288 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Oct. 10, 188ft. 



THE STATUS OF THE CLERK OF THE COURSE. 



B Iu the^dmirable report which Mr. 0. Bowyer Vaux, as chairman 

 of the regatta cstfmimttee of >SB, submitted to the executive com- 

 mittee, he made the following suggestions relating to the status 



of the clerk of the course: ' . _j ^lXm 



"The clerk of the course is the most important officer, next to 

 the chairman of the executive committee, and therefore be should 

 be a member of such committee, appointed at the suggestion ot 

 the chairman from the (same town or club as the chairman, or 

 living near him. The timekeeper and buoymeu can be got at 

 the meet, and by appointing a number, need serve only one day 

 each. The clerk should serve all the time, to make sure of accu- 



ra These suggestions were not acted upon at the last meet, and it 

 is because, as a result of my experience as clerk ot the course at 

 the last two A. C. A. meets, I am thoroughly convinced that they 

 are advisable, that 1 wish again to call the attention ot the canoe- 

 ing public to them. The principal advantages which would be 

 secured bv the adoption of these suggetions are. first, that a thor- 

 ough understanding would exist between the chairman and the 

 clerk of the course; second, that the clerk would come to the meet 

 prepared for his work, and with a supply of the- necessary mate- 

 rial-third, that the clerk would be thoroughly acquainted with 

 tne nature and conditions of the regatta programme; fourth, that 

 the clerk would be m a position to give an authoritative answer 

 to the greater number of the countless questions with which 

 anxious contestants ply him; and fifth, that the decision of dis- 

 - — isteel by the constant pre 

 clerk, in the stakeboat. 



anxious contestants ply nun; una muu mau towiwuu. ««■ 

 outes would be materially assisted by the constant presence of a 

 member of the committee, the clerk, in the stakeboat . 



The successful use of sailing numbers instead ot the A. C. A. 

 numbers or totems, as distinguishing badges m all sailing races, 

 ■it the last A. C. A. meet, will, I trust, never be departed from, 

 and the executive committee at its next meeting should amend 

 the sailing rules in that particular, in the manner and form 

 recommended by Mr. Vaux. It is not necessary, however, that 

 the numbers should be placed upon both sides of the sail, if the 

 stakeboat is placed as it should be, inside, not outside of the 

 course. The rules as to the carrying of colored flags m paddling 

 races should also be amended. The flags now used as distinguish- 

 ing signals in paddling races, are, if not altogether useless, nearly 

 s0 ° jfll paddling races are now straightaway, and it is impossible 

 for the clerk of the course to be in the stakeboat at the finish and 

 at the start to distribute these flags to the contestants. They are 

 even when distributed, indistinct, hard to pick up, and harder 

 still to take a record of. The better plan would be to give the 

 Saddling as well as the sailing men their consecutive number and 

 let them carry it upon their canoe or person, in any way they 

 pleaae.Bothat.it he sufficiently conspicuous. 



It is I think, of some importance to the Association, that as far 

 nc -nossible, not only the racing records of the Association, but of 

 each division should be taken in as uniform method as possible. 

 To facilitate this I wish to suggest that a form ot record book 

 should be adopted by the Association, and that all clerks of the 

 course be requested to make use of these books and of uniform 

 blanks and methods. , ji „ . . ,. 



As I trust that I have earned the right to serve the Association 

 in the capacity of an ordinary member in future, 1 wish for the 

 benefit of all future clerks of the course to mention a matter that 

 pertains exclusively to the clerk's work. Acting upon a sugges- 

 tion of Mr W. P. Stephens I this year took all sailing races upon 

 boards Which I got the camp carpenter to plane up for the pur- 

 nose A board was ruled off for each race, with a space for the 

 Bailing number and the time for each rouud, and as each canoe 

 went round the flag 1 took its number and time. All the record 

 books wee left in the regatta committee's tent, where they were, 

 safe from all accidents of weather. Unless paddling races take 

 nlace on a rainy day it is not necessary to prepare boards for 

 them, thev can be best taken in a common-place book, which can 

 be used as an entry book, a regatta committee minute book, etc. 



