GREY RIVER.

West Coast Times, Issue 159, 22 March 1866, Page 2

GREY RIVER.

man water. Thursday ... 1.28 a.m. ... 1.52 p.m. The Ltttklton Boat Race.— The excitemont of tho election day at Lyttellon was greatly enhanced by ono of tho best matches wo ever saw sailed between two yachts — tho Mist and tho Rip. Tho former is tho property of a ship carpenter, Mr. Anderson, who has built her himself, and sailed her on Saturday. The Rip, a much smaller boat, is the property of some gentlemen in Ly ttolton. The day was porfect for a sailing mateh — a very smart single-roof breeze blowing from tho south-west, ' and fairly steady. Both th© boats are good racing models, but, especially the Rip, much too low in tho wator to be sailed in a match with open hatohes, as was UlO case on Saturday. In neither of tho yachts was tho canva3 at all up to tho standard of tho hulls. In faot, to a yachtsman's oyo, thoro was not a thoroughly well cut sail on either boat. Tho main&U of tho Mist is an ugly low peaked sail, whßst that of tho Rip showed a shaking leech, which ought to lose any boat a cup. Tho start, which was effected by the umpire, Captain Gibson, the port ollicor, was admirable. Tho course was laid out from tho Govornmont buoy, off tho jetty, round tho buoy off Rhodes Bay, thoiv up tho harbour, round tho middle roof, and baok rouud the flrat buoy ; ttree times round, making about sixteen milos in all. Tho Mist, which in much tho hoavior craft, and spreads a squarcr maiusail, mado bottor running than hor rival : but the Rip ie, wo think, the faster boat on a -. TOnd. Tho wind was froo to tho lowor buoy, \v but, on beating up to the roof, tho Rip got away on tho first round, and hor advanta^jras increased by tho Mist carrying away hor bot>Btay, and having to lio to for sovcral minutoß to^apair damages. This accident added greatly to fbxrintercst of tho raco ; for, on rounding fcho reof tho first timo, and bearing up for the jetty buoy, tho Rip seemed to have it all her own way. On tho second round, however, sho mado tho fatal mistako of standing up tho harbour with a long leg, whilst her better sailed antagonist worked up the weather shoro by short tacks und in smooth water — a matter wliich would have boan of even more importance to the lighter craft than to her hoavior antagonist. Tho result was, that at tho end of tho second round, tho Mist had mado up nearly all the distance she had lost on the first round. When tho two boats rounded the buoy after aftor the second turn, tho Rip leading, and tho Mist only two or threo CRbles, lengths astern, tho raco created the most exoiting interest, and the knowing ones began to predicf ..the result. However, tho struggle was still prolonged ; for, whilst tho Rip had beaten on tho first round, and tho v Mist, by recovering all her loss, had boon tho winner on tho second, tho sailing on the third round was far more equal. Tho Mist, however, gradually tnadp up her whole loss, wont ahead in founding tho ' reef tho last time, and won by 21 Beconds, in addition to the 30 seconds or thereabouts which she had to givo for difference in tonnage. Wo hope this race may bo • tho prelude to many more. Lyttelton is an admirable harbour for yachting ; , and tho ' uncertainty of the winds, which tho neighbourhood of high lund always creates, only adds to tlio iutercst, by calliug for a higher degreo of skill. Wo should like to see such an amount voted annually for sailing prizes ,as should encourage the building of first class yachts. To an insular community tho encouragement of yachting is of oven more importance- than 01 horse racing. Wo remember v/b&n prosont at tho Queen's visit to Cherbourg ' In' 1858, boing more struck with the indication of England's naval power afforded by a licet of •oyeral hundred yachts, than oven by tho men-of-war and tho P. und O. Co. 'a stoamors ; and it was the yachts which mado tho greatest impression on tho French.