AQUATICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XV, Issue 885, 21 February 1907, Page 10

AQUATICS.

(By

“The Reefer.”)

THE CHAMPIONSHIP REGATTA.

The big Championship Regatta was held at Lake Forsyth, near Christchurch, on Saturday, crews competing from all over New Zealand. The weather proved bad, rain falling most of the time. The results were as follows: —

MAIDEN DOUBLE SCULLS, in association clinkers, one mile; first prize £7, second £2. Akaroa Boating Club (E. Woodill " bow, T. Clements stroke, O. Hemingway cox) 1 Christchurch Amateur Rowing Club (A. Marriott bow S. Moore stroke, Woods cox) 2 Star Boating Club (J. Kerslake bow, R. M. Brewer stroke, E. Buckeridge cox) 3 Blenheim, Avon, Wellington, Otago, Lyttelton, and Union (Christchurch) also started. Won by 2ft.

CHAMPION FOURS, in best-and-best boats, two miles; first prize £5O, second prize £lO. Union Boat Club, Wanganui (D. Corby bow, J. Green 2, C. Drew 3, W. Sharpe stroke, O. Henley

cox) 1 Picton Rowing Club (H. Western bow, A. Perano 2, A. Jackson 3, C. Perano stroke, G. Couch cox) 2 Blenheim Rowing Club (J. H. Morrison bow, W. J. Girling 2, E. T. Heglun 3, J. M. Jackson stroke, G. Lucas cox) 3 Canterbury, Port Chalmers, Waitemata, Invercargill, Lyttelton, Christchurch Amateur, and Wanganui also started. Won by a length.

CHAMPION DOUBLE SCULLS, in best-and-best boats, one mile and ahalf; first prize £l2, second prize £2.

Akaroa Boating Club (G. Welch bow, J. Woodill stroke) 1 Cure Boating Club (G. Templeton bow, F. Barnes stroke) 2 Star Boating Club (A. T. Bendall bow, A. D. Bayfield stroke 3 Union (Christchurch), Union (Wanganui), Otago and Blenheim also started. Won by three lengths.

MAIDEN FOURS, in association clinkers, one mile; first prize £l2, second prize £2. Blenheim Rowing Club (A. Norgrove bow, A. Norgrove 2, G. C. Griffiths 3, Mutton stroke, G. Lucas cox) 1 Canterbury Rowing Club (R. H. Webb bow, J. L. C. Merton 2, S. Lightband 3, F. W. Suckling stroke, W. Fraser cox) ........ 2 Lyttelton Rowing Club (E. Raffer bow, G. McCormack 2, D. Bamford 3, E. Gillard stroke, L. Coffey cox) 3 Union (Christchurch), Christchurch Amateurs and Oamaru also started. Won by a length. YOUTHS’ DOUBLE SCULLS, in Association clinkers, one mile; first prize £7, second £2. Canterbury Rowing Club (L. A. Dougall bow, G. S. Collyns stroke, J. Porter cox) 1 Christchurch Amateur Rowing Club (W. Beaumont bow, F. Ryan stroke, Gray cox) 2 Union Rowing Club, Christchurch (G. Arnold bow, T. Booth stroke, I. Sullivan cox) 3 Lyttelton, Akaroa, and Star also started. YOUTHS’ FOURS, in association clinkers, one mile; first prize £lO, second £2. Canterbury Rowing Club (R. E? Fitzer bow, T. O. Fox 2, J. S. ; Collyns 3, L. A. McDougall • stroke, J. Porter cox) ...,... 1 Star Boating Club (E. D. Hacon bow, L. A. Marchant 2, A. R. Bremer 3, F. Turnbull-stroke, H. Bothamley cox) 2 Oamaru Boating Club (W. McCombie bow, R. H. Hinkley 2, S. Walls 3, J. Smith stroke, E. Creagh cox) 3 Avon, Union (Christchurch), Lyttelton, and Christchurch Amateurs also started. Won by 2ft. JUNIOR DOUBLE SCULLS, in association clinkers, one mile; first prize £7 second £2. Union Rowing Club, Christchurch E. O’Brien bow, T. Ker stroke, J. Sullivan cox) 1 Akaroa Boating Club (E. Woodill bow, T. Clements . stroke, . O. Hemingway cox) 2 Lyttelton Rowing Club (J. Gallavin bow, A. Fenton stroke, G. Caln cox) 3

Christchurch Amateur, Wellington, Blenheim, Otago, Avon and Star also started. Won by a length.

