294 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



means and at the same time an active love of yachting and will 

 build for the S5f t. class. Of course one need not be a Gould, Van- 

 derbilt or Astor to build and run the Puritan or Mayflower, but 

 on the other hand the really live racing men are few of tliem mil- 

 lionaires and there are half a dozen who are ready to build a 

 Bedouin or Thetis to one who will add another to the largo class. 



Wiiat the ultimate fate of tlie latter will be is as yet uncertain. 

 Whether it will grow and prosper without the stimulus of inter- 

 national contests and become a iixture in American yaciiting, or 

 whether, when their immediate service is over they will be con- 

 verted into schooners, only time can show. Even though the class 

 should continue, there is no doubt but that a smaller size will be 

 moi-e popular and more worthy of such encouragemeut as the 

 clubs can give. For sport itself the 50ft. class is all that is desira- 

 ble, and from a racing point of view there are no higher rewards 

 for the ardent Corinthian than Oriva's owner has won in this same 

 class, hut the yachts ai'e too small for the needs of many who 

 >vi3h to cruise during the season with family and friends. For this 

 purpose the Bedouin class is far better adapted, giving good accom- 

 modation below and at the same time mailing a good size to race, 

 without the big crews of the 85-footer or the limited room of the 

 soft, class. American yachting has not yet reached a point -where 

 a special racing craft must be kept up, with no regard for cruis- 

 ing. The races are not numerous enough to justify it, except in 

 such cases as this year and last, and the popular size of boat 

 win be one that can enter the eight or ten races of the year, 

 can cruise tlie coast in the season and can serve all tlie "pur- 

 poses of pleasure yachting as well as match racing. This 

 size is, as all experience has proved, about 65 to 70ft., and 

 in the past the class has been tolerably well filled, .fust 

 now it is under a temporary cloud, the only racers in it this season 

 being Bedoiiin, Thetis and Stranger. There are now in the class 

 the following yaciits: Bedouiiij G-racie, Mischief, Thetis, Huron. 

 Ileen, Stranger, Wenonah, Hildegarde and Fanny. Of these, 

 several have decidedly seen better days as racers, but there is still 

 the nucleus of a line racing class, and the best possible opportunity 

 to develop it has just been offered by the letter of inquiry given 

 above. Had the New York Y. 0. deigned to consider at all the 

 Royal Clyde's proposition and replied that they Avoiild meet the 

 Scotch yacht with one of 05ft. waterline. there would have been no 

 trouble in securing at least half a dozen boats at tlie line for the 

 first trial race next summer. Of the dozen now built, two or tl^ree 

 at least would enter, while in the event of such a decision there 

 would be quite a fleet built this winter. There are now a number 

 of racing owners whose love of the sport is as keen as it was a few 

 years since when the "American sloop" had a place in the races, 

 but who to-day are entirely out of it in their old ships. That they 

 must build some bhiug new is evident, and they are only waiting 

 to decide v^hat the new boat shall be. There are few of them wlio 

 care to build for tlie 85ft. class, and the 50ft., as we have noticed, is 

 too small. The opportunity has offered to bring all these men into 

 racing again, to foster a class that will be within the means of 

 most of the leading vachtmen, and that is lar^e enough to afford 

 every opportunity for experiment without the expense of the 

 larger boats. 



It may be that those who have sunk so much money in the latter 

 would feel that they have a right to compete in the next races, 

 and that it would be an injustice to virtually debar them from 

 such competition, and in such a case their objections would cer- 

 tainly demand a full consideration, but the New York Y. C. has 

 taken no means to ascertain their views, it has not considered 

 either the policj; or the justice of its course, but has simply thrown 

 aside a proposition made fairly and in good faith, without accord- 

 ing it the common civility of an answer. 



Those familiar with the international races of the past 15 years, 

 will remember how the New York Y. C. in deference to the pres- 

 sure of a healthy public opinion outside tiie club, has gradually 

 retreated from the position it once held, giving up one treasured 

 point after another until the last two matclies have been sailed on 

 terms wluch makes it equally fair for both parties. It is well 

 known that a portion of the club have strenuously opposed these 

 changes, and if they could would to-day make the challenger sail 

 over the club course against a fleet. Fortunately for the reputation 

 of the club and of American yachting, their protests of late have 

 been unavailing, but the above resolution of Mr. Piatt, unani- 

 moiisly adopted, shows very plainly the feeling of a large portion 

 of the club. 



THE SEASON'S RECORD. 



Editor Foi'est and Stream: 



Most of the quibbles of your correspondent "Fair Play" have 

 been answered m my letter in last week's issue. 



A few more remain for refutation. 



