276 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Oct. 28, 1886. 



strong probability, boweyer, is tbat, bad the Pearl and Nautilus 

 been in best form they would have been close np to the front; that 

 on a reaching wind, witb a lumpy sea, the long and lioUow-bowed 

 Ainerican canoes, with owner outboard, would have won; that in 

 a light wind, beating and running, the EngUsb boats would have 

 won, and possibly also in a heavy sea and wind. The lessons 

 learned in the racing will assist in criticising the models, especially 

 taking in the New York races, where Nautilus, at any rate, was 

 sailing np to or near her proper form, ha'ang been fitted with an 

 ample and strong di'op rudder. 



On both sides of the water it was anticipated that the races 

 sailed at the A. C. A. meet on the St. Lawrence this autumn would 

 furnish valuable data, on which theories of the past and present 

 would be upheld or exploded, and possibly the ''perfect" canoe 

 be pointed out. As far as the "^perfect" canoe is concerned, noth- 

 ing of the kind has come to light; indeed, a careful and unbiased 

 analysis of results throws the definition of the "perfect" canoe 

 further into the mysterious future than before. The sailing races, 

 so far as they went, proved that, in the circnmstances under which 

 they were held, canoes with comparatively small sails, little or no 

 ballast, small centerplates, l)ut with tlic man sitting outside of 

 the gunwale, were able to beat the English canoes which sailed 

 ■with large sails, heavy ballast and heavy centerplates, and with 

 the owner lying down or sitting on the flooi' of the canoe. The 

 beatings were fair and square, as tliey stood, and remained so 

 even after deducting allowances, wldch should in fairness be men- 

 tioned in connection with tlie English canoes. The race course as 

 laid out is an equilateral triangle of half-mile sides. The wind- 

 ward buoy, as it happened in two out of the thi-ee races, in- 

 cluding the cup race, lay pretty close to and nearly to leewai'd 

 of a small, rooky island, wliicb rendered the wind at that buoy 

 very shifty and uncertain in strength. The strength of the cur- 

 rent also varied considerably, probably being affected by winds 

 away on Lake Erie, However, the two facts in relation to Pearl 

 and Nautilus, the English canoes, and which were very fairly 

 acknowledged on all hands, were, that Pearl during the whole of 

 the races leaked so badly as to be sailing almost watterlogged; and 

 as to Nautilus (quoting from the official report), "Previous to the 

 race Nautilus had her brass drop rudder badly damaged by a 

 canoe striking it and bending it out of shape; though repaired, it 

 was still in bad condition, and steered the boat unevenly on differ- 

 ent tacks;" indeed, it was i-atlicr more than this, as when the 

 canoe was on starboard tack it was of no effect at all, and the miz- 

 zen sail had to be hauled up and down to try to steer the boat. 

 This drop rudder had a di-op of over 12in., and a jury rudder of 

 wood which was afterward fitted had only a drop of some 3in., and 

 was found almost useless in a boat so "rockei-ed" up as is Nautilus; 

 especially in rough water. In these circumstances the English 

 boats were at an unusual disadvantage in races so crowded ^vith 

 competitors and with so short a length of course, viz., three miles, 

 in half-mile lengths. 



In passing, as it is not intended here to record all the racing 

 which took place, but only to chronicle the important sailing, it 

 may be well to note that out of six paddling races (single), thi'ee 

 were for canoes loaded so that canoe and load should weigh (a) 

 SOOlbs., {b) leOlbs., (c) ISOlbs. These races are of great importance 

 in favor of tbe general cruising canoe, in that a racing canoe 

 loaded do^xn to, say, a total of 1601bs. has little if any advantage 

 over a cruising canoe of that weight naturally. It would be an 

 extremely good rule, wlia tever clubs may choose to do, if an as- 

 sociation such as tiie A. C. A. should for the benefit of all-round 

 canoeing, require that in every race, whether paddling or sailing, 

 competing canoes should be bound to carry load mthin the canoe 

 —say 601bs., 8Clbs., or lOOlbs.— fairly representing the weight of 

 stirft usually carried on a cruise. A monstrosity created solely for 

 racing would hardly succeed under such restriction, and a good 

 all-round boat would only be fairly ballasted thereby. 



