Oct. 39, 18^5.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



^7B 



trap of yore. Here we had first-rate examples of type Crom one 

 extreme almost to tlie other, yet the position of the yachts at tlie 

 finish had no connection with tlieir individual proportions of heain to 

 length. They arrived (iHfidedly mixed as ro beau:, Clara, The ii;ir 

 rowesfc of the lot:, -n-ou. not />f'c«7(.s-.- she was na-rrow, hut because she 

 htuXlhe.most pi'ifvct siiitpt on her heam. The rest were distanrpil, 

 notbecause they're;joieed jn rireatcr beam-, but becaause fhcv were of 

 le^sperfect fashion! eg upon uiiaCeverbeam fhey happened lo posesss 

 Beam, type, were wholly foveijjn to the issue. PerfccHon of inoih-l, 

 that IS the best selection of displacement, the best entrance, 

 the best clearance, the best ratio between resiatance and sail 

 area, the best balance of weight and turning centers, the best 

 windward qualities, the '-sweetest" lines, etc., etc.. all or some of 

 tbeni were brought to ii better average on Clara's beam than the 

 same elements were made to eifect nj the other yaehl's of' her class on 

 tlie particular beams tliey happ'-'ued to possess. Clara won in con- 

 sequence, neither beam nor t> ))e liavin? anything to do for oraffaiust 

 lii-r victory, as the course (hd not averag-e enough roug-h water to 

 bring out the special artaptaltiHty of small beam for sticli work. And, 

 loolcing- upon Puritan's victory as a victory really won upon merit 

 instead of thronjih luck, Mu> same reasoTung Will apply. Iter victory 

 over Genesta was not dtie to the type she happened to represent, Imt 

 beeau.se a more perfect vessel on her dimensions I bnji Genesta is 

 upon hers. 



I have gone to some length iu this matter, as the public in generil 

 has been led completely astray hy the nonsensical rubbish in the 

 daily papers. The lay critic 'could discover nothing: in Puritan's 

 victory but a vast fimd of "conclusive proof" chat the Puritan 

 type was "all right" and the Genesta type "all wrong." Even admit- 

 ting Pin-itan's victory to have been genuine, there was absolutely 

 nothing shown in the international races upoit which the Piu'itan 

 tyioe could be bolstered up into a golden calf to which we all shoidtl 

 bow in servile imitation henceforth. Nor did the races supply any 

 grood reason why our English cousins shotdd drop their favorite style 

 of vessel and .give up safe, able, speedy craft of the highest all-round 

 performance, for the less reliable sloop and leaky eeuterboard i^.m- 

 trivance, with her scant accommodations below and her .■^pr-ay- sous- 

 ing proclivities wln'ch render her almost unfit for family crQisiiij/, 

 unie'S drifting iu sheltered waters be the height of ambition to wliich 

 a cruiser shoidd aspire. 



Type did not enter into the Puritan-Genesta races at all. Tliere 

 never was enough wind or sea to hi'ing out their relative staying qual- 

 ities. At most, the conclusion can be that Puritan was slightly more 

 perfect on hei- dimensions than her foreign opponent. And that is no 

 guarantee whatever that upon next meerintr the representative of the 

 cutter family may not turn the tables on our sloop, tiiere being, ac- 

 cording to the stand I have taken and explained above, no innate 

 !tiiirrn's of f:itfirriont!/ iri type, !^(> far as speed under norma! eondi- 

 tiotjs is concerned, and so far as speed under ti-ying conditions is eoa- 

 cerned. Ihe iniintt. supe-i-iority rastn i''ith the cutter beyond any dis 

 pute. 



The next international competition will be decided upon like 

 grounds. If the Galatea is a vessel of more perfect mould on lier 

 dimensions than the sloop she will meet is on hers, then the America 

 Cup may be expected to take wings i'or a long llightfrom our shores . 

 If the reverse should be the ease— if the sloop> is ahead of Galatea iu 

 syniineiry and the average of her components of perforinanee, then 

 the hold Briton will have to try again. If Galatea catches us in a 

 cringle blow and chalkpit sea, then, luiless Galatea is below the rest 

 of her family, the cutter will make sport of any sloop we can ever 

 produce. 



