ENGLISH YACHTING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 293, 6 September 1919, Page 3

ENGLISH YACHTING

LOCAL YACHTSMAN'S EXPERIENCES . INTERESTING COMPARISONS I An interesting collection of notes relating to his experiences amongst members of the yachting fraternity in the United Kingdom have been supplied to a Dominion representative by Gunner .T. M'Lean, whose father at one time owned the large yacht Waitangi, well known in AVelington. During his leave in England Gunner M'Lean, who is a keen yachtsman, spent most of his timo in visiting tho chief yachting centres, and as a visitor from tho Port Nicholson Yacht Club ho was entertained very cordially by representatives of tho Home yacht clubs. Prior to going to France, he visited Ireland, in May of last year, and tho first watering-place he writes of is Kingstown, where he saw a fair number of yachts lying off tho'shore. Whilst there they launched a 10ft. yacht, and in addition lie saw many oilier fino looking c.raft on tho stocks. He next proceeded to Belfast, and visited Marino, also a favourite yachting centre. Later, he visited Glasgow, and went on to Rothesay, where he just missed taking part in tho opening regatta of tho Royal Northern and Royai Clyde Yacht Clubs,, Ho was in time to witness the start of tho races,' and was shown over tho club-rooms. Th'ore were three six-metre boats racing in one event, and they were very close. "They are not boats at all," he writes,,"tender and no beam to speak of. They are all right in light breezes and smooth water, but would ba useless in New Zealand. They were all rigged with tall topsails and ono headsnil. None of them appeared stiff at all, even in tho bigger classes. They we,re cruisers, built to 6uit this fine, light, summer weather. "Of course, there are 6omo fine cruising tvues about, far and away ahead of our Wellington class in general; for. the racing here our boats' would not be in it as tho.v are rigged at present. Boats like tho "Aorangi, Rainbow, Ariki, and othors of that type, rigged to suit'conditions here, would no doubt give a vjry good account of themselves." When in Edinburgh Gunner M'Lean saw Hawker at the Waverley Station on his way to London after the'landingfrom the Danish steamer in tile north. ' The crowd carried Hawker shoulderhigh off tho station. Gunner M'Lean' then left on a cruise in a coastal steamer and when at Oban 'he met. the owner,of a black-painted yawl named Eleanacneo—about lOf't. by Oft. Bin., clipper bow and a draught of Bft. As the owner was single-handed he was invited to sail with him down the coast towards Glasgow. He describes the journev as verv interesting, and on the way the.v overhauled ahother yacht which was in tho tide, which was kicking up a fair jobblo out in tho centre of the channel near Scar'oa". They anchored for the night, and next morning continued the trip, passing the famous Corrivraken tide gut where, it is claimed, no Ship can live in tho, eddies, though it is deep water. Ho writes: "Any vessel drawing in, towards this gut, tho crew will take to the boats, and several vessels havo gone through unmanned and have been pick«l up on the other side. On tho other hand somo havo never been seen again." That night tho yacht entered tho lock of tho Crinal Canal, which is a short cut to the. Firth of tho Clyde. Tlio yacht was' towed along by manpower for a distance of three miles. At the. end .of tho threo miles the yacht passed through' five more locks till tho "summit" was icachcd, and then descended five moro locks, and when this was completed Gunner M'Lean left tho owner to' catch his steamer.

