Lip ton Cup Race

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 331, 17 April 1928, Page 14

Lip ton Cup Race

AQUATIC AUCKLAND SEES GREAT BATTLE IN HARD NOR’-EASTER. I 1 THRILLING DEAD-HEAT It was immensely pleasing- to aquatic men of Auckland that the last notable cup contest of the yachting season should provide so magnificent and thrilling a race as was seen on Saturday in the struggle for the Lipton Cup. Never in the history of the contest has such exciting sailing been seen. The hard nor’-easterly blow, working against the tide, produced a lively sea in the harbour and raised quite a dust in the Rangitoto Channel. Both the rigging of the yachts and the muscles of the crews came in for a thorough testing during the one and threequarter hours the race was in progress. Not one who followed the contest from starting gun to the finish will forget the great tussle- put up by Varuna, flying the flag of the Manukau Cruising Club, and Valeria, representing the Akarana Yacht Club. Every yard of the course from the white light in the channel to the finish was hotly disputed, first one and then the other gaining the advantage. No fairer conclusion could have been arrived at than a dead-heat, although such an outcome leaves the question of holding the cup rather in the air. PRAISE OF MANUKAU MEN Waitemata men are loud in their praise of the performance put up by Mr. G. Couldrey, skipper, and * his Manukau men. They expected to do well in a stiff breeze in view of their experience in such winds on their home harbour. Ponsonby had bad Itick for the second year in succession. Huia’s canvas was found before the race to be unsound and she was not able to start. In the face of so lusty a blow it was inevitable that accidents of one sort and another should occur. Hence it was that Louisa, Marie and Rahiri did not finish. Lucille, last year’s winner, had the bad luck to blow out her staysail just at the start. This handicap was bad enough but further Misfortune was to be her lot. After turning the Sandspit for the homeward run she split her mainsail across the reefing points in shaking out a reef. SMART WITH SPINNAKER A feature of the day’s racing was the smartness of Varuna’s crew with their spinnaker. A particularly quick piece of work was seen at the Sandspit when Varuna beat Valeria in setting the extra canvas. Instead of previously taking the sail right down to the deck Varuna’s men wrapped it round the forestay and to set it from that position was only the work of a second or two. Valeria took her’s right in, and as a result took longer to get the big sail up and drawing. “Billy” piare, who sailed Valeria, deserves the applause of all yachtsmen. He is one of the old hands, and in earlier days was probably without peer in handling mullet-boats. He used to sail the crack 26-footer Emerald and has had a long and successful career as a racing yachtsman. On Saturday Valeria was the first mullet boat he had handled since he quitted Emerald, many years ago. The old hands can still show the young yachtsmen that they know a thing or two. Congratulations to Mr. Clare. MARIE AND LOUISA RETIRE Writing to The Sun, Mr. L. M. Wood, skipper of Marie, explains how it was that Marie did not complete the race. He says:—“Marie on port tack and Louisa on starboard fouled off Hobson Bay. Louisa’s forestay caught the reefing chocks on Marie’s boom. Both boats ‘fell off’ and locked together and lay over at a dangerous angle. Louisa split her mast, but managed to get back to her moorings without aid.

“Marie immediately withdrew from the race. Although I take all blame I think in a breeze like Saturday’s Louisa’s skipper should have pulled away just two feet. Marie would have cleared with plenty of room to spare, but hit three big seas in succession, this stopping her way, and causing the collision.’*