476 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jak. 6. 1887. 



and Pigs. As it was, for a new boat almost on her trial trip, and 

 with baggy sails and slack gear, her performance was wonderluUv 

 good alongside of a tried crack like Gravling. 



The four were now definitely phui^d in the opinion of most 

 yachtsmen, and it was confidently believed that Mayflower woii]<i 

 he selected to meet Galatea. However, (he trial races were an- 

 nounced, and on Ang. ;J1 and 23 they wci o sailed, both in light 

 weather. Mayflower won each day, and was at ones? selected aa 

 the defender. Save at Marbleheaii iu tlie Eastern regatta slie and 

 Puritan had never met in a strong breeze, nor did they through 

 the rest of the season, and many still believe Puritan to be the 

 better vessel jji heavy -sv-eather. The v,-eather on the two davs of 

 the International race could not have suited Mayflower better 

 had it been made to order; and as events prov'ed the choice was a 

 ■svise one. 



Shortly after his arrival in America Lieut. Henn astonished and 

 rather shocked American yachtsmen by issuing a challenge for a 

 race around Bermuda after the Gup races were over. In spite of 

 all that has been said about the ease with which tlie new boats 

 could cross the Atlantic and retake the cups Genesta carried 

 away, no one seemed to have any appetite for an ocean race, and 

 the matter was allowed to fizzle out quietly, Lieut. Henn's chal- 

 lenge remaining unanswered. 



For nearly a year the question of Galatea's ability, compared 

 with Genesta, had been a subject of earnest discussion and con- 

 jecture among yachtsmen, and her chances had been pretty Avell 

 discounted. The general disposition was to depreciate her, and 

 many wei-e confident of a veiy easy victory. The Fohest and 

 Stheam, however, believed that she would prove a more formid- 

 able rival tlian Genesta, and many experienced yachtsmen 

 shared our vlevre. They were based on a careful consideration of 

 the facts of tlie case, as far as obtainable, rather than on the 

 bare record of the few races she sailed in 1885. Certainly, since 

 her launch, Galatea has been an unlucky craft, but in spite of her 

 mishaps she had at times shown indications of considerable 

 speed. It was but reasonable to conclude that, with a gi-oatly im- 

 proved ballast plan, a point in \vhu li she ^yas very weaklast year, 

 a sail plan to correspond, and in the handsoCacoinpetentskiiiper, 

 with the experience of one seaBon as a guide, she would do far 

 better than in the condition in which she first came out. After 

 the weather of JSS5 and Genesta's performance, the venture of a 

 second challenge must command respect as a bold and plucky 

 attempt to retrieve her failurej but at the same lime it is evident 

 now that it was ill-considered m its details, and that the second 

 failure might in a measure have been prevented by a greater 

 attention to the lessons of the previous year. The weather in 

 1885 was lighter than usual, and rather better winds were probable 

 in the succeeding year ; but still Genesta's performance m really 

 heavy weather did not denote that she was by any means over- 

 rigged for racing, and the necessity for an ample sail plan for 

 September racing wiis pretty clearly demonstrated. WTien Gala- 

 tea arrived, however, and her sail area became known for the first 

 time here, it was found that she had only 118ft., or l.C per cent, 

 more canvas than Genesta, in spite of added length, ballast and 

 displacement. The two compare as follows : 



L.W.L. Sail Area. V s. A. 



Genesta 81 . 0H 7387 8a M 



Galatea 87.00 750.5 86.63 



Thus it will be seen that the square root of Genesta's sail area 

 exceeds the leneth on waterline uy C per cent., while in Galatea's 

 it is less by per cent. With Puritan and Mayflower on the 

 other hand the actual increase of area for the added power of the 

 longer boat was 772ft., or .y par cent., compared with Galatea's 1.6 

 pei'jcent. increase. With -vvings clipped in this style the chances 

 of her doing more in light weather than Genesta had done were 

 very small, and the gieat disparity in rig was apparent as soon as 

 Galatea was seen beside Mayflower. In regard to the sparring of 

 the two yachts it would seem that in Mayflower the extreme light 

 weather spread has been reached, a circumstance undoubtedly of 

 great benefit to her in such a sunnuor as the last, and furthermore 

 had strong instead of light winds prevailed, she would have lost 

 as much as she really gained. Mr. Burgess took certain chances, 

 based on his experience and judgment and he has come out all 

 right, which is so much to his credit. Galatea's designer, on the 

 other hand, went to the opposite extreme with, a rig that might 

 have been all right for some conditions, but was certainly all 

 wrong for the weather in which Cup races are generally sailed. As 

 we have pointed out before the question of sail area, while a most 

 important factor in the result, especially where only two or three 

 races are to he sailed in midsummer, is one in which the designer 

 can only depend on his own judgment a little and on chance agreat 

 deal for success or failure. 



