MR HENNING'S CHALLENGE.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 678, 12 January 1883, Page 3

MR HENNING'S CHALLENGE.

To the Editor. Sir, —I am afraid th.t both you and your readers must be weary of the letters re Pinafore and Drenm, but Mr Henning's last letter contains so many mis-statements that I feel bound to correct them, as otherwise it might be considered that I admit the ir truth. In the first place, Mr Henning says I have declined three challenges without reason assigned. Now, I have done nothing of the sort. I declined to race just immediately before the Lyttelton Regatta, but expressed my willingness to have another race afterwards. He then goes on to say, *■• In your last issue, however, he offers to race, provided he gets choice of weather, which is a confession that the Pinafore is a better all-round boat." Now, there is not one word of truth in this statement. My words are, " I shall be quite ready to gratify him with another spin, especially if he will agree to the condition that there shall be a good sailing breeze." If these words mean anything, they mean that I will sail him in any case, but would prefer that there should be a stipulation that the boats shall not start unless there be a good sailing breeze. Does Mr Henning for one moment believe that the last two Regattas have been fair tests as to the all-round sailing qualities of the boats ? If he does, he | must, I think, be the only man in Akaroa who holds this view. Why, every one knows that the race the year before this was a complete drifting match, and this year the wind was very light indeed. At this time of the year the wind is light two days out of three, and if Mr Henning really wanted to test the boats, I tbink he would agree to what I propose, namely, that some third person should determine if there was a good breeze or not. I was in hopes tbat Mr Henning would have kept his promise to send his boat to Lyttelton, though, as the day turned out, he would probably have beaten me again. Finally, I will only say that I think Mr Henning over-rates his boat and under-rates the man who has sailed her. In my opinion, the success of the Pinafore at the last two Regattas has been owing very much to the admirable manner in which she has been sailed, coupled with a more than average share of luck on the last occasion. This, with the extreme lightness of the wind on both occasions, has given her an easy victory ; but what we want to know is, can she do as well with a strong breeze, with a sea on. Let her do this, and I will be the first to admit her superiority. No one denies that in light winds she is the fastest sailer in the harbor, but boats are not buiit to sail in light winds only, and until she chows she is equally good in stronger breezes, no one whose opinion is worth anything will consider her the best allround boat. I shall be happy to race again on my boat's return from Lyttelton, whether Mr Henning agree to my condition or not, but if he really wishes to test the boat's capabilities, hs certainly should agree to my proposition.—Yours, etc., W. B. TOSSWILL. Green Point, January 6th, 1883.