Feb. 16, 1888.1 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



73 



nirpnse. The conditions were that 60 birds were to be shot at on 

 uhree successive Saturdays, 30 birds each day, the use of both bar- 

 rels allowed, birds hit with the second barrel to count half. Last 

 Saturday, Feb. 4, was tbe final shoot. Out of a possible 1(50 birds, 

 130 wore broken: R. G. Dalton 15. J. C. Tache 9J$, P. Thompson 

 J. Delaurier 1!), Geo. White 17, A. W. Throop 15, Ed. White 

 ml, S. White 1S\£. 



At the annual meeting of the St. Hubert Gun Club the tollow- 



Wliiic; Managing Committee. R. Stevens, Alexander Jacques, 

 .T. C. Tache, L. A. Derosier and R. G. Dalton. Arrangements for 

 the annual match and tournament and fixing the da te was placed 

 in The hands of the managing committee, who are to communicate 

 with the Montreal Club, so as not to have dates clash. 



On the 8th a team from the Guelph Gun Club visited Toronto 

 and shot a friendly match with a team from the Toronto Gun 

 Club at the West Toronto grounds. The match was 10 live pigeons 

 each, 26yds. rise. The scorn was as follows: 



Toronto. Guelph. 



Geo Briggs 1000H1101— Edwards. 1000011000- 3 



W Bugg. ...'.....0100011111- fl Sleeman 1111001111— 8 



P Martin Oil 1100100- 5 Shattuck 11 1001 1111- 8 



A Pu rse 0111110111- 3 Walker 1011001100- 5 



W Pearson 1100101100- 5 Cull 0110011111- 7 



J Warden. 011111)101- 8 Nayper 1111011111- 9 



,! Townscnd....ll001001tl- 6 Thompson 1111100101- 7 



O Blae 1 1 1101 1 100- 7 Johnson 0110010011— 5 



G l'earsall 1101111010— 7 Holliday 0010110110- 5 



D Black 1111111111-1(1-08 Qtvinn 0111100110- 0-63 



In the evening the memhers of the Toronto Guu Club held their 

 annual dinuer at the club rooms, King street east, when about 

 100 sat down to plentifully supplied tables. Mr. George Pearsall, 

 president of the Toronto Gun Club, occupied the chair, and among 

 those p.esent wore Aldermen Maogluin and Smith, of Guelph 

 G. C; Jutige Chadwick, of Guelph; S. W. Downey, ex-president of 

 tbe Toronto G. C; Robt. Wilson, ex-president of the Toronto G.C.: 

 J. Iiallowell, of Guelph; ex-Alderman P. G. Close, and J. Dill, of 

 Torouto; J. R. Humphreys, president of the Owl G. C, and other 

 gentlemen prominent for their love of the trigger. 



The icguiar monthly meeting of the West Toronto Gun Club 

 was hold on Feb. S. There was a good attendance, of members. 

 The annual meeting of the club takes place next month, after 

 which the club will be reorganized and put on a more solid basis. 



THE LONG BRANCH SHOOT. 



THE present week is bringing remarkably fine weather for 

 midwinter outdoor sport at the trap and the Daly Tourna- 

 ment at Long Branch has succeeded in bringing a score of good 

 shooters to the score. On Monday last the handicappers met, 

 closed (he entry list with S3 names on it and proceeded to assign 

 the order of shoe ting by lot and the handicap distance according 

 to the shooter's previous record. The list stood as follows: 

 Yds. Yds. 



27 Geo Cubberly, Long Branch. 58 L B Campbell. Little Silver. 

 35 Annie Oakley, New York. 28 J R Malone, Baltimore, Md. 



28 Wm Lever, Newark. 31 F Erb, J r, Lafayette, Ind. 



37 WD Campbell, LongBraneh. 38 H Bulzor, Flat bush, L I. 



28 E D Miller, New York. 31 WmGrahamJphamp.of Eng. 



28 Jas Thompson, Yonkers. 25 J Yan Dyke. Long Branch. 



20 Wm C Price, Long Branch. 38 H S Seigler, New York. 



2H H C White, Red Bank. 31 J E Slice, Jacksonville, 111. 



38 "Capt Jones," New York. 38 J A Williar, Baltimore, Md. 

