THE SUN’S PERSONALS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 237, 27 December 1927, Page 16

THE SUN’S PERSONALS

The object of the personal paragraphs appearing week by week in these columns is not the eulogising of the men written about. Their purpose is simply to introduce officers of the several clubs and prominent yacht and launch men to the majority of those taking part in the sport, to whom they are not known. It has been a matter of comment that the younger generation of yachtsmen know little of many of the old hands at the game, t nd frequently one hears, on mentioning an apparently well-known name, such questions as “Who is he?” and “What does he do?” Aquatics is not like football or cricket, in which the contestants are mixed up, and know all about each other by reason of the very nature fo the game; but in yacht and launch racing the men competing have little chance of fraternising, and after the event each crew goes its own way, and may not meet again for a couple of weeks. There is, of course, the social side of boating, but a comparatively small number of boat owners attend the dances and concerts, held chiefly in winter time. In any case, .with t**o or three exceptions, there is not a great deal of intercourse between clubs. It is, therefore, with the object of showing who is who, and what he js doing for the sport, and what the sport is doing for him, that this paper introduced the “Personalities Afloat,” a feature that is much appreciated by the young men who want to know about the older ones, and by the experienced veterans who are interested in tne successes of the young fellows who will keep the sport up to the high standard set for them.