AQUATICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIV, Issue 806, 17 August 1905, Page 12

AQUATICS.

(By

“The Reefer.”)

On Saturday morning Charles Bailey,, jun., put afloat a shapely little power launch, which he has just constructed tothe order of Captain George McKenzie. The new vessel, which was named the Huia, is a 30-footer of the “Milkmaid” class. < * • * B. B. Kieran would appear to havestruck his best form in England. Swimming at Leicester last Wednesday he defeated the English champion Billington by fifteen yards in the half-mile championship, doing the distance in 11min 28sec, which is 16 2-ssec slower than Kieran’s own world’s record made at Farmers’ Baths, Sydney, on March 18, 1905. # Now that he has struck form the young Sydney swimmer Kiernan continues to gather in championships galore. He competed at Stockholm on Saturday and won the 100 Metres Championship, doing the distance in 70 2-sser. In the 500 Metres Race he hoisted the world’s record of 7min 18 2-ssec. Kieran also won the mile m 28min 2 l-ssec.

After winning the great sculling championship Stanbury had a great reception when he arrived at his home at Nowra on Wednesday. He was escorted from the railwav station by a large number of residents and a brass band. There were also many decorations, the principal buildings being ornamented with the champion’s colonrs. Stanbury, who was accompanied by his wife, W. Beach, T. Bourke. J. A. Beales, M. Cranney and other sporting men, was entertained at luncheon, at which the Mayor, Aiderman Peak, presided. The afternoon was spent in a trip on the Shoalhaven ..aver, and the night at a concert and dance.

From the numerous articles r n*l paragraphs that have been recently appealing in the daily journals, it would seem that motor-boat manufacturers or enthusiasts possess extremely sanguine views regarding the future of their craft. One writer pictures the Atlantic liner of ten years hence fitted with internal coinbustion engines, in lieu of steam, either of the reciprocating or turbine type. To

fulfil such an anticipation (says the London "Sun”) a fuel of much less inflammable nature than petrol will have io be discovered. It would be a bold voyager indeed who would care to cross the Atlantic in the company of sufficient petrol to supply engines of 10,000 horse-power. It is probable that in the future internal combustion engines may be designed capable of more successfully consuming one of the heavy oils that has been found possible up to the present. * * * *

The great sculling race which took place on the Thames between Beach and Gaudaur, September 18, 1886, is recalled by the Sydney "Mail'”: The Canadian had trained especially for this particular contest, but Beach had been in training for some time, having taken part in the sculling sweepstakes a few days before, in which he beat G. W. Lee, August 30, G. Bubear, August 31, and John Teenier, September 1, this being the final heat. On the day of the Gaudaur-Beach race the tide was fairly fast, and there was a favourable breeze. Gaudaur was ■quickest away, and soon led the champion by a quarter length, which was steadily increased, but Beach then not only held his own, but drew level in less than a-quarter mile, and so they racea after rowing imin 23sec, to Bishop’s Creek. The champion led by a half length at the half mile, and by threequarters of a length at Craven Cottage steps, where the time was 2min 53sec. Gaudaur came up a little, but again fell back and at the mile post was a length behind. The time was 4min 51scc, and there had been so far a very hard race. Gaudaur eased a little, and Beach drew away nearly another length, at the Soapworks, time 7min 20sec. At the Hammersmith Bridge Beach narrowly escaped Tunning against a pier, and touched it with his right hand scull. His boat was nearly upset, and was thrown across the course, but he passed with a lead of two lengths in Bmin 58sec. Gaudaur closed the gap rapidly, and was soon only a half length behind, but Beach had the better water, and once more drew away, leading at the Oil Mills by three-quart-ers of a length. At Chiswick Eyot Gaudaur drew up again, and was soon almost level, but Beach reached Chiswick Church (2imin) with a good half length’s lead in 13min 55sec. Beach was rowed out, and so was Gaudaur, but the former was so done he had to stop and Gaudaur passed him by half a length. Beach, after •resting for a few seconds, gave chase, and caught the Canadian, but had to stop again. "For God’s sake have a look at him. Bill, he is worse than you.” ■said the champion’s pilot. Beach renewed his efforts and drew level just beyond the Bull’s Head. Gaudaur spurted again and passed under Barnes Bridge in 18min 57sec. with a lead of four or five feet, but this was his last great effort, and he fell back a beaten man. Beach was soon, well to the front, crossed over, and took Gaudaur’s water, and eventually won the race of his life by three lengths in 22min 29sec. The betting at the start was 5 to 1 on Beach, but at half way down the course it was 20 to 1 ■on Gaudaur, and freely laid. It was this great contest which made Beach’s reputation in England, for he had never been given much credit for his defeats of Hanlann.

