Disastrous centennial yacht race begins

Twenty yachts left Wellington for Lyttelton in a race to celebrate Canterbury’s centenary. A race in the opposite direction in 1940 had marked the capital’s centenary. It was expected that the fastest yachts would complete the journey in 1½ days, the slowest in five.

A severe southerly storm on the 24th saw most vessels withdraw from the race or be disqualified for using their engines. Only Tawhiri officially finished the race, arriving in Lyttelton on the 26th. The Husky and Argo were lost, along with their 10 crew members. Read more