SATURDAY'S SAILING RACE.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3667, 16 April 1883, Page 3

SATURDAY'S SAILING RACE.

The first match of a series of two for a cup presented to the Hawke's Bay SailingClub by Mr J. H. Vautier took place in the bay on Saturday afternoon and excited a considerable amount of interest in boating circles. A fresh easterly breeze was blowing throughout the day, which increased considerably as the afternoon advanced, accompanied with heavy rain squalls. Five boats took up their positions at the starting point at the appointed hour, namely, the Revenge, Wave Queen, Mystery, Comet, and Osprey, and got away fairly together, the Comet and Osprey, being hardly ready, were perhaps a little late in starting. The Revenge gathered away quickly, and the breeze suiting her well she quickly showed to the fore, passing the first buoy off the Bluff and the second one off the town well in advance of her opponents, the Wave Queen and Comet being the next in order. A long and a short leg boat then commenced for the Pania buoy. When about half a mile to leeward of the Pania the port shrouds and backstays of the Revenge carried away during a squall, and as this necessitated a slight delay in getting the wreckage cleared away, and temporary shrouds fixed, it allowed the Wave Queen and Comet to draw well up on her. She, however, cleared the bay some minutes ahead of the former boat, and arrived at the goal with a minute and some seconds to spare, the Comet not arriving until some ten or fifteen minutes later. When close to the finishing point the Revenge lost some part of her lead by being unable to get inside the goal boat without jibing her mainsail, and as this would have been a dangerous maneuvre with her mast improperly stayed she had to be brought round head to wind. The points for this year now stand—Revenge 3, Wave Queen 2, and Comet 1. The final heat is to take place on Saturday week.