To go into the races in detail is unnecessary now, but they may 

 be quickly summed up. Three times the two yachts met, once 

 over the Nevv York course in a drift ; once outside the Hook in 

 weather almost as bad ; and once, some days later, at Newport, iu 

 a most provoking day of calms. In all three races Mayflower was 

 successful, hut only otice, and then for a short time, was there a 

 breeze of working topsail strengh. On the first day the wind 

 was miserably li^it-t and paltry, and in it (jala.tea did as Genesta 

 had done a yeai' before ; mo^'ing at a very low velocity, she simply 

 failed to hold to windward and fell off, while the white boat, under 

 greater headway, made far iftss leeway. On the second day the 

 wind was also verj' liglit o\ er the lirsi lialf of the eourso, but on 

 the beat home the breeze fi'eshencd a little, and for the first and 

 only time Galatea had wind enough to waken her into life, though 

 not enough to show hci' at lier best. Hbe stood np and footed 

 bravely enough while it lasted ; making up lost ground only to lie 

 becalmed a little later w bile M;i\^ower ^vas washing her scuppers 

 at t imes as she came up the Beach to the Scotland Lightship with 

 a moderate otf-shorc breeze. 'I'bis iinished the Cup contests, but 

 they met again at Newport, and during tlie run out to the Bell 

 Buoy Galatea footed well with the fleet, holding her place also in 

 the long drift that closed this melancholy fizzle. After several 

 proposals a match of 30 miles to \\dndward was made, to be sailed 

 off iNIarblehead in a lower-sail breeze, provided such a 

 mnd could be had prior to Oct. 1, as Gen. Paine desired 

 to put Mavflowei' out of commission on that day. For 

 ten days the two yachts waited, the only breeze during that 

 time being on a Sundav, and when, on the morning of 

 Sept. 30 the judges, Com. Ho vey of the Fortuna and Mr. Lloyd 

 Phoenix, of the Intrepid, decided that no race was possible on that 

 day, Mayflower at once left for Beverly to lay up. Thus, on neither 

 of the occasions on which they have met, lias there been such a 

 breeze as would fairly decide the merits of tlie two tjTies, and the 

 results of their races have added nothing in this respect to what 

 was known a vear a^o. In very light weather the two cuttei's can 

 do nothing wit h the Bui-Kcss boats. Of their relative aailiuK iii .h 

 steady topsail breeze, little has been seen; iu Genesta's case when 

 outside the Hook in the race over the club course, a fair trial as 

 far as it went, the two were very evenly matched; and during tlie 

 short time that Galatea had the wind in the second race of 1886, 

 her performance bears out the same belief. In stronger winds 

 also only one meeting has taken place, wi th the result that the two 

 have finished veTV evenly. If each meeting of the two pairs in the 

 two seasons be summed np, it makes a f oi-midable showing for the 

 wide craft, and not a few have resorted to this method of argument^ 

 but if the races are to teach any lesson it will be by a carefiu 

 study of all accompanying fact rather than by a hasty judgment 

 based on superficial figures. Galatea's performance this year has 

 certainly fallen below what her friends anticipated; but they are 

 loath to believe that she has by any means shown what Is in her. 

 Next season she ^\'ill be fitted out again,with some minor changes in 

 her sail plan, and will enter such races as are open to her a))outNew 

 York and Boston; and it will be gratifying to her friends and 

 opponents alike if her plucky owner has at least a chance for a 

 thorough trial of his boat alongside of her American rivals. 