The famous American oarsman, J. A. Ten Eyck gives some useful advice in the New York "Sporting News” on rowing. He thinks that style, for which so much is sacrificed, is unimportant. It used to be the tendency, and is now to some extent, to put style before everything else. Endless lessons were given on how to hold the oar, how to get forward and back in exactly the same style, how to use the arms and so forth, and, meanwhile, the essential point, that of making the boat go fast and keeping it going fast for the required distance; was lost sight of. It is impossible for a crew of four or eight men to all pull and look exactly alike; each will have (within certain limits) his own peculiar way of pulling the stroke and recovering, and if you force him to adopt anyone else’s way. that of the stroke oar, for instance, or ■of the man who sits in front of him, the appearance of the crew will, ’tis true, be more pleasing to the eye, but the pace of the boat will necessarily suffer. Two or three, perhaps, will be doing their best, but the rest will be handicapped by trying to row like someone else; the fellow with the long arms and body will not reach far enough, while the fellow with the short arms will over-reach himself, and so on. A crew of four or eight solid and sensible men should be made to ■ clearly understand that they must throw the whole weight of their bodies on their oars, and that they must not dip them into the water one instant sooner than they can begin to do good, nor keep them in one instant after they have ceased to ■do good, and that the oars mu_st remain in the air as short a time as possible. If they can be taught to thoroughly master these few common sense principles ;and use them, they need not bother about

anything else. The refinements will come with practice, or if they do not come it is no great matter. A crew should take long and frequent rows, and sooner or later they will instinctively so accommodate their various styles to one another as to produce the best general result, and they will at the same time, acquire the endurance, without which no style is of much avail. Good rowing is like good acting: it can be attained only by constant rehearsals. Practice constantly, and that degree of excellence will come which is bound to turn out a winning boat. Catch at the beginning of the stroke with arms straight, apply the shoulder life and the leg drive together. This is a tradition. With suggestions from the coach, each man should be allowed to find out for himself how he can most advantageously use his power. And then the constant practice of the crew should teach each member of it how to maintain his best form, and yet so accommodate it to the others that the final results shall be of the best. Let the aim be not to copy anyone else’s style of rowing, but to make fast time, then we will have races, and the winning crew will win because it contains the strongest and best trained men, not because its stroke has this, that, or the other title. Less theory and more common sense are essential to good rowing.

While there will be no race for the America’s Cup this season, two international yacht races between the United States and Canada have been arranged for August. The more important will probably be for the Canada Cup, now held by the Rochester Yacht Club, which will be sailed on Lake Ontario. This Cup, which was first offerer. by the city of Toledo, was won by the Canadian yacht Canada in 1816, and afterwards presented by the owner of the Canada as a perpetual challenge cup. In 1899 the Chicago Yacht Club challenged for the cup, and, represented by the Rochester Club’s Genesee, they succeeded in recapturing the trophy, defeating the Canadian defender’s Beaver without much trouble.

In 1901 the Royal Canadian yacht Invader defeated the American defender Cadillac of Detroit in three out of four races.

In 1903 the American yacht Irondequoit, thanks to the skill of Addison Hanan, of this city, recaptured the trophy for America, winning the race after the Canadian defender Strathcona had the first two races to her credit.

The races this . year will be between 20-footers, and three boats have been built by each country, from which the challenger and defender will be ultimately selected. Of the American boats, one is from Gardner and Cox designs; another from C. F. Herreshoff’s plans, which was built at Lawley’s, while the third was designed and built by C. J. and W. P. Pembroke, of Rochester. The new Canadian boats include a semifin racer called Hamilton IT., designed by William Johnson, of Hamilton; a Fife boat for Fred Nicholls, of Toronto, and a boat from designs of Alfred Mylne for James Worts, of Toronto. All of these boats, which are of the pole-masted, sloop-rigged type, measure about 50 feet over all on a 30-foot water-line. They have about 9J- feet beam and draw about 7 feet of water. The other race will be for the Seawanhaka Cup. which is held by the Royal St. Lawrence Club, and which has been challenged for by the Manchester Yacht Club of Massachusetts.