JUNIOR FOURS, in association clinkers, one mile and a-half; first prize £l5, second £3. Blenheim Rowing Club (C. Costello bow, A. Thompson 2, T. Heffer 3, N. Jordan stroke, G. Lucas cox) 1 Star Boating Club (E. Johnston bow, H. S. Barron 2, W. J. Buckley 3, W. O. Wilkinson stroke, H. Bothamley cox) 2 Union Rowing Club, Christchurch (H. Mansfield bow, E. O’Brien 2, T. Ker 3, D. Mahony stroke, J. Sullivan cox) 3 Canterbury, Christchurch Amateur, Lyttelton, Invercargill, Lyttelton No. 2, and Avon also started. Won easily. CHAMPION SCULLS, in best-and-best boats, one mile and a-half; first prize £lO, second £2. Akaroa Boating Club (G. Welch) . 1 Union Rowing Club, Napier (C. H. Poll) 2 Star Boating Club (G. H. Fell) ... 3 Canterbury (A. S. Hardy Johnstone), Invercargill (E. S. Perry), Star (A. T. Bendall), Avon (W. Samuels), Christchurch Amateur (P. J. McEntee), and Star (C. E. Rowland) also started. Won very easily by many lengths. EXHIBITION SENIOR FOURS, in best-and-best boats, one mile and ahalf; first prize £l2, second £3 (open to any crew except first and second in champion fours). Blenheim Rowing Club (J. H. Morrison bow W. J. Girling 2, E. T. Heglun 3, J. M. Jackson stroke, G. Lucas cox) 1 Canterbury Rowing Club (H. •S. Hobbs bow, H. Ayers 2, J. S. Guthrie 3, E. C. Little stroke, J. Porter cox) 2 Port Chalmers Rowing Club (E. Jones bow, J. Glengarry 2, F. Keenan 3, A. McDonald stroke, A. Smith cox) 3 Invercargill, Union (Christchurch), Christchurch Amateur, Waitemata (Auckland), Lyttelton, and Wanganui also started. Won by a foot.

CHAMPION PAIRS, in best-and-best ■boats, one mile and a-half; first prize £l2, second £2. Akaroa Boating Club (L. Diteley bow, M. C. Kearney stroke) ... 1 Blenheim Rowing Club (C. T. Heglun bow, J. M. Jackson stroke) 2 Union Boating Club, Wanganui (D. Carley bow, W. Sharpe stroke). 3 North End Boating Club (Dunedin), Canterbury Rowing Club, Christchurch Amateur Rowing Club, Picton Boating Club, Union Rowing Club, and Cure Boating Club also started. Won by five lengths.

Moana sails on Saturday for a fortnight’s cruise to the Northward.

Mr. W. C. Robinson, hon. sec. of the N.Z. Power Boat Association, was tendered a farewell evening on Friday prior to him leaving for Wellington. The occasion was made a very festive one, the departing yachtsman being given some hearty cheers. I have not heard who will take up the responsible duties of hon. secretary.

The Manukau Yacht Club sailed off a sealed handicap on Saturday, for which there were nine starters. Amua won on time by 8 sec from Mana,, which had 17sec to spare from Mascotte. Marama won the motor launch handicap from scratch in the easiest possible fashion, Elsie being second an d Mil dur a thir d.

It must be admitted that the class racing of the Royal N.Z. Yacht Squadron on Saturday was something of a failure. There were no entries for classes D and E, while there were only two starters in Class B and three in Class C. In the former Rangatira tackled Ngatira over a 21knot course, and, leading throughout, came home lOmin 59sec ahead. For Class C the three competitors were Thistle, Wairiki, and Speedwell. Thistle drew well away, but the other two had a keen fight over the course throughout. The finishing times were: —Thistle, 6hr 33min; Wairiki, Ghr 42min 37sec; Speedwell, 6hr 43min 54,sec. The motor launch championship fell through, there being but three entries, Ripple alone putting in an appearance, and she was not taken over the course.

