Letter Box

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30956, 12 January 1966, Page 9

Letter Box

YACHTING I wish to reply to the inaccurate and ill-founded remarks made in your column, “Messing About in Boats,’’ about the Canterbury Yacht and Motor Boat Club. Firstly, the C.Y.M.B.C. was not the host for the recently held catamaran contest. The premises were hired by the Canterbury Catamaran Squadron at a fixed rate which is the same for all those who require the use of the premises. The hire of the club’s modern pick-up boat at £4 per day is quite reasonable when you take into account that we supply the driver, fuel, buoys, and two-way radio. The contest was held over six days, not seven. The Canterbury club is not aiming at paying off its building—it has paid it off, but the club does intend to improve the existing facilities with hot showers, asphalted rigging area, an area fenced off for wind protection from the east, and the widening of the existing main slipway at the bottom. The existing facilities are quite adequate for the members who have paid for them and sail there every Saturday, but when association regattas and national events are held the facilities do become over-taxed, and it is the outsiders and non-members who do the complaining, so to cater for these people why should the present members pay all? Those running an event must be responsible for contributing to the improvements we have in mind. Lastly, my bet is that the person who is going to give the committee a copy of “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is not a member, or if he is. he would not be seen at any working bee. As a committee member I feel the club is going from strength to strength in spite of the subscription being higher than any other centreboard club in Canterbury. So we must have something, even if it is only the best stretch of yachting water in Canterbury.—A. W. SHIELDS.