 38 Frank Class, Pine Brook. 35 Philip Daly.Jr, LongBraneh. 

 3!) C S Wertsner, Baltimore. 31 C W Budd, DesMoines,Iowa. 

 33 Frank Klcintz.Philadelpkia. 



Feb. lh.— The Phil Daly pigeon shooting handicap at Long 

 Branch began to-day on the grounds adjoining the club house. 

 The birds, as a whole, were good, for although slow to take wing, 

 they were very fast and strong when they did get up. The shoot- 

 ing w as nearly entirely confined to professionals. The prizes are 

 th fee purses, of !gl,C00, §300 and £200, to the winner, second and 

 third. The entrance was $75 each, to shoot at 50 birds, at the rises 

 fixed bv the handicappers, Messrs. Fred Quimby, Henry White, 

 Frank Heyer and Japhia Van Dyke. 



The shooting began at noon, and, as a whole, proved very good, 

 for when "time" was called at 5.25 P. M., twenty rounds having 

 been shot, six of the twenty-three shooters, viz., Cubberly, W. 

 Zeieler. Wertsner, Graham, Van Dyke and Slice, had clean scores 

 of 20 killed. Among I he shooters is Miss Annie Oakley, who at- 

 tracted considerable attention, her score being 18 killed. Of the 

 men Graham and Stiee's shooting was about the best. The num- 

 ber of birds killed by each is as foUows: 



Cubberly 20 LB Campbell 16 



Miss Oakley 16 J R Malone 16 



Wm Lever 18 F Erb, Jr 17 



W D Campbell 16 H Balzer 19 



ED Miller 17 W C Graha.m 20 



J Thompson 15 J Van Dyke 20 



W Price 18 H Zeigler 18 



H C White 15 J R Stice 20 



Capt Jones 17 J A Williar 15 



W Zeigler 20 P Daly, Jr 13 



C W Wertsner 20 C W Budd 18 



F Kleintz 18 



Referee, Al Heritage; scorer, Andrew Coleman. Time of shoot, 

 5 hours and 25 minutes. 



CLEVELAND, Fob. 9.— Twenty-five Peoria blackbirds, thrown 

 from live traps at 18yds. rise, were the conditions Captain Wheal 

 selected for the regular badge shoot of the Cleveland Gun Club 

 to-day. They are the conditions which will govern the approach- 

 ing East. End-Cleveland match, and they were ns-rl by way of 

 practice. It was colder at the Cleveland club grounds "than any 

 previous club day this winter, but fourteen Clevelanders were 

 there for the shoot and five visitors, four of them East End mem- 

 bers, turned out to take a hand in the sport. C. A. Calhoou broke 



21 birds out of 25 and won the first badge of the club. The B class 

 shooting was of a hitch order and abounded in fine scores. W. A. 

 "Bassett" and TV. Tarablyn each broke 19 birds and tied for the B 

 class badge. In the shoot-off Tamblyn won, breaking 3 out of 5, 

 while "Bassett" received but 3. Aside from Calhoon's shooting 

 W. Tamblyn's score was the best of the day. His new "L. C. 

 Smith" was a terror to the blackbirds. Secretary Kilby, of the 

 East End Club, was among the visiting shooters. He got a. en od 

 aim on 6 of his 25 birds. F. Chamberlin, the young son of F. L. 

 Ohu.mberiiii. who has often given proof of his skill with the trig- 

 ger at local club shoots, overtopped all the visitors' scores. The 

 individual scores of the shoot follows: 



C A Calhoon .110110111111011111 1110111-21 



H Lee 01011 ! 1 100011011000011100-13 



W Roberts 1101110000011011101110101-15 



O F Wheal loiiooiooiiiioiiioioooioi-u 



B Class 



A Smithnight ". . . 1001101010111001111001110-15 



J E Jones 101 1 01 0000101 111011101111—16 



W Harris 1001111101 1 100010001101 11-15 



F A Tarn pi yn 011001000000001 0000101100- 7 



J Moser 010011 101 010010101001001 1-12 



F H Walls 0010110011111001101111011-16 



F L Coamherlin 1011011011011111101011001-17 



M F Ml -by 1001101100100010111010110-13 



W A Basse t, 0111010101111011110111111-19 



W Tamblyn 1111101010111110101111111—19 



* Visitors. 