In concluding this review one more influence which operated ma- 

 terially in favor of the Puritan ought not to be overlooked. Through- 

 out the races the policy pursued by Puntan's pilot, Cape. Joe Ells- 

 worth, was more commendaVjle than the tactics aboard the cutter. 

 Eddies anci airs were w orked to the Puritan's great advantage, while 

 G-uesta was rammed through everything, thick and thin, wdthout 

 di.splaying the same .r/)i t'.f.se in her handling. 



Hasty and uawan-antable assumptions as to the bearing of these 

 races upon modeling in the future are the natm-al accompaniment to 

 the shiftless and superficial character of the newspaper reports of 

 tlie matches themselves. The astute editorials foreseeiuK immediate 

 "revolution" in naval architecture wore not the least funny among 

 the many ludicrous tulminations of the landsmen con tingentengaged 

 in "ilowery portrayinR" of the all-absocbing events. While the news- 

 boys were crying the "Puritan's great victory" in the streets and 

 gaping crowds bung round the bulletins to read dispatches composed 

 by the office boy or Janitor within the mysterious nrecints of the 

 newspaper cellar, ye dashing editor up in the tenth story was making 

 the ink fly with his sweeping prophecies. The bold, bad Britons were 

 to stumble over themselves in theh' hurry to break up all their vessels 

 and "ndopt the American idea" as depicted in the "wonderful" Puri- 

 tan. The honest keel vessel was to be no more, cither for sport or 

 for trade, but tlat-bottoms, centerhoards and the what-nots of a 

 country without a flag upon the liigh sea, were to dispel the darkness 

 abroad and .shed lumuious intelligence upon the benighted Britisher, 

 and teach Brilaunia, who rules the waves to om- utter exclusion, how 

 to go down to the sea in ships. 



Like a thousand similar newspaper "revolutions, ' this last one 

 failed lo go oiT and the obstrepenms John Bull has since sienifled his 

 very clear purpose to stick to his honest vessel and try for the Cup 

 again with tlie same kind of instrument as the Genesta, only a little 

 more so. 



There is no question but that Puritan can make a passage at sea in 

 perf . et safety, barring the loss of her long horn, and with some de- 

 gi'ee of comfort. That is all insured by her size alone, if by nothing 

 else. There is also no doubt but that she can win occasional matches 

 abroad in weather and water to her liking; but the Piuntauand ves- 

 sels of her type would for all that fail wretchedly in answering the 

 pur}3oses of the foreigc yachtsmen. She cannot compare for reli- 

 ability in all-round work with a yacht like the Genesta. She would 

 fail to score in reefing breezes arid she could not be cotmted upon to 

 make forced passages around the British coast in all weathers. Of 

 this the Englishman is perfectly well aware and the news of Puritan's 

 perfoi'mance is not in the least likely to turn his head, as may be 

 gatuered from the correspondence which has appeared in the Euro- 

 pean press, and of wbich the folio ^ving is a fair sample, taken from 

 the London Meld, Sept. 36: 



"iSiR— A letter appears in this week's issue of the Meld which calls 

 for a reply, displaying, as it does, a lamentable ignorance as to the 

 merits of American sloops and English cutters, and 'C J. W.." in con- 

 demning the latter and pratsing the former, displa.ys neithei- reason 

 nor justice. 



"Kow, as to the points of the two types, I consider them to be as 

 follows: Regarding the sloop, even including the 'half wav between' 

 Puritan, they in the hull are too shallow to go to windward in a jump 

 of a sea, and, through the same cause, they are lamentably deficient 

 iu In-ad room. They are too wide, in that a heavy sea causes a most 

 unpleasant, uneasy motion, whether they take it end on or on the 

 beam, preventing the sails from sleeping, and, to put it mildly, di.s- 

 turbing the crockery; while every roll, if on a wind, is a shove to 

 leeward. 



"As regards the sparring, the position of the ma.st is too far for- 

 ward, in a rough sea, for comfort, speed, or even safely, increasing 

 the pitching motion as it does. The great proportional length and 

 weight of mast multiplies the above defects; and this, iu addition to 

 the comparative insignificance of the topmast, precludes the possi- 

 bijity ot snugging the vessel comfortablv down and leaves her in a 

 gale with a thundering big tree swaggering out of her. 



'•'The maihsail is too large to handle easily, and compels the neces- 

 sity of reefing when the cutter need only stow her topsail. 



