YACHTING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19473, 7 May 1925, Page 4

YACHTING.

By Rudder. The launches Volanthe, Hazel. Nell, and Silver kern were out with fishing parties last week-end. The catches were on the small side. The yacht Minnow left the boat harbour on Sunday for a cruise. She went as-far ns Port Chalmers and back, and had a nice lively breeze. The craft sailed very well. Dr Cottrell was out for a spin in his launch Ngaio on Sunday. The craft moved along at a good speed. On Sunday last the skipper of the sailing dinghy Sprat had rather a trying time when coming round Grassy Point before a stiff north-easter. Finding that his boat was not able to got back against the sea single-handed, he decided to run for Macandrew’s, where -ho secured enough line to moor the craft. He then sot out' to walk homo to Broad Bay in the darkness, and returned to Macandrew’s for his boat on Sunday morning. This lad has at least benefited by experience. Mr Gibson, of Macandrew’s Bay, has been busy of late fitting a wheelhouse to his launch Marata. This should prove an advantage when navigation the boat in heavy weather. The launch Waitere, which had been on the hard for several months, was seen at Macandrew’s Bay on Sunday. She showed a good turn of speed. Dawn made her usual fishing trip down the harbour last, week-end. The 14-footer Mavis was the only Maoandrew’a Bay boat to hoist canvas last week-end. Her crew had a good spin in the fresh breeze on Sunday. The 14-footor Mona has been dismantled, and is ready to bo hauled up for the winter. She will be thoroughly overhauled in preparation for the coming season. The launch Marata conveyed a party as far as the Hatcheries on Sunday last. All on board had an enjoyable trip. Mr J. T. Paul’s launch Aotea returned to the boat harbour on Sunday evening from her moorings at Smith’s Bay. The launch Pakoha has changed hands. Iter new owner being Mr Jack Holden, of Port Chalmers. At the recent motor boat show in New York one or two novelties of striking interest appear to have been exhibited. For instance, an outboard motor of the twocyclinder two-cycle typo, capable of developing 15 horse-power, was a centre of interest. This craft was shown fitted to a 14ft runabout, the outboard unit being capable of giving her an alleged speed of 22-25 miles per hour. The Ponsonby Cruising Club (Auckland) has decided to resail the race for the. Howson Memorial Cup. The circumstances leading up to the resail are somewhat unusual. The race, which is for the Jellicoo class, carried with it the junior championship of the Waitemata, and was won by the Joan. After the event it was reported that, the Joan's skipper was a few days over 21 years, and on_l.be matter being gone into by the club this was proved to be correct. Joan was therefore disqualified and under ordinary circumstances the second boat, Queen March, would have taken the prize The plans of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s one-design cruiser class have been received by one of the Auckland yacht clubs. The underwater portion is especially well designed, but the above water lay out might bo improved. It is apparent that the cost has been kept down to a minimum, the price in Sydney being £285 complete. The length overall is 28ft, waterline 24ft, beam Bft 3in, and draught 4ft 7jin. The sail area is 437 square feet in a French lug and jib. It is understood that a. boat, has already been built in Auckland which is to be given a good try-out. If no improvement suggests itself, eight or nine boats will bo built-in time for next season. This class would suit most Now Zealand harbours with some modifications in the way of a regular gaff mainsail and a little more ballast. The plan only . calls for 16ewt on the keel and 4cwt inside. The yachting season id Auckland was officially closed on Saturday, April 18, when combined cruising races for yachts and launches were held to Islington Bay, and harbour races for open boats. The weather conditions were very favourable. The suggestion made by “R”dder” some time ago in reference to .model yachts was given effect to on Monday evening, when a meeting of those interested was held, anil a rsolution was passed affirming the nrinoiplo of forming a model yacht, club. A committee was formed to draw up rules and conditions. These will he submitted for the approval of a meeting of all interested to be called at nn early date. The forming of this club will have fa.r-roaching effects, as boys will bo given the opportunity to do something for themselves in the way of using their own initiative, and so learn from the beginning aJi that which must ho learnt from experience in the art of boat sailing.