David A. Poe. 



AMATEUR VS. PROFESSIONAL CANOEISTS. 



Editor Forest and Streamy 



The downw 

 beginnings. ' 



who from the high posit-- 



nallv descended to that ot a common professional canoeist, and 

 all through the introduction of an innocent-looking spirit level 

 into his canoe. This, however, was only a beginning, and in a 

 short time, was followed by the hiker seat and such like contri- 

 vances as one is apt to adopt when trying to shake speed out of 

 bis craft with the resnlr, that we now see his name being coupled, 

 in the Forest and Stream by "No. 1213" with the word "pro- 



fe As°'No' 1213" remarks, the A. C. A. is a strictly amateur organ- 

 ization, and should be governed by its rules, but still that does 

 not necessarily mean that we are to be governed by the N. A. A.O. 

 or any other athletic rule?, as in canoe, skiff or yacht sailing 

 races bne does not require to be an athlete to take part in them, 

 and thev are of a totallv different character from those in which 

 oersonal strength plays such an important factor, and therefore 

 uronerly come under a different rule. It is and has been custom- 

 ary for a couple of centuries to offer money prizes for all classes 

 of yachts both here and abroad, and yet no one would call the 

 gentleman vachtsman who sails bis own craft in a race for a 

 money prize a professional yachtsman; and yet according to the 

 N A A. O. he and all those who took part with him in the race 

 for a'money prize would be professionals. Where would Com- 

 modore, Stanton, Wm. Whitlock. W. P. Stephens and many of 

 the best of our Association be if such a rule as that were allowed. 



But Rule V. eavs no prizes of money shall be raced for. This 

 soring several canoeists who also belonged to the Royal Cana- 

 dian Y C. were at a loss to know what to do about this rule; they 

 wished to enter their canoes against the skiffs, and see how they 

 would make out, but the prizes were $12, S3 and $4. Now, while 

 thev did not want any money prize, they did want to race and 

 =ee how a JBlfc. canoe would make out against the larger class of 

 skiffs but wishing to be sure of their ground before they went 

 into a' race, thev wrote to the Fohest and Stream on the subject, 

 asking if thev went into the race and won, but purchased a trophy 

 instead of accepting the cash, whether they would be considered 

 as professionals. The reply was to the effect that they would not 

 be professionals ashing as a trophy was purchased. This was 

 considered just, and satisfactory, and two of us went into the 

 races and took prizes to the value of $12 each, the cheque for 

 which was handed to the secretary of the Toronto C. C, where it 

 now lies waiting (ill a suitable trophy can be selected. 



If judgment were given otherwise on this question whole 

 clubs' would be disqualified. The Royal C. C. of London, 1 believe, 

 offers prizes to the value of so much, with which the winner pur- 

 chases a prize to his liking. The same course has been pursued 

 this year in the Toronto C. C, where instead of saying the prize 

 will be a medal, they state that the prize will be so much value, 

 and the fortunate winner can purchase a trophy to his liking; 

 if he likes flags he can buy a flag, or if a medal he can get one 

 made to his liking, or if he has a hankering after mugs he can 



'Trusting that the foregoing will provide friend "1213" with the 

 information which he desires, I will belay! 



W. G, MacKendkick. 

 [The question was submitted to us last spring, and we gave a 

 decision in accordance with previous usage in similar cases about 

 New York, in which canoes had entered special races for small 

 craft held by yacht clubs, the prizes being small sums of money. 

