YACHTING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 86, 4 January 1908, Page 9

YACHTING.

1 ,:;?• r.'. i;v- : y;' : »-RbT7-r-i?;'-"lC :v (Br Mainslieet) >. , COMING EyENTS -Jan.:. 18: —third race 'for. 14-footers, an 4 it, i•. ■ Handicap race for. Ist class yachts.:r .* ■_ Jan 22 —Annnersary II gatta J an; :,25.—Handicap .-, raceV for Ist; 2nd,: and ;. ,■ ; ,s. 3rd class< jaclits \ v - i iI I eb. 1. —Handicap races (for.. Ist class yacht* : y tor Mills Memoual y ' ~ 1< eb. 14.—Handicap races for Ist, 2nd, am? • . i ■ j-3rd-class;yacht?;"jj: r-;v

All Saturday (Dec. 21).- there was rush and hustle to get tho»Muntai off, the slip;,,where , . sboliiras°. up tor .Cleaning,. :and ready, .for her - trip'to the Sounds that night. By-9 o'clock . - everything • was' in readiness. The owner (Mr.- Guv lioggard) and crew (Messrs.' Patterson, Cook; and Allen)-got under wayjiat 11 ..o'clock;; and after, a beat out of- the en- ; •traiicp set" off with a free sheet, for Tory , Channel. 1 -" Tho' wind "dropped", for: about an , hour.. and- a • half and. then- freshened up nicely,-and tho- yacht got' insidothe..Channel at 7 a'.m., when the sweeps' Were called into ;.. ': Jackson saw tho boat, aud, gave a , ■ tow. with the Taniwha; his fino launch;- to an, •'\ anchorago In Jackson's Bay,,where the yacht: lay till 4-o'clock-the same-afternoon. - From .'tliero.-: shei; -cruised . round from.; bay,-.to bay, ... getting Rood fishing, -moderate: breezes, and-.; plenty-, of \ fruit.- On' Christinas morning the >■:.. wind sprang- up and compelled the -yacht,to - put- two reips m- for a run: across Tory Chan-. ■ rielii -Anchor was dropped about. 4 p.m.,. and sail, was set again, on tho morning- of Boxing l)ay,;U'ict'on'.':being made .at. 11. a.m. .-The writer?; -notes was, unfortunately, ~ CDmpelled'to return' by.steamer then,-owing to • an-.accident',: and therefore does not know the ; riirthor'Tniovemonts-of tho'-Muritai. Alto- .. . .BfitJiipr: the'ttnp was' moslj- enjoyable, -and all, on- board had a good time. . : . t;Tfi(f l 'BrooSyn ?acht Club'has under conkideratidii! a proposal by Commodore; Towen, to.-otter, a / v l aluablo-.trftpliy for' international contests on the lip.es that .have, been sug-•. gested .by Sir, -Thomas Lipton. It ..is-, said : that the,.Conimodbfe ,will, build a boatito .do-,;-fend the, .trophy'• if,'hisproposal is adopted,,. , and; a 'is ":rcceived. .. . ,• - Despite '.the "success of the boats designed by; Fife and Mylne for Spain last season (saya the. "English: Yachtsman" of November 14), the Spaniards,, have, placed .their orders ,for ; next year oivitn, German designers. These comprise .tjro ,10-metre. boats and three for tlie'.B-nietro;classl, . Ono of -thci 10-metre boats , is being-built; to,Jtheorjlor, of King Alfonso. The.-Uprinaiis/lit- seems; can do the'work of building.more'cheaply than wO'Can,:and, pos-, ;sibly,-!quite : well—for tho :purposcs..of l tho , r'uliJi llt 'is, a little disconcerting to find our prediction (that yacht builders-in:-this-'coun-.try."'might.jiaye;;-'littlo.-.reason',,to' bless the International; Rule) so sopiv As ■,'ii'e -pbintod outlast yearj.;'.Gerniany., js'' not .. . tadly"!'supplied■ ;with excellent , designers, .whilst,, at. thq same time, every successful ; ''racing'-3acht' which findsrits way ■to that ~ 'country from England or , America- is made , the, subject .'of the. niost- carfif uli"andi intelligent i: study. , In,', fact] ,we\ niay sum ;up - the. situa- ■ ;, tionc.bys,saying;that, so fas as yacutiUS iia ebnebrned; Germany is a 'Hiyd'' and, . mV:h.o'way. .has .this-'than"-m tiie. preponderating influence which slie";displayed-in 'the inception of .the Inteinational'Rating Rule. As we pointed out at tlic .time" hf tlic Loiulon Conference, Ger--, mahy's' intbrests completely ..'eclipsed those of this country and of France. ..' : y" ■ JS'oiv. that Sydney yachtsmen have. led the way: in an ocean race from. Port .Phillip Heads'to, Tasmania,' it. is about time that Auckland followed suit and carried out their promise of-a race from' Auckland to Sydney. Tiib dusting the Australians" received in their raco only goes to prove how a small wellfound yacht will weather; a pale in:.perfect 'safety! 