Maygo 001111100100011 withdrawn. 



C H Kirby 01 0010010111 000C000O0000O— 6 



Wm Sweetman 1114011 101 100001101001100-11 



Wm Bell C01010110010001 0110 J 10111-13 



F Chamberlin 101001101 11111 0010011 1010—15 



Captain Burns 0010000100111011100110001-11 



MIDDLESEX GUN CLUB.— Plainfield, N. J., Feb. 13.— At the 

 annual meeting of the Board of Directors of the Middlesex Gun 

 Club the following named were elected to serve the ensuing year: 

 President, E. H. Robinson; Vice-President, S. G. Smith; Secre- 

 tary, G. W. Watson; Recording Secretary, W. F. Force; Treasurer, 

 Hon. G. P. Suvdam. The Board consists of the following: E. H. 

 Robinson, S. G. Smith, G. W. Watson, W. F. Force, G. P. Suydara, 

 W. Fred Quimby, Thos. H. Keller, J. H. Force, Richard Stevens, 

 A. W. Worden, Andrew Futkins, John D. Voorhees, M. W. 

 Mulford. It was resolved to hold a grand shootiDg tournament 

 on the club's grounds at Dunellen Feb. 22. A classified sweep- 

 stake match at 25 birds each, $32.50 entrance fee (which includes 

 birds) will be a feature of the day. The club guarantees a $800 

 parse. It is expected that some of t he "big guns" who will contest 

 for the big prizes at Long Branch this week will be present. 



NEWARK, N. J.— Tbe West Newark Gun Club shot its semi- 

 monthly match on Monday with the following result at 25 bats, 

 lSyds. rise: Carl Von Lengerke, 23; G. Deisler, 21; F. Hilfers, 20; 

 F. Compton, 21; J. Adelman, 18; M. Adelman, 18; B. Ulrick, 20; M. 

 Ulbricht, 9. 



CARTERET GUN CLUB.— The fourth shoot for the Carteret 

 Gun Club's $150 winter cup was the fixture on Feb. 8 at the Ber- 

 gen Point, grounds. The conditions and results of the day's shoot- 

 ing are as follows: 



Bergen Point, N. J., Feb. 8.~Fomh shoot for tbe Carteret Gun 

 Club's winter cap; entrance, $5 each; duplicate entries allowed; to 

 shoot at 10 birds; handicap rise and boundaries; ■'- misses out; ties 

 miss and out; 10 entries required and the cup to he won twice be- 

 fore becoming personal property; 



First Chance. 



"Kemp" millOllll— fl "Gladwin" 111101110 — 7 



"Williams" 1111111111-10 Simpkins 101 1110 -5 



W H Sands 0110 - 3 



Second Chance. 



"Kemp" 0110 —2 "Gladwin" 1101110 —5 



"Williams" 0111110 - 5 Simpkins 111010 - i 



WH Sands 1111110111- 9 



The first shoot for the cup took place on Jan. 18 and was wouby 

 C. Floyd-Jones on his first score, with 10 straight. The second 

 contest occurred on Jan. 25 and was won by W. H. Sands on his 

 second score with 10 straight. Upon this occasion Sands tied 

 with "Langton," and in the shoot olf the former killed 7 straight. 

 The third event came off on Feb. 1, "Williams" winning on his 

 second score, tieing Sands on 10 birds straight, and in the shoot- 

 off killed 4 straight, Sands missing his fourth bird. "Williams", 

 as a result of to-day's shooting, has two chances for the cup— one 

 for his first score and one on his second. Simpkins shot for him- 

 self, for "Williams" and for "Gladwin." There is some disunite 

 whether the substitution can hold good, and a protest will be 

 lodged with the club board of managers. 



BROOKLYN, Feb. 9.— The second regular monthly shoot of the 

 Unknown Gun Club took place to-day a t Poster's Park, Jamaica 

 plank road. There was a large attendance of prominent Long 

 island wing shots and their friends. Some good shooting was 

 done although the scores do not compare with some other gun 

 clubs on account of the Unknown allowing but one barrel for the 

 bird and insisting that the gun shall be held helow the el bow until 

 the bird is on the wing. Several of the marksmen lost their birds 

 by using the second barrel. Twenty-five members went to the 

 traps to shoot for the club badge and extra prizes. H. Cahill, 

 33ydS., killed all his birds and -won the badge, with first money. 

