FOR SANDERS CUP

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 857, 28 December 1929, Page 4

FOR SANDERS CUP

FIVE PORTS COMPETE IN YACHTING TESTS PRE-VIEW OF THE RACING (By KEELSON) Five province* will be reprwsented in the 1930 yachting cor. test for the Sanders Memorial Cup. for which the first race will be hold on the Waitemata Harbour on January 28. Known to Southern yachtsmen the blue ribbon event of New Zeal**)? sailing, the contest will bo battled among Auckland. Wellington. Canter bury. Otago and Southland. asm is at a. high pitch in the South and preparations have been going on for a month. At present Auckland holds the trophy. It was captured from Cap. terbury last season at Akaroa. ]♦ was in 1925 that the Waitemata lagt saw a Sanders Cup contest. Otago took the cup to the South Is]ap<j in that year and it remained there until last February. The type of boat used is 14ft long and built in the manner of a large dinghy, to a fixed degig* The sail area is remarkable. Besides carrying a large mainsail the Jellico* boats —named, of course, after New Zealand’s sailor Governor-General, who popularised the little yachts—fly a and a spinnaker, or balloon sail, when the wind is behind the boat. The Jellicoe boats are a fine sporting clap* in a smart breeze. Handling of them calls for all a yachtsman knows in skill at the tiller. They carry a maximum crew of four, one of the team being replaceable by a heavy man in event of racing in a hard breeze. In the last three years interest ip the contest has been flagging in Auck. land. This city is so well off in large vachts of the mullet-boat and keel boat types and in many other classes that yachtsmen here do not attach the importance to the contest with which it is invested in other parts. Down South they live for the Sanders Cop contest, all their yachting eggs, as it were, being in the one basket. Hence, it should be a good thing for the future of the racing that Auckland v&m last season, and that the locale of the contest has this season been thereby transferred to the Waitemata.

RECORD OF CONTEST Here is the inter-provincial honour* board: —• Year. Winner. Where Sailed, 1921 Heather (Otago) Auckland 1922 Desert Gold (Auck.) Dunedin 1923 * Rona (Auck.) Auckland. 1924 Rona (Auck.) Wellington 1925 lona (Otago) Auckland 1926 Betty (Cant'by) Dunedin 1927 Betty (Cant' by) Lyttelton 1928 Betty (Cant'bv) Stewart Is. 1929 Avalon (Auck.) Akaroa The four challenging provinces and Auckland, which defends, have chosen their boats, the representation being as follows: — Auckland —Avalon. W'ellington.—Clyde. Canterbury.—Betty. Otago.—Eileen. Southland. —Val. The selection was made after a series of trials as far as Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago were concerned. Auckland regained the cup with Avalon, and this boat being the only one on the harbour measuring up to requirements, was decided on as the defender without the need for elimination races. Southland’s candidate was built in Auckland in 1928 for Mr. C. G. Macindoe, from whom she was recently acquired by Mr. Gordon Johnston, of Invercargil. Val was defeated by Avalon in the test races for selection of Auckland's challenger for the Akaroa contest. Some hold Val was never given adequate trial and that she can equal Avalon’s speed. For that reason the meeting of Avalon and Val is looked forward to with no little interest, yet experts on form consider Avalon superior and that the original choice by the selection committee will be vindicated. As yet Avalon's crew has not been picked, but there is little doubt that A. Willetts, who sailed the boat so successfully at Akaroa. will bo placed in charge again, with her owner, Frank Cloke, as one of the crew. Clyde, for Wellington, has good prospects. She did well last season, beini? beaten narrowly by Avalon. Her skipper, N. Rowntree, has since had more experience and will prove a hard man to outsail. There is' one slight disadvantage, however, and that is that Avalon will be sailing upon courses that will be more or less familiar to her crev. while Clyde will be a stranger to the conditions, but Wellington’s supporters are confident the Clyde's peri formance will, be as good as what j they hope for. The crew—N. Rowntred (skipper) C. Rowntree, R. Kerr, H. Aldred, and R. Shelton—are very keen, as is aho her owner, Mr. L. Smith. No expens* has been spared in equipping Clyde with the very best gear and sails. EILEEN’S CHANCES For the third year in succession Eileen has been selected to represent Otago. At Stewart Island in 1928, and again at Akaroa last February, Eileen proved a worthy challenger. She put up a fine performance during the P**‘ month by winning the four trial race* in a most, convincing manner. I“*' boat is sailing even better this ye* l ’ and her skipper, George Kellett, the real “feel” of her. With Kellett at the helm, and an experienced crew, Eileen has a fair chance of winning tp* cup. If Eileen was equipped with * new suit of sails her chances of success at Auckland would be eyec brighter. It is to be hoped that move will be made to secure new s*u* for Otago’s challenger. Kellett ww be up against strong opposition tnj* year, but, as he has sailed on the wa*' temata on several occasions, Auckiauy Harbour waters are not new to h®*One boat has more than an chance of defeating Avalon, ant * TvL is the famous Betty, represents* Canterbury. The boat won the cur three times in succession, but dia race at Akaroa, her owner and bufi ’ George Andrews, having announces 1928 that he would not race the again in the contest series. a freak boat and, it is contended. not conform to measurements. & as light as a fairy, having been structed out of specially prepared , ber. Yachtsmen wonder how tn ever got past the measurers l , first instance. Still, there she . the other four competitors na prospect of being licked befor start.