842 



YACHTING IN 1902. 



YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION. 



though fifteen years old, she is not yet on the 

 retired list. 



The record of the Meteor is like that of all 

 very large schooners when they are matched 

 against smaller vessels with much larger sail- 

 plans, especially in smooth water and light air. 

 Whenever she has been favored with a strong 

 wind and something of a sea, she has shown 

 what she can do by easily beating Sybarite, and 

 breaking the record over the Queen's course at 

 Cowes m three hours, fifty minutes, twenty- 

 seven seconds. Moreover, letters have been re- 

 ceived by the designer from his Majesty's repre- 

 sentatives, expressing great satisfaction with 

 the Meteor's performance under all circumstances, 

 but especially when there has been, as sailormen 

 say, a " breeze o' wind." 



It is constantly of record in all racing fleets 

 that large schooners are beaten by single-masted 

 vessels in light air. Thus Corona has been beaten 

 in the Goelet races at Newport in the open sea 

 by the Amarita and Elmina; the Corona is 85 

 feet long, the Amarita 69 feet, and the Elmina 

 60 feet and 7 inches, load water-line. It must 

 also be remembered that American crews have 

 no equals in the management of sailing schoon- 

 ers. English cutter-men are not at all trained 

 to the situation, and their national conserva- 

 tism is very much against their success in acquir- 

 ing the art. With an American captain and crew, 

 it is very probable that the Meteor would have 

 established a different record. When we remem- 

 ber that in the matter of handling the Shamrock 

 was far behind the Columbia, and that the pride 

 of every Englishman is distinctively in cutter 

 -ailing, it is easy to see that in the handling of a 

 schooner there must be special training both 

 for the crew and for the sailing-master. Who- 

 ever has read about the historic performances of 

 the old America when she won that troublesome 

 cup, and of her subsequent performances when in 

 the hands of an English crew, will readily un- 

 derstand what has been the matter with the 

 Meteor. Under the circumstances, no one need 

 wonder at the record as thus far established, and 

 no American need feel any anxiety as to the 

 reputation or success of American seagoing 

 schooners. 



In the Annual Cyclopaedia for 1901 a con- 

 densed account of the International Cup Races 

 was given, in view of the visit of Sir Thomas 

 Lipton and the retention of the America's cup 

 as the result of the races of that year. Shortly 

 after that event was decided, another challenge 

 was received from Sir Thomas through the Royal 

 Ulster Yacht Club of Cork. This was promptly 

 accepted by the New York Yacht Club, and at 

 this writing both vessels are well advanced for 

 completion early in the coming season. The 

 specified dimensions are 90 feet water-line, and 

 cutter rig. The appointed dates for the races 

 are Aug. 20, 22, and 25, and the following 

 Thursdays, Saturdays, and Tuesdays, if neces- 

 sary. 



For the history of the International Races the 

 reader is referred to the Annual Cyclopaedia for 

 1901. 



By common consent the series of races for the 

 Canada cup, between the Royal Canadian Yacht 

 Club of Toronto (defenders)' and the Rochester 

 (N. Y.) Yacht Club (challengers) was postponed 

 for one year. 



The international races for the Seawanhaka- 

 Corinthian International Cup for small yachts, 

 which trophy has been held by Canada since 

 1895, was sailed on Lake St. Louis, near Montreal 

 on Aug. 7, 8, 9, and 11; the Trident of the Royal 



St. Lawrence Yacht Club was the defender, and 

 the Tecumseh of the Bridgeport (Conn.) Yacht 

 Club was the challenger. Four races were sailed, 

 the Trident winning three and the Tecumseh one. 

 Another series of races is in prospect for 1903, 

 the challengers being the Manchester (Mass.) 

 Yacht Club. As usual, the winning boat was 

 something of an innovation, though not to such 

 an objectionable degree as aforetime. She was 

 provided with two light bilge-keels set at such 

 an angle that the leeward one was nearly verti- 

 cal when the boat heeled to her bearings. This 

 arrangement reduced the draft to 4 feet, and left 

 the middle of the cockpit free for " working ship." 

 The Canadians certainly deserve very high credit 

 first for having won this coveted international 

 trophy from the best amateur sailors of the 

 United States, and secondly for having so suc- 

 cessfully defended it during a series of years. 



YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIA- 

 TION. The reports of the Young Men's Chris- 

 tian Association for 1902 enumerate 1,575 associa- 

 tions in the United States and Canada, with 323,- 

 224 members, showing an increase for the year of 

 99 associations and 54,744 members. The proper- 

 ty owned by these associations was valued at $24,- 

 101,229. The English Year-Book gives, for the 

 United Kingdom, 1,533 centers with (approximate- 

 ly) 120,550 members and property valued in the 

 total at 731,264; in the Colonies, 296 associa- 

 tions, with 32,941 members; and in foreign coun- 

 tries, 5,698 centers, with 467,230 members, and 

 property valued at 4,824,090; making a total 

 for the world of 7,507 centers with 620,721 mem- 

 bers, and property aggregating 5,926,595 in 

 value. 



The fifteenth world's conference of the Young 

 Men's Christian Associations met at Christiania, 

 Norway, Aug. 20 to 24. Grants toward paying 

 the expenses of the convention had been made by 

 the Storthing and the municipal authorities of 

 the city. Twenty-one hundred delegates were en- 

 rolled, of whom 900 were official delegates, repre- 

 senting the United States, Canada, Great Britain, 

 and Ireland, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, 

 Austria-Hungary, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Den- 

 mark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Russia, South 

 Africa, Australia, New Zealand, India, China, and 

 Japan. The English, German, French, and Nor- 

 wegian languages were used in the proceedings. 

 The European general secretaries reported having 

 organized during the past four years 81 new u>-"- 

 ciations and 3 national unions. Many papers were 

 presented to the conference on topics relating to 

 Christian life and the various aspects of the work 

 of the associations. Authority was given to the 

 World's Committee to appoint an additional sec- 

 retary, for which an increase of appropriations 

 was made, bringing the whole amount up to 

 $9,000. 



The Student Volunteer Missionary Move- 

 ment. The Student Volunteer Mn-ionary Move- 

 ment was begun in 1886 in connection with the 

 work of the Young Men's Christian Association 

 for the purpose of developing the interest and ac- 

 tivity of students in institutions of learning in 

 missionary enterprise. In 1902, according to :v 

 report made to the convention in Toronto, it had 

 been introduced into 79S institutions, in more than 

 half of which nothing had been done in behalf of 

 foreign missions prior to its inception, and it liad 

 greatly stimulated interest in them wherever it 

 existed. An educational department was insti- 

 tuted ahoiit 1S74 for promoting the special study 

 of missions. While at that time there were about 

 20 mission-study classes in the colleges and semi- 

 naries of North America, the report made to the 



