YACHTING.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVIII, Issue IV, 23 January 1897, Page 95

YACHTING.

At a general meeting of the Auckland Yacht Club held on Tuesday, January 12th, the following fixtures were arranged for the coming season :—Class D. (30footers) —First prize, cup presented by J. L. R. Bloomfield, Esq. ; second prize, £2 10s ; entrance fee, 10s ; to be run on January 23rd. Class C. (36-footers) —First prize, £j 10s; second, £3 10s; entrance, ros. Class D. (30-footers) —First prize, £5 ; second prize, £2 10s ; entrance, ios ; to be run January 30th. Sealed Handicaps —Entries close for the above on Wednesday, January 20th. Cruisers’ Handicap—For all yachts that have not competed in any class race during the season ; to be sailed in cruising trim in accordance with Club rules ; first prize, £5 ; second prize, £3; third prize £2 ; entrance, ss; five boats to start, or no second prize; ten boats to start, or no third prize ; to be run on February 27th ; entries close 24th February. General Handicap race, open to all Club boats —First prize, £5 ; second prize, £3; third prize, £2; entrance, ss; to be run March 27th ; entries close 24th March. Messrs A. Buchanan, D. Carter, and F. W. Mace were appointed a Handicap Committee. The date for the annual picnic was fixed as February 20th, and it will be held at Motuihi. Captain Gibbs, Messrs H. Bloomfield, G. Gilmer, A. E. Hughes, Bellamy, G. Edgecumbe, W. Parsons, R. Logan, J. C. Webster, C. Murdoch, R. S. Reynolds, and F. W. Mace were elected as a committee to arrange a programme of sports. This is a much desired innovation, as in former years the whole of the work in connection with the sports was left to one man ; it is hoped no one on the committee will shirk his responsibility. Mr D. Carter submitted a petition signed by a majority of the members of the Club, who asked that the question of the annual subscription be re-considered. Mr Carter explained that it was thought by members that a guinea subscription was too high. The Club would lose many members, and would probably be affected in other ways. The Commodore (Mr T. Henderson), and others spoke in favour of reducing the subscription, and eventually the amount was fixed at half a guinea for the year. A good deal of feeling was displayed by members over the letter from the owners of the yacht • Waitangi,’ in which the Yacht Club was asked to decide a dispute in

connection with the recent Ponsonby Regatta, when the ‘Waitangi ’ was disqualified by the Regatta committee for alleged fouling of the ‘ Mahoe.' The chairman (Mr T. Henderson) said that as they had no information from the Regatta Committee, the Yacht Club could not take any action in the matter ; the Club had been treated in a very questionable manner by the Regatta Committee, because although the Committee had asked permission to refer all disputes to the Yacht Club, when such disputes did arise, the Club was not referred to in any way. A resolution was then carried to the effect that a lette r be sent to the owners of the ‘ Waitangi ’ stating the Club had no power to deal with the case ; and a letter was also sent to the Regatta Committee, regretting that the disputes had not been referred to the Club. Now this is all right as far as it goes, but it doesn’t go far enough. Yachting will never be carried on in a proper manner in Auckland until there is one acknowledged authority on all questions affecting the sport. I thing lam right in expressing the opinion that the Auckland Yacht Club Committee are quite capable of posing as such authority. The Committee is composed of men who are enthusiastic yachtsmen, and who are competent, through a long experience of practical ‘ graft ’ on yachts, to express opinions on any questions relating thereto that may crop up. I have no idea what actuated the Ponsonby Regatta Committee in their unwise action, but there cannot be a doubt that, having asked the Yacht Club to adjudicate on disputes, the Waitangi-Mahoe affair should have been referred to them. No doubt the Regatta Committee are capable of deciding such questions, but it is the principle of one final authority that is involved, and I feel certain that when the Committee recognise this fact, they will, in the interests of this grand pastime, acknowledge the Yacht Club as the sole arbitrator of all disputes.

A new invention, termed Simpson’s Section Balloon Sail, has made its appearance at Home. It is modestly claimed that a yacht rigged with this sail becomes onehalf more powerful in speed than before, and, if there is anything in it, it should prove a blessing to slow yachts. Briefly, the proposed sails are described as being divided into squares like a draught-board, every other square containing a hole in the centre, about one-tenth the size of the square, and the intermediate loose pieces of canvas tacked at the corners to the sail containing the holes. Now the effect of the wind on the surface of this arrangement is this The wind strikes the sail at any point of the sailing in an ordinary manner, but escapes through the holes, and is met bv the loose squares of canvas tacked on the other side, which are at once distended by the wind. The sail is exactly the same construction on both sides, except that the holes in the sail are always covered with a square of canvas on the reverse side, the same size as the square containing the hole on the other. A yacht, for instance, running before the wind with this sail arrangement, will have every other square bellied out with the breeze, and thus the ordinary flat surface will be increased in area by 50 per cent.

The well-known yacht ‘ Mahaki ’ which has been so successful under the old rule, having won all the races for her class last season, is now hauled up on Logan Bros’, slip to undergo alterations, so as to better qualify her for racing under the new measurement rules. Her sail area will be increased, and she will have a new mast to replace the one that was sprung on Saturday 16th. These improvements, the builders think, will increase her reaching powers, and with additional lead on her keel will be a good deal stiffer. It will be interesting to watch how she behaves in next Saturday’s race, for 2% raters, as this is the first alteration made since she has been built. She has already won it once, so if she wins it again the cup becomes the property of the owners.

Messrs Logan Bros, are still very busy in their yard, and have under way two neat oil launches 01 their own design, and these they hope to have completed at the end of the month. One of the launches is being built to the order of Mr A. H. Norrisby, who has lately come to reside in Auckland. The boat is 35ft. over all, with a beam of 7ft 6in, and will draw about 2ft. of water ; she is diagonal built, with cut-water stern, and will be finished in the builders’ usual good style. There is a cabin at fore-end, 9ft. long, which will be neatly panelled and upholstered. The engine which is being built by a local firm (the Century Silent Motor Company), will consist of a 6 h. p. double-cylinder oil engine, which should drive her at a speed of from eight to nine miles per hour ; the engine will be placed amidships. Her deck and top sides are all close seamed, and will not require to be corked. She will be finished with a gold band round, and scroll-work on the fore-end. The other launch is for a Mr Philips, of Tahiti. Her length over all is 35 feet, beam 8 feet, draught 3 feet. She is diagonal built, with straight stem, and will be rigged as a yawl ; she is to be fitted with a 6 h.p. double cylinder oil engine, by the same makers as the other,

and will be half-decked. It is intended to put izcwtof lead on her keel, as the owner will use her for sailing a good deal —in fact, the engine is only to be used as an auxiliary power. We see by the latest yachting papers from Home, that the only alterations to the new rule regarding measurement are that the centre-board boats are to be measured with their centre boards down, the full girth being taken the same as the keel boats. In our last issue, in a paragraph relative to the North Shore sailing Club’s outing, it was intimated that a fuller report would appear in the next week’s issue. This should have read : —‘ A fuller report will be given of th next gathering. ’