AQUATICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIII, Issue 769, 1 December 1904, Page 13

AQUATICS.

(By “ The Reefer.”)

The weather conditions on Saturday and Sunday were just the very thing for the week-end cruise, and a great many yachts were away from their moorings in consequence. * * * * The b’ig yawl Volunteer is in commission again, and looks in splendid order. She flies the pennant of Vice-Commodore A. Alison, of the R.N.Z.Y.S. * * * * On Saturday week the Logan-built cutter Petrel won the Heather Cup in Sydney for the second time in succession, and the handsome trophy mow becomes the property of Mr Dempster. * * * * I notice that the Sydney yachtsman, Mr Chinnery, well known in Auckland, has been converted to the motor-launch. Certainly Port Jackson is an ideal place for these little vessels. . * * * *

The programme of the championship rowing regatta to be held this year under the auspices of the Wellington Rowing Association, is as follows :—Champion sculls, prize £5 and 10-guinea trophy, also the right to hold the Pearce trophy for a year ; champion double sculls, prizes £l5 and £5 ; champion fours, prizes £lO and £lO, or if an Australian crew competes the prizes will be increased to £OO and £l5. The regatta will take place about the end of February, and crews have been invited from Australia.

There was plenty of life at some of the leading vards on the western side of Queen Street on Saturday morning. Charles Bailey, jun., launched the new ferry steamer Albatross, for the Northcote ferry service. She is a fine looking vessel, the principal dimensions being : Length, between perpendiculars, 125 ft ; beam, 27ft ; depth, moulded, lift. She is built on a puriri and kauri frame, ironbark beams and bulkheads, and keelson and engine beds, with kauri planking and decking, and is sheathed with copper. She has very roomy accommodation for about 900 passengers. The machinery is compound surface condensing of 300 horse-power, the engines having been made in England.

Another addition to the harbour fleet is the Pitoitoi, built to the order of Messrs Bradney and Binns, bv I'ailev and Sons. She is a tunnel launch, 7C’ft 0.a., 16ft beam, and 3ft (>in in draught.

The new launch built bv I'ailev and Lowe for the Rotorra service is a very shapely-looking vessel, having considerable passenger accommodation, and should do well on the Lake during the season’.

For the IOC-kilometre motor-boat race on the Seine at Maisons-Laflite, France, on October Hi, five boats lined up. Or? the pistol being fired they dashed off. the water was lashed into fury before they could get ciear of one another, and the fragile craft tossed dangerously. The Trefle a Quatre was bumped violently against the Mercedes 1., and before the latter could recover itself it was swamre-d and went down stern first. The steersman managed to jump (dear and swim ashore, but the chaffeur was carried down with the boat and drov,n?d. The other comnetitors continued their course, and the race was eventually won by Ramm II I. (Panhard 110 horse-power) in the record time of 2hr 30min 59 l-ssec, or nearly thirty miles an hour.

An offer has been recently wade of a Challenge Cup. of the value of 25,G00 francs, by a French enthusiast. This Cup is offered for motor boats employing oil as fuel, of such a character as io be suitable for colonial service. Those boats must be of a minimum length of 39 feet, and must attain a minimum speed often knots an hour. Each boat. whether dockiod or otherwise, entered for this Cup must be so constructed ns to be usable first for touring purposes, secondly for the transport of troops or of goods. The Cup is to be run for at Trouville annually in one stage of ten hours. The classing will be governed by (1) number of kilorns. run : (2) the fuel consumption during the run. The winner of the Cup will receive a money prize of 1000 francs, and the second boat classed 500 francs. Again, Mons. Charley, the wellknown French Mercedes agent, does not think it at all probable' that a petroldriven motor boat could travel from Now York to Havre “on its own.” He therefore proposes to offer a sum of

50.000 francs to the first person who is able on such a craft to cover the distance between these two ports. The prize is worth trying for, and we should therefore not be at all surprised to see the offer taken up. In the meantime, from America Air S. B. Bowman already has gone one better by offering M. Charley 20,000 dollars if ‘‘ he ” will cross the Atlantic in such a boat, a challenge which M. Charley has accepted, provided the stake is first deposited in a hank.