7: W, iact; Mr. ;N. A'.«Pay,-. editor ..of 'Hiiidtierj-' -who; .-presentei-y.'sthe' 50-guinea 'trophy 1 " for' the Sydney; ocean race, says l, that ..if .lie;.,had to choose between- ar'igged, vacht and a loacled ;ocean steamer (a tramp), ho would have-the yacht to .weather a-cyclond every' time, and'this is from. a. nian who is recognised; as being-in ! the forefront / of deep-sea sailing and knows how to handle a" full-rigged ship.'-.Should the.New Zealand race come off it is almost certain; this, harbour would have an-able-.representative;-. Mr. Alan' Richardson, an enthusiastic . yachtsman, died' at his' parents'; residence , this week, and Wollingtbn thus loses ail en-thusiast-who'could ill be spared.• - v ■; " ■ AMERICA CUP. ' . >There has been a'great deal of discussion of lato amongst -,yachting, enthusiasts, in' reforeiico. 'to tho Ahiqrica Cup, and a, few particulars would not, porhaps, be out of.-place. Tho' origin of the cup was-the-great'lndiia-!tml Exhibition held iri Eugland ; in': ; tho year,lßsl,, to-which, all nations : pf- the .earth were 'iriyitocki Atthis' great gath'oririg: there was •, also to' be a contest- for .tho■ supremacy-or - tho sea's in pleasure sailing craft; as Britain ' ..was-undisputed-sovereign of .the-sea.'at thia dilto'. '. : '' "• . .To" compete in this race a champion schooner, the Americaj was sent to ■i'nglaxid. She-was designed'and built by, George Steers , in tho; yard,.of AY. 11. Brown. of New rork. Georgo Steors may well be said to have acquired his ability and talent by inheriting it from his father, who was.one of those fino old .men from Devoushire . that mado England what sho is. ; : Therefore,' when Americans "guess and .calculate" about how. they won with tho America they should just ;retiiembor' which country supplied- the genius and knowlc'dgo—England. ~ Some people believe ..that Ay. H; Bro\v;n, of NeifcYork;-was the buiidcr., : : Ho undoubtedly: 'supphqu the capital,: but ho gives all tho credit . of the creation of the yacht to George Steers.

' ' Tlio Now York Yacht Club, as tho of tho cup, have 5 used 'their position at various times to put difficulties in tho. way of competitors, tho. latest one being their refusal to accept,a sporting proposal fi-om Sir >Thomas Lipton to ..race in boats—not racing shells. Tho action of the' New York Yacht Club is condemned by all tho leading papers •in America, arid with good cause. Comparo tho America, of 1851 with''the latest.-freaks tho Americans have resorted to to win their races with. Ono is an honest production of a clover man who built his boat to bo known as a boat, and to his credit it may bo said that sho was onco tho fastest and most seaworthy craft that over left Sandy Hook. Now an Englishman, 'or wh'olo generations of .tbemi would not mind being beaten by such a.;praft—but when it conies to such; freaks as ltelianco ! How many of the .Americans would sign,.-oil for -a trip across the Atlantic in-'their , boats " which aro ' built to' last a week? To a yachtyrian, t-o visit America and see all those shells piled up is, a living nightmare. They aro tho''.tombstone of yachting, and i unless some radical eliango is made tho America Cup raccs will fall in the grave.