YACHTING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 775, 26 March 1910, Page 12

YACHTING.

[Br Mahtsiteit.]

FIXTURES FOR THE SEASON. March 28—P.N.Y.C. annual picnic. April 2 —Special race for second-class yachts. The end of the yachting season is drawing to a close., The season as far as racing is concerned has been-a very successful one. A very fair number of racea have been held, and the weather, as awholo, has been good. One race remains to bo sailed, and this will take place on tie first Saturday in April. The race is for a trophy valued at about £4 45., and should bring out a large number of starters. On Monday the P.NXC. holds' its annual picnic. : Tho locale has not yet been decided, but, if the weather is'at all favourable, it will be. held at Day's Bay. The yachts will form in a procession, and leave the boat harbour at about 10 o'clock or half-past. Members' friends who aro not going over in yaohts or launches will be able to catch the ferry steamer, which will leavo the Ferry Wharf at about 10 o'clock.. . The challenge race between the yachts Nancy Stair, Nanoya, and Lizzie caused great excitement last Saturday. The race was won, easily by Nancy Stair,' which carried the Janet's large racing mainsail. The Nanoya. came in nest; followed by_ Lizzie. i '•'■''■ There being no club race on Saturday afternoon last, most of the yachts went for a', cruise round the harbour. Siren. Wairere, and Kotiri were at Scorching Bay.. A good strong northerly breeze was blowing, which imposed on Wairere the necessity of reefing. Altogether about a dozen, launches were at the Bay, tho occasion being the P.N.M.B. Club's annual picnic. • A good hard northerly gale raged on Suuday, the yachts leaving, the boat harbour with reefs down, and Siren experienced some difficulty in trying to get out of the boat harbour.. It appears that she had 1 dropped her moorings overboard; and, after a couple of unsuccessful attempts to • get' out, dropped • anchor in the fairway. The launch Riuhi came along at last and took the : Siren in tow, letting' her go some distance from the' boat.harbour.' Most of tho yachts spent tho day,' at Scorching Bay. ■ .:'. ..•. THE SAYONARACUP.. ■..'•' Once again (says last week's "Referee") the 1 Sayonara, Cup has been raced for, and once again, the Victorian boat has proved the faster. "When Mr. Walter Marks set sail for Port Phillip, via Hobart (Tasmania), in Culwull 111., it was confidently expected. by Sydney yachtsmen; that whatever difference there might be in the matter of speed between tho challenger and defender, the balance would be in favour' of the Sydney yacht, but for the fourth time the Victorian boat has shown herself the superior in this . respect. And, whatever decision may be arrived at in regard to the first heat as to whether by the aid of a' time allowance Culwulla 111. is entitled to the cup or not, the fact still remains that the thirteen-year-old Sayonara is pre-emi-nent in the matter of speed, and should she retire from further /competition: in. inter-State racing, she will leave, the field with the satisfaction of having mado history for the cup, and with an unbroken Tecord so far as supremacy is concerned. '■.'"

Even allowing for.the splendid skill of the defender's skipper, ■ and the fact that the challenger in'comparison was under-canvassed, Sayonara showed when lio great amount of-skill waa required in sailing down tho wind -that she was more than a match for Culwulla. 111.

The match was sailed under ideal conditions in regard to weather, although the wind on the': first and. last occasion was a trifle too light for the requirements of Culwulla 111., which deprived of. her big topail so as to enable her to come within the 10metre, rating,' was at a big disadvan-' tago. ' -..''•"; ; ' • ■'■"' '■'-. '.■■' ■"■■■-

The challengor was built under the present rating, ride as a 10-motre boat, and under her smaller jackyard topsail her actual ratidg is 9.95 metres. ; The defender'was built under the old linear rating rule,, but under the new rule she. rates at 11.42 metres, and would bo classed as a boat of 12 metres. Consequently, if the .time allowanco ' as claimed is .allowed- by the. British, Y.R.A., to whom the matter, is. to be referred, Sayonara would .have toallow Culwulla 111. 35sec. per mile, or a total allowance for the first race of llmin. 40sec, which would give her the race, and as a result of the secondcontest, in which she finished ahead of the defender, the cup would come to Now South Wales for the first-time. It is a great pity, for the sake of the sport, that the' differences in opinion in regard to the matter were not settled before the race, as the result cannot now be known for some months to come. ' - .'■ ■:••■■■■'''

