YACHTING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1402, 30 March 1912, Page 11

YACHTING.

[Bl MIINSHEET.] To-day (Satnrduy).-P.N.Y.C. Handicap . Races, for first and second-class yachts over No. 1 course. Saturday, April G.-P.N.Y.C. Auxiliary Race. Faster Cruising Club's Race to South Island. v Easter Monday, April 8.-P.N.Y.C. PicSaturday, April 13.-P.N.Y.C. Handicap Races, for first and second-class yachts. A Popular Commodore, "Tho Anchor,".an Australian yachting journal, in a special article on tho history of the Post Nicholson Yacht Club, has some complimentary remarks about the club's present commodore. We quote the following paragraph from the paper: "In Mr. Charles J. Ward, the club is fortunate in possessing a commodore who has the best interests of.the sport very much at heart. He is master and owner of Lizzie (one of), the crack boat of tho second-class, which was built to his order by Ted. Bailey three years ago, and- the prizes this craft has carried off go to prove that the commodore's forte does not lie exclusively in handling the club. Mr. Ward hails from the South of Bug-, land, where he first saw the light in the early sixty's, and where ho first becamo interested in yachting. Coming out to Christ church, it would seem that his inherent love of the sea was not satisfied in the 'City of tho Plains,' for ho migrated to Wellington, acquired a house as near the waters edge as could be, and imiu«liiitely commissioned Bailey to build him a tidy iitt'.c packet, which has for tho past two seasons carried his burgeo to tho fore ,in many good races;" Saturday's. Races! ~,,..'. '.'... - Tho second races of the third series were decided on Saturday afternoon last. The entries wero not large, but with beautiful weather prevailing the events were at. least enjoyable. The Mahina reached home first in the first-class race, with the Muritai in close attendance,' while the Siren and Viking finished in that order. t Tiss se»nd-clnss event fell to tho Lizzie, with Taipari second and Rnwcno third. In taking 15 minutes out of tho Taipari in this race, tho Lizzie registered a very smart perl'ornian.:e. Mr. Ward sailed anexcellent course, and thoroughly deserved, his wiiii , The third race of the present series will be sailed to-day. . ■ Some Notes. ,' ',■•.-.., Yachtsmen wero treited to an excellent day's enjjyiiicnt at tho hands of tho newly-formed To Ilum Sailing Club on Sunday last. The outing took tho form of a picnic at Lowry Bay. Various competitions were held during the day. The luncheon (also provided by the To Ruru Club) was a popular item, and altogether tho club should be well satisfied with the result of its; venture.

The Otago Yacht anil Motor Boat Club decided two ocean races last Sat'miny over a courso of about 30 miles. Eight yachts competed in the yacht race, they Doing: Waimanii, ■ Roma, -Myru, Ripple, Revenge, Matila," Carina, and Jauet; ■' ilio' woather was perfect, in fact-too -perfect,' as the splendid" breeze which prevailed at the start died' away. l • Tho race was won by Ripple (30niin.), with Carina (25min.) second, and Janet (22min.) third. The other race—for motor-boats—was started a little later in tho day, and resulted in a win lor Valwai (70inin.), with Arawn (Gamin.) second.

.The e:;-Welliugtoii flier Janet competed in a first-class yacht race at Dmiedin recently, but did" not get a position. This packet, it will be remembered, put up an excellent reoord in Wellington, but since she has been in Dunedin she has done practically nothing towards keeping up her reputation as a "flier." In this particular race slio bad a handicap of 17 minutes; such a handicap as she never saw in Wellington; and was not able to even securo a third place. Her present skipper apparently docs not possess the sailing capabilities of "Toot" lorbcs, who was responsible for the wins secured by the boat in Wellington. lorangi—also ex-Wellingtju—finished first, but did not get a position, as the handicaps were rather big. Tho Sayonara, . 'On Friday, March 15, Sayonara slipped her moorings at Williamstown, and started for Sydney, where her new owner (Mr.' P. Koss)*'Tfawes. On •Saturday" l morning slio cleared the :Keads, and cnmmc'nccd the ocean part'of-her journey". By losing her from its yachting fleet, victoria loses the most renowned and brst-known yacht that has ever sailed in Australian waters, and probablv one of tho best built boats afloat. Sayonara the "Australasian") was designed by W. Fife, of Fairlio, to (he order of Mr. Gtorge Garrard, and built by MaeFarlanc, of Adelaide, where she was launched in 1897. For the first 'seven years of her career Sayonara was rigged "as a yawl, and even under that rig she showed a wonderful turn of speed. In 1901 she was rigged as a cultar for her famous race against the crack Xew South Wales yaslit Bona. As a result of her victory in that contest the Sayonara Cup was instituted. It was not till 1907 that she was called upon to defend her possession of the cup, when Xew South Wales challenged with Unwhiti. The Sayonara's owners were again called upon to defend Victoria's title in 1909, which they did successfully against Thelma. In the previous year the question whether time allowances could be claimed'in tho cup contests had been raised,.but Victoria maintaining that tho races should bo on level terms, the race against Thelma was sailed under those conditions, though she was a bigger boat tlvni Rivomra. This question was again raised the following year, when the Xew Soutn Wales challenger was Jlr. Marks's Culwum 111. By agreement between the "R.Y.C.V. on the one hand and tho H.S.Y.S. and R.P.A.Y.C. on the other, the matter was left to the British Yacht Racing Association to decide. Their decision was given after the races had been sailed, and was to the e-fleet that Sayonara had to give time allowance on the scale of a 12-mctre boat, though she actually onlr rated at 11.23. metres. As a result, Culwulla 111 was adjudged the winnor of two out of the three races sailed, and the cup went Kick to Sydney. In this last race Mr. John Di.von was Sayonara's owner, and he would have l>cen willing to have her lo Sydney to race for the cun this season if the match could have been arranged on level terms. However, no agreement on the matter could be arrived at, so, as he was leaving for a lengthy stay nt Home, Mr. Dixon put Sayonara on tho market, and she found a now homo in Sydney. On hor arrival she will bo kept in commission during the winter, and raced neit season as a cutter, with a new suit of sails. Her advent is engoriy looked forward to in Sydney,, where sue will still be able to continue, her racing career against many of har old opponent*.