*'Now, having so far Judged the .sjoop^which after all isonlyafine- 

 weaiher, sinooth-watei- boat— let iis glance at the cutter. I cannot 

 iidmjt our jar.s^e cutters are deficient jn accommodation through want 

 of beam. An old saying speaks ot matters of equal mei-it 'as being as 

 "broad as long,-" Length is as good as breadth, and, iu a ye.ssel, 

 better. The cutter's met jts are in exact contradict ion ,to the demei its 

 of the sloop. Her huH formation is adapted for bad weatier and 

 broken water, &c., and jt is absurd to speak of her uncomfortable 

 pjo.tioi], for nothing is designed at present so easy, gradual and 

 comparatively free from rolling, pitciiing and scehding.' As to her 

 spar and sail piao^, is any one bold enough to say it is not the best 

 for speed, weatherh'ne.ss or cOD|fortin a single ma?ted vessel as yet 

 fie3ignedy 



•"Now, as to the late racing in America, Genesta is the natural out- 

 come of a .system of measurement, admittedly haying its faults hqt 

 still a meafiurement that has produced the most able and weatheriy 

 of s'oysels, syhile Pmaiau is the outcoine of a different system, fostei-- 

 iug a'dii^ereuttype. It is hard to bi-ing those two types" together, but 

 It might have been more reasonable if they had been njeasm'ed by a 

 rule midway between the "i' , B.. A, and American. 



*'To conelude, would Piu'itan have won from (Jenesta if the vessels 

 wertsTflced under the conditions of measurement, wiffd ana v. atcr 

 under which the latter was built to compete:' Would Puritan make 

 a, passage in comfort, and safety in what we consider bad weailier v 



"In a matter of speed alone would Puritan have sailed f^ven knot 

 for knot with GenestiJ iu weather such as was experienced liy Geues- 

 la's sisters at the late Dartmonth regatta'/ 



"i have resided in the United States and know thi'jr sloops and 

 scliooners, and I know equally well the English cutler, and, iu my 

 opfnion, the on)y answer to the foregoing questions is .1 very big -No!' 



„, r J T,. ■, "JaME,S J. BojJTUtE.'- 



The London Field also coincides with the hmitations I have above 

 get to t)ie utility of a Puritan iu Jiiritish waters in the following taken 

 from an editorial in the J'ield; 'So far as the contention that the' 

 English type of yacht js wrong is concerned, we feel sure tha*; the 

 Awenoan tyjie will never,, eyen in the Anglo- American type repre- 



ented by the Puritan, be adopted in EogRsh waters. ...The conclu- 

 sion to arr'ive at is that a comproaiise between the sloop and the 

 cutter must he very much more cutter than even Pm-itau is to eom- 

 pf'te v.iih anything like success against British yachts in a whole sail 



breev^t:-:" 