The failure of the two challengers lias raised a question as to tJie 

 propriety of a yacht being allowed to contest for the Cup unless 

 she can give proof of her rating as a proper representative of her 

 class, and a letter from an ownier of one of the first-class yachts 

 has lately appeared in an English paper on the subject. That an 

 attempt may be made by an inferior yacht for mere notoriety may 

 be possible, but is by no means probable, considering the expense 

 involved. In the preBent instances there can be no suspif i(jn that 

 Sir Kichard Sutton and Lieutenant Henn Avere not thoroughly in 

 earnest in their spirited attempt to capture the Cup; and certainly 

 if it has cost the New York Y. O, sometliing to defend it, the ex- 

 pense that each of these gentlemen has borne individually has 

 been far greater in proportion. , , , ^ , 



The season of 1886 was specially i-emarkable for the races that 

 took place after the date at which the r.'iciag usually ceases. lb.; 

 races at Newport on Sept. 18 have been alluded to betore, and 

 deser^^e no more extended not ice titan to comphnient the citizens 

 of Newport on the liberality displayed iu their otier of valuable 



away but that the finest opuovtunity of the season would have 

 been realized on the Monday that succeeded a Saturday ot most 

 vexatious calms, , , ., -, ^ r< i_ 



FoUowng clnselv on this race came the match between Sachem 

 and Miranda before referred to, Sachem, as noted, is of the new 

 lead keel centerboard type, while Miranda, the "two-masted cut- 

 ter," is a keel yacht of .5ft. less beam and proportionate increase of 

 depth. Built before the wide keels of to-day were in vogue, &ua 

 though carrying some ballast outside, gaining far less from this 



feature tlian more modern oraft, she nevertheless maiutaincd her 

 superiority long enough to put a quietus, and apparently a final 

 one, on schooner racing in Great Britain. Tlio wind for'onfc re- 

 deemed itself, blowiiiff strouLc and steadilv, and tlie only fluke in 

 the race favored Miranda; in spite of which she was badly beaten. 

 Now, what is the inferenceV Is tlie pi(!k of the British fleet so far 

 astern of the new Yankee as the times would show ; or is there a 

 partial reason for her defeat in the old sails and copper, and in 

 the gi-een crew and strange hands at the tiller? It is only fair to 

 say that if allowance is made here. Sachem is as yet in all proba- 

 bility far from her true form, in her first season and with gear 

 and sails half stretched. So the case stands; each must Aveigh the 

 evidence and decide for himself; but with every belief in Sachem's 

 speed, and in a briKlit record before her, we are not yet ready to 

 admit, as the face of the figures would show, that under equal 

 conditions of rig and handling, she is from 15 to 20 min. faster 

 over a -lO-mile course than her famous rival. 



WHiile the yachts from which most was expected have done com- 

 paratively little through the faults of the weather, it is rather cur- 

 ious tliattwo boats of moderate reputation should havebrought the 

 .season to an end by a series of exciting races. Thetis has Ijeen 

 known for three seasons A^dthout creating any marked sensation 

 in the racing world, in fact her record has been the reverse of 

 brilliant. Stranger has raced enough in the last two seasons to 

 gain a reputation as a very fast boat in the lightest Aveather, but 

 lacking in strong breezes. Between the two a strong rivalry has 

 existed which finally led to a match from Newport to Marblenead, 

 immediately following the Newport failure. The result was that 

 in spite of serious delays from breakdowns Thetis won easily, the 

 race being sailed in heavy weather. Certainly Thetis proved her- 

 self a far better boat in such weather than any one would suppose 

 f roni her previous record, while Stranger was no worse than those 

 familiar with her would have expected, as .she has always shown 

 herself at her poorest in a blow. Verypretiiy pictures have been 

 drawn of Stranger with I'ailimder and green water up to the mast, 

 while the lookout on Thetis's bow smoked his pipe with his liands 

 in his pockets and the watch below took their soup from the table. 

 Any one who pleases is at lilierty to credit these, but the cutter 

 came into port in good shape and with all hands alive and well, 

 pretty good evidence of the seaworthiness if not the speed of the 

 boat. One fact just here tha thas generally been overlooked, but 

 carries its own lesson. MTien reefed mainsails are in order and 

 when bound seawai'd in a gale, the topmast may be in worse places 

 than on deck or even overboard, and though Tlietis lost some time 

 at the beginning by her topmast going at the cap, it is probable 

 that the reduced weight aloft helped her materially through the 

 worst weather. 