Thelma has returned to moorings after a fortnight’s cruise to the Northward, . during which Messrs. Jagger and friends had a very pleasant time.

Mr. J.' Hodgson and some friends are away on a Northern cruise in the

oil launch Geisha. With fine weather no doubt all will go well, but I should hardly have thought the boat suitable for so long a cruise.

Mr. C. T. Brockhoff’s yacht Rawhiti, in charge of Captain Pardon, made Port Jackson last Saturday morning after a tempestuous and hindered voyage from Port Phillip (writes “ Weathereye” in the “ Referee.) Four times the little craft was compelled to take refuge from the fierce gales; first of all at Queenscliff, and afterwards at Portsea, Cowes, and under Gabo. In Bass’ Straits, all along, very hard weather was encountered. After “the corner” was turned and Gabo left behind, better weather prevailed until Friday, when, off Jervis Bay, a violent thunderstorm, accompanied by vivid lightning and . very heavy rain, was met with. It is reported that rough and all as it was, the yacht behaved splendidly throughout, and accomplished the journey, exclusive of the time spent in shelter, in seven days.

The bad weather experienced by Rawhiti recalls the time when three Sydney yachts—Era, Volunteer, and Miranda—left Port Jackson for Port Phillip, some nineteen years ago, to compete for the five hundred guinea cup presented by Sir Wm. Clarke, Bart. Then the weather was so terrific in Bass’ Straits that all three yachts had very narrow escapes from destruction. Era fared better than the other two. Miranda, after receiving a very rough handling, turned tail and made for home, which she reached in a battered condition, Volunteer was forced to seek the shelter of Twofold Bay on two occasions, and, after having been blown some 75 miles off the coast, made Port Phillip with a crew that at one time were quite justified in thinking that “Davy Jones’ locker” was to be their future address.

A cable from Sydney on Monday says that in the annual race for the Gascciyne Cup the New Zealanders Rawhiti and Heather were rather easily beaten by Awanui. This is a new 10-metre cutter, and it was only the second race in which she competed. She belongs to Mr. A. C. Saxton.

Now that the new international rule of measurement has come into force in England, France, Germany, Italy and other countries, it goes without saying that it will be adopted here. The opportunity seems a golden one of introducing uniform classes in this colony and the different States of the Commonwealth. If this was done it naturally follows that the prospects for intercolonial racing would be much brighter, and anything tending to help along this should certainly be encouraged. In my opinion the two classes which should certainly be introduced are the 8-metre yacht (26.2 l.r) and the 10-metre yacht (32.8 1.r.). The first-mentioned is a very nice type of boat, particularly suitable for such ports where what is generally known as day sailing is the usual custom. In Sydney, for instance, this class of yacht would represent an almost ideal type, and once introduced would, I believe, be very largely built to. Much the same may be said of the 10-metre yacht, which would take in all the old so-called 30-footers, nearly all of which, however, exceeded that measurement. These two classes are particularly suited for intercolonial racing, in that the boats could be very easily carried on the decks of any of the larger steamers in the colonial trade. Whatever other classes may be introduced, I sincerely hope the 8-metre and 10-metre yacht will soon be an accomplished fact. It is said that at least three Auckland yachtsmen are ready to build to the 8-metre class if such a size is fixed upon. I understand that the Royal N.Z. . Squadron is keeping abreast with the times, and has already taken steps to learn the opinions of the leading colonial yacht clubs on the matter.

“ It used to be the height of my ambition to own an automobile,” said the worried-looking man. “And what i’s the height of your ambition now?” “ To get rid of it.”

In certain restaurants one may see displayed a polite notice to the effect that the management ■is not responsible for the loss of coats and umbrellas. In America they word this kind of warning more crisply. The following placard is displayed in a Broadway, restaurant: “If you’re too proud to eat in your topcoat, sit on it. It’s up to you if it goes.”