YACHTING. 



785 



New York harbor, as a starting point, to and 

 around the Southwest Spit Lightship and return, 

 the schooner Cygnet being the winner. 



In 1851 occurred the picturesque series of in- 

 cidents that led to what are now known as the 

 international races, and won for American sail- 

 ing yachts a supremacy which they have since 

 retained. Often as the story of the schooner 

 America has been told, there is a popular demand 

 for its repetition whenever a cup race is expected. 

 Therefore, as this paper must needs refer to two 

 such races, a brief summary seems to be called 

 for here. The America was designed and built 

 by George Steers, and, representing the New York 

 Yacht Club, sailed for England under the com- 

 mand of John C. Stevens, commodore of the club. 

 She so utterly defeated and outmaneuvered not 

 only the whole Royal Yacht Squadron, but every 

 sailing vessel that could be brought against her, 

 that by common consent she was recognized as 

 the swiftest sailing yacht in existence. She was 

 awarded the silver cup that bears her name and 

 is regarded as the highest existing prize open to 

 competition among amateur sailors. Her sail plan 

 and the model of Tier hull revolutionized the ideas 

 of English builders, and twenty years passed be- 

 fore a challenge was sent across the ocean and 

 an effort made to win back the cup, and with it 

 the formerly acknowledged supremacy of British 

 yachts. 



A beginning once made, other challenges and 

 contests have followed at irregular intervals, to 

 the number of 10, resulting in every instance in 

 victory for the American contestants. Disagree- 

 ments and misunderstandings have arisen from 

 time to time, and controversies about the racing 

 conditions have occasionally waxed so bitter as 

 to threaten all possible friendly relations; but it 

 is believed that a mutual understanding has now 

 been reached which, with the good faith that may 

 be presumed for both sides, should prevent any 

 serious dispute in the future. 



The subject of yachting was last treated in the 

 Annual Cyclopaedia in 1896. At that time, owing 

 to the inconsiderate and unwarrantable course of 

 Lord Dunraven during his contest for the Amer- 

 ica's cup, it was generally believed on both sides 

 of the ocean that many years must pass before 

 another challenge would be authoi'ized by any 

 British yacht club; for, while to Americans the 

 case, after a most careful investigation, seemed 

 to be clear against the plaintiff, it was far other- 

 wise in England, and it was not considered possi- 

 ble that what many Englishmen regarded as an 

 affront to a British nobleman would be soon for- 

 gotten or overlooked. A fresh challenge came, 

 however, far sooner than was expected. 



In 1897 it became evident that " mug hunting" 

 was assuming an overruling prominence not alto- 

 gether to be commended. The fun and good fellow- 

 ship encouraged by scrub races and friendly ma- 

 neuvering while sailing for pleasure were crowded 

 out and discouraged by the racing machines, whose 

 owners shunned every contest unless the condi- 

 tions were such as to favor their individual boats. 

 This state of things was further fostered by those 

 yachtsmen and sailors of smaller craft who, favored 

 by large means, were able to build and equip a 

 new boat, or perhaps more than one, for every 

 racing season, embracing all the improvements 

 that had been devised in the meantime, and thus 

 gaining an advantage hardly to be estimated over 

 their less favored rivals. 



In the smaller classes there were some fine con- 

 tests. An exciting series of trial races off Oyster 

 Bay, Long Island, resulted in the choice of Momo, 

 designed and sailed by Clinton Crane, to try and 

 VOL. XL. 50 A 



bring back the Seawanhaka-Corinthian challenge 

 cup, won by the Canadians in 1806. The Cana- 

 dian defender was Glencairn II, built and sailed 

 by Mr. H. Duggan. She was successful in her 

 defense, and the cup remained in Canadian hands, 

 and Mr. Duggan was universally recognized as a 

 designer of remarkable ingenuity and as a sailor 

 of the highest skill. 



In the large schooner class there were exciting 

 contests between the Emerald and Colonia, two 

 large vessels of modern build and rig, which were 

 considered the finest type of their class. Colonia 

 was the winner in the larger number of trials. 



Off Newport a series of races occurred between 

 the Syce (F. M. Hoyt, owner) and the Vencedor 

 (H. M. Gillig), both cutters about 50 feet in length. 

 The last-named vessel was brought from the Great 

 Lakes, where she had beaten everything in her 

 class, to try conclusions with her salt-water sisters. 

 She was badly beaten, owing largely to a series 

 of unlucky mishaps, and she has since been taken 

 back overland to her native element, the fresh- 

 water seas. 



In 1898, owing to the war with Spain, yachting 

 in American waters was reduced almost to its 

 lowest terms. All the principal harbors along the 

 coast were very properly planted with defensive 

 systems of mines and torpedoes, and the vigilance 

 of guard ships, patrol boats, and cruisers inter- 

 fered sadly with the freedom of the seas as re- 

 gards the convenience of pleasure craft. For these 

 reasons the annual summer cruises of the large 

 yacht clubs were omitted. It is noteworthy, how- 

 ever, that 28 large steam yachts were purchased 

 by the Government and converted into gunboats, 

 some of which rendered distinguished service in 

 action. Notable among these was the Gloucester, 

 formerly the Corsair, which under the command 

 of Lieut. Richard Wainwright did not hesitate to 

 engage at close quarters two Spanish " destroyers," 

 both of which were sent to the bottom in short 

 order, though not entirely, perhaps, by the yacht's 

 guns. Many yachtsmen, too, entered the service, 

 some of them as officers, but more as enlisted men, 

 in the regular navy as well as in the reserves, 

 their training in amateur seamanship having 

 qualified them for posts of responsibility and 

 danger. 



While all this very naturally interfered tem- 

 porarily with yachting in its more pacific aspects, 

 it tended to develop the single-hand cruiser classes 

 by taking out of the way the temptation of larger 

 and more luxurious craft. The small boat has 

 p'ways been the true training school for efficient 

 seamanship and all-round usefulness among sailor 

 men. 



On Aug. 6 the New York Yacht Club received 

 preliminary notice of a challenge for the America's 

 cup from the Royal Ulster Yacht Club of Ireland, 

 in behalf of Sir Thomas Lipton, a wealthy tea 

 merchant. It was subsequently arranged that the 

 races should take place in early October of 1899, 

 that season of the year being chosen as more likely 

 to afford favorable conditions of wind and weatheV 

 than usually prevail at an earlier date. 



The races for the Seawanhaka challenge cup 

 were sailed, after the usual trials for the selection 

 of the swiftest boat, near Montreal; the contest- 

 ants were the Dominion, built and sailed by H. 

 Duggan for Canada, and the Challenger, Clinton 

 Crane, for the United States. The Canadian won 

 in all but one of the races, and thai was lost only 

 because he ran afoul of his antagonist. Owing, 

 however, to the peculiar construction of the 

 Canadian boat, something approximating the 

 double-hull idea of a catamaran, much indignation 

 was expressed on the part of the Challenger, and 