Following this race came another series, best two out of three, 

 Thetis winning the first two races, the third, consequently, not 

 being sailed. Again they determined to try it, this time St.ranger 

 winning two races, which ended the racing for the year, leaving 

 the record for the two boats for the entire season— Thetis, nine 

 starts, four firsts and one second; Stranger, nine starts, four 

 fli'sts. In the seven races iu which they were matched against 

 each other the record stands : Thetis, three firsts ; Stranger, three 

 firsts. Stranger beat Thetis four times out of the seven, but in 

 one race neither won a prize. 



We liave not enumerated Clara's races in detail, sulflcient to 

 say that throughout the season she entered every race open to 

 her, scored eleven prizes for eleven starts, and was never once 

 beaten by anything that by right or courtesy could be called a 

 sloop. She showed beyond question that none of the actual 

 sloops could sail with her, and even Cinderella never succeeded in 

 catching her. Near her on the record comes Bedouin, with a 

 score of five starts and four- firsts; while oie looks in vain for the 

 names of any of the old sloops in either class— they are not there. 



What does it all teach ? Wliat are the true conclusions to draw 

 from such a season? The Eastern yachtsman, and, in a more 

 modest degree, his New York brother, points to Mayflower, Sachem 

 and Thetis as the acme of naval dcwign, the point where improve- 

 ment ceases. No more old slooijs— uo more narrow cutters. The 

 cutter man, on the contrary, denies the correctness of his adver- 

 sary's conclusious, and points to Bedouin and Clara as eW- 

 dences, not of work in light weather, or of some special com- 

 bination of circumstances, hut as continuous records made in 

 one race after another against all competitors and in all 

 weathers. Besides these are the owners of the old boats 

 whose day has passed away; who can only look on Avithout 

 taking part in the discussion. This much is proved, that 

 the old centerboard sloop, both in hull and rig, has passed away ; 

 that the lead keel is a factor of the first Importance in 

 a racer, and that, as far as American yachts are concerned, the 

 movement is going on steadily for less beam, more lead, more 

 depth. Has either side proved this season that it is all right and 

 the other all wrong? We think not, but out of the general jumble 

 of contradictory results this much is clear, that absolute perfec- 

 tion is found exclusively in no type, but that each has its merits 

 and defects, and tlie best boats of each class arc not fai- from equal 

 in point of speed. For six years the narroAV cutters have competed 

 on American courses with the result that their oM competitors 

 have disappeared from the fight, and the records of the last three 

 years show that they are more than able to hold their o\m as to 

 speed with any of the centerboard sloops. As to their place com- 

 pared with the new mongrel type of centerboard-koel-cutlei- 

 sloop, that remains to be settled; but the probabilities arc that, 

 taking the racing season through, with its varying weathers and 

 chances, the two types are on a fair equality as to speed, and the 

 winners will be those in which every detail is carried out to the 

 greatest perfection. Many have been looking for lesults tliat 

 would show a marked and unquestionable superiority for one t>'pe, 

 and, failing in this, are apt to consider the season as devoid of any 

 important lesson. To those, however, who have followed its varied 

 chances carefully one most important fact is evident, that the 

 winning boats are those in which designer, builder, owner and 

 skipper have worked together carefully and intelligently to get 

 the best results; and where this has been done at least a reason- 

 able amount of success has been certain. The two Burgess boats 

 proved this, Clara and Bedouin proved it, and the records for 

 years show the same, that races are won less by any radical fea- 

 ture of type or individual model than by that patient and intelli- 

 gent labor on the part of all which brings out the most that the 

 boat is capable of . If this mucli has been made clear then the 

 year's"Vork, in spite of its flukes and disappointments, has not 

 been in vain. 



It is natural that racing should play the major part in the 

 history of the year, but beyond the principal events briefly out- 

 lined above there is much that— while attracting little attention- 

 is gratifying as an evidence of substantial progress. Throughout 

 the coun'try generally the interest in yachting has increased, and 

 a large number of minor races have been held. The standards of 

 design, construction and practical sailing have been raised, with 

 marked improvements in the safety and efliciency of the national 

 pleasure navy. Cruising and Corinthian sailing have come in for 

 a full share of favor, and their growth, together with the great 

 interest which yachtsmen are taking in the important questions 

 of desiguand construction, is most promising for the future 9f 

 American yachting. On the lakes sport has been good; Ontario 

 heads the list with a prosperous season for the Lake Y. R. A., and 

 Erie comes next. On the Pacific coast the season has been dull; 

 Western yachtsmen have not felt the great impulse which two 

 Cup races have sent over all the Atlantic coast and the lakes, and 

 yachting there is in need of a thorough revival. 



