Opening of the Rowing Season.

Manawatu Herald, 8 September 1892, Page 2

Opening of the Rowing Season.

The Manawatu Rowing Club had most beautiful weather on Tuesday for their opening day. Prior to the boats .starting our representative visited the boating shed which has been considerably improved by having been floored. The boats have all been thoroughly overhauled and painted, and the olubshed .wore an air of having been well lookecl after by the officials. „ . v< : ! The Club has now a number of boats, the racing sculling boat the , " Electric Jerk," the two pair-oared, outriggers "built last season, ,the "Rimu" and " Kohai ". and the two comfortable pair dared boat?, the " Rata " and " Nikau." They have also the use of three of Mr Hillary's boats. At half past two the shed, was • a scene of life as a large proportion of the seventy five members were out and about. Some were looking after the boats, applying a little oil to the sliding 'seats, a little soft soap to the rudder ties, others applying) a cloth to give the final polish to other portions. The shed wa3 pretty well filled with boats and men, and onlookers were flattened duti between two boats, or had one eye filled with a substance different from th 6! green at times to be discovered there, the the result from winking the other eye as a boat waa being carried out, and others were "tickled under the chin " with some of thai outriggers. Evidently it was a case of mind your eye with a vengence.. „.,!■• ; We noticed the " fiusf; lord of the Admiralty " present in, the person of Mr Stansell, the ornamental captain of the club, the "junior lord" or second captain Mr Potter, t was also there, in working, costume. Many members arrayed themselves, if not in " gorgeous apparel," still, in the club . colours, and we much desired, that the captain should put His Qn, but on our making the suggestion, he put us down. 1 'These highland! mighty personages object tb receive suggestions from even the best of men, like ourselves. . The procession took place a little after three o'clock when the banks were graced with the youth and beauty of 'the town. The Foxton Bragg band enlivening the proceedings by playing a nice selection of

tunes. The boats were led by the working captain in the "Jerk" followed by the two outrigged pairs,* followed by the other two boats of the club, after which followed MiHillary's boats and then twoEob Eoy canoes manned by Messrs Curtis and Fraser.

The course was down the river to Mr ' Duncan l s "then " up past Mr Rutherford's mill and then back to the shed. ' ' The "First Lord" rowed stroke to Mr Hinchliff's bow in one of Hillary's boats, parrying as coxswain the represent^tiyQ pf the :Pre9s._ For the purpose of viewifag the procession a position at the rear was ( carefully m'lintaiiiefj /^ith : • a , foretho\ighli sfeldom observed, one canoeist carried a very small boy sea^edj opposite him so that should a fly settle on Ms nose the small boy might knock him off without; there being any danger of an untimely capsize.