keen yachties

Royal Papua’s keen yachties

Leafing through the latest issue of the Year Book of the Royal Papua Yacht Club enthusiasm

positively jumps from every

page, writes John Collins. And small wonder. The club caters for just about every type of boat known to man. The larger sizes feature a Folkboat, a Tahiti Ketch. Trailer Sailers, tris, etc., down to the latest Lasers, Fire

balls, Lightweight Sharpies,

various catamarans and the

übiquitous Heron sailing

dinghies to a vast array of power boats and even a house boat. A lineup like this must surely make the club unique.

Included in the Year Book is an article on the welcome

renaissance of Papuan sailing

canoe racing, and a list of cruis ing yachts which have visited Port Moresby over the past year.

SAR (Safe Aquatic Rec reation) is the local volunteer rescue group. Included in the book are their ‘Command ments for Boat Loading’. They are well worth repeating;

Verily I say unto thee: Spreadeth out the people and

things evenly in thy little

boat, for he that spreadeth the load not wisely bringeth much woe unto the SAR and him

self.

Wisest is he that keepeth the whole load in his boat as low

as possible. Thy first com

mand to thy people in the boat shall be... ‘SID DOWN!’

Suffer thee not the fools who would ride on the bow for they are non believers, and not

long for this world.

Regard not the number of seats in thy boat, for oft they mis lead and may bring thee to sin

of overloading.

Commit thee to memory the words engraved upon thy ca pacity tablet for they shall

bring thee comfort and keep

thee from committing a no no!

As well as hosting a ‘world

championship’ for Lightweight

Sharpies this year the club also has a boat entered in the world’s Quarter Ton cham pionships, to be held this year in Japan (see Cruising Yachts).