16.0 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[March 13, 1890. 



faclfting. 



THE RACING CATBOAT OLIVETTE. 



THE boat whose lines are here given was designed this winter 

 by Mr. F. T. Wood, of Fall River, Mass., for Messrs. Fahey, 

 and is now being built by Mr. Thos. Green at Fall River. She is 

 of the same general type as the famous Cape Cod catboats, but 

 with more deadrise than is usually given, and a narrow transom. 

 Her dimensions are as follows: 



Length over all 22ft. 



L.W.L 21ft. 7^in. 



-Bttvm, extreme 9ft. 9in. 



L.W.L 9ft. 4^in. 



Draft, without hnm-n 2ft. 5in. 



with board vet. Bin- 

 Least freeboard 1ft. 6in. 



Displacement, long tons 4. (JO 



Ballast, long tone, inside 1.25 



Mast, deck to honnds 25ft. Cin. 



from fore end of l.w.l If t. 5>^in. 



Boom 29ft. 6m. 



Gaff 18ft. 



Mainsail area, sq. ft 612.50 



Corrected length, S. C. Y. C. rule 23.19ft. 



The yacht is designed for racing under rules prohbiting shift- 

 ing ballast, and will carry 2,8001bs. inside, partly lead and partly 

 iron dross. At the same time she will have a snug cabin, with 

 about 4ft. 2in. headroom and berths for four. The mast will be 

 fitted with Haggerty's patent hoist, used on so many of the East- 

 ern catboats. 



THE COMING SEASON. 



THOUGH spring is nearly here, and with every promise of an 

 early season, the racing programme is very much in the 

 clouds, and little is definitely settled. The usual spring crop of 

 newspaper challenges for the America's Cup is now bursting into 

 bloom, the New York Herald brings out Col. North, the "Nitrate 

 King," with an "unknown"; a challeuge is threatened by some 

 papers from Thistle, the question as to whether Valkyrie's chal- 

 lenge of last year is still on is being discussed, while reports are 

 rife of a challenge from the new Jameson boat. The only ways 

 in which a challenge can come at this date are through the waiv- 

 ing by the New York Y. C. of the required ten months' notice and 

 the acceptance of some special agreement; while on their side the 

 challengers will have to recede completely from the position taken 

 by British yachtsmen generally for the last two year's. Though 

 either of these are possible, they are not likely to happen, and the 

 chances of a race ate very small. 



Looking at the yachts available for challenge, Thistle may be 

 counted out, as Mr. Bell, now her sole owner, is not likely to try 

 again with her. Lord Dunraven may still be as anxious as ever 

 to be beaten by Volunteer, but as he will be provided with all the 

 matches he can want with yachts of his size, it is hardly likely 

 that he will seek a certain defeat from a yacht so much larger 

 than Valkyrie. As to the new centerboard cutter, if Mr. Jameson 

 was really building her for a cup race this year, he would before 

 this have given some intimation of a challenge, instead of leaving 

 it so late that it is almost certain to be refused. While it is possi- 

 ble that his new craft may be seen some day on this side, her 

 length, 6ft. less than the size set for the Cup challenger, with his 

 oft-repeated assertion that he would not challenge, must be taken 

 as of more value than the indefinite rumors of her coming. 



Whether or no the America's Cup is sailed for this year, there 

 will be probably plenty of international racing, as it is just made 

 public that Messrs. Auchincloss, on behalf of Katrina, and Mr. 

 Maxwell for Shamrock, have arranged to challenge Lord Dunraven 

 for a series of private races about New York. The negotiations 

 are in the hands of Fleet Captain Stephen Peabody, of the New 

 York Y. C, and the challenge will be sent very soon. The matches 

 will be private, and the expenses will be borne by the owners and 

 not the New York Y. C. Should Valkyrie cross, it is more than 

 probable that she will challenge for the Paine cup, and that a 

 series of trial races and the final matches will be sailed between 

 the 70-footers in Eastern waters. Shamrock has already been 

 lengthened and widened to bring her up to the limit of the class, 

 and Katrina will he altered with a view to her improvement. 

 After last season Titania is in perfect condition, but as Captain 

 Haff has returned to Volunteer, she has no one to sail her, and 

 Mr. Iselin is now looking out for a skipper. The 90ft. class will 

 see no racing save in the remote possibility of a Cup challenge, 

 but Volunteer will be in commission during the latter part of the 

 season, and will of course be available for the defense of the Cup. 