 In all cases the entries were made with the understanding that if 

 a prize was won the money should be paid to the secretary of the 

 canoe club to purchase a suitable trophy for the winner, and this 

 was deemed to be in compliance with the spirit of the rules. Ac- 

 cording to the reasoning of "1213," the A. C. A. rules are to be 

 interpreted strictly in accordance with the usage and precedent 

 of the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen, and a man who 

 starts in any race for which a money prize is offered, even though 

 he does not complete the course or take the prize, is at once con- 

 stituted a professional, as are all who may in future race against 

 him. Under such a literal interpretation of the N. A. A. O. rule 

 applied to canoeing some sweeping results would be reached; sev- 

 eral New York canoeists who have in the past entered races under 

 the conditions described above would be rated as professionals for 

 the past six years, as would every canoeist who has raced against 

 them in that time, to sav nothing of those canoeists who are also 

 yachtsmen and race for the prizes regularly given by the various 

 yacht clubs. Rather than to reach any such dire result as this, 

 involving the entire reorganization of the A, C. A., it might be 

 better to interpret the rules in t lie light of a little common sense 

 and the usage of other bodies besides oarsmen, as between match 

 rowing and canoe sailing there is little in common. The condi- 

 tions and surroundings of vowing, running and athletic spores in 

 general, in all of which personal strength is the chief factor, have 

 long been such as to encourage very active competition, with its 

 attendant evils of gambling and professionalism. In sailing, on 

 the contrarv, in all classes of craft, betting and gambling are 

 comparatively unknown; though yacht races are sometimes sailed 

 for large sums of money, and heavy betting is found on the great 

 international races, more is staked by the outside sporting 



fraternity than by yachtsmen themselves. As a rule, the 

 evils which have attended rowing for money have troubled 

 yachtsmen but little, and consequently while the rules 

 have necessarily been drawn very tightly m one case, 

 they are comparatively lax in another. The accepted 

 definition of an amateur in yachting, one who does not earn his 

 living by manual labor about the water, or does not sail a vessel 

 for wages, is far less stringent than the definitions m rowing or 

 athletic sports generally, and there is nothing said about racing 

 for cash prizes". A yachtsman may with perfect propriety race 

 for money, and in no way impairs his standing as an amateur, 

 and if he chances to be a canoeist too, it would be straining anoint 

 to force him, and all who race against him, into the ranks of the 

 professionals. As to the case in point, it would seem that every 

 precaution has been taken to comply with the spirit of the A.C.A. 

 rule by making the prize which the winner receives a trophy such 

 as he might win with propriety in an A. C. A. race. Though the 

 rules of the Amateur Rowing Association of Great Britain are 

 far more strict than those of the N. A. A. O., proscribing any 

 man "who is or has been by trade or employment, for wages, a 

 mechanic, artisan or laborer, or engaged in any menial duty in 

 addition to the usual restrictions as to racing for money or 

 against professionals; and though in addition they expressly pro- 

 hibit anv "value prize fi. c, a cheque, on a tradesman);" they have 

 not been accepted as a binding precedent by the Royal Canoe 

 Club: the winner of prizes in the club being allowed to select the 

 value in silverware or other articles. The value of such pnze3 is 

 usually from £3 to £6. One great source of strength in the A.C.A 

 has been the purity of the amateur standard which it has set and 

 maintained, and the corresponding freedom from any of the 

 doubtful practices which have brought discredit on both amateur 

 and professional rowing. We should regret any action which 

 might be used as a precedent to lower this high standard, but 

 under such circumstances as those m question, where a prize of a 

 few dollars only is involved, which prize, though nominally m 

 money, is actually in the form of a cup, a flag or some similar 

 trophy, the whole transaction being open and above board, there 

 seems little danger to be apprehended. The spirit of the rule is 

 complied with, and it is hardly likely that the case would be used 

 as a precedent'for racing for a large stake. It the other extreme 

 view be accepted then a change of the rules is necessary, and 

 some line must be drawn between the Corinthian yachtsman and 

 the amateur canoeist as recognized by the A. C. A. Since the 

 above was written we have received from a British canoeist a 

 sum of prize money won in sailing races, with a request that we 

 should purchase for him an assortment of American canoe fit- 

 tings.] . 



RED DRAGON C. C. REGATTA.— The annual regatta of the 

 Red Dragon C. C. was held on Sept. 28, on the Delaware Ri ver. 

