YACHTING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 676, 29 November 1909, Page 5

YACHTING.

. A DISAPPOINTING. RACE DAY. ''■ WHOLE FLOTILLA BECALMED. White sails dotted' the ,hartioiir thickly in the 'vicinity-'of the Queen's Wharf at "3 o'clockon Saturday;- afternoon; previous, to the starting -.'of. .the day's : racing.. Between , the wharf and Oriental Bay ; there wore;no fewer than 40 sailing boats,.'several of. them (lying topsails and every stitch of canvas they. , con Id hoist to catch .the vagrant.zephyr. The racing was .not a success,, the .wind dying' away to ; nothing, and several boats giving up, as there was little, 1 hope of negotiating the course.' :■ The starters in the second-class race were:— P-atronus, 20min.; Nancy Stair, 18min.; Viking, 15min.; White Heather, 6min.; Janet,,4min.; Mahina, '4min.; and Wairere,- scratch. The sounding of-.the/starting 'gun saw Wairere shoot away; by herself, White Heather and Pjrtronns following, and: then coming Janet, Mahina, Nancy Stair, and Viking in tne order named. The leader appeared, to keep a'slant of wind with her, and soon obtained a good lead, but; the wind died, right' away at length, and left the fleet something in the predicament described; in Coleridge's "Ancient Mariner"—"as idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean." The result was that the course was not. completed, and the race was declared off. Janet; Wnite Healer, and Wairere arrived home at 7.40 p.m. ■- The handicaps in the third-class race were:— May, 20min;; Karaka, 18min.; Nanoya, lOmin.; Raw'ene, Smin.; and Lizzie,.'scr; This race was also declared off, 'Lizzie being the only boat which tried to complete the course. -Tlio only competitors in the fourthclass, event were:—Tuna, ' 3min.; Maahunui, 3niinl; "and : Warchou,' scr. .' Maahunui rot : r»d after being becalmed for.an hour or so."but the other two boats finished the course. Warehou was .first ,home, ! arriving., at . 7.20 p.m. - Tuna finished at 7.45 p.m. As the race was not finished before 7, plm. it will have'to be resailed." ' TE ARO SAILING CLUB. ,The opening of the season of the-. Te Ato Sailing - Club, /.which was- to" have taken placo •:on.' Saturday,; had to be- Abandoned on '• account of the l ock of. wind.- Tho club is to hold •'•t» first race next Saturday. 'V:. . ■- . DINGHY RACING. ... The .first of the series of-:three championship races under the auspices of the Thorndon Dinghy Sailing Club was got off on Saturday afternoon, in a light changeable' breeze. The .starters .were .Zel, Blowfly, Eona, and Vera. At- the close of. the first ''..circuit, of the course th'ero was only two seconds between Zel and Blow-fly. Bona camp next four minutes. later, tho* .difference between. her and' tho last. boat, Vera,-being only two seconds. On commencing the second. round the,. vtind fell away, and a dead calm, delayed. progress off-the To Aro Bcth's." A light air then, made' its , welcome presenco' felt, and the boats spread out, Zel taking-the lead,, ivith Blowfly next, Vera third, and .Bona ; last.• ■'The finish was in this- order, the finishing times beingZel, shr. 27inin.; Blowfly, :.shr. 29inin;; Vera, shr. 35min,; and Bona, shr. 40min. The club will commence its Wednesday eventing -contests this week, when Mr., Georgeson's trophy; will be : competed for. MOTOR BOATS. .The Port Nicholson." Motor Boat. Club, had a relay race set 'down for ' Saturday - afternoon, but owiris; to ohe ot tho'boats not turning cut | the raw"had to be postponed. ;.