4 98 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
(Dec. 8, 1894. 
SAIL PLAN OF SCHOONER PILOT. 
faceting. 
The account given by Capt. Diaper of the famous luffing match 
between Vigilant and Britannia accords exactly with the story we 
recently heard from a gentleman who was on board of the former. 
At the same time it completely refutes the silly and exaggerated 
stories cabled to this country at the time, of foul play on the part of 
Britannia in trying to force the American yacht ashore. What really 
happened was one of the boldest and most reckless luffing matches 
on record, Vigilant after several failures to pass to leeward, deliber- 
ately luffing in close under a rocky shore in order to get by her 
adversary; andthe latter, with even a greater draft of water, just as 
boldy following. 
The conclusion of the interview, containing the charge that Mr. 
Gould had not yet discharged all of his obligations to Capt. Diaper, 
might well have been omitted in default of some corroborative evidence. 
It has since been denied by Mr. Gould and is most probably untrue. 
Precisely the same story was floating about the waterside a year ago 
concerning Lord Dunraven and his American pilot; but we did not 
consider it worthy of publication at the time, and would not give pub- 
licity to it now if we thought that any of our readers would believe it. 
If Capt. Diaper really made such a statement, it must be classed with 
the many groundless yarns that float about among sailormen and in 
nearly all cases are unworthy of publication or serious notice. 
The Chances of a Challenge. 
The Field of Dec. 1 comments as follows on the reply of the com- 
mittee to Lord Dunraven: 
"The conditions which the New York committee have conceded to 
Lord Dunraven are moat fair and satisfactory, and quite in accord- 
ance with the traditional elements necessary to make a fair fight. 
Whether the sailing length suggestion would have been of aDy advan- 
tage to the challenger, if adopted, is a very moot point. 
"At any rate, it would be likely to leave the result of the contest 
very much to the chances of the weather, unless each side happened 
to choose the same length of waterline for a given rating. The com- 
mittee's decision to allow the substitution of another yacht at the 
last moment is a most important concession. It is only in accordance 
with fairness and common sense that the challenger and the challenged 
should be governed by the same condition in this respect. 
"The committee is rather on the fence on the question of holding the 
Cup under the deed, but we do not see that it matters much now what 
the new deed is like. The club has now interpreted the mutual arrange- 
ment clause in such a broad, liberal and sportsmanlike manner 
that the challenger will always be safely protected in the future as 
far as fair terms are concerned. Precedents are as good as written 
clauses. 
"It can be taken for granted that nothing reliable will be made pub- 
lic about the form of the new challenger until the last moment. All 
the statements and rumors which have been current about dimensions 
and shape are as much nonsense as the rumor that Lord Dunraven 
and Mr. Watson disagreed whether they should have a fixed keel or 
centerplate. Lord Dunraven has been kept acquainted with the pro- 
gress of the design, and he settled the dimensions on the receipt of the 
committee's letter. 
"Lord Dunraven is staying at Adare, where he expects Mr. Watson 
to-morrow, with the drawings of the model. If the same be approved, 
he will order the building to be placed forthwith, and the challenge to 
be forwarded through the Boyal Yacht Squadron." 
The Field is in error as to the position of the committee. It is by 
no means "on the fence," but has come down to the only basis on 
which racing for the America's Cup can continue, that of an exact 
and definite understanding of the terms under which the trophy is 
now held by the New York Y. C. The phrase used by the Field very 
aptly applies to the evasion and compromise of 1893, based on the 
absurd interpretation of the mutual agreement clause, but the new 
committee has started in the right direction by sweeping away all the 
specious arguments which led to the Valkyrie- Vigilant races. 
The easy-going way in which the Field accepts the new deed accords 
poorly wich its fierce denunciations of a few years back. To any one 
who reads the new deed carefully, especially in the light of the prece- 
dent so persistently built up by the New York Y. C, that nothing save 
a challenge in due form can be recognized by the club as a basis for a 
mutual agreement, it will be plain that the "broad, liberal and sports- 
manlike" interpretation of the mutual agreement clause will not 
hold for a moment. The action of the New York Y. C. in accepting a 
challenge from Lord Dunraven in 1892 without the four dimensions 
was so irregular and contrary to the new deed as to furnish good 
grounds to any member of the club for objecting to the transfer of 
the Cup if won. The precedent then made was not only directly in the 
face of the plain wording of the new deed, but was opposed to long 
years of precedent, as repeatedly recorded in the minutