422 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[June 14, 1888. 



THE COMING YACHTING SEASON. 



III. — THE RACING FLEET, 



THE long list of fixtures promises an unusually large number of 

 races, the majority naturally being of local rather than of 

 general interest, the races in which the united fleet will take 

 place being as far as is yet decided as follows: June 12, Atlantic 

 Y. C; June 21, New York, followed on June 23 by the Seawau- 

 haka. The Eastern regatta is set for June 28 off Marblebead, 

 while the Larchmont annual comes on July 4. After this nothing 

 is fixed until the Goelet Cups, about Aug. 10, followed by the race 

 at Vineyard Haven for the cups offered last year. The fleet will 

 probably disband after this, not going around the Cape. In the fall 

 the New York, Seawanhaka and Larchmont clubs will hold each 

 one regatta, and it is possible that the Eastern may do the same. 

 The Atlantic has offered prizes for the runs on its cruise, and 

 some prizes may be offered on the other cruises, but this list in- 

 cludes all the important racing. The severe weather of March 

 with the cold and rainy spring that followed has seriously de- 

 layed the fitting out of the fleet, and many yachts are. even now 

 unprepared for the spring regattas, and if entered will do so in 

 poor form, especially the new ones. It is unfortunate that the At- 

 lantic Y. C. has set its regatta for the week preceding the New 

 York and Seawanhaka, making it necessary to haul out twice in 

 order to enter the three races. The custom has been for 

 a long time that the Atlantic Y. C. takes Tuesday, the 

 New York Thursday, and the Seawanhaka Saturday, so 

 that the yachts when once prepared sail in all three events, 

 but this year some will not enter the first, as they 

 desire to dock only in time for the other two. Last season 

 for the first time a fourth regatta for large craft was held, the 

 Corinthian Y. C. taking the Monday following the Seawanhaka, 

 but thus far no date has been aunounced by the club. It seems 

 likely just now that owing to the general delay few Eastern 

 yachts will be in the New York races, and few New York boats 

 will venture around the Cape, especially as the Larchmont re- 

 gatta on July 4 is becoming: more attractive to the larger yachts 

 every year. In any case the great event of the season is certain 

 to be the Goelet Cup race at Newport, in August, as by that time 

 the fleet will be in good racing form. In tbe meanwhile, however, 

 it is likely that some private matches will be sailed, as there are a 

 number of new boats to be tried with each other and also against 

 tbe old ones. A match of this kind has already been sailed be- 

 tween the Vivid and the Wizard, it is likely that another will 

 soon be settled between Ramona and Dauntless. Sea Fox and 

 Elma will neither be in tiim for the regular ev> nts, and a match 

 later on could not fail to be interesting, while Katrma and Sham- 

 rock will have a score to settle after the new boat is in racing 

 trim, which will not be for some weeks. In connection with the 

 regular regattas it is necessary to return to the much discussed 

 question of classification, which, in spite of all that has been said 

 and done about it during the past year, is still m a very unsatis- 

 factory condition. Tbe large clubs have all moved in the matter, 

 but without any r hearty co-operation, and the result, though a 

 slight improvement on the past, is still far from unity or system, 

 as the following table of classes will show: 



SCHOONERS. 



New Seawan- Atlan- Larck- 



York. haka. tic. mont. Eastern. 



Class. ... 1 



OverlOO 



Class.... 2 1 A 



90-100 Over90 .... OverM 



Class.... 3 2 1 B I. 



80-90 75-90 Over 75 79-91 75 & over. 



Class.... 4 3 2 C. II. 



70-80 63-75 62-75 68-79 50-75 



Class.... 5 4 3 D 



70 &under. 63 & under. 52-63 59-68 

 Class.... 4 E III. 



52&u*der. 59 & under. 30-50 

 IV. 



.... 30&under 



SLOOPS, CUTTERS AND YAWLS. 



Class.... 11 1 



Over 80 Over 80 .... Over 81 



Class.... 2 2 12 1. 



70-80 70-80 Over 71 71-81 Over 70 



Class.... 3 3 2 3 II. 



61-70 61-70 62-71 62-71 61-70 



Class.... 4 4 3 4 III. 



53-61 53-61 54-62 54-62 53-61 



Class.... 5 5 4 5 IV. 



