776 



YACHTING. 



" Mischief," the crack sloop of her day, was a 

 conspicuous example of the center-board sloop. 

 " Carmita " was launched in 1893, and was the 

 first large boat of her type. Her lines are kind- 

 ly furnished by her owner, Mr. C. H. W. Foster. 

 She was designed by Waterhouse & Cheesbor- 

 ough, and has made a fairly good showing for a 

 new boat. The black indicates a cigar-shaped 

 lead bulb, bolted to the edge of her fin. There 

 is an obvious likeness between the cross sections 

 of the two boats, and if " Mischiefs " " dead- 

 wood " were cut away along the dotted line the 

 resemblance would be still closer. The fin keel 

 is, in fact, a fixed center board, and the canoe- 

 shaped under body is an aggravated form of what 

 was formerly termed a "skimming dish." 



At first sight it would seem that the fin keels 

 are essentially racing machines, but it is not cer- 

 tain that they may not prove to be able deep- 

 water boats. The construction is simple and 

 strong, the frames being true inverted arches for 

 a large section of the length an exceedingly 

 strong form to which the two plates of the fin 

 can be securely bolted. The fin and its bulb at- 

 tachment are the heaviest part of the structure 

 a sort of pendulum, in fact, to which the light- 

 er hull is attached. The canoelike body is ex- 

 ceedingly buoyant and easy in a sea way, and 

 when sailing masters have learned how to handle 

 them it is held by their advocates that fin keels 

 will be accepted as an important improvement 

 in scientific construction. 