In steam yachting beyond a sticcessful season there is little to 

 report, but the fleet is constantly improving and recriuts are 

 coming in steadily from the sailing dirtsion. 



The new year again finds the holders of tlie Cup %vith a chal- 

 lenge on hand, and a repetition of the conjectures and guesses of 

 188a and '86 is in order. To American yachtsmen the field of view 

 is far wider than it was then. The two Burgess boats as well as 

 their two opponents are no longer unknown quantities, but their 

 powers mavbe fairly gauged. Wliat the result of the coming 

 races will be no one can say, but thouKhbotli (lenesta and Galatea 

 have failed to justify the confidence that the Forest a^vd Stream 

 has avowed in their performance, we \'entm-e again, Avith a vi\'ld 

 remembrance of the past two seasons before us to assert that it is 

 fully within the po\vers of the general type which they represent 

 to cope with the new type in a working breeze; and to express our 

 belief that, in the hands of Messrs. Watson and Barr, the new 

 challenger will do no discredit to her friends. What her size will 

 be is yet unknown, whether she will come in the flrstior second 

 rdass, but tlierc is no doubt that she will be a narrow cutter of the 

 same typo as Irex, Genesta and Marjorie. The recent change in 

 the Y. K. A. makes it possible to build a large boat for the Cup 

 Kaces and yet one that can race at home afterward; but we be- 

 lieve that "in the Thistle Mr. Watson will avail himself to a very 

 limited extent of this privilege, taking little, if any, more beam 

 than in Marjorie and retaining the depth. To meet her there are 

 Puritan and Mayflower, with the immediate prospect ot tour or 

 five smaller yachts to be built if Thistle proves to be in the second 



Besides the Cup races it is probable that the coming year will 

 witness at least one important international ocean race, as the 

 idea has been taken up by an Euilish club in connection with the 

 Queen's jubilee year; while a proposal for an Atlantic race tor 

 American schooners has just been made by an American yachta- 



The most interesting question of the future is that of the coming 



type, tor it is always the case that while various coneiderationH 



may lead to the construction of several vnriiies of craft in any 

 locality, the climate, rules, and ri'--; ! c. 'liinms vnll em.-ouvage 

 sonic one tyiic which \sill be _ : , ^ : j-fection tiian any 



other. Id Great Britain such t .. ■ , .: (he narrow cut- 



ter, and here they produced liic otigiual sliOal < tcrboard sloop, 

 •Just now attention is directed to ah iutermediato type, and none 

 can say what the result will be. Certainly the condiiions \vern 

 never so favorable for thorough tests, the cutters lif - i l .-v- hrokee 

 down old theories, and opened the door to new ifl odel, 

 ballast, rig and build, while the change inthcnj. \ er\3 



up a new field in which the desiener can utilizi; i ; les- 

 son as to depth and lead which the old rule has Uu.L-at hnin, with 

 an increase of beam if it proves beneficial. Thus with beam im- 

 taxed on one side and with the extravagant estimate of its value 

 exploded on the other, the two are likely to approach each other 

 very closely tn the future. Speed will always be the eovernrng 

 factor iu selection, but there seems now little danger that either 

 side will sacritiee sa.fety or convenience to an extreme degree to 

 obtain it. The new Boston yachts are very fast; but are they aU 

 that is desired as to accommodation and seagoin? powers ? Clara 

 and her family are also fast; but can the>' be improved for Ameri- 

 can ^veatller and requirements and for racing under American 

 rules'.' This the future will show, and the coining year promises 

 to inaugurate a still wider range of experiment on both sides, 

 with the ijrobable result of a closei' appioxiraation of the national 

 types. As far as the coming American boat can be forecast it 

 seems likely to be a cutter of four to five beams in the first, 

 second and third classes, with lead keel, cutter rig, laced mainsail 

 and standing bowsprit. The question of deep keel or centerboard, 

 as AveU as of more or less beam withm moderate limits, will be de- 

 cided by no fixed rule but by the water and uses for which the 

 boat is mainly intended. 



This question brings np another point of great importance. 