46-53 46-53 47-54 47-54 46-53 



Class.... 6 6 5 6 V. 



46 & under. 40-46 41-47 41-47 40-46 



Class.... 1 6 7 VI. 



35-40 35-41 35-41 35-40 



Class.... 8 7 8 VII. 



35 &under. 30-35 30-35 30-35 



ClaSS -- 25^30 25^0 .... 



Class 9 1° 



25 & under. 25 & under 



In the schooner classes there is hardly a semblance of uniform- 

 ity, each club retaining the sizes that it happens to find conveni- 

 ent, without regard for the yachts of its fleet, which at the same 

 time may be enrolled in other clubs. In the single-stick classes 

 the case is better, though there ate two large clubs whose classes 

 differ greatly from the other three. As regards the new limits of 

 the classes, 70ft., 61ft., 53ft., 43ft. and 40ft., they are as good as any 

 that could be devised, but it is unfortunate that the result was 

 reached in such a manner, and that even nowthere are two clubs 

 not in accord with the rest. In the numbering of classes, both 

 schooner and sloop, there is no attempt at order or system, Class 1 

 in one club is Class 2 in another, Class S in a third and Class B in 

 a fourth. What we said a year ago on this suhject is just as true 

 now as it was then, and tnough the practical difflcultitss have 

 been in a measure lessened in the sloop class, the need of a thor- 

 ough and uniform system is just as imperative. It is not easy 

 to make up a full and accurate list of the racing fleet, but the fol- 

 lowing includes most of the yachts that will enter the season's 

 races, the new yachts being marked thus * : 



SCHOONERS. 



Length. Length. 



Dauntless, C. H. Colt 112.00 Iroquis, T. J. Coolidge, Jr. 81.00 



*Yampa, C. W. Chapin. . . 110.00 Halcyon, C. W. Lippitt. ... 79 03 



ntamona, C. A. Postley . . .110.10 Magic, T. W. Motley 78.11 



Palmer, R. Stuvversant. ..104.03 *Oenone. H. O. Cochrane.. 75.00 



Mohican. H. D. Burnham.104.00 Comet, W. H. Langley 73.04 



Gitana W.F.Weld 97.04 Clio, E. C.Moffat 68.00 



Fortuna, H. S. Hovey 96.00 Carlotta, Geo. Matthews.. 65. i0 



America, B. F. Butler 96.00 *Cavalier, Geo. Duryea — 65. CO 



Montauk, J. E. Brooks 94. i:8 * , E. A. Wyeth 62.00 



*Sea Fox, A. C Canfield... 89.06 Triton, J. J. Fay e 61.09 



*Alert Henrv Bryant 90.00 Adnenne, C. B. Lancaster 60.09 



Troubadour, L. H. Smith.. 88.04 Avalon, F. L. Leland 59.00 



Sachem, Metcalf & Owens 86.00 Gevalia, H W. Coates 58.00 



Miranda, G. H. B. Hill 86.00 Fearless, Phillips Bros 56. U0 



Elma, II. L. Belknap 85.03 Agnes, J. H. Winslow 53.11 



Phantom, C. S. Dodge 85.00 Ray, W. W. Tompkins.... 53.00 



Foam, F. G. Dexter 82.04 *Fenella, O. Jackson 53.06 



Graylmg, C. A. Fish 81.00 Leona, J. H. Sterling 46.04 



♦Marguerite, W. F. Burden 80.00 



SLOOPS AND CUTTERS. 



Length. Length. 



