In The Yachting Spotlight

This year the VUW Yacht Club intends becoming one of the more active spoils clubs of the Association. During the previous two or three years, through lack of support and lack of finance the Yacht Club has been rather inactive.

The Yacht Club until the beginning of 1964 had existed mainly to send a crew to Easter Tournament each year. During 1964, signs of activity within the club became apparent.

The club organised the Novelty Boat Race held at Oriental Bay during the University festival week. This event, which was sponsored by the Evening Post, was a complete success: bathtub overturned, bed frames sank, beer kegs were propelled by outboard motors and the boats eventually returned to shore. It is hoped that this event will be an annual one.

The club ran several raffles and held introductory lectures for novice yachties.

One of the highlights of the Yacht Club's year is Easter Tournament. At Easter Tournament a two-man crew sails against the other five university yacht clubs. The yacht sailed at Tournament is the Cherub, which is easily distinguished by the red heart on its main sail.

This dinghy is a sensitive, two-man dinghy 12ft long, canvassed with a 100 square feet of sail area as well as a spinnaker.

The proposed programme of the Yacht Club this year includes the buying of a yacht to use for basic sailing, training and general yachting. The Yacht Club is, at present, working on the suggestion that they should obtain an Idle-along. This boat is ideally suited to Wellington's weather, has a wide beam, is more stable than a Cherub and is relatively easy to handle. It is a three-man boat approximately 14 feet long and carries about 150 square feet of sail area. Unlike the Cherub, it has a big cockpit which enables more people to be trained at the one time.

The Yacht Club has also idea of having a winter sailing programme. Although this would require some fairly keen yachties, it would be a mere picnic compared with that which some yachtsmen in Great Britain are prepared to put up with to go winter sailing. It is quite common for yachtsmen in the United, Kingdom to break the ice on the edge of rivers before they launch their boats!