AN AUCKLAND YACHT FOR MELBOURNE EXHIBITION. Auckland, August 22.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 293, 25 August 1888, Page 5

AN AUCKLAND YACHT FOR MELBOURNE EXHIBITION. Auckland, August 22.

Ax International Regatta is to be held in November in Melbourne In connection with the Centennial Exhibition, and it is a pleasure to notice that the place that turned out the Australianowned ciack yachts Waitangi, Secret and Taniwha will not be unrepiesented. Mr K. Logan, of the North Shore, has since the beginning of the winter been engaged building a five-ton >acht to compete for the £100 prize offered for a contest between vessels of that cla.ss at the Centennial Regatta. The construction of the yacht and her details have by request been kept very quiet, but now that the regatta is getting so close nothing can be lost by publishing these Air Logan is known as one of our best yacht-builders, and he has pub his very best work into the small craft that will be completed in about four weeks' time. He is- determined that she will be, though small, quite good enough to represent Auckland at this International Regatta. The little craft is built on beautiful lines, and promises to be a flier. She is of the " deepsinker" type, and has a lead keel weighing live tons, while another one or two tons will be carried for additional ballast. Her dimensions are :— Length over all, 39ffc ; on the water-liDe, 29ft ; beam, 6ft Sin ; depth, 6ft 6in. She has a long counter and a schooner bow. As it is very probable that she will be required to make an ocean voyage, great attention has been paid in the building to strength ; everything throughout being made as strong as possible, consistent with speed and comfort. She is to be cutter rigged, and Mr J. Bell is fitting her up with the very be.st and latest improvements. Four stranded man ilia rope is being used for the running gear, screws for the rigging, and wire faces for the gags and bobstay. Her bowsprit is to be a telescope one, which in bad weather will be found a great convenience. She is to have two sets of canvas, ordinary and racing, and as her lines have been drawn with a view to giving her great canvas carrying capacity when in racing trim she will have a great spread. Her lower canvas alone, when racing, will give a spread of 1,000 feet, and with topsail and other sails in light breezes can be increased to between 1,500 and 1,800 feet. The boom is to work on a brass spider band, being on a new principle. The blocks are all of gunmetal, patent and constructed by Mr Blaikie, of Albert-street. Attention has been paid to comfort as well as racing, and the cabin will be panelled and painted with scenes and other decorations, and will be upholstered in crimson velvet. Forward, provision has been made for a stove. At first it was intended to send the little craft over by the Union S.S. Company, but as they asked £60 for freight, this plan could not be adopted. She is going over .somehow, however, and if she cannob be sent by sailing vessel in October will be sailed over by Mr J. Bell, who will be accompanied by Mr Logan and two of a crew. She will, as we observed before; be ready in about four weeks' time and will leave Auckland Harbour about the beginning of October. Mr Logan is very confident that the little craft will do him justice, and everyone will join in wishing his enterprise success. It is intended to sell the yacht after the race in Melbourne, and her price will be about £500. The price of a similar vessel in England would be from six to seven hundred pounds. If she has to make an ocean voyage Mr Bell anticipates that it would take her with moderate weather from fourteen to twenty^days to i make the Australian coast.