THEY HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN LAST YEAR

NZ Truth, Issue 1210, 7 February 1929, Page 15

THEY HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN LAST YEAR

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Dunedin Quarrels Over Cornwell E^itry A STORM W A TEACUP

(From N.Z. Truth. 's" Special Yachting Correspondent.)

To say that things are squally m Dunedin yachtingcircles would be making only a perfunctory use of the English language. To be precise, a regular hurricane is blowing/and its fury is likely to strip the sails of future progress from the Cornwell Cup contest.

HTHE big furore has given the Otago Yachting Association a lot of kudos locally, but yachtsmen m other parts will be interested m this question; by expelling the North-End Harbor Boating Club for entering a crew m the recent Cornwell Cup contest, was the Otago Association making a mountain out of a mole-hill for the purpose of handing out a quid pro quo over last year's dispute, and incidentally to take wind out of the sails of the Cornwell Cup contests? , Thus far, any of the public who have relied on the Dunedin daily papers for information must be firmly convinced that J. T. Paul (president) and Co., of the Otago Yachting Association, are a lot of martyrs to the 'cause of sport, while E. T. Moller and G. S. Bewley and Co., of the NorthEast Harbor Club, are a pack of obstinate and truculent disturbers of the peace and progress of Otago yachting, and well deserving of being ridden over rough-shod by the Association, as it so transpired at the recent meeting at which it was decided to "expel" the N.-E.H. Club. ,__;

Certain aspects of the affair, as here

"Discourtesy"

laid out, may alter

the one-eyed corn-

plex ion hitherto

prevailing. '■„/-, How Otago lost the Cornwell Cup last year through the re-sailing of a race on account of an obstruction incident m which the Otago boat Avas not implicated, is history. Quite naturally at the time, the O Y.A. got its back up and wrote away to the Royal Yachting Association for ruling on the whole business. Strangely enough, the communication never reached its destination. It sounds almost incredible that mailhowever vaguely addressed — for such a famous and well-known body as the R Y.A., could go astray, but certain members of the O.Y.A. maintain that the coi-.respondence was returned through the Dead Letter Office.

Be that as it may, the Otago-Asso-ciation early m the season decided not to bother about the Cornwell Cup, on the grounds of limited finance; it being stated at the meeting that the Sanders Cup was the "national" event of the season, and the expenses of

sending away two crews during the year would be too great. This decision was somewhat disturbing to' the North-East Harbor Club, which is the only club' on the Otago harbor that has Takapuna class boats, . and consequently the only club fostering that class of yachting. Certain members of the. club decided that as the Association was not sending a crew to Lyttelton, they would— and at their own expense. The Association was asked to endorse the club's challenge.

This the Association refused, and retained a similar attitude to several subsequent appeals for reconsideration.

The Takapuna Club was apprised of what was going on, and as the rules governing the Corn well Cup contests stipulate that any challenge coming from a club which is affiliated to an association must go through that association, a deadlock looked imminently certain. However, at the conference held prior to the racing at Lyttelton, amendments m the rules were provided to give validity to

N.E.H. Club's

: ' challenge, m so far as that end of the challenge was concerned. . ■■•.■■'■• In scathing comment against the, behavior of certain members of ..the N.E.H. Club m persisting m sending a crew to Lyttelton without, the Association's consent, the president, J. T. Paul, at the meeting which sealed the ultimate fate of the N.E.H. Club, referred to the "discourtesy", of' the club m not answering the Association's last letter.

That such reference, was something similar to pettifogging pin -pricking to magnify the alleged gross "defiance" of the N.E.H. Club, is evident m the fact that the letter m question Wasi the Association's own reply to a letter from the club.

Beyond a final appeal to the club to withdraw its challenge, no clause therein could possibly require an answer. Having "expelled" the N.E.H.C., the Association seems to have cut off its nose to spite its face, as the records of financial support for the Sanders Cup funds and other Association expenditures will show; and so ' far as the literal effort of the Association's action goes', the "expulsion" is a joke. Most of the North-East Club,, members with boats are members of the other clubs, and can : continue their yachting activities on the Otago Harbor ad lib.