Take, for instance, an ordinary outfit of clothes— tent, bed, cook- 

 ing gear and stores — fit for a week's cruise; it will not be much 

 under 601bs., however sparingly formed up, and most likely over 

 801bs. No boat cruises empty, why should she race empty ? The 

 true test to be aimed at is the craft which carries its load fastest 

 and in the most seaworthy manner, not the craft that only sails 

 fastest as an empty shell, skimming the surface of the water, kept 

 from capsizing and swamping only by the superior acrobatic 

 powers of her owner. 



Looking carefully at the Pecowsic and her performance, one can 

 safely predict that Pecowsic loaded would not have the speed or 

 the success she has as an "empty;" indeed, if a load had to be car- 

 ried, no one would build a V-floored, hollow-lined Pecowsic. On 

 the other hand. Vesper (second to Pecowsic in the other races and 

 winner of the cup race), a flat-floored canoe \^nth good freeboard, 

 would she have performed equally well vrith a load on board ? 

 Her owner says certainly not, she is doing her best when perfectly 

 empty, if slower when loaded, there is a fault somewhere in her 

 design. 



"Who would suffer by having to carry a reasonable amount of 

 weight in a race ? Only the owners of racing machines. "S^^lether 

 tlie canoe and her fittings sliould be included with, a reasonable 

 "load" to form a certain class weight is a question for further con- 

 sideration, but a racing shell ballasted by her owner sitting far 

 outside her, is quite as much, if not more, a racing machine than 

 is the deep canoe ballasted ^vith lead and heavy plate. 



THE MEET OF 1886. 



SAII/S AND RIGGING. 



THE various rigs present at the meet were never of so varied a 

 character before, nor were there ever present such excellent 

 examples of the various types. The Mohicans had several very 

 good suits of tbeir peculiar sail, besides some good rigs from other 

 clubs. Pecowsic set a good example of simplicity and efficiency, 

 while the balance Ings were certainly represented as they never 

 before have been, by the neat and elegant rigs of Pearl and 

 Nautilus. Never before has such an opportimitybeen given to com- 

 pare the rigs, and never ijef ore has the sail question been brought 

 BO prominently forward. One point at least was settled, tlie 

 absence of any serious tendency toward over canvasing, and no 

 further rules are at present necessary to prevent such an evil, as 

 the fastest canoes Avere only moderately served out with muslin. 



The American and English rigs were brought into direct com- 

 petition, with the result that the former won. They were also by 

 no means inferior in qnaUty and make of sails, but markedly so 

 in neatness and finish of spars and rigging. 



The success of Mr. Barney's thret-masted schooner, although 

 she used only two sails at the meet, has occasioned much surprise 

 and set many to work at asking questions. The following letter 

 condenses some pretty difficult questions into little space, and 

 though the answers are hard to find, we are expected at least to 

 point out a way to them. Perhaps the writer is a little hard on 

 the poor editor, but we ^vill let that go at present and leave it to 

 the future to show whether the Snake is able to get and keep to 

 windward of an ink bottle. His letter reads as follows: 

 Editor Forest and Stream: 



If you please, Mr. Editor, wiU you tell me what makes the Pe- 

 cowsic go so fast. And wliile you are about it, kindly state which, 

 is the best model for a canoe and which is the fastest rig. I want 

 to know what to get for next year, and a friend of mine told ir e 

 that this year's meet would settle all the questions and conui - 

 drums, and that the New York Club would publish a complete stt 

 of answers in one of their newspapers and magazines. Of course, 

 we other A. C. A. sailors have some answers of our own, but f s 

 every one knows, sailors are better at asking questions and literary 

 men at answering them, or at any rate, at getting their answers 

 published. That old riddle of the rig now. Was I not prepared 

 even to contradict an editorV and did I not go so far as to ofter to 

 the vacillating world a final complete and perfect solution of that 

 perplexing problem. And now here is a man who apparently has 

 not availed himself of the advantages placed at his disposal by the 

 literary feUows, yet in spite of this benighted isolation (perhaps, 

 also, because of it) he startles us with another addition to tlie vol- 

 ume of new answers to old riddles, and "gets there" with it more 

 than once. It is very provoking; but if a rival ^^dll not go as slow 

 as we do, w© must trv to even up >jy going as fast as he does. We 

 don't want to hold him back. That isn't the way at aU, even 

 if he brings out a craft which we fear will di'own him; 

 that is his affair, provided he or his imitators do not mon- 

 opolize the attentions of the life-sa\T.ng service. Then the 

 dreaded degeneration of the fleet of fast cruisers into a small 

 squadron of racing machines i.s a bogeynot worth sraring^about or 

 declaimin! ' ' ' " ^.^-u,,-. „„,.„+... 



see to it. 



chief value laes in l-u^^ jl ci.iL«vivi.j ....... 



