YACHTING DURING THE PRESENT 



279 



The nineties were accountable for a great change in 

 yachting circles. Until that period yachts had been almost 

 invariably steered by professional watermen, who wrangled 

 amongst themselves, and were accountable for numerous 

 collisions, and charged the owner of the boat an absurdly high 

 sum for steering her to victory ; in fact, it was not uncommon 



WANDERER II. 



to receive a bill for the remuneration of the crew which far 

 exceeded the amount of the first prize. 



On account of this unsatisfactory state of affairs the yacht 

 clubs brought in rules that in all club races the boats 

 must be steered by amateurs or be liable to disqualification. 

 Mr F. Green and Mr W. S. Everitt tried to introduce this rule 

 in 1860 but without success, and had not racing become so ex- 

 pensive, by reason of the extortions of the professional crews, 