Volunteer, C. J. Paine 85.00 Anaconda, J. G. Prague. . . .52.00 



Mayflower, E. D. Morgan. . .85.00 Isis, C. A. Stevens 51.05 



Atlantic, Homans & Chaun- Bertie, F. Gallatin 49.00 



cey 84.05 Regina, R. L. Ellis 47.00 



Pur't'an, J. M. Forbes 81.00 Adelaide, R. W. Inman 46.01 



Bedouin, A. Rogers 70.134 Daphne, G. C. W. Lower/. .46.00 



Titania, C. O. Iselin 70.00 *Bayadere 45.00 



Gracie, J. P. Earle 70.00 Vixen, W. O. Loring 44.01 



*Katrina, E. D. & H. Auch- Fauita, Otis Shepherd 44.00 



iuoloss 69.06 Ulidia. E. M. Padellord — 43.00 



Shamrock, J. R. Maxwell. .68.05 Crocodile, A. L. Thome. . . .39.10 



Fanny, Fiske Bros 66.00 Banshee, P. S. Pearsall 39.09 



Stranger. Geo. H. v* arren..65.00 Baboon, C. F. Adams, Jr... .39. 06 



Thetis, 0. C. Ferris 64.00 Nymph, F. W. Flint 39.06 



Huron, Bloodgood & Kelly .63.05 Xaa, Jas. Means 39.06 



Hildegarde, J. 0. Bergen. . .61.07 Chiquita, A. Hemmenway.39.06 

 Mischief, E. D. & H. Auch- Rival, Hope & Copeman.. . .38.03 



incloss! 61.00 Schemer, W. S. Alley 36.00 



Clara, Chas. Sweet 53.07 Pappoose 36.00 



Cinderella, W. B. HopKins.52.00 *Eurybia, Chas. Pryer 3o.00 



This list of about 40 schooners and the same number of single- 

 stickers, includes all that are likely to race about New York and 

 Boston in the sizes over 35ft., that is, all that usually race outside 

 of their home port. The chief interest in the raciug promises to 

 center in the schooners, and of them in the class whose maximum 

 limit is about 90ft. In the sizes above this there are two new 

 boats, Yan»' s <uid Ramona, the former a steel yacht designed for 



SCHOONER "COLUMBIA" 1875. 



SCHOONER "PROSPERO 



873. 



cruising, but still good enough for the long races which are best 

 suited to yachts of such size. At present she will go abroad under 

 a cruising rig, and will not be in the racing this year, but she is 

 likely to fly a racing flag some day in the event of a long ocean 

 race like that of last year. 



Ramona, though an old yacht, is practically a new bout, as she 

 has been entirely rebuilt within the last two years, and now comes 

 out with but little of the old Resolute about her. Both ends have 

 been lengthened, the stern in particular being improved by a long 

 counter; the planking is almost entirely new, the bulwarks and 

 rail, with nearly all the deck work, are new, the keel has been 

 deepened 2ft. 6in, with 17 tons of lead added, the straight stern- 

 post has been replaced by a new one with a rake of 60 degrees, in- 

 cluding new rudder and steering gear; the rig is entirely new, in- 

 cluding a single jib and a pole bowsprit, and below the furniture 

 and fittings are mostly new this year. As to the wisdom of such 

 extensive repairs to an old boat there is room for argument, but 

 as she stands to-day the owner has a very large and comfortable 

 craft for the cruismg that will be her principal use; while at the 

 same time she promises to be speedy r enough to take a good place 

 in the races of her class, with Dauntless, Palmer, Mohican, Gitana 

 and America. Dauntless has been refitted this season, with new 

 garbnards, topsides and general repairs, including a couple of 

 very long topmasts for racing, so she mav be exper ted to have a 

 Iook in at the regular races. Palmer has been altered to a keel 

 since she sailed last season, and the result of the altera'ions pre- 

 viously made will be more fully tested ih : s year. Both Mohican 

 and Gitana have been well overhauled this winter, coming out 

 with pole bowsprits and other improvements in spars and rig, the 

 latter b*-ing also painted white, but neither has been altered 

 below water, save that Mohican has had 8 tons of lead run in h r 

 keel. America has been unchanged of late, while Montauk will 

 await the result of the alterations in her sister, the Grayling, be- 

 fore going to Boston for similar changes. 



The chief racing class is of course that from 80 to 90ft„ the head 

 of which for three years has been Sachem, but she, will Lave 

 harder work this year than ever before to hold her laurels. The 

 longest boat in the class, Mr. Biyant's new Alert, is built for 

 cruising only, and is not likely to be seen iu the racing fleet this 

 year. The next in size, however, the new Set Fox, is built for 

 speed as well as for general use, and while nothing has been sacri- 

 ficed in the arrangement and fitting up, and she has all the ac- 

 commodatious of the best cruisers, she will spread racing kites in 

 plenty, as the accompanying sail plan will show. 