 II. Paulsen 35yds., and C. Plate, 25yds., killed 6 out of 7 and 

 divided second money. C. l J late, 25yds., won the badge and first 

 moucv in last month's unfinished shoot, killing 6 birds out of 7. 

 John Rathjen, 28yds., took second money: 



J Boyle (22) 0011001 -3 .1 Holding (35) 0110011-4 



M Martin (25) 1111010-5 H Kn-bel, Jr, (24) 1101101-5 



J Rampneni23) 010111 1-5 .1 Rathjen (28) 1101100 -4 



E Vroome (28) 1011110-5 H Hiilmer <33) 1111001-5 



H Cahill (32) 1111111-7 C Plate (25) 111.1011— tt 



H Van Sm.deu (23) 0101010-3 II Kiiobel, Sr, (35) 0011100—3 



A Schwartz (35) 1000111-1 H Harnott (33) 01 11101-5 



II Paulsen (25) 1101111—6 Cap! Meyer (23) 1100101—4 



II Behrman (32) 1110100—4 J Skid more (25) 1111000-4 



W Gilnian (22) 0110101 — 4 H Lee (33) 0000110-2 



J Hopkins (25) 0111011-5 ,1 Smith (35) 00 w -0 



U Moure ,3.y > 0111010-4 11 M tiller (23) 1111000-4 



,) O'Brien (35) 101001(1-3 



After tieing on 3 Martin and Harnott divided third. 



NEW YORK STATE SHOOT.- Auburn, N. Y., Feb. 7.-Tbe 

 Auburn Gun Club, at a regular meeting recently held, elected the 

 following officers for the ensuing year: G. B. Wright, Jr., Pres. 

 T. R, Garrett, Vicc-Pres. S. T. Hathbun, Treas. Cbas. E. Kerr, 

 Sooty. The club has commenced work in preparation for the 

 Stal e shoot which is to be held here next year. The club promises 

 the best shoot ever held, and will spare neither time nor expense 

 in order to give entire satisfaction to all attending. The several 

 committees having charge of the arrangements are all in good 

 working order, and the affair is rapidly assuming proportions 

 that will astonish the shooters of New York State.— Charles E. 



KERlt. 



{HsMtoring. 



Address all commuHteations to the Forest and Stream Pub. Co. 



THE PRESENT TENDENCIES OF CANOE RACING 



THE discussion that has for some time past been carried on in 

 our columns makes it evident that some, at least, are not 

 satisfied with the present condition of canoe racing within the 

 A. C. A. The complaints have covered a wide field, and some 

 have been without good foundation, but it is desirable that all 

 should be carefully considered and if necessary the evil be reme- 

 died. The great object of the American Canoe Association is to 

 unite canoeists, but scarcely secondary to this is the encourage- 

 ment of cruising and the development of the cruising canoe to its 

 highest perfection. To this latter end canoe racing has been fos- 

 tered from the first by the Association, and the value of racing as 

 a means of improvement in rig and model is generally conceded. 

 It is from the racing men as a class that the improvements have 

 come; from Vaux, Gibson, Oliver, Whitloek, Barney, Jones, Tyson, 

 Bailey, Butler, Wackerhagen, Richards, Edgar, and the. 'rest, 

 most of them cruisers as well as racers. These are the men who 

 spend money every year on new and better canoes, whose con- 

 tinued search for faster craft has been the main stimulus under 

 which the builders have improved so greatly within the. last few 

 years, whose constant researches and experiments, the unsuccess- 

 ful as well as the others, have added so much to the store of 

 knowledge now at the disposal of all canoeists. The racing, too, is 

 the feature which most interests outsiders and attracts favor- 

 able attention to the Association and to canoeing; While as a 

 special attraction at the meets it is appreciated by all; t he dreami- 

 est cruiser would find the camp a very different matter without 

 the race week. 