Association. Those w)io framed the rules against machmes will 

 frame more when necc.ssa^.^^ But an experiment by one man, 

 whether successful or otherwise, does not necessarily produce a 

 host of imitators, and, thfM-efore, docs not require rules to regulate 

 it. Let us see. Legislation should be deliberate. It may become 

 necessary to forbid sails tiiut cannot be set and lowered from the 

 cockpit and deck seats whicli extend beyond the beam of the boat; 

 iDut let those few who propose such remedies wait until we know 

 whether we have any need of them. ]Most evils ^vill correct them- 

 eelves in a little while. Meantime we must get to work again to 

 find out what of good is in these little sui-prises and why it is good. 

 "What makes Pecowic go so fast? That's wliat I want. I don't 

 Tijraiit Pecowsic. The tenth commandment shall te liept. But I 



would give my garboard streak to be able to get to windward of 

 her. So would some others. So let us lay our heads together and 

 worry through the conundrum once more. And then let some 

 other fellows try. First, a few facts to give a foundation for the 

 pile of propositions. Pecowsic is fast. How fast? Under limited 

 sail she was nearly 7min. in 70 faster than the second (Venture). 

 In the unlimited race she was nearly 2min. in 45 faster than the 

 second (Vesper). In the A. C. A. Challenge Cup she was second 

 8sec. in about 99min. belund Vesper. In the consolation cup race 

 she was a little over Imin. in 115 faster than Vesper. 



The first two races were crowded to such a degree as to lessen 

 the value of the figures, as there was much of luck and accident 

 in position imtil the first buoy was turned. In the limited sail 

 there was a squall and then a calm which favored some more than 

 others. Pecowsic's long lead in this was more than her average. 

 In the other three races she was not so far ahead or behind her 

 closest competitor. The two cup races gave the best opportunities 

 for comparison, being sailed in fair winds and without crowding. 

 In the A. C. A. cup race she sailed the whole time in close com- 

 pany with the Vesper, on the reach the two were as nearly even 

 as possible, Pecowsic gaining a trifle if the wind shifted ahead and 

 Vesper when it came more free. Then on the windward leg of the 

 course came Pecowsic's greatest performance. She would glide 

 up on the weather quarter of her rival, turn abeam, then ahead 

 almost as easily as it is to write it and nothing would avaU. Then 

 she made an awkward turn and then began the run home more 

 togetlier again. In this she was visibly uncomfortable, carrying 

 her sail with less ease than Vesper yet losing distance. This race 

 was one with a good deal of maneuvering at hich Pecowsic was 

 weak and Vesper strong, so the next one (the consolation cup) was 

 interesting again. It was a long run and a longer beat back, a 

 thrash against a considerable current in a strong wind with only 

 one turn to make. At the start Pecowsic and Vesper were very 

 even, at about a mUe Pecowsic led, at 1^ miles Vesper led, at the 

 turn Pecowsic was well ahead, Vesper having made an ill-judged 

 change of trim and lost position badly. Still the finish was close. 

 This brief resume shows that Pecowsic, while fast every way, is not 

 phenomenal in running or reaching; but can be rivaled by canoes 

 of the cruising type. Her superiority is in windward work, and 

 this is what we must study. In moderate winds with nearly 

 smooth water she is a wonder, but on the long beat in rough water 

 she only held the distance lost by Vesper, if, _iideed, the latter did 

 not reduce it, showing that Pecowsic Avas (as many expected) a less 

 able boat in hard work than in easy. We have then three factories 

 for "the wonder," in which, on her windward work, she was aston- 

 ishing, and on other courses fleeter than old champions and about 

 equal ^vitli the new. To what was tfiis superiority due? Not en- 

 tirely to her lines, else she would have sailed free as well as she 

 did close-hauled. Nor to her handiness or stability, else she would 

 not have lessened her windward power in heavy weather. Nor 

 was it due to the manner of sailing her; this was as is customary. 