Surely the above settles the "revolution" in British yacht binlding, 

 which has been inipcndiiig only in (he uiinds of persons not familiar 

 wiih the contlilions of yachlmK aln-uad. Past lUKlory furnishes 

 another striking illustration of how ca.sily the avera.ge critic slips off 

 his base in the hour of exuberant spirits. The America in her day 

 "created" a fiu-ore iu yachting circles to whicli the recent intef- 

 naiional race* compare only as a small side shmv. Now 

 while the America hastened the univei-sal introduction of 

 long, fine bows a.nd flat sails, both these attiihutes wore not new, 

 for the.y had been anticipated in British yachts like the Mosquito sev- 

 eral years before the advent of the schooner from these waters, and 

 they were, moreover, subjects of umvcrsal discussion at the time, tlie 

 leadi UK lights abroad having given in their adhesion to the iimova- 

 tions lief oi'c the America was ever thought of. To wliat e.vient did 

 the th-itish throw their own e.vperie/n-e to the dogs and at a bound re- 

 construct their fleets l.iy a fresh lot of America.s? Just one single, 

 solitary schooner yacht was btylt after the Amei ica's lines, and that 

 was the iron-huhed Vestal. She performed fairly well, but was not 

 raced with much earnest. The British set about remodelling their 

 modern fleet by the regular process of evolution, leading up to the 

 Oamhrias and Livonias, with which we are well acquainted, they did 

 not discover any cause for a "revolution'" in the America and she 

 never set the fashion to the lights who came to the fore after that 

 schooner's achievements had become a matter of history. It is non- 

 sense, then, to suppose that an event of coniparative'ly miuor im- 

 portance can draw in its wake a more violent tipsetl lug of prevailing 

 preferences and experience abroad, On the contrary, the British 

 public are aware that while short twelve .years ago then' ,vachts were 

 still rnanifesTiy inferior to our own iu speed, they have, by following 

 out their own line of espcrimejitation. so far progressed as to send 

 across a Genesta, and )jrove her jiractically as good as auythmg we 

 can produce. Thej have the satisfaction of knowing that hut for our 

 borrowing from them the cutter's rig and the cutter's equipment, 

 our orihodox sloops would have been easily beateu. Is it likely 

 that with the indorsement of their idea^ and practices in the Puritati, 

 and with full knowledge that even the Puritan would fail to meet 

 their wants, they M'ill discard jn-inciplcs which have been well tried 

 abroad and to which even we are giving onr approval'/ Tlici'c need 

 be no fear that the sturdy British yachtsman will ever discard his 

 bold, aljle and ever rcfiaiile little seagtnng ve.«sel for a makeshift, a 

 half-hearted cross between sloop and cutter like the Puritan. If he 

 did, very little further experience would convince him of his eiTor 

 .and he would return to bis old love with all the better appreciation of 

 her grand qualities and iucompaj'able all-round excellence. 



So far as British yachtbuilding of the future is concerned, the Pur- 

 itan-Genesta races will be devoid of the .slightest influence. A change 

 in the Y. R. A. tonnage rule, which iinw handicaps beam so heavilj-, 

 may possibly induce a ti-ifling addition to beam for the sake of greater 

 deck room and accommodations, but .such additions wid be purely 

 nominal in extent and still leave the type unmodified. The London 

 Field ochos the experience with beam about the British coast and my 

 mvn as well vvhen it says: 



"Ho far as re.gards altering the rule, before that is done we siiould 

 like to see if a yacht of i'k^ iieams. 80ft. on the loadline. could not he 

 built to beat those of about 5}4 beams, on the same length. We think 

 the experiment quite worth trying, althou.gh tliere would not be much 

 chance of its succeeding in the small classes. Such yachts would 

 have Sft. more beam than Genesta (that is, lift.), and would have to 

 allow her Irain. Ssec. over a 5t1-mile course. This penalty does not 

 look more than she ought to be able to do ; and adding 3tl. to such a 

 craft as Genesta would make her in niti,ny ways a very much im- 

 proved vessel, and especially in a seaway, although occasionally 

 there may be a particidar kind of sea met with which the narrower 

 boat would get through the faster. Examples of this have occm-red 

 over and over again in yachting experiences, and they have rather 

 tended to mask the fact that for any given tonnage a yacht is not 

 always what may be termed an efficient performer hi a sea simply 

 because she Is narrow, but because she is long and rteep. If, how- 

 ever, a yacht has a beam much in excess of two-tenths of her length 

 on 'oadline, tfie beam will begin to tell against her in a head sea, hut 

 she will not necessarily be a bad sea boat." 



That is to say, the /^ieZd does not think that experience warrants 

 greater beam in small cutters. Probably because such yachts need a 

 maximum displacement to go through the exceetlingly severe racing 

 and the bad weather they often have to face owing" to their small 

 size. But in larger vessels, as the Genesta, an addition of 2ft, might 

 be an improvement except in the worst of weathers. Allowing the 

 Field's assumption to be correctly taken, the Genesta would even 

 then reinaia a 5 beam cutter, or a 'very narrow boat according to our 

 American notions. This, however, would be brought about by a 

 change in the measurement rule without reference to the Puntan's 

 success at all, To such changes, I and all other "cutter men' 

 certainly make no objection. We are quite willing to abide hy the 

 outcome of experience in respect to cutters of moderate beam, nar- 

 row beam, very narrow beam, or no beam at all, Just so the world 

 shall not be cheated out of the sturdy cutter type through fallaoious 

 deductions circulated by inexperienced persons who force their "be 

 Mefs," "views," etc.. upon the public at a rate mverse to their ilghl 

 to give an opinion of any kind. 



