AQUATICS

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume X, Issue 479, 28 September 1899, Page 8

AQUATICS

By

Muritai.]

In the lOOyda English Championship decided at Sunderland on the 18th instant, J. H. Derbyshire, the English champion, won in 62 l-ssec. Lane, the New South Wales champion, was second, beaten by two yards. In the 300yds race at Blackpool, decided on September 9, Lane, the New South Wales swimmer, won easily, and established a record for the distance by swimmiug it in 3min 47 3-ssec. Auckland yachtsmen are already busy scrubbing and cleaning their boats for the coming season. So far as racing is concerned, matters will be rather slow, as there are no boats being built for Auckland ; but cruising is an excellent substitute.

The splendid cruiser Ngaru has changed hands. Through ill health, her late owner, Mr Bennett, has decided to retire from active yachting, but as a leading official of the North Shore Sailing Club he will not be Ijst sight of. Mr Alf. Gifford is the new owner.

Messrs Logan Bros, are giving the finishing touches to the 30-footer racing-cruiser which they are building for Sydney. She has plump, round lines, which give indicationof great power and speed. Mr C. Bailey, jun., is also making good progress with his 36-footer for oyduey. The annual meeting of the Auckland Yacht Club was held on Thursday evening of last week in the public room at the Harbour Board offices. The commodore, Mr J. A. Wiseman presided. After the annual report and balance-sheet had been read the following officers were elected : —Commodore, Mr J. Wiseman; vice commodore, Mr 0. P. Murdoch ; rear-commodore, Mr W. Jagger ; hon. treasurer, Mr R. S. Reynolds; hon. secretary, Mr G. Bellamy ; hon. assistant secretary, Mr Whitson; hon. auditors, Messrs J. C. Webster and E. H. Davis; hon. measurers, Mr A. Buchanan and Captain Gibbs ; committee, Captain t*ibbs and Messrs T. Henderson, H. Haines, J. Hardy, R. Masefield, F. Wilson, A Buchanan, E. V. Miller, H. F. Windsor, and J. Alexander. Messrs Haines, Murdoch, Henderson, Wiseman, and Buchanan were re-elected as a building and finance committee, and last year’s canvassing committee was re elected.

The annual subscription of the Auckland Yacht Club has been fixed at one guinea, and it has been decided that no entrance fee shall be charged to new members until sufficient debentures had been guaranteed for the erection of a club house.

Mr J. Ansenne was re-appointed delegate to the Amateur Sports Club at the last meeting of the Auckland Yacht Club. The new Yacht Club House should be a great boon to all yachtsmen, seeing that it will do away with all the troubles of carrying a dingy over the mud when the tide is out. There will also be good storage accommodation for the dingys, and a large number of roomy lockers ; and then last, but not least, a caretaker will have apartments at the top of the building, which will do away with the systematic cleaning out of all boat sheds by some of Auckland’s light fingered gentry. Mr Pittar is getting his 36-footer Rainbow in the water as soon as possible, so that he can give the 30-footer, which Logan Bros, are building, a trial in about a couple of weeks. The date of the first race for the America Cup has been fixed for October 3. The cable tells us that Shamrock, with a new mainsail of tremendous size, made a very satisfactory performauce in a trial trip the other day. The North Shore Sailing Club held its annual meeting on Monday of last week, Messrs Logan Bros, have received an order to build a yacht for Adelaide. She will be a bulbfinner, and will measure between one and two rating. The owner is a friend of the Messrs Ry mill, who were here last Christmas with the 1-rater Geisha.

The St. George’s Rowing Club held its six teenth annual meeting in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Parnell, on Thursday last. The Rev. Canon McMurray took the chair, and in his opening speech he congratulated the members on the sound financial basis of the club. Mr C. E. Palmer, hon. secretary, in reading his annual report, stated that the club had bought four new boats during the past season, and that the membership now stood at 77 active members and 13 honorary. Several new members were proposed and duly elected Mr S. Thorne George was reelected commodore of the club. The committee elected was as follows .- —Messrs S. F. Carter, A. McHardy, H. B. Gordon, >J. W. Winks, and H. Dunnage. Mr 0. E. Palmer, the popular hon. secretary, was again elected to fill that post. Mr J. Thomson was re elected captain, and A. G. Busby, deputy captain. During the past season the elub won the Ladies’ Plate at the New Zealand Championship Regatta, and both Senior and Maiden Gigs at the Mercer Regatta It was decided that the club should not to registered. Mr J. Thomson, the captain of St George’s Rowing Club was recently presented with a handsome set of silver-mounted carvers, also an oak biscuit barrel and a set of napkin rings, as a slight token of the appreciation and esteem of the club on the occason of his recent marriage. The West End Rowing Club will open the sea son on October 14 by holding trial fours, when the usual “ At Home ” will be given.