YACHTING.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1872, 4 October 1913, Page 12

YACHTING.

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s L MATANCI & OTHER MATTERS. ; V Roglsterlng Pleasuro Craft. Yachtsmen would do well to note a t E reposed clauso in the Shipping and o eamen's Amendment Bill, now before 11 Parliament. This clauso provides for ti compulsory registration and numbering b of all pleasure craft propelled by sail, 1 steam, gas, oil, electricity, or any 6 other mechanical power. The registra- i; tion fee is not to exceed Is. per boat, l: At the present stago the. idea of regis- a tration appears somewhat far-fetched, £ and why owners of pleasure craft should e bo- asked and made to carry disfiguring s marks on their yachts or launches is a beyond the comprehension of local enthusiasts. It may, of course, be a wise e ordinance, but it will not be a_ pretty t one. It is the yachtsman's aim to £ make his craft look spick and span, { and when he is to bo aslted to place on c his sail or some other conspicuous part c of his craft a registration number, he < is likely to aslc, "What for?". i Tho registration may be for the pur- i pose of providing means whereby an I owner (or crew) of pleasure craft when visiting a bay could be detected in case of misdemeanour. If the clause ia based on that supposition it is rather un- 1 necessary, as far as Wellington is con- 1 cerned. Lettering and numbers, such ( as "WN., 177," on the mainsails of yachts or any other conspicuous place would add to the beauty of our craft. It segms 'quite unnecessary to add, "I don't' think!" However, it has been, added, in case someone misunderstands my meaning. The Hon. F. M. B. Fisher, who has charge of the Bill, is considering certain protests made by Auckland yachtsmen, and possibly our own clubs might do well if they backed those protests up. If a case can bo mado out tho Minister will be found an eminently reasonable man. Amalgamation. The amalgamation 7 of tho Port Nicholson Yacht Club with the Te Aro Sailing Club forms the gist of a resolution which Mr. F. Cooke is to movo at tho next meeting of the former club. This is certainly a step in the right direction. As it is well known that Te Aro Sailing Club is having a struggling existence, not only is it an idea which should meet with the support of members of the parent club, but it- shows that-tho senior club ; with its new officers, is making an early start to foster the interests of the small sailing beats. Some three seasons ago Te Aro Club possessed a good fleet of "flatties," out now that fleet is fast dwindling, as most of its members have gone in for larger yachts. This amalgamation scheme should result in tho en-.' cquragemcnt of the class of boat-sail-i ing, which train tho young enthusiast for tho lafgor yachts. Tho Matangl Eplsoda. The ourious sailing of the yawl Mar tngi out on to the trackless way, has naturally given yachtsmen something to talk about. In fact,_the Auckland enthusiasts were just as "interested, in this . somewhat peculiar episode as local followers of tho sport are. The facts of the position were somewhat serious, because the yacht left port' undermanned, and those on board were not what might bo termed fully experienced yiiohtsmen. However, it is very gratifying to note that on Thursday last, the owner of the vessel (Mr. H. G. White) recoived to the effect that the Matangi had put into Napier. The crow's excuse for putting in was, according to Mr. White, tlmt tho vessel was leaking aft through the propellor shaft. Tho position is much more satisfactory now, and Mr. H. Rountreo who was originally in charge of tho vessel, left for Napier yesterday 'morning for the purpow of taking the yacht on to Auckland. Tioeo who took the vessel from Wellington will no doubt have to explain things. Talk at the Boat Harbour. ' Tho yawl Windward came off the slip ' on Sunday last and sailed round to the Boat Harbour. The Ailsa also came off, and is at present being fitted with her spars. Messrs., Mooro Bros.' Mahina is to come off the slip to-night, and her crew will bo busy to-morrow ripping her up It should not be long before tho Karnkn, Lizzio, and Isca are in the water, and tho ownere of tho Taipari are putting on the finishing touches. Tho Amarloa Cup. As is now well known the contest fox the America Cup iB to tako place next year, and tho interested parties both in London and New York, aro engaged constructing the ideal racing yacht. Sir Thomas Lipton, the challenger, feels confident or his success, and the Shamrock IV —the yacht which he is having built for the competition—is to be constructed on tho finest racing lines possible. Information has come to hand that the Commonwealth is to be represented in tho race —not by a yacht, but bv Sydney's most popular yachtsman, Mr. W. Marks. Sir Thomas Lipton ; has invited Mr. Marks to be present on . the Shamrock during tho first race, but according to tho latest "Referee," Mr. i Marks states that the event is too far i off to definitely say whether he will be : able to accept Sir Thomae Lipton's ini vitation. A Difficult Problem. There has been some amusing controversy in the United States recently 1 with regard to tho correctness of de- ■ fining a hvdro-arcoplane as a boat or flying - machine. The Aero Club contend that tho hydro-aeroplane is an aeroplane, and competitors entering for events for such oraft must havo an Aero Club certificate; the harbour officials say tho hydro-aeroplane must carry toat equipments, such as signal horn, iinht, life preservers, etc., ■ whilst the American Power Boat Association do - not know what, to call it. 1 This little story is being told of Miss i Daisy Mnrkhwn, the young octree who| < was recently awarded .£50,000 for breach j I of promiw. When Mr. Alan Aynesb worth (ii rehearing her in Mr. T#mplo , Thurston's play, "Sully Bishop, lie was not quite satisfied with th« way Miss Markham played a wrUm eexme. He explained that h« wanted her to show more emotion.. "Try and think you are t i n CTeat grief." h« said. "Try to look f and Bpeak as though you we wit unr happy." "Very good, win Mits Markt ham who cvid«ntly did not think much , 0 f j'lr. Thurston's play, "I'll try te • think I'm one of the people who have j paid to see tho play." On July 31 thero were 7498 national banks in tho United States, with an au--5 thorised capital nf .£218,514.01(1, or, say, an average of ,£29,100 per bank, and a !l note circulation of .£155,655,104, mainly 1 secured by deposits of Government bonds. fc Thirteen new banks were started in July. 0 When tho Sultan of Turkey "comk .rounds" a theatrical performance ho or- '< ders a number of his own jokes to be a interpolated, tho oourt being carefully e ooached to laugh at his oreationi,