AQUATICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XV, Issue 879, 10 January 1907, Page 11

AQUATICS.

(By

“The Reefer.”)

From a news point of view there has not been much doing in the aquatic line of late. All the yachts, or nearly all, have been away cruising, and racing has been a dead letter.

The Royal N.Z. Yacht Squadron has a cruising race on the programme for the 20th inst., and a motor launch handicap for the same afternoon.

Mr. A. H. Pittar, the well-known international yachtsman, is contemlating building a large cruising power yacht. She will be the biggest boat of her kind in New Zealand when built, but Mr. Pittar has not quite made up his mind upon the point.

The Auckland-built cutter Rawhiti made a very fair, voyage from Sydney to Melbourne, the. actual salirig time being 4 days . 8 hours, A very , heavy gale was encountered with tremendous seas, but the yacht was run before it under a squaresail and foresail, and made good weather of it. The Sayonara Cup was to have been sailed for on January 5 and La Carabine Cup on January 17.

Logan Bros, are pushing ahead with the new power launch for Commodore Whitley of the N.Z. Power Boat Association. Her owner hopes to be afloat in her some time before the season closes.

The N.Z. Swimming Association has decided to elect two representatives to compete in the Australasian championships in New Zealand next February. Test races will be held over 100, 200, 440, and 1760 yds, and the 220yds and mile State championships, to be decided on January 3 and 16 respectively, will also be treated as test races. The result of the 100yds and 220yds tests will decide

the sprint, and the 440yds and the mile the long-distance reresentative.

The cutter-yacht Albatross had one or two rather exciting experiences while out on a ten days’ cruise during the holidays. Coming down from Matakana on New Year’s Day decidedly rough weather was encountered. When off Whangape reef, the painter of the 16ft. pulling boat gave way Two attempts were made to come about but the seas were so high that all attempts proved fruitless. The Clansman, travelling to Kawau with excursionists, happened to be in the vicinity at the time, and picked up the boat, which would otherwise have been lost. The Albatross had gone to Matakana in the hope ot some shark fishing, but the weather was too rough to permit the fulfilment of this portion of the programme.

Interviewed on board the Carmania on his return from America, Sir Thomas Lipton, in speaking of the Cup challenge, said: “My designer. Oh, yes, I have given that part of the subject much consideration. Fite will design the challenger. Still, 1 may decide to build two boats, and it I do, Milne will plan the second. The boats will be tried in English waters, and the fastest selected as the challenging craft. As to the type and size of the challenger, the boat will be cutter-rigged. Since I have been in America persons have endeavoured to impress me with the idea that a 70footer would be a better size to challenge with, but I like the larger boat, and shall stick to that size. What size? Why, from 80ft. to 90ft. In the coming match my methods of doing things will be very different from what they were in the preceding contests. I have never objected to expense in these races, and am not likely to do so now. I have paid the piper well for my three failures. I have always adopted every suggestion that seemed remotely to increase my chances of success, and I shall in the future be more thorough and give more careful attention to every detail of the arrangements for a match and the construction of the vessel or vessels. The new rule of measurement will produce a rational type of boat, and that will be a great deal gained. I fancy the challenging and defending yachts of the next match-will be- eloser together-in- the matter of speed possibly than they have been in any of the previous races in which I have been interested. * * * *

In Australian waters (says the Australasian) when nearly all the yacht handling, both racing and cruising, is done by amateur crews, and, except in occasional instances, the “paid hand” is unknown, it is singular that so little attention is paid either by the clubs or yacht-owners to the systematic training of their crews, either by competitive exhibitions or steady drill. In Victorian waters particularly we have a dearth of men particularly skilled in any one part or place of yachting seamanship, and one turns with interest to accounts which from time to time appear in American yachting papers of competitions in amateur seamanship and crew work. In one case a competition was carried out among the various crews of the club in question, which we should like to see initiated in these waters, the crews of boats of a given size were put through a series of manoeuvres and points were given for each of the following:—Getting under way from anchor, making sail, reaching and running, shortening sail and reefing, handling light sail, man overboard, coming to anchor, method generally. Each branch of work was started by gun-fire, and a watcher was placed on board boat to see the work was duly carried out, and notify the judge by signal. After an interval, during which the points scored were allotted, the next figure was started, and so on until completion. One noticeable feature was the difference of method of various crack crews. In sailsetting, one crew were concentrated upon one sail at a time. In another the men scattered and got on to all the work at once. After the conclusion of the drill the judges made their award, giving consideration to the all-round seamanship displayed. A very similar competition was organised in Auckland two or three seasons ago by Commodore Murdoch of he R.N.Z.Y.S., but yachtsmen did not take sufficient interest in it to warrant a repetition.

Considering the amount of rubbish that is cabled over it is rather remarkable that no information has been given from Melbourne as to the result of the big race for the Sayonara Cup between Rawhiti and Sayonara. Mr Brockoff’s cutter mailed round to Melbourne to contest the race, and local sportsmen would have liked to know how the Logan boat had got on.

For La Carabine Cup another Aucklandbuilt cutter in Heather will be a competitor.