It is not enough that the A. C. A. must permit racing, it must 

 be actively built up and encouraged; but in doing this it is not to 

 be expected that canoeists will escape from the serious diffl culties 

 that have attended all forms of sport and competition from the 

 earliest times. The great problem in all racing is to make the 

 sport interesting and popular, to induce men to take part and to 

 work for the prize; and yet at the same time to prevent such a 

 rapid and unhealthy development as will introduce racing 

 machines, lead a few men to give all thoir time and labor to 

 securing every prize, and shut out the great majority from the 

 benefits that, always follow from a general and open competition. 

 Such a fate has befallen rowing, such has been the final result of 

 fifty years of yacht racing in England, and such is to-day the con- 

 dition of canoe racing there. American canoeists cannot afford 

 to overlook these examples, however secure they may feel to-day, 

 for it is never possible to say with certainty what a season's rac- 

 ing may lead to next year. While changes in the rules are to be 

 discouraged as far as possible, the results of each year's racing 

 should be carefully studied with a view to strengthening weak 

 places as t hey appear, and to heading off dangerous innovations. 



The young Association may well be proud of the rules and sys- 

 tem which it has created for the government of its racing, 

 especially when they are compared with the condition of chaos, 

 confusion and disorder which is the chief characteristic of 

 American yachting after an existence of fifty years, a condition 

 which yachtsmen as a body seem very well contented to jog along 

 under. The best test of the rules is the fleet which has grown up 

 under them, and as far as model and dimensions are concerned 

 there is little fault to be found with the fleet as a body, even from a 

 purely cruising standpoint. The list of canoes taking part, in the 

 races at the last meet, given in the Forest and Stream of Sept. 

 1, may be taken as a very fair representative, while of the cruising 

 boats that did not race none were smaller or less powerful than 

 the average racers. There is now in the racing fleet a safe pro- 

 portion ot boats about 15x30 of good depth and full models, and 

 m the cruising fleet the boats are fully as large, and generally 

 well rigged and fitted out for cruising; while the tendency that 

 existed until very recently toward big and tubby canoes with 

 heavy boards and ballast has almost entirely disappeared. The 

 outlook on the whole is satisfactory, especilly for the cruisers. 



One very curious tact has been brought out of late, something 

 we believe without precedent in yacht racing as well as canoeing, 

 and entirely unforeseen by the framers of the rules. The limits 

 for paddling races were of course for a minimum beam, as the 

 tendency would be to cut down beam and size, but in the rules 

 governing sailing races certain maximum limits of beam, length 

 and depth were, laid down, with the confident expectation that 

 they would be built up to, as has always been the case in yacht- 

 ing under similar conditions. The result has been, however, that 

 men have refused to avail themselves of the size freely given by 

 the rule. Where a man is allowed 31Uin. beam and 16in, depth 

 for a length of 15ft. he prefers to take but 28in. beam and a pro- 

 portionately less depth, while receiving no allowance for what he 

 gives up. The limits of Class A are length 16ft., beam 2Sin., while 

 in Class B the choice is offered of 16x30, 15x31^ or 14X33, these 

 being thja leading sizes. It was intended that the two classes 

 should race apart, and this was at first done, but as the rules did 



not prohibit it, the Class A boats, mostly 15x28, went into the Class 

 B races, and won them to an extent which has since practically 

 thrown the two classes into one. The reason for this is simple, 

 though not, at first, foreseen; the canoes are mostly sailed with little 

 or no ballast, relying almost entirely on the weight of flic man on 

 the. weather deck to hold them up, and this weight is proportion- 

 ately greater in the 28 than in the 33in. boat. 



While the general results are by no means unsatisfactory, there 

 are some special features of the racing which demand attention 

 One of these is the success of the very small canoes, boats of light 

 displacement and little internal accommodation. Taking any set 

 of dimensions allowed by the rule, it is possible, if the incentive 

 exists, to build in compliance with the rules as to beam and depth" 

 and yet to cut the boat away to a mere shell. Whether or uo this 

 lias yet been done, has been freely discussed of late in our columns 

 and opinions arc still divided, but if it is fully proved to be. true' 

 it can and should be provided for by additional rules. The ques- 

 tion of a non-lowering rig has also been discussed in the same 

 connection. There is no doubt that the boats and rigs alluded to 

 are very fast, but even if it appears that they are undesirable we 

 believe that a modification of the objectionable features would 

 follow the introduction of the "one rig" rule meu tinned further 

 on. 