Turning now to the probable influence of the international races 

 upon yacht building in America. I am forced to conclude that their 

 effect will be the very reverse of what has been predicted. Being 

 more volatile in character than John Bull, Jonathan will rush he.ad- 

 long into copying without turning things over in his mind. Very 

 well. Let him copy. Inasmuch as Puritan is a half-way step 

 between sloop and cutter in )ier lig, equipment, stowage of ballast 

 and appearance, .lonathan will simply be discarding his last century 

 trap and taking liis first lesson in cutter principles. This will be 

 satisfactory to himself, for he will get a better stylo of boat tlian he 

 had before. It is also satisfactory to "cutter men," because having 

 "been there themselves," they think they know where Jonathan is 

 sure to bi'ing up. The next Puritan tna,y have all her lead outside. 

 This involves a keel of such depth that the centerboard will be dis- 

 carded. Jonathan will follow her up hi all the rest of his vessels, and 

 presto, change I before he is aware of it he is backing the cutter of 

 moderate beam against all creation. The rest will take care of itself. 

 With all the weight hung low, Jonathan will wish to beat all comers 

 in all (veather, and he will whittle oft just a little bit of that lumpy 

 beam and fill in the amount about the floor to drive his vessel 

 through a head sea ; and so it may come true some fine day that 

 Jonathan is the man who has got "cutter on the brain." and old- 

 fashioned John Bull insists at least upon enough beam to squeeze his 

 fat anatomy down the ha'ches. 



Thus it is that no matter what interpretation be put upon the 

 Puritan-Genesta affair, the "cutter men" are in high glee, for more 

 "cuttery" our fleet is destined to become. The "cutter tnan" no 

 longer lacks confidence in his favorite tvpe for speed. Genesta, 

 Clara and even Puritan are living witnesses in behalf of the sound- 

 ness of cutter principles. Formerly he may have btdlt with an idea 

 that lie was sacrificing speed in return for the comforts, dryness, 

 ease, accounuodations below, cool cabins and all-roiuid rehability, in 

 all of which he know s the cutter to excel. Now he will build in full 

 knowledge that tliere is nothing inherent iu his favorite type not 

 compatible with the highest I'ate of speed, and that there is nothing 

 inherent in the sloop which entitles her to claim greater possibilities 

 iu that respect. C , P. KuKHAanr. 



GENESTA AND GRACIEl. 



Edi/for Jforejit and i^tream: 



In your last issue "Reader" furnishes his own answer. My state- 

 ment concerning Genesta and Gracie as compared to Puritan and 

 Gracie was based upon the triangular races the two pairs sailed, as 

 no coniparison can be Institiired between a race to windward and one 

 over a different course. Puritan and (jracie sajled 40 miles triangular 

 coiuse. Puritan beat Gracie 35m. 3-ts. Genesta and Oracle sailed tri- 

 angular ccurse. 33 miles. (4enesta boat Gracie ,3fm. 52s. Add one- 

 quarter tor difiej-encc In distance, and Genesta beats Gfacie 27m. 3'Os 

 Jhakmg rr(V statenfent t^oireet. The time in PuritauTGracie race rep- 

 resentp, also mucb loss distance as it was safirHl in lighter wind, f 

 am ready to grant, however, that the cou4parison is of no great yaiue 

 l^^^ii.^' t-ti.se, us nccnr.-u-o defluctions cannot be reached in the preni- 



As for the item in Scieuo'. mentioned by "Reader," it is on a par 

 with the rest of the slipshod observatious in other pnlihcations. For 

 ptie thjng dipping bowsprits is no criterion whatever of seagoing qual- 

 ities, least of ail of ability, pnriian's bowsprit has a steeye or rise 

 upward. Me-esta's is buckled down, and every one- concedes that 

 cutters osciUate through greater arcs than veRS("ds of halter floor. It 

 is a perleetly harmless peculiarity scarcely noticed bv those onboard. 

 I have sailed ma. ^0-mile gfiie-i! cutter which dipped her bowsprit 

 : uo water nor threw any spray 

 'd doqnder the circumstances, 



sea of the first iTial match just about as badly. The value of size in 

 rough weather has heretofore been underrattid and this i^ what the 

 Puntan-Bcdouin race really disclosed, inasinneli as the cutter 

 Bedouin beat the sloop Gracie of same length uo If.ss fhini .2i'iiii .Vw in 

 lies to Windward, the race very clearU e:,tat;ii,sii;-M:! the vast 



ntte 

 on fn 



1 the 



eoaa-e v.-eathor. .just '\\^^ concrjrv what 

 oulci imply This point has 

 I--0. iqioti ininureds of occd-sions, here and 

 inj- event rc(|uire much more than one race 

 .1(5 contrary. 