 American yachting has just readied a peculiar stage in its devel- 

 opment. Year by year New Yoik and Boston are drawing nearei", 

 intermediate jioints arc becoming mterested, and in a few years 

 in place of each forming an iTidenendent center, as of old. with 

 little in common, it will be a jiart of a system that will include all 

 the yachts from the Hudson to the Kennebec. The elements of 

 this system are now iu a plastic state, the question of vested in- 

 terest as yet has little weight, and now is the time, before these 

 elements are crystallized into odd and conflicting shapes, for the 

 creation of a general body, which sluill consider the future re- 

 quirements of yachting and enact such laws as may seem best 

 to encoui'age its fullest development. To note only one 

 point, there is the division into classes, the limit of the second 

 classfor instance xarying with different clubs between 70 and 75ft. 

 These yachts race together at IN e w Y^ork, Marblehead and Newport 

 each year; but a yacht that is fairly rated in one class at New 

 Y'ork may find herself practically e.vcludcdby being placed in an- 

 other class at Marblehead and vice vrrsd. If nothing is done the 

 matter will be worse as more yachts .are hailt and more general 

 regattas held, and the sooner some concerted action is taken the 

 easier it Arill be. Tliis is only one detail that should come before 

 such a body, but there arc many more. The time has not como 

 for aNational 'S'aclit f^,aeine Association, and it cannot come until 

 the sport has grown stronger in the .Soutli and on the Lakes, but 

 the time has come for a union of some kind between the leading 

 clubs in the East_, the center and backbone nf American yachting. 

 Before the year is out we hope to see a successful elTort on the 

 part of the leading yachtsmen to supplant tlie present haphazard 

 and chaotic assenibly of clubs by a definite and permanent organ- 

 ization that shall intelligently govern and direct the greatest o£ 

 America's national sports. 



BUILDINtT.— About New York there is little doing, either in 

 repairing or building. Piepgrass, at ( .ity iKland, is at work on re- 

 building the soliooncr Palmer, as well iv.:. nn the alterations to 

 Cinderella. . . . At Bay EidKe, A> ers lias a .j5f t. steam launch, ICft. 

 beam, in frame and partly planked, and is also busy on the com- 

 promise boat Tahoe, built in IB-Sf) by \\'ood, of Boston. She is 

 flush decked ^Oft. 3in- by .Sit., Avitli -lit. Sin. draft. She hasa square 

 stern mth rudder iiung outside, catboat fashion, a lead keel and 

 centerboard, with mast stepped far aft. Her deck and topsides 

 for a depth of 15ius. have been cut completely ofl' and new timber 

 heads put in. adding a couple of feet to the beam above water, 



while her stern has been spun out in a long overhang Driscoll 



has nearly finished the woodwork on the Sea GuH, and is at work 

 on the caulking. The interior is plainly finished in white pine, but 



there is plentv of room Mumm has on liis railway the Herres- 



hoft" steamer Mariu.n, lately purchased by Mr. Gliarlcs F. Chicking. 

 She is doubleskinniid, and tlie outer skin has been partly removed 

 at each end and addilifuis made. A new and Viy uo means grace- 

 ftd overhanging stem is btult out over the plumb stem, wlilch i3 

 leiit nntoiiehed. At the after end the homely round stem has been 

 carried out iut" a luriKer overhanK that is mudi more yacht- 

 like. The : : 1 1 1 .1 I' .1-11 \v'ill he increased bylOft. In the shop a 

 cabin filoei I , , i.mmencedforaMr. Ward. She will be Srft, 



over all. .i I i. , ;iift. liin. beam with centerboard. Building 



for stock is a :.':;f c. eat bua t Wallin and Gorman have just finished 



a small catboat, and are now busy with Dr. Loring's new Mignon- 

 ette, which is now in frame. She is 29ft. l.w. 1. and Uft. beam, 



with lift, overhang. Her lead keel weighs 6,7001bs In Boston 



Mr. BuTKess has completed the design for Mr. C. E. Cunningham, 

 The dimensions are 22ft. 6in. 1. w. I., 8ft. 6in. beam, and if t. 9iD, 

 draft, w ith lead keel. Mr. Burgess is also at work on several 



other orders Thetis is offered for sale, her owner ha%dng a de- 



.sign of his own for a cruising keel r-chooner of !nift. 1. w. 1. and 



lift, draft E. L. Williams is building a nicf looking keel boat, 



:!lft. 3ln. overall; 27ft. Gin. 1. w. 1., Sf t. lOJ^Vin. beam extreme; 7ft. 