Should any Rip Van Winkle of the old schooner fleet awaken 

 after a sleep of twenty years and open his eyes on the cracks of 

 the class to-day, he would wonder what soit of craft he had 

 fallen among, and probably call down deep imprecations on the 

 new-fangled ideas. The rig of the Sea Fox shows the latest 

 advance in the sparring and canvassing of a racing schooner, 

 and in contrast with it we give the sail plan of the Columbia, a 

 yacht of about the same length, a very good example of the old 

 American schooner rig, with the masts of one length and well aft, 

 and the cumbrous and complicated headgear. In the^e days of pole 

 bowsprits and short foremasts the third sail plan has no little inter- 

 est historically. It was made in 1873 by Mr. A. Cary Smith, for the 

 schooner Prospero, 80ft. l.w.L, a keel yacht built for Mr. C H. 

 Contoit, and though fifteen years old, it would pass as new to-day. 



When put on the Prospero it was condemned by yachtsmen and 

 longshore ^alent alike, and after a season or two it was replaced 

 by the regular old-fashioned schooner rig, utterly devoid of all 

 style or character, and to-day the yacht is in no way noticeable 

 from dozens of others of her class, all equally commonplace. 

 Again in 1883, ten years later, Mr. Smith introduced the pole bow- 

 sprit in the first sail plan of Fortuna, then building, but the 

 owner objected to it, and the old rig was used. Only two years 

 since, when a little schooner was rebuilt at Bay Ridge and the rig 

 changed to the modern form, she was the butt for the ridicule of 

 all the longshore critics. To-day the rig is general in all the 

 schooner fleet, Ramona, Palmer, Mohican, Gitana, America and 

 Troubadour of the old fleet all have conformed as closely as pos- 

 sible to it. while the new craft Sachem, Sea Fox, Iroquois, Elma 

 and Margtlerite have it as a matter of course, Thn most prominent 

 example of the present rig has been f^r some years the Miranda, 

 built by Mr. Harvey in 1878, and for the last two years familiar to 

 American yachtsmen through her presence in the home fleet. In 

 her the extreme of large mainsail, forward position ot masts and 

 difference of height in main and foremast was first reached. 



[TO BE CONCLUDED.] 



2 03 40 

 2 08 .55 

 212 20 

 2 40 10 

 2 47 00 



1 53 40 



2 08 55 

 2 12 20 

 2 30 10 

 2 47 00 



MONTGOMERY SAILING CLUB.— Fourth weekly cruise, June 

 3. Course, Noriistown to Indian Creek and return, distance five 

 miles. Weather clear; wind light to fresh, northeily. 



Length. Elapsed. Corrected. 



Gracie, E. A. Leopold 12.00 1 48 20 1 39 00 



Elsie, E. McAllister. .15.00 



Flying Eagle, J. Berndt 15.00 



J. S. Frith, J. S. Frith 15.00 



Warren, J. Wolf H-00 



Playford, J. Grisdale 15.00 



Priscilla, Bowers, Volunteer, Scott, Igidious and Querner with- 

 drew. Judge, William Alcorn. 



BRIDGEPORT RIVAL-PROFESSIONAL MATCH, June 7.- 

 Course, eight miles io leeward and return. Start from Bridge- 

 port light 10:52:30 A. M. Weather clear; wind northwest, stiong; 

 tide, high water just turned ebb. . 



Length. Start. Finish. Elapsed. 



Rival, F. I Hitchcock 21.00 10 52 30 2 21 51 3 29 21 



Professional, Com. F. Burritt.21.07 10 52 30 Carried away 

 bowsprit and was towed in. The Rival is a new boat built last 

 winter bv Thatcher, of New Haven, and is smart. Is ready to 

 sail anything 21ft. long. This, was a friendly race for $200 a side, 

 to be made in four hours. Judges, C. M. Foster and L. K. Young. 

 Referee, P. G. Sandford. 



THE NEW FIFE CUTTER— This boat, incorrectly given as a 

 40-tonner in a late issue, is 40ft., being 12ft. beam and 9ft. draft. 

 Oapt. Chas. Barr will sail for Scotland very soon to come out in 

 her and she will be here same time in August. She will be in the 

 class with the new Baboon, Sara and Chiquita, being some 2ft, 

 narrower. 



ALISTA.— Mr. Wiener's yawl arrived from Wilmington last 

 week and is now at Hoboken. The racing this week makes it 

 necessary to defer a description until next week, also any further 

 notice of Oapt. Norton's water ballast system. 