Mt the only contests between different types 

 Tliey are only one lot out of hundreds of 

 > loot- to tlie Puritan races alone, anil disre- 

 |,u absurdity qiiit,e the fashion for the prt scut. 

 ' txpf 



at every dive^ yet sh' 

 in comparison to what 

 even vvithonf dipping ijo 



jrhe beating which ■ptiriL,,., ^.e. .- :;^aouin was dye uholhjQix accounr. 

 ot Puritan s bigger size, for Puriran beat the .sloop Gracie )/i>'.c7i 

 ivorSfi in the first trial race referred to. Hence any reasoning which 

 attempts to lay Bedouin's defeat at the doors of her mo-tel is rubbish 

 which ought never to find its way into a publication of high standing. 

 If the cutter model was at fault in that race, then the sloiip model of 

 the Gracie was even much more taultv- Gauged througb the Gracie, 

 Genesta, a cutter herself, could heat Bedouin in the stiff breeze at 



superiority of tlif 

 "Reader's" qnotai 

 been so lirinly establish 

 abroad, that i'l n-oulil in 1 

 the other wa)' to .set up t 

 The Puritan rar-e-; are 1 

 which have taken piaee. 

 similar conip ddtious. 

 .gard all other lessons is ; 



Tlic EDglisI) h.ive f.-r years and years experimented with heaiu fr 

 the broadest down to the narrowest, witli ini.utuerahle vaciits dilTer- 

 ing inch by inch. The general result is heavily in favor' ot narrower 

 vessels than our sloop for re]iril)jlitv, abilitv and s]ieed in heavy 

 weather, nor has anything transpire ! .-.-moc the appearance, of the 

 Puritan to shake confidence in previous onservatious. 'f hose (jnnlifled 

 10 judge do not kesita.te to go on rc^orfl stron.gJy in f.avor of Genesta 

 and her kind against boats of Piu'itan's build, and much more so 

 against the typical American sloop which is notorioiisl,\' worthless in 

 a sea, so far as "going" and "dryness" uru concerned. No ya-'hts- 

 man familiar with Gracie, Fanny, Mischief and their class w'ill pre- 

 tend that they can be "driven" under reefs in an uglv sea. 

 But It is equally familiar to all who have experience in cutters that 

 that is their strong point. Under short, s.ail they do relafividy much 

 belter than the sloop, and the cutter can thrash'a good paasage and 

 claw out to windward long after the sloop ba.i to give up through 

 sheer inability to accomplish anything to her good. In large yaclits 

 this is not of such great importance, as they are in iieavr weather 

 less ofl;eu than small vessels, an-l mere size is an antidote to short- 

 comings in model. Hence "cutter principles" have all the mrae 

 direct application to yachts of small lonnagc, if such yachts aie to 

 be put to hard service and not rest forevei- content wit;h small work 

 in sheltered waters, 'the ftduie is certahi to see the ten and twenty 

 ton yacht knock aliont our coast just as much as is the custom 

 abroad, and to that end she must and will appreiach the British 

 cutter m her conception, I am only one out of tjiousands who would 

 rather cruise 10 the West Indies, to Bermuda or to the Golf of St. 

 Lawrence in a eOft, yacht than iu a linge ark aboard which I could 

 only be a pa.ssenger or figure tilniost as a nonentity in her handling 

 C. P. K. 



COMMENDATORY reviews of Mr. Kunhardt's "Small Yachts" are 

 the rule. The Nation says: "This book fills a blank in .^Linerican 

 yacht literature, and will be found avaluatile atlditioii to ihe lihraries 

 of our American yaclitsnien. The subject-niatter, althongn covered 

 in a measure by such works as Dixon Ivemp's ' i'acht "fiesignmg' 