 Three events were contested with the following results. Lnlim- 

 ited Sailing and Trophy Cup: 



Raniona, B. E. Fortiner 3 50 4 17 27 



Cigarette, F. N. Noyes 3 oO 4 18 ^8 



Nacoochee, H. E. McCormick 3 50 4 20 80 



Course triangular IVi miles, wind strong from S.W. Class 4, 

 paddling: 



Valesca, H. M. Kreamer 1 



Alice. C. B. Haag f 



Mermaid, D. A. McCormick 3 



Tandem paddling: 



Valesca, Kreamer and Bond 1 



Mermaid, Haag and D. McCormick • * 



Nacoochee, Fortiner and H. McCormick 3 



This ends the racing for this season. There will be quite a 

 number of now boats this winter and doubtless some hot contests 

 next year. All of the old boats can be. greatly improved, both in 

 rig and finish. 



TORONTO C. C — The final sailing race of the season wassailed 

 on Sept. 27 over a 5-mile course, the wind being strong and puffy 

 from N.W. The times were: 



CLASS I. 



Start. 



Hvla, D. B. Jacques 4 00 00 



Una, Colin Fraser 4 00 00 



CLASS II. 



Petrel, Geo. Sparrow 3 ■=>-> on 



Isabel, Robt. Tyson 3 55 00 



Bervie, A. Shaw 3 55 00 



Levite, W. C. Lee 3 55 00 .... 



The record in Class I. now stands: Una 0, Hyla 8 and Mac 6. In 

 Class II. it is Petrel 11, Bervie 7, Isabel 4, Levite 5. 



CORINTHIAN MOSQUITO FLEET.— Fhe fall regatta of the 

 Corinthian Mosquito Fleet will be held at Roslyn, L. I., on Oct. 

 12, race to start at 12 o'clock. Cups will be awarded by the Asso- 

 ciation in all classes where two or more boats start. Com. Smith 

 offers a cup; class and conditions to be named on day of race. 

 Vice-Corn. Clapham offers a pennant to yawls of 15ft, l.wl. or 

 under. Mr. F. B. Jones offers a cup "for the best time over the 

 course, corrected, by a double-rig boat; canoe, sharpie, yawl, etc., 

 irrespective, of class." Boats from other clubs having a water 

 line of 20ft. or under are cordially invited to enter for the Associa- 

 tion prizes. A regular meeting of the club will be held on Oct. 

 21, at the Sturtevant House, New York, at 8 P. M. Eleven mem- 

 bers have been proposed. 



BR -VNTFORD C. C— The postponed events of the Brantford C. 

 C regatta came off on Oct. 2, a half-mile paddling race finishing 

 as follows: Fred Frank first, Fred Blomfield second, A. McQuillie, 

 J. McQuillie and S. R. Potter; time 4.5i>. The tug-of-war was won 

 by Fred Frank, Fred Bloratield and J. McQuillie against fe. R. 

 Potter, E. R. Salter and Alex McQuillie. 



WHO WAS AT THE MEET.— The Sail and Paddle, for October 

 publishes a complete register of the A. C. A. members present 

 at the last meet, 216 in all. The total number of members of 

 the A. C A. since its formation is now above 1,000. 



A. C. A. MEMBERSHIP.— Eastern Division: John J. Martin, 

 Boston; F. C. Waterraan-Stanstead, Jr., Quebec. 



must be raised very high in order to secure a reasonable breadth' 

 often necessitating a cabin house. What the effect of Minerva's 

 success will be. she being of the exact opposite type, it is not easy 

 to say now, but there has been every indication for some time 

 past that under the prevailing influences and conditions a boat 

 would be evolved, and perhaps prove a success as a racer, that 

 would be far more extreme than Chispa, Maraquita, or even the 

 present design, practically a wide, shoal hull of comparatively 

 light displacement, easy bilge, and with an exaggerated fin, 

 loaded with lead. Such a machine would have nothing to recom- 



Finisb. 



4 00 00 



5 02 00 



5 13 00 

 5 23 00 



Elapsed. 

 1 00 00 

 1 03 00 



1 18 00 

 1 28 01 



»W-est India. Hurricanes and the Great March BHzumV By 

 Everett Bayden, U, 8. Hy&vograph ie Office, Lame quarto, with n 

 lltlwarophic plates. Price, $1. Contain* full history oj the great 

 storm of March, 1388, with practical information how to handle a 

 vessel in a cyclone; use of oil at sea, etc. 



