The left hand picture shows two of the "Four Foot Six" boats undergoing restoration (feverishly, at the last moment, like all regattas) by Euan Sarginson at his Christchurch studio. The right hand photo shows a hull under restoration. Like so many local classes, the design is heavily influenced by local conditions. Victoria Water suffers from a weed problem, which limits boat draught and inhibits the use of fin keels. Combined with the "LOA only" class rule, this leads to beamy, heavily canvassed boats.
That's not a Cheerio on the left, that's a Four Foot Six from 1915! The right hand photo shows the simple and rugged steering gear used on the boats, which proved more than a match for most of the skippers (yours truly included).
Click here to see the morning's preparation and the start.
Click here to see how the actual sailing went.