 and his 'Yacht and Boat Sailing,' is presented iu more attractive 

 form, is much condensed, and is procurable at less tlian half the co.st 

 of those volumes. It is practical throiighout-praei.ieal in the treat- 

 ment of \\diat is popularly called theoretical ; and the cliaiitm-s on 

 Resistance, Displac emcnt. Stability, Beam and it.s Ri.dations, make 

 plain the course of the amateur designer when he launches his ship 

 on the drawing-board with his tools and the assistance of the chapter 

 following on Comimtations, which is also presented in the simplest 

 possible fortn. The yachtsman who undetstands the indnciiiles of 

 design and their results, derives much mor,'. satisfaction from 'one of 

 the nianliest of sports than the man who is willing to sail a passen.ger 

 in his own ship, and is content to pay for all professional services- 

 and hence we can recomiuend the book, uotwithstandiag its title 

 'Small Yachts,' to all yachtsmen, without reference to the size of 

 their vessels, existing or in prospect. Cnd.er the liead of ()enoral In- 

 formation tlie reader v.Lll find such subjects as Yachts' Papers, In- 

 ternational Rules of the Road, fjautionary Signals of the IT. S. Signal 

 Service, together with many usefui tables, such as iveighrs of mate- 

 rials, gear, wind pressure, etc., etc. A large portion 01 the l>ook is 

 devoted to the lines of many existing small yachts with sail plans, 

 plans of accommodation, specifications of construction, and aeneral 

 description, which will be found of much interest; and the clsissifiea 

 Hon by type, witn remarks on the features of each, has a wholesome 

 tendency in the direction of an uncaijsizable boatfnnh'ke the yacht 

 Torpedo, which recently capsized and drowned three of her crew i 

 This classification isasfollows: Cctiterbo;u-d eathoats, keeJ i;aiboafs' 

 Ught draft centerboard slooos, hglit draft keel yachts., deep di-aii 

 keel yachts, compromise keel and centerboard, beamy cutters, cut- 

 ters of moderate beam, cutters of smal] beam, and vaelits of speeial 

 class, embracing sharpies, buckeyes, canoes, etc. 



THE PROPER MOniDL FOB FISHING ViilSSIfiLS.-O.aptain Colliu.< 

 has for some time been urging a cliange of the model of Vmerieaii 

 fishing vepsels. The nv->st important feature is indicated inliisnoto 

 in the Cape Ann Advertiser of >ray p.), If-Sl'. asfollows; "All evioenee 

 goes to prove that in the open oct-au. estiecially where strong winds 

 and rough seas are to be euoouuteivcj, deep bodied vessels are much 

 more rapid than .shallow ones. Noi' does this depend so uiiielt on 1 he 

 vessel carrying a great amouut of sail ;is it does ou Iter abiiity to keep 

 on her course and make headway under short canvas wijen one >f 

 less depth, though of liroader beam, must, henve to and diift lo lee- 

 ward.'- These statements have been verihed iu a very iutej-esi iii" 

 way the past summer by the i;Tloucester vessels sent to Iceland on 

 halibut To.yages. where they came in eonr;e:-r w ii h Kn[;li,sh sirjacks 

 Captain George VV. Pendleton, inast-'^r of s. .-"u Williai.is' 



which is one of the best Gloucester vcssl-' , - i o:i the iray' 



hesaUedfrom Iceland he enconatered ; ,4-, obliged lo 



heave to under dou'ole-reefed foresail whtii -..re lodes off" land 

 Soon after he heaved to he was passed by an Kijglisli smack, carry- 

 ing a single ret-fed mainsail and whole' foresail's. He thought l ie, 

 Euglish vessel was making 11 knots an hoiu-. Everything was dry 

 and comfortable, the men appearing- on deck v.ithout" oile-I clothe.s. 

 On other occasions he was oblige it to reef down snugly while the 

 English smacks wont along comfortably under ail pl.ith sail. The 

 Alice M. Wilhams was deep in wa,ter, as she had a full cargo of fish 

 on board, and yet was compelled to lay to while another vessel n<9 

 larger was moving cotnfortixbly imder crowded canvas.— Beuorf o/" 

 Commissioner of Fisheries ^Sep^. 35, 18811. 