Tho first race was sailed in a very light sou'-westorly breeze, the course being laid ifor a ten miles beat to windward and return. The ' start was- a splendid one, Culwulla 111 getting away just 3sec. in advance of Sayouara. For the first few minutes after the start the'challenger held her advantage, but .it was soon evident that the defender was holding the better wind, and the first quarter of an hour saw the latter to windward instead of to leeward. Both boats were getting through tho water at about the same pace, but Sayonara was holding a better, wind.; -The' latter worked' out to tho weather • mark .in long boards, and as her i skipper grew accustomed to his charge,, ho sailed her with greater freedom than he did at the outset, when she appeared to be slightly pinchedxin.the wind. Marks, on the other hand, failed to get Culwulla 111 settled down on her course. Ho worked his tiller frequently, and 'appeared not to be quite sure as to how high.he should point in tho wind, and making shorter boards .Culwulla 111 lost ground, and at the weather mark was9min.; ssec. behind her rival. Sayonara rounded the mark at 4hr. 22min. ;7sec., the beat.out thus taking over 2hr. 22min. to accomplish. Spinnakers were soon set for the run home, and over this portion of the course Culwulla 111 picked up a few seconds! as a result of Sayonara not sailing so direct a course. The latter crossed tie finishing line at 5.63.50, with Culwulla 111 Bmin. 26sec. behind her.

The second heat was sailed over a triangular course of seven knots a side. The start took place in a smart breeze from the sou'-sou'-west, just sufficiently strong to have lee rails awash. Culwulla HI again carried her smaller topsail, while Sayonara had her big topsail aloft; They got away to a splendid start, Cnlwulla 111 being again first across the line. In tho fresher breeze the latter reversed the order of things ; by holding a better wind than did her rival, which, under her big topsail, was over-oanvassed. Not realising this fact, Skipper Parker, to make matters worse, ran his jibtopsail aloft, and what with the time wasted in sotting the extra, and the harm the sail did her, Culwulla, ■was Stopping it out in rare style, .eating well into tho wind. Sayonara carried her jibtopsail for about half an hour, when it was taken in. The wind had now freshened • considerably, and Culwulla 111 was making good head in a rising soa, and opening out from her oppouont. During the thrash Sayonara had the misfortune _ to strike troublo with her throat halliards, and although tho mishap caused her jaws to drop some 12 or 18 inches and throw her sails out of their proper setting, it did not affect tho result. Culwulla 111 fetchod tho weather mark at 3hr. 31min. 3850 c., Sayonara rounding 4min. 12sec. later. On the reach to the next mark tho latter was ablo to reduce Culwulla

Ill's lead by 27sec., the challenger leading round the second mark at 4.23.55, Sayonara following her at 4.27.40, or 3min. 45sec. later. Culwulla had her spinnaker out in good time for the run homo, but Sayonara's crow were late in setting their extra. The latter, however, over this portion of the course gained lmin. lOsec. on the leader, the finishing times being: Culwulla 111 shr. 17min., and Sayonara "shr. 19min. 35secl ' ■'••' The hope that a good Btrong breczo would be on hand for the final race was not realised. The wind was of the light order, and in consequence it was only in keeping with things that Sayonara should again be well sailed in regard to tho weather conditions. As in tho first race, tho .course, was again laid for a 10 miles beat to, windward and return. At the start-the wind came in light from tho south, but as tho afternoon advanced it got round slightly to. the east of south. Sayonara was tho first to get away, but Culwulla 111 was close on her heels. As in Frirace, tho defender held a better wind than her rival, and she at once started to repeat her performance of that day by opening out from the Sydney boat, the times at the windward mark being: Sayonara 4.9.55' and Culwulla 111 4.17.35; Thus the Victorian boathad a lead of 7min. 40sec., and this she increased down the wind to 13miu. 12sec., or lmin. 32sec. more than Cul-. wulla's allowance would be under-the, Y.R.A. scale, if such be applicable. The finishing times were: Sayonara 5.45.39 and Culwulla 111 5.58.51. Some little time must necessarilyelapse before it will:be known which; State is entitled to the now famous trophy;