AQUATICS.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1043, 29 October 1877, Page 3

AQUATICS.

OPENING OF THE BOATING- SEASON. LYTTELTON. The boating season in Port was opened on Saturday last with a processiou of vessels. The arrangements were good, but some of the crews appeared to misunderstand the orders and started too soon, affording a very pretty sight to the spectators, but to a certain extent spoiling the full effect" of the procession. All the ships in harbor were dressed with flags in honor of the day, and a great many Christchurch friends were present to take part in the procession, the Annie Ogle and Fleetwing being crowded, as well as the various boats. The day was lovely, the only fault being that the sou'wester had died away to such a light breeze that there was little opportunity for displaying sailing qualities. Mr J. C. Boddington, vice-commodore of the L.Y.C., acted as commodore, and took a great deal of trouble to get the matter up and arrange the order of procession. Punctually at 2.30 p.m. a gun from the Merope (Captain Sutherland kindly giving the signal as on previous occasions) warned the various sailing craft to assemble in the bight off the Gladstone Pier, that having been selected for the starting point. The second gun announced at 3 p.m. that the starting time had arrived, and the vessels sailed in the following order :—Annie Ogle, yacht, sailed by Mr P. Cunningham; L.Y.C. Fleetwing (commodore's vessel), sailed by Mr J. C. Boddington; Advance, yacht, by Mr H. Allwright; Pilot boat, by Pilot Reid; Merope by Mr Thomas; Waimate, by Mr Greenstreet; Waitangi, by Mr Matthews ,- Crusader, by Mr Richards ; John Knox, by Captain Davis; Island City, by Captain Williams ; Erskine, by Mr Wyman ; Harbour boat, by Captain M'Lellan ; Daphne, by Mr Y. Donald; Faugh-a-ballagh, by Mr Kingsford; Dewdrop, by Mr Newton. The Dauntless, Edith Wynne, Lurline, Blanche, Robin Hood, and several others also went round. Master Harry Webb joined the line in the Rob Roy canoe Scud, flying the flag of the Pilgrim Canoe Club. The vessels sailed past the wharves, round the hopper barge Sumner in Dampier's Bay, round buoys off Gladstone Pier, and back to starting point. A pleasant cruise outside the breakwater, down the harbour and round the reef, brought the afternoon's amusement to a close. The vessels looked very pretty under their white canvas, in the bright sunshine affording a very pleasant sight to spectators on shore.