. rounded together, but on the run home Gad Fly shook out her reef and drew away slightly from Alerte, finishing first by some 20see, Alerte second, Fidget third.' and Brownie fourth. the others having retired. Brownie gained first place on handicap time, after having sailed a good race. The results were as follow: Brownie (4mln), L. Loader, finishing time 4.40.10, corrected time 4.36.10 1 Gad Fly (£cr), T. Treleaven, finishing

time 4.36.22, corrected time 4.36.22 2 Alerte (scr), B. G. Hampton, finishing time 4.36.42, corrected lime 4.36.42 3 Fidget, (lmin), A. T. Round, finishing time 4.39.5, corrected lime 4.38.5. On land, every road a**tormei)l. of fine wind-blown dust, clogging the eyes, gritting between the teeth: every tree rocking and swaying, seeming in realistic physical pain; hot. dry. arid, existence outdoors almost a misery. On the water, rolling wave after rolling wave, the face of the water one sheet of dull yellow-brown, splashed and laced with white where the crest of a. swell gives way and topples in a desperate attempt to race ahead. The clean salt tang of wind-blown spray driven in sheets a.nd gusts over the crew, perched to windward and well to weather: again, sheets | free, nose in a trough, water curling and foaming over the bow. tiller hard across and mast bucking and swaying perilously, threatening at every moment to carry away with the splintering crash so dreaded, so long expected. Now the bow clears, leaps to the top of the wave, riding on her stern, sheets of flashing water hurled feet clear from just abaft the bow, boom dipping and rolling, crew braced as the sturdy craft seems literally to leap from wave-crest to wavecrest. Wet, but glorying in the feeling of power, the mad enthusiasm, the excitement of the moment. These are the memories, the tales to be told arid re-told, the heart and soul, the cream of the yachtsman's life. All these and more were the joys, the triumphs of those who dared the strength of the good "old man” nor’-wester on Saturday last, and raced through the thick of ii. all over the Redcliffs Club course. The babies of the fleet, the little ten and twelve-footers, starting out with heavy crews, reefed low and bucking the. gale, not satisfied with this, a slight lull being sufficient to induce further efforts, mains unfurl, and away again in a smother of spray, full spread, every stitch drawing, eager and keen to close on the leaders, to fight through the seas and brave the new-freshening gale. Good luck to the tiny craft and their daring crews, and may this he the spirit always present, the spirit that has put Canterbury at the head of the list, for this season at least, the premier yachting province of New Zealand. A hard nor’-west. on Saturday was followed by an almost equally bard north-easter on Sunday, and although a good number of the Redcliffs boats enjoyed a good day’s sailing they were nearly all reefed well down for comfort if not for safety. Despite this, however, a number of minor mishaps occured, including quite a string of capsizes. Two to Echo: two to Gad Fly, and one to Pal o’ Mine. Nothing daunted, all were, again soon hard at it, none che worse for their experiences. The new 20ft*crulser Meteor, built by G. MacDonald in Woolston, was brought down to Redcliffs last week-end and should prove a useful addition to the fleet. She is a very sturdily-built craft, with plenty of freeboard, and is very .roomy, with quite comfortable cock-pit space, a small cabin top and considerable beam. The only fault to be found with her would lie in the almost complete lack of sheer, with, the exception of the bow, where a fair rise is allowed for. Although this detracts rather from her looks it should not affect her usefulness, and she should prove a very suitable type of boat'for both Estuary and deep-sea sailing. A second addftion* # is F. Taylor’s Kiwi, which was la cinched on Saturday from Newberry's shipyards, - where she has been painted and overhauled. Kiwi was fitted out last season with a cabin top and furnished with bunks, cupboards, etc., being now a very useful craft for Christmas and Easter cruising. Another new arrival is the 12-foot punt Echo, brought down from Brighton on Saturday. If slie remains at Redcliffs she should prove a useful addition to the C class racing fleet. Dottrell will most likely take the water next week-end. her new owner having put in considerable time and effort in riveting and generally tightening up his 20-ft crack during the last week-end or two. Her rigging, sails and standing gear are' now all in order and nil she now requires is a final coat of paint. Myra, the beamy little craft which did a fair amount of sailing at Redcliffs and Lyttelton last season, was overhauled in Miller's yards at Lyttelton during the winter, being changed from cat to sloop rig, and fitted with a. new Marconi sail. She is the fifth to be thus changed to the one-spar rig in the last year or two. following the example of Ariti, Cordelia, Eureka, and Echo. The new Takapuna punt. Gad Fly, is also fitted with this increasingly popular rig. Myra will he painted on the club slips and afterwards will remain at Redcliffs to take part in the B class races under the club programme. The Sanders Cup trials should be soon commenced to pick Canterbury’s defender. Other provinces are also stirring after the winter’s slumber. and news from Otago states that Winifred wa.s credited with the first win in the eliminating trials held at Dunedin. Weather conditions were bad. but it. is interesting to see that Winifred, the only Sanders Cup boat to heat Betty, last, year’s winner, except the Canterbury yacht Secret, which beat Betty home by a narrow margin in a nor’wester in one of the trials in Lyttelton last season, has the first of the Otago trials to her credit. Winifred heat Betty in Dunedin last year in the race for the championship of Otago Harbour, in a contest for the Conn Cup. A light sou’-wester was blowing, with heavy rain. The conditions were eminently suited to Winifred, which has the reputation of a. light weather craft, hut it is doubtful if she could give such a good account of herself In a stiff blow in Lyttelton with the heavy seas to he met with there. Canterbury yachtsmen ore quite confident, that they still have the fastest boat in their province.