A LENGTH CLASS RACER. 



THE accompanying design is the work of Mr. Chas. Livingston, 

 of Liverpool, an amateur boat sailor and designer, and also 

 a canoeist. She was designed for racing on Lake Windermere, 

 being built this spring by John Shaw, of Bowness. The yachts of 

 Lake Windermere are built under peculiar rules, that for the 

 20ft class being as follows: Beam, not less than 6ft; Bin.: draft, 

 limited to oft. Bin.; the after end of counter, not less than lft. fin. 

 out of water, and the counter 5fr, tiin. long; no part of the stem to 

 project either above or below the water beyond the 20ft. gauge, 

 nor the srernpost under the water; that the inaBt from deck to ex- 

 treme top be 26ft. Sin.; that the bowsprit from fore side of mast 

 to extreme end be 10ft.; that the boom from aft side of mast to 

 end belSft, Gin.; gaff be 16ft. Bin.; topsail yard be 18ft. Hin.; hoist 

 of mainsail from thimble to thimble be 16ft.; from deck to pin of 

 iib halliard sheave be 23fi. 9iu; that mast from deck to pin of top- 

 sail sheave be 25ft. 9iu.; that there be no alteration in the new 

 class for five years, dating from July, 1884; that the boats be con- 

 structed of wood, with steamed and natural frames, and single 

 blanking, pine, deal or larch; iron knees to be used to secure the 

 ead keel only; to carry not less thanl ton 2cwt. of lead. The 

 oractical result of all these numerous and arbitrary dimensions 

 is a length rule, the yachts not to exceed 20ft. l.w.l., as though the 

 sail is limited also, t he limit is so great as to permit a very large 

 sail plan for the length, and to offer no inducements to the de- 

 signer to use a small sail plan. The actual dimensions of the 

 Windermere boat are given below and also the dimensions on a 

 scale that, would give a length of 40ft. instead of 20, as the design 

 is just as well adapted for the 40ft. class in American waters. 



What the speed of this specific design would be if properly built 

 to for the 40ft. class, is a matter of opinion, but the tendency of 

 the past three years has been almost entirely in this direction, of 

 great beam and draft, light bilge, high center of buoyancy and 

 low center of gravity, with a very large sail plan. Since the ad- 

 vent of Pappoose the drift of designing m the class has been 

 away from the moderate section of the former wide cutters with 

 plenty of displacement and a fullness about the garboards, and 

 toward the tvpe represented by the present design, with moderate 

 displacement and a thin, deep keel. However fast such boats 

 mav prove under a big rig, they are objectionable as seaboats, 

 and have the additional disadvantage of very little room in pro- 

 portion to the great draft, being so thin m the keel that the floor 



BODY PLAN OF WINDER HERE YACHT. 



mend her save her speed, she would be a worse racing machine 

 than any yet seen, but there is good reason to believe that she 

 would, win races under the New York, Larohuiont or Atlantic 

 rules. It may be that Minerva's success will lead designers in 

 the contrary direction, a consummation devoutly to bo desired, 

 but if the present rules remain, and Minerva is disposed of by the 

 ostrich-like policy of calling her a racing machine and the 

 American forties cruisers, there will be some queer productions 

 afloat next season to beat Liris. 



For racing only in the 20ft. class where one exists, the design 

 would make a very good boat and probably be speedy, hut those 

 intending to build from it, will find it best to replace the peculiar 

 sail plant the outgrowth of local conditions on Lake. Windermere, 

 by the ordinary proportions of the sloop or cutter rig, preserving 

 about the same area. The details of the design are as follows: 

 20ft. Design. 40ft. Design. 



Length over all 25ft. 55ft. 



L.W.L 19ft. 9^in. 39ft. 6m. 



Beam extreme 7ft. flm. 15ft. 



L.W.L 0ft. lOin. 13ft. 8iu. 



Draft extreme oft, lj^in. 10ft. 3in. 



Freeboard lft. 4in. 2tt. 8rn. 