; During Christmas leave Gunner M'Lean visited Rothesay (Islo of Buto)— ! a popular yachting resort. Ho found a 3 yacht-building yard there, and afted' in- . troducing himself to the proprietor ho L was shown ovor the works and saw a L great variety of boats ol all sizes— 1 | racers and cruisors. ( .Ho wont on board a big 80ft. overall ofuising yawl named tho Northern Yacht 1 Club—3s tons of load on keel. Another 1 interesting craft was tho 15-metre Lady Ann, a'Fairlie boat by Fife. This boat seemed very fine in tlie ends with middling beam, but ve<ry fiat under the mast and. long overhangs. A number of SO and Iflt't. oruisers have engines with tho propeller on ono side; some with' a . bracket to steady it and others without anything. ' All tho yachts appeared to | have keels further ait than mo White . Heather. They very seldom cut an t aperture in tho rudder even with largo s propellers. Yachts were fetching a t high price and were very much in dei miuid. l Speaking of the craft at Sandbank, I Holy Loch, near the Clyde. Gunner , M'Lean writes: "I 'was aboard some of ! Fife's boats, and the finish inside and . on deck is wonderful, but I don't think I the hulls aro as good as a Logan-built boat of a few years ago—that is,,for surface appearance. Of course, they aro . all 6ingle. skins and show tlieir planking, especially the boats that have been , up all through the war. I was at Fife's works at Fairlie, hut they had only ono yacht building. They were completing a number of seaplanes." During April of this year Gunner M'Lean visited the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club at Burnhiim-oii-Crouch, East Coast, just north of the. Thames. He there produced a letter of introduction irom the P.N.Y.C., and was very well received. ' The- seoretary of the club arranged for Gunner iWLean to be accommodated on tho yacht Pearl, cad then they, were received by the commodore,. Mr. F. Last, who took him lor a sail in his yacht Nancy, an East Coast one-design class, 1.0.a., 80ft., w.l. 20ft., beam sft, 9in. —lead keel, no cabin. There was a full sail breeze and the Nancy proved herself a swift craft under her sail area of 450 sq. feet. Gunner M'Lean dined at the Yacht Club that night. On the following day he witnessed some races, and then went out in tho Nancy again. He also sailed in the Pearl. This craft was specially built for East Coast sailjng, and her accommodation is larger than any boat harbour yacht. Ho was introduced to Mr. Payne, who is ono of England's best helmsmen, and who may sail Shamrock IV in tho America Cup race. Mr. Payne pointed . out, .in discussing tho America Cup contests, that there, was always an ocean roll at Sandy Hook and always a light breeze. Tho Americans, being well trained on the spot, whereas tho British have no ocean roll in any of the yachting waters round tho coast, it made a largo difference to them, with the result that they could not got tho best out of their boats. Practically since tho foundation.of the Port Nicholson Yacht Club in 1803, it has been the aim of that body to erect 1 a clubhouse. The main obstacle, that of securing the necessary permission from the Harbour Board, has now been overcome, and an enthusiastic muvument has boen sot afoot to raiso funds for the proposed building. A meeting of the club was held at the boat harbour on Thursday night to discuss matters concerned with I lie erection of tho projected clublioiisc. Mr.' W. Duncan (commodore) was -in the chair, and there was a good atk";U!:;'.:ce of mem- I bors. i The chairman said that the commit- | tee thought.it advisable that tho club- i house should bo erected on the "hard" | on the eastern sido of the boat har- | bour, near tho baths. Tho proposed site on tho western end of tho boat harbour would bo very expensive, and it would bo some considerable timo before tho clubliouso could be erected thero. Ho moved to tho effect that the clubliouso should be erected on tho eastern side of tho boat harbour, near tho baths. Mr. B. Clark was strongly of the opinion that tho club should go straight ahead with tho building on tho site mentioned by Mr. Duncan. Mr. U. C. I'enner was disappointed to leant that it was doomed inadvisable to build on the western sido. The advantages- of having the house upon that sido wero many, and he thought, would be well worth any extra cxpenso involved. l't was explained by Mr. A. Wilkinson that it was simply a matter of financo that was against building on tho wostern site. Tho club had about ,£250 in hand, and a building on tho western ledge would cost approximately .£750. There was also the question of rent, taxes, etc., which could not bo ignored. i Mr. J, Cull emphasised tho point that the less expensive building could be re- j

garded as a temporary atfair, until in later years, when the club was stronger, financially and in membership, 'the question of a more elaborate clubhouse 011 the western shore would be entertained. Mr. Duncan's motion was passed unanimously.