 Should a larger yacht be deemed necessary at any time, Mr. Bur- 

 gess has a new 90ft. design completed, which could quickly be 

 built in steel. 



A year ago New York held the lead in the 90ft. schooner class, 

 hut she has let it slip away, and now both Sea Fox and Mayflower 

 are under the Eastern Y. C. flag, the former having just been 

 sold to Com. Alanson Tucker. This leaves New York with only 

 Grayling to oppose to the Boston fleet, Ssa Fox, Mayflower, Alert 

 and Merlin. True, Sachem is still owned in New York, but neither 

 she nor Atlantic can be considered in the racing. 



Of the smaller schooners. Marguerite is now on the sale list, but 

 Quickstep an d GSnone, the latter with Captain Watson, of Pap- 

 poose, in charge, will race as usual. The new 60ft. keel cutter, as 

 yet unnamed, will be practically alone, being too small for the 

 seventies and too large for Clara. The latter will be refitted and 

 newly canvased, but will have no worthy classmates this year. 

 te,TJie 45ft. class in the East promises to be a lively one, with sev- 

 eral new Burgess craft, both keel and board; but about New York 

 there is now nothing between 40 and 53ft. The forties will have 

 fully as exciting a season as the last; the new Burgess boats, 

 especially the Adams craft, will try hard to retrieve the work of 

 last season, while Liris will be in it with a new rig. The proposed 

 Burgess 40 will not be built; Gorilla, Tomahawk and Xara are for 

 sale, Banshee and Nymph have given up racing and, with Helen, 

 have wrapped the mantle of a cruiser about them. Minerva, it is 

 reported, will not enter the early races, but may be ready for a 

 test of t he new boats in the fall. Plenty of races are promised, 

 one of the notable ones being that set for June 5, of the Seawan- 

 haka C. Y. C., in which it is hoped to secure a very large entry. 



Since the above was written, an interview with Lord Dunraven 

 is reported by cable, in which he declines to send Valkyrie across 

 unless to race for the Cup. 



THE CLAPHAM SINGLEHANDERS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



As the boating readers of your paper are at the present time 

 giving me a tough job to properly answer all their letters, will 

 you permit me to briefly describe through your columns what 

 kind of 20ft. cabin, keel yacht can be built and rigged for $150? 

 The yacht is 20ft. in length over all. 17ft. on waterlme, 2ft. depth 

 of hull proper, 20in. draft of water, 8in. flare to sides, 5^ft. beam, 

 18in. freeboard at lowest point. Has a raking counter stern, 38in. 

 inside height in a cabin 8ft. in length, and cockpit 3ft. in length. 

 She is built throughout of the best cypress, oak, ash, etc., that 

 can be bought, all fastenings of galvanized iron and brass. Has 

 one triangular-shaped sail hoisting on a mast 23ft. in length and 

 fitted with detachable mast hoops. The halliards lead aft to the 

 cockpit, from which position sail can be easily hoisted, lowered, 

 furled and reefed. Even with inside ballast this boat can be 

 made uncapsizable, and, if unusual stability is wanted it may be 

 attained to any extent by running 200 to 4001bs. of lead in the keel. 

 Such a yacht can be rigged either as a yawl, cat-yawl, or sloop by 

 expending a few more dollars, as has been done in the case of a 

 20-footer we are now finishing for a New York gentleman, and 

 which can be examined at my place any time during the next two 

 months. 



Tthese boats are constructed in the strongest possible manner, 

 and being planked with cypress— one of the most durable woods- 

 will remain sound and water-tight for years after many of the 

 "ten-thousand-dollar forty-footers" have twisted themselves into 

 leaky baskets. The 20-ft. boat above described is, of course, a 

 cruiser, perfectly safe to sail down, to Nantucket in, but is not 

 intended for match racing. She is seaworthy, weatherly and 

 fast for a cruiser. If wanted for racing, more sail and a greater 

 amount of ballast must be added. 



In designing these boats I have aimed to produce at the lowest 

 possible cost a thoroughly seaworthy little yacht, wasting no 

 money on mere jimcrack work, and the result is a comfortable 

 cruiser of light draft and infinitely safer, as well as handier, than 

 any of the small sloops, cutters, etc., with their useless weight of 

 top hamper and bewildering network of standing and running 

 rigging. Thomas Clapham. 



Roslyn, L. I., March 1. 



ALICIA, ALME— These names have been selected for the large 

 steel steam yachts building by the Harlan & Hollingsworth Cq., 

 at Wilmington, Del., for Messrs. Flagler and Gallatin. The 

 former willbe launched next month,. 