 flin. beam at hxjdlinc; Gft. 3in. draft, 2ft. least freeboard, iuid 

 7,titH;ilbs. in iron keel. The overhang is made short to fit the absurd 

 racing rule. Her keel is 12x7iti., framed 2x3in. at heel and 2xl]4 at 

 head, spaced 12; planking, lin . yellow pine in entire lengths. Thei-e 

 are iron floors 2xlin. on each frame. The trunk cabin will give 5ft. 

 headroom. She wiU be cutter rigged with a rather large sail plan. 



CUTTERS AKD COEFFICIENTS.— A great deal of .speculation 

 is in progress just now regarding the Scotch cutter Thistle. The 

 draw iiigs and dimensions have been secured from an authentic 

 source, they have been the text of numerous discourses by weighty 

 experts, and they have been pronounced fictitious by thoroughly- 

 competent authorities. It seems to he a fact that the Scotchmon 

 viiM send over a boat, but they have remained naturally reticent 

 about a subject on which American newspapers are so well in- 

 formed, for they may well he shy in anticipation of an interna- 

 tional contest for which nearly every American newspaper has at 

 least one yaclit on tJie stocks. Meanwliile the sturdy champions 

 of Yankee iloodle are not only ^oing to keep the cup, as a matter 

 af course, but propose to mop up the seas iu the match for the 

 1,000-guinea cup which 's to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the 

 queen's career as a yaehtman. The pro;-pect of \\inning the prize 

 is so much more brilliant than staying at homo and caaually 

 scooiiing in the America t^up that it is believed that the owmera 

 of the invincible sloops will make a pool, and toss Up for the privi- 

 lege of entering for the queen's mug, on the Condition thattheone 

 who sacrifices iiimself by staying at home to meet ttie Thistle 

 shall divide profits with his luckier rival. Only one thing seejna 

 to have been forgotten in these speculations, and that is the influ- 

 ence of the .S'aturdttjy Review. Everybody knows tliat that periodi- 

 cal knows everything, and the thing it knovs'Sbest is that it will 

 never do to aclmit centerboards into a contest for the queen's 

 S6,000 mug. This bars out all our sloops and our fastest schooners. 

 The other schooners would be troublesome, but it wiU be easy 

 enough to rule out aU yachts .steered by a wheel, which nobody 

 knows better than the nautical editor of the Satimlay Jteview can- 

 not be included in the category of seaworthy and sportsmanlike 

 vessels. AU these things should teach an patience, and our enter- 

 piistag papers should hold back their yacht.^. until they know 

 definitely and beyond all dispute tliat tlie coeincienl of fineness 

 of the immersed portion of the mid.ship secuon of the Thiatlo 

 i=; .55 " Suppose it should turn out to be .57, or even .5:1, and the 

 newspapers w imld have to build their yachts all over again. Co- 

 efficients and logarithm.? are horrid things to monkey with, and 

 .Scotch ones are the worst of all.— CoHi/ncrria? Advertiser, Dec. 28- 



HUDSON RIVER ICE YACHT CLUB.— We have receivett the ^ 

 constitution and sailing i-egulations of the Hudson River Ice 

 Yacht Club, containing a list of the yachts and members. Tho 

 club lias now 62 members, including some of the leading New York 

 yachtsmen, and 28 boats, the lai-gcst being the Ava.lanehe, 51ft. 

 over ail and carrying 841ft. in her single lateen sail. 



THE PROPOSED ROYAL THAMES PRIZE.— Nothing further 

 has been done in regard to the proposition to offer a prize of l.OQfl' 

 guineas for an ocean race, but the matter will be considered £it tae - 

 next meeting of the R. T. Y". C. this month. The course will proba>* 

 bly be around the Azores or Ireland. , 



CHELSEA Y. C— Ofl[icers for 1887: Commodore, H. W. "Wella ' , 

 Vice-Commodore, William H. Wcdger; Secretary, Fred V. Prior ' 

 Secretary pro tern, William H. Wedger; Treasuroij A. D. black; 

 Measurer, Charles R, Fisher; Directors, Dr. J. fi. Eeed, O.Bif . 

 Fisher, F. T. Olavton. , , 