 It was due chiefly to the rig. Now, in what was this peculiar? The 

 three njasts occasionally carried need not be discussed, she was 

 sailed oftener with only two. The sails were "leg o' mutton" or 

 trysail shape, laced to masts of admirable lightness and grace, 

 tapering to delicate tips, beginning, in fact, like masts and ending 

 like the light yards of Mohicans. There was no yard off to one 

 side to sail worse on one tack Lhan the other and make with the 

 mast a bad windage. Everything smooth and slippery, no cord- 

 age of reef lines or e\'en halliards, just a surface of muslin alike 

 on both tacks. And then see how it trimmed. Look at Stoddard's 

 photograph of the Pecowsic. The booms are sheeted in almost 

 flat fore and aft, sheets rove through a ring on deck amidships. 

 There is the secret then. If the Vesper pointed up on the same 

 course her peak would flap, and on one tack at least the mast 

 would throw a lot of wind out of the luff. But Pecowsic sails that 

 way best. Of course she must carry this rig very nicely balanced 

 on her board (the latter was moved recently) and very probably the 



groportions of her main andmizzen (more nearly equal than usual) 

 elp her steadiness in flaws. But tiie main points are the absence 

 of spars and cordage usually considered indispensable and conse- 

 quent ability to trim in sheets much closer. It is probable that an 

 equally light boat of another model would do very similarly with 

 that rig, and on the other hand, that Pecowsic if rigged with bal- 

 ance lugs or Mohicans would not be extraordinary. But this is a 



fain of speed at the expense of mechanism necessary for safety, 

 'he problem, then, is not only to build and rig to rival tbe Pecow- 

 sic, but to do so wdthout discarding the halliard and reef line, and 

 pro ln>no pMftifco any one who can should send an ansvver to this 

 conundrum and help us keep comparative safety in the excitement 

 of our canoe races and beat the so-called racing machine \vith fair, 

 comfortable cruising craft, and if possible -without additional 

 legislation. R. W. G. 



[Uur correspondent has answered his own questions as far as it 

 is possible to do so in general terms. As soon as we can publish 

 the lines and sail plan of Pecowsic, canoeists can study the pecu- 

 liarities of tbe rig, and perhaps some one may devise the improve- 

 ments suggested above.] 



As far as Pecowsic's success is concerned the major <-ause is not 

 diflicult to find, and Mr. Gibson answers it plainly above. It has 

 been no secret to canoeists for years that a simple leg of mutton 

 sail with the center of effort and center of gravity of rig kept very 

 low, tlie sail trimming flat, and mth little gear, is a most etfectix e 

 sail. No other can equal it in two great points, simplicity and 

 propelling power to windward with a minimum of heeling power, 

 and if this were all, the question of rig would never have been 

 unsettled as it was six years since by tlie balance lug, a sail gen- 

 erally objected to on its first appearance, driving out the leg of 

 mutt"on sail then in general use about New York. There are, 

 however, other considerations of no less importance in a canoe 

 rig, for instance the question of spreading a sufficient area, and 

 that of equal importance, of a rig that can be readily set, stowed, 

 reefed and handled. Perfect as it is in some respects it is on these 

 latter points that it was long since condemned and abandoned, 

 to be recuscitated to sucb good effect in the Pecowsic. Before 

 going further it is necessary to examine the satis of Pecowsic as 

 shoAvn in the following cut. 



CANOE PECOWSIC. 



The sails are as follows: 



Hoist. Foot. 



Ft. In. Ft. In. 



No. 1. 8 5 10 



3 10 5 10 



3. 10 5 10 



i. 10 5 10 



b. 11 8 5 10 



Area No. of Battens. 



23 1 



38 3 



43 



The sails showm in the sketch are Nos. 5, lift.; 1, ^ft.; a total ot 

 S2sq. ft., the greatest spread ever used being lOoft. The sails used 

 in the meet races, tbe winds being moderate to strong, were 

 limited area, 2 and 5, TOft.: unlimited, S and 5, TSft.; trophy race, 

 2 and 5; Internationat, 2 and 4, (i6f t. To remove t he first oljjeetiun 

 to tho leg of mutton sail, a lack of ari;;a. Mr. Barney has resorted 

 tf> the expedient of putting the area in three sails instead of two, 

 the three mast tubes being the same size and all masts mter- 

 chanEeable. Hehasalso added battens, thus increasing somewhat 

 the area for a given length of boom, of necessity Imuted m this 

 case, but the saUs may still be classed as leg of mutton. The other 

 objection, as to facility of handling, h« has not dealt with excent 

 in 30 far that we believe he claims that any sail may be readily 

 shifted and stowed below, another being set m its place if desired. 