NEW YORK Y. C— A meeting was held at the club house on 

 Thin-sday last, being a continuation of the adjourned meeting of July 

 Si. On its adjournment the fifth general meeting was at once called to 

 order by Bear Commodore F. C. Lawrence. Resolutions of i-esoect 

 to the late es Commodore W.H.Thomas were passed, and also a 

 resolution offered by Mr. A. P. Stokes, schooner Clytie, thanking the 

 owners of the Gracie and Bedouin for their action iu entering their 

 yachts in the trial races, its requested by the committee. Ex-Com- 

 modore Smith moved that a committee of seven be appointed by tlio 

 chair to select a suitable piece of silverware to be presented to the 

 owners of the Puritan as a recognition of then- action in the defense 

 of the America Cup. Mr. Phillip Schuyler also moved that the thanks of 

 the club be presented to tuem. Both resolutions were carried. Mr 

 Webb's letter of Oct. tiin regard toa continuance of Galatea's challenge 

 was read. The secretary was instructed to inform him that the club 

 would consider when i-ect'ived, any formal challenge in the name of a 

 yacht club, as stipulated In the lieett of gift Vice-Commodore Doug- 

 lass offered his resignation, owing to a proposed absence abroad, mit 

 it was laid on the table. After some inLscellaneous business the fol- 

 lowing new members were elected: Sir Richard Sutton (honorary 

 member , William L. Stow, John W. Emerson, Gilhatt Schroedei- 

 Benjamin J, Swan, Oiarles T. Minton, Edward C. Post, J. 3loss Wdiile" 

 L. D. Shephard, Fred, tiallatm, Arthur Ryerson, Thornton N Moilej " 

 John W. Handren. Charles L, Wright, Geo. II. Draper, T. Harrison 

 Garrett, John R. Andrews, William 0. Eustis, T. Henry iTreneh W' ti 

 Higbee and G. E. Stevens. ' . 1 it 



OBSTRUCTIONS IN THE EAST RIVER. -The lollowiug nation 

 has been issued by the coast sarvey office: Ilciit. John 31 Hawley, 

 y.S.N., assistant U. S. Coast and lieodeiic Sarvey. coiutnanain.g tfl« 

 schooner Eagre, has developed the following adafelonal daugei's not. 

 lyeretQfore shovvn on the charts of this office': I, a small roek\-'siiiKi j 

 lies about midway between the south w.^Mlera end of BlsiekweH'-i 

 Island and black buoy >fo. 3iJ. The rock- htis but gj«,ft. of water ovep 

 ij;. and is located on the foUowing bearings, taken 'from Coasl and 

 (ieoiletic Survey Chart No. 869, :ri; -bmailpo.x Hospital, Black well's 

 Islautt, N.E., 485 yards: Canoe Rod? tcentcr of rnck), S W U\V -'.O 

 yards; Forty-fifth street. New Voi-k", N. W.s-^JW., I'.il yanls. This rook 

 being part of tne line ot detached ledges forming- JSlaek well's Isi-ii.l 

 reef, is not in the track of vessels followiog tho usual channels "•>" \ 

 ridge lies to the eastward of Black well's Island reef, ue irl v ia mi. 1- 

 channel, and has a least depth of f8ff. over it. ft extt^uds^Lboiu -in 

 yards in a north B,itu south direction, and ii located in the followiu"- 

 bearings: Smallpox hospital, Rlacl'nvell's Island M N li,r..i,i<; s.'iTi 

 yards; Long Island railroad sign, Hunter's Point. S. hy EMui' .iii.' 

 yards,- Canoe Kock (center of rockl. N,W.:yN|., :ilO yards. To avoid 

 this ridge vessels passing iq the eastward of Oauqe 'Rock should h-iK 

 t!ie Long Islan.i shore, 



A HINT ABfiUT CHAIN. -^A Short time since a vaaht went ashore 

 Ui a blow, pari mg her cHajo, anCiV and apparently go;-id oae. An 

 examiaatlori of the hrok-in Ihik showed, however, t'hat the cause of 

 its breaking was that being very wiile, it ha t turned half round and 

 ktoked so that the adjoining links pulled on it sidew-ivs, a direction 

 in which it could stand little strain. Chain which l«t"stf*.l and fouu.l 

 defeotiyeip England is not allowed to ha sol.l iiu-ler heavy penalties, 

 hut ifc Is returned after te.jting to t!ie owner. Vv liat hec'iuies of if,' 

 Tliere is no law against exporting it or seliing it m this oramtry Does 

 any of icconje here'? 