While we believe that as yet no great fault can be. found with 

 the dimensions and models of the hulls, there are evident certain 

 developments that are in everyway undesirable in the racing 

 though the evils are small as yet. The greatest existing of these 

 is the. size and position of the centerboard. Up to tbe. time when 

 the folding hoard was introduced, the well of the canoe was kept, 

 clear and unobstructed, and every man could sleep in his boat. 

 In some cases the dagger board was used, placed far forward; in 

 some the two-board plan was followed, and in others the single- 

 plate, board was placed as far forward as possible, the balance, of sa i 1 

 being adjusted to suit. The problem was a Very d i flttcurt one, but 

 still the canoeist hesitated to give up his room in the boat for the 

 sake, of a little better performance in racing. The folding board 

 broke the ice with the plea that it did not cut up the well, that, 

 sleeping was still possible, and though it was an undeniable nui- 

 sance in the boat, the canoeist was willing to put up with it. The 

 next step was the discovery that the folding board was too slow 

 for racing, so out it came, and in its place a high trunk was fast- 

 ened, with a plate board. Once admitted to where it never be- 

 longed, the best part of the boat, the board and trunk commenced 

 to grow until the canoeist, whether he wished or not, was forced 

 to get out of the boat and stay on dock. This did not maiter when 

 sailing, for he sat there anyhow^but he could neither sleep on 

 board, carry a companion in comtort, or evou have room for him- 

 self when cruising. We know now a canoe where the man, if he 

 sits below, must have the trunk jammed well up against his body, 

 and in one at the meet last year the board was not only in the 

 middle of the well, but it reached far above the top of the coam- 

 ing, probably Bin., a, sharp, rough piece of metal that in the case 

 of a misstep or slip might injure a man very seriously. 



Another invention t hat has thus far been seen in few canoes, 

 but is likely to be largely used this season, is the sliding seat, iiy 

 which the canoeist may run a board out to windward and sit on 

 it, completely outside his canoe. Of course, lie can carry more 

 sail, if he does not capsize; hut this sort of sailing is so clearly 

 pernicious that no argument against it is needed. . Having given 

 up the well to the centerboard it. has occurred to an ingenious 

 canoeist that there is no use for retaining the semblance of a 

 well, and last year several canoes were built with cockpits barclv 

 long enough to sit in, while the bulkheads were placed at each 

 end of the cockpit. Of course sleeping or cruising was not possi- 

 ble, but this made uo difference, as the owners had other canoes 

 for cruising and built these merely to sail in. This season the 

 matter is apt to be carried to its legitimate conclusion, and we 

 hear of a, new racer lately built with a cockpit but 14in. wide, or 

 so small that a man cannot sit in it; whilo another new racer 

 shortly to be commenced will be completely decked, with only a 

 hole for the feet. Given one or two successful canoes of this kind, 

 and it is not difficult to predict the coining boat, a mahogany log, 

 little sheer, long and narrow, decked completely, a big board 

 amidships, a light standing rig, and the crew perched'on the 

 weather end of a transverse plank. This is a pretty sort of cruis- 

 ing canoe, aud with its advent we might say farewell to canoe 

 racing. As yet, except the board, the worst of these, features have 

 not come into actual use, but some have been tried and others are 

 now threatened; bo that it is not a moment too soon to look at the 

 danger. 



Before discussing any remedies it will be well to define the 

 difference between cruising and racing canoes, a task by no means 

 easy, for there will always will be some small points tbat are 

 more or less involved. 'Ihe cruising canoe which the Associa tion 

 desires to encourage should be a bout within the dimensions given 

 in the rules, of sufficient displacement to float easily her crew of 

 one, with sails, gear, tent, cooking outfit and stores for a week 

 She must be of a good model, and capable of safely navigating 

 certain waters for which her size is appropriate, either large bays 

 and sounds or shoal and narrow rivers, as the ease may be. She 

 must, as a prime requisite, have room for the crew to sit comfort- 

 ably below by day, and to sleep at full length by night, as well as 

 to slow his impedimenta of all kinds. Her rig and fittings must 

 be as safe and simple as possible. Such boats are found in abund- 

 ance in both classes, Dot, Sea Bee, Lassie, Snake, Notus, Delight, 

 Nirvana, Guenn. Mona, Turtle, Mac, and scores more that are 

 equally well known. Some of them are fitted with folding boards, 

 but iu all other respec ts they are wholesome and genuine cruisers' 