 Pecowsic, a long and narrow canoe without weight, requires only 



limited sail area, and is of a form readily driven by smaU narrow 



sails, m fact her greatest spread was 7.5ft., whUe she sailed with as 

 uttle as Dfaft., less than the mainsails alone of the other cannes. 



With such a model a small, low rig, while a uecessitv, is also an 

 advantage; but is the same applicable to a canoe which carries 

 8jft. or over in light winds? The sail spread can be had in gpod 

 shape for speed in racing, but three masts would be necessary, and 

 this involves a rig that few canoeists, wc think, would fancy. The 

 booms are short, the rig is low and easy on the boat, and the sails 

 may be trimmed flat; but the great defect of the rig is the difficulty 

 of changing the area. The foremast cannot be shifted when once 

 under way in a race, if indeed it can be reached at any time when 

 away from the float, and in any breeze such as would cause him to 

 reef the canoeistwould flndgreat difficulty in shifting for a smaller 

 sail. He might handle the mainsail, perhaps, at will, setting a 



OANOE VESPEH. 



larger or smaller one, and possibly reach the mizzen; but if afloat 

 with large foresail set he must hang to it until land is reached, or 

 if No. 3, for instance, is set forward and the wind falls, there is no 

 chance to shift to No. 5. In short, it would seem impracticable to 

 so canvas the canoe at all times as to have her near her best, while 

 the entire rig is lacking in adaptability to the changes of weather 

 and courses. The foresail may be brailed up, but it cannot be 

 stowed or reset at win. 



C.4N0E LASSIE. 



With the lugsail of any form as now rigged such a change can 

 be easily made, even from the deck seatj mthin large limits. The 

 mainsail of 70 or 7.5ft. can be reduced quickly to say 50 or 35ft.,witJi 

 the mizzen of 23ft. shortened to 15 or stowed at will to be easily 

 hoisted again, the boards and drop rudder aiding to maintain the 

 balance. Of course the large mainmast is immovable in the bows, 

 but the sail and spars can be at once dropped on deck. Of course 

 there is the disadvantage mentioned by Mr. Gibson, of a heavy 

 spar that sags to leeward and is faulty on one tack in particular. 



CANOE XACnriLUS. 



but this is inevitable to a certain extent. If it is to be improved it 

 must be in the direction of a short stiff yard, so hnng as to fall off 

 as little as possible. The Mohican rig, with its many good points, 

 has this drawback, a long, poorly supported yard, which must act 



^\ve should like to see the principles of the Pecowsic rig fuUy 

 worked out and tried on other l anoes, as wiil probably be done 

 this winter. In the meantime there is a large field for improve- 

 ment in the more common rigs, the Moliican and ordinary balance 

 lug. The rig of the Nautilus was a lesson in itself, and tbe best 

 specimen of the kind by a long way that was ever seen in this 

 country. The sails were of fine -^tuff no better than our muslin, 

 and instead of narrow bights they liad only a double row of 

 stitches from foot to head at intervals to stiffen the fabric and pre- 

 vent stretch. The edges were taped as ours are, and there was 

 little difference throughout in quality. In the spars, however, a 

 marked ditTerence was visible; the material was aU gro^vn spruce, 

 the sticks of the requisite size with only a shaving taken off be- 

 side the hark, instead of being sawn from large plank as is the 

 custom here. The result was that they were light, stiff and reli- 

 able, while they had a shape to them which shamed the work of 

 most of our builders which resembles either a broom stick or a 

 baseball bat, according to the taste of the rigger. The masts were 

 specially fine, being cut square belo\<^leck to fit a wooden tube (a 

 thin one of sheet brass would be lighter and better), then worked 

 to a round just above deck. The mizzen ma,st was the smaller, 

 but a square wooden block was fitted to drop into the fore tube 

 and make a step for it if the mizzen was to be set in place of the 

 mainsail. The spars were very light, but aU were strengthenedby 

 fish battens, light strips of strong wood lashed firmly to them. The 

 blocks and gear gave evidence of the deep-water training of the 

 crew, in neat servings, lashings and splices, the rig as a whole bein^ 