Displacement, loug tons 3.15 26.00 



Ballast keel, long tons 2.05 14.00 



Sail area, including topsail 



RACING IN TWO CLASSES.— Owen Sound, Out,, Oct. 2.- 

 Edit or Forest and Stream: At a regatta held here in August last, 

 prizes were offered to the yachts winning in the following classes: 

 •?irst class, 30ft. or over; second class, under 30ft. and over 20ft.; 

 third class, 20ft. and under. The yacht Lucille (oclongiug properly 

 to the third class) entered for the second and third class races. 

 These races were sailed over the same course at the same time. 

 The Lucille came in first in the third class and second in the 

 second class, and claims the prizes for each race or class. Our 

 rules do not cover the point, and before deciding the question 

 w bother she is entitled to both or one only of the prizes, we would 

 like vour opinion, and what, if any, precedent you have in the 

 point'. I might add that under our rules any yacht is entitled to 

 sail in anv race higher than its own class.— H. B. S. [According 

 to common usage of vaeht clubs a yacht must enter in one class, 

 and one only, before starting in a race; and it is not customary 

 for a yacht to enter a higher class except when she has no com- 

 petitors in her own. Under ordinary conditions we should decide, 

 that in the case, given the yacht had sailed only in Iter regular 

 class, and was entitled to that prize alone. It, however, as our 

 correspondent intimates, she had made a formal entry in both 

 .-.s, which entry was accepted by the regatta committee, and 

 was known to aU competitors, she could claim both prizes. It 

 would obviously be very unfair to the contestants in the larger 

 class to give a prize to a yacht belonging to a smaller, unless they 

 were properly notified that she was admitted to their class and 

 was sailing against them.] 



CAPE MAY CHALLENGE CUP.— The race for this cup having 

 been fixed to take place on Sept. 12, the Wendur started at 11 A. 

 M to sail over the course in the absence of the Irex. The wind 

 was light from the westward, so there was a dead beat f rom Ryde 

 to Cowes, with a fair-going tide. Off Cowes the wiud still headed 

 the vessel, but the strength of the tide asserted itself, 30 that the 

 Needles was passed at 2:50. The breeze was now from W .S.W., so 

 the yawl could just lay her course for Cherbourg, and with bal- 

 loon foresail, jackyard and jibtopsails, she logged about seven 

 knots without any perceptible motion, so lakelike was the Chan- 

 nel sea, The. breeze going down and backing with t he sun. at 9:30 

 a iibe had to be made, and another later on, and but little progress 

 was recorded. The nest day, at 8 o'clock in the morning, the 

 kedge was let go two miles off the-Cherbnurg breakwater; got 

 under way at 9 o'clock, and the west end of the breakwater was 

 reached at 12:15. There was a dead run through the French road- 

 stead, the air being so light that the east end was not left till 1:30, 

 when a nice northwesterly sprang up, which afterward freed so 

 much that sheets were checked, and the Wendur for a time reeled 

 off eleven knots: the clinometer only registering 21° of heel, and 

 the sea being smooth good progress was made. The Needles 

 Li»bt was passed at 10:30, and with a strong, fair tide Cowes ap- 



urday morning, — „ — » — ---- 



now holds the Cape May cup, a handsome trophy ot the value ot 

 500 guineas, and it is to be hoped that in the interest of sport the 

 Americans will try and regaiu their trophy next summer. The 

 race was sailed under the flag of the R. V. Y. C, who, wc are glad 

 to see, are again occupying their former proud position.— Field, 

 Sept. SI. 



NEW YORK YACHT RACING ASSOOIATION.-At a meeting 

 of the New York Y. R. A., on Oct. 4, it was decided .to hold an 

 annual cruise on Long Island Sound in August, beginning m 1890. 

 President Prime reported that the association had been regularly 

 incorporated. The regatta committee presented its report of the 

 first re 

 trade, 

 Vice-C 

 Jersey C 

 Class 1, 



~~~ Class i, Lone Star, A.' Bauer, 



B., James Smith, Sing Sing 'y. C. Class 9, Bon Ton, E. M, Post, 

 Staten Island A. C. 