 But, these boats are all recognized racers. Certainly they are, but 

 how do they change; merely by the substitution of legitimate 

 racing furniture for the simpler and rougher cruising rig and 

 gear. Larger sails, perhaps a heavier board or some ballast, a 

 drop rudder, and a special preparation and polishing of hull and 

 board. This is the legitimate conversion of tbe cruiser into the 

 racer, all the good qualities of the former carefully preserved 

 but special racing gear shipped for the occasion, with extra labor 

 aud care in preparation. 



Now comes the machine racer, he takes the same hull, closes up 

 the cockpit permanently, fills the entire center of his boat with a 

 huge board projecting above deck, cuts away every cruising con- 

 venience to save weight, puts on his sliding seat and fixed rig, and 

 is ready to race the cruising boat. What are legitimate racing appli- 

 ances? it is often hard to say, but this will illustrate the point," 

 The man who by skill and care reduces the weight of his spars, 

 increases the efficiency of his sails, and simplifies his reefing gear 

 is doing a real service both to racing and cruising; but the man 

 who decks his racing canoe entirely over, is debasing aud lower- 

 ing the sport he professes to admire. 



For whom shall the races and rules be arranged, "for the 

 cruiser, the racer or the mug-hunter? We have heard the cruiser's 

 plea in the past when on committees, and it has come out again in 

 the present discussion; he says mildly, "1 have no big sails nor 

 drop rudder, my centerboard is rusty, and I forgot to varnish my 

 canoe in the' spring, but I am coming to the meet and I want some 

 races that I can hope to win." We have no sympathy with this 

 gentleman, the A. C. A. can do nothing for him if he will not help 

 himself, and from what we know of him we do not think he will, 

 An effort was made some time since, in the days of large sails and 

 much ballast, to allow men with good canoes but only cruising 

 sails and ballast to enter, and the 75ft. limit race, as well as the 

 race with limited displacement, were instituted. The result is 

 well known, and to-day with the small rigs and light canoes now 

 in use. the attempt to make a race for poorly rigged boats would 

 be still more absurd. 



It is not possible to give prizes for slow boats or poor rigs, the 

 best only deserve to win, the only point being to decide, where the 

 machine comes in to drive out the legitimate racer. The racing 

 man may be defined as one who is ready to work and think in 

 order to make his boat go faster, who will stop at nothing to 

 improve her speed so long as her essential cruising qualities "are 

 not interfered with. He is apt, if he can afford it, to have a fleet 

 of boats from different builders, he will spend money on sails and 

 fittings and he will work hard to win, but for the most part his 

 pet canoe, the fastest of his fleet, is ready at any time for a cruise 

 with small rig. The mug hunter fortunately has not yet turned 

 up in the sailing racers at the meet, and we hope his name has 

 not yet been sent in for membership, but when he comes it will 

 be in a light, hollow sheU, decked over fore and aft, with purely- 

 racing sails and fittings as a permanent part of his boat, The 

 racing men thus far have been mostly cruisers as well, and 

 though the close competition in the sailing races has tempted 

 some to introduce features that, while not specifically interdicted, 

 are not in accord with the best interests of canoe racing, we 

 believe there are none who would object to restrictions that were 

 shown to be for the general good. 



Looking at the unsettled state of canoeing at the time when the 

 first rules were made, as well as the very great changes both in 

 models and methods of sailing that have since taken place, no 

 one can say that the work of the A. C. A. has been a failure, or 

 even that it has not proved fully as successful as one could have 

 hoped. It is clear, however, that the work cannot slop, the 

 process of trial and rejection must still continue, and the rules 

 must be changed as the conditions of racing alter. In view of 

 the facts recounted above we offer for consideration and discus- 

 sion the following suggestions: 



First, as to rules and limits: Canoes to be eligible to the regu- 

 lar record race of the A. C. A., must have a well large enough for 