I will not follow him and charge willful deception when he 

 asserts that Clara only met a lot of old boats, with the exception 

 of Cinderella. She did meet and thoroughJy beat Cinderella, 

 Athlon, Thistle, Roamer, Daphne, Bertie, Regina. Hildegarde, 

 Gavlota, Gracie, Active and others, as mentioned iu detail in the 

 review. With the exception of Active and Gaviota, these are all 

 the very pick of racing craft. It is evident that your correspond- 

 ent, in addition to being too quick with his language, is a slovenly 

 reader and superficial thinker, impervious to an idea unless sev- 

 eral times repeated. 



He asks whether the beaten sloops should not be properly classed 

 as "plugs." 



Most certainly not. 



Shadow, Gracie, Fanny, Cinderella, Athlon, Hildegarde, Regina, 

 Daphne, Bertie, etc., are the fastest yachts among hundreds 

 of their size, the very best we have shown ourselves able 

 to produce after fifty years of sloop building experience. Cin- 

 derella, Athlon, Thetis, Bertie and Daphne are boats of the 

 most recent consti'iictiouj tlioroughly modern iu every respect, 

 lauded to the skies for their speed iu the public prints, built in the 

 full blase of all the teachings derived from the cutter agitation 

 and built avowedly for the purpose of "cleaning out the cutters." 



When, in face of this, your correspondent "claims" that tlie vic- 

 torious cutters would be beaten by what he is pleased to imagine 

 as "really" modern sloops, he is dealing with shadows. He is wel- 

 come to his "claims." I have been reviewing accomplished facts 

 and have no desire to contest speculative philosophy. 



He assumes that, witli dishonest intent, I overlooked Ulidia in 

 the races of tne Eastern Y. C. The Ulidia is about 43ft. 6in. load- 

 line. The Active is 51ft. Though both fell in the same class under 

 the club's private arrangement, the difference in length is enough 

 to render the result valueless from a technical -point of view, and 

 I omitted Ulida for the same reason that I excused the alleged 

 sloop Thetis, only 5ft. shorter than the Bedouin. Even the intel- 

 lect of your correspondent "Fair Play" may be equal to compre- 

 hending the equities in the case. Had he bestowed a single thought 

 upon my review in the first place, this supplementary explanation 

 would not have been necessary; but I evidently erred in placing 

 even such a trifling tax upon his mental powers. 



He states that I said Shona raced in "a slashing sea." 



I said nothing of the kind. Your correspondent should learn to 

 read English. 



As he is a landlubber, he will not be able to appreciate how silly 

 such an expression as a "slashing sea" sounds to the nautical ear. 



Let me suggest tliat the next time "Fair Play" charges another 

 with a perversion of the truth he stick to the truth himself and 

 make his charge over his owti name. 



To shirk under the lee of an alias is deemed cowardly. I over- 

 look his offense, believing him to be simply verdant of the ameni- 

 ties of the world. 



Let me also express my surprise that his trivial communication 

 should have encumbered the precious space of ^our columns. The 

 waste basket is the proper receptacle for such light timber. 



C. P. KUNHARDT. 



THETIS AND STRANGER.— Bclftor Forefft and Stream: In the 

 FoiiBST AND Stream of Oct. 21 I saw a lertter from a gentleman 

 who does not aopear to think that Stranger's light weather 

 victories amount to anything. It seems to me that a good light 

 weather yacht is entitled to as much credit as one that needs a 

 hard blow to drive her. A yacht that can sail when others are ly- 

 ing with flapping sails may at least save her owner a good deal of 

 tedious waiting. About those "drifting matches" off Marblehead, 

 wliioh (oddlv enough) were won by Stranger, as I saw no mention 

 in the papers of the mud being puffy, I infer tiiat they gave a good 

 test of the yachts' light weather abilities. , I do not see how "Sloop 

 Crank" explains away Stranger's two nours' lead in the Newport 

 race by a trifling difference in breeze. It looks as though Thetis 

 can beat Stranger in a hard blow but in moderate weather it ■will 

 be the otiier way. Stranger and Thetis have sailed together se ven 

 times this year and Stranger has won four out of the seven, oven 

 according to "Sloop Crank." But he says that Thetis was imder- 

 eparred. I do not know whether he would admit that Galatea 

 could beat Mayflower with more sail (Mr. Kunhardt's claim). I 

 don't beUeve he would.— Stebnpost (Boston, Oct. 37.) 



SHIPPING A YAOHT TO FLORIDA.-A correspondent asks 

 how to ship a 25ft. sloop to Florida, also whether such a boat can 

 be purchased there. Perhaps some of our readers can answer his 

 questions. Such a boat could be shipped by "steamer from New 

 Yorii, but at considerable expense. Good cruising boats are. we 

 believe, scarce along the Florida coast, either for hire or purchase, 



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