a safe and shelter spot where yachts ami launches can be safely moored and the owners of the different craft can go to their rest feeling satisfied that no harm can be lone by the hard blows that wo get from the N.E. and S.W. The old-time yachtsmen can remember the days when no such facilities were provided for them. To get on board the yachts the handling of the dinghy with three or four persons aboard was n severe tost of seamanship. Yachtsmen of former days can still picture the old Auonama (which was moored off the Victoria wharf) running up the bay with ex-Commodore S. S. Myers, her owner, aboard in a hard two-reef N.IC. wind. The skipper orders two men to go forward to lower away the headsails and get the boathook ready for picking up the moorings. The headsails are lowered and the mainsheet hauled in with the object of bringing the yacht head to wind. As the yacht comes into the eye of the wind the rises high over the first sea, then the next minute she submarines the two forward hands, who cling like grim death to the buoy. Then followed the trip ashore in the dinghy to the wharf. No sheds were then available in which to change wet clothes. Yachtsmen do not pine for the return of those conditions, but very much appreciate the good work that was done by boating men like Messrs Myers, Lane, Bannister, Oliphant H. E. Holler, Hazlett, Sutherland, Harty Bloxham, Nees Bros., Latimer, and others, whose work laid the foundations of the Otago Yacht and Motor Boat Club. The present commodore, Mr C. W. Sundstrum, and his fellow officers and committeemen ore doing (heir best to make the club's property shipshape, but with the funds at their disposal little can be done to pnk tverything lu the condition members would like to sec. The club's resources will be severely taxed next year, when yachts from other centres will require moorings and sheds. A scheme was started to raise funds for the improvement of the boat harbour, but owing to the activities of so many other clubs and societies a halt has been made in the Otago Yacht Club’s appeal. What is urgently wanted in the boat harbour is a dinghy grid in the longest section of the haven, running N.E. and S.W. The boat harbour should also be dredged to make more room for visitors and members. The boat harbour is not owned by any club. It is an Otago asset, and is open to any yacht or motor boat owner on the payment of a very small fee (visitors excepted). Therefore, it behoves those who have the interests of Otago yachting at heart to see that we have a safe haven in which to moor visitors’ yachts anil launches. At the present time there is little enough room for the. boats already moored therein. The Otago Harbour Board has done splendid work in reclamation, and it is hoped that during the whaler the board will see its way to do a little towards improving the boat harbour. ORIGIN OF THE SPINNAKER. A jib-headed sail reaching from the top-mast-head to the deck was first introduced in yacht racing in a Royal London match, June 5, 1865, by Mr William Gordon in the Niobe, and hence for some time was termed a “Ni-obe.’’ The term “spinnaker" appears to have been applied to it as a kind of nickname, without “rhyme or reason.” In 1866 Mr Herbert Maudsioy had a similar sail made for his yacht Sphinx, and it was first used in a match of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club at Hyde. The men called the yacht “Spinks,” and hence the Itchen ferry men nicknamed the sail a “spinker,” as the year before they called it a “Ni-obe.” From “spinkor” came “spinniker,” or, as now written, “spinnaker.” The word, as spoken by the crew of the Sphinx, was introduced into the nautical vocabulary by Dixon Kemp, in describing a yacht match he sailed Ryde on board the Sphinx, on August 1865, and reported in the Field of August 13. The next appeared in print in Hunt's Yachting Magazine for September. 1866, in reference to the same match, apparently copied from the Field. Komv first spelt the word “spinniker,” and the “soinnakor” form was not introduced until 1860. Prior to the introduction cf the spinnaker a square sail and square topsail or raffoe was used. Sometimes a largo jib was hoisted by a Mock Tasked half-way up the topmast, and boomed out by the tack (if allowed by the rules), when a boat was sailing before (he wind. These large sails were, however, generally prohibited, and the following is a copy of the rule of the Royal Thames Yacht Club prior to 1865: “All yachts cutter-rigged and not carrying more than four fore and aft sails, he eligible to sail; but no jib to exceed 2ft in the head nor to he hoisted above the mainmast head; neither shali it be boomed out.” It was the rescinding of this rule in 1865 that brought into existence the “Ni-obe,” or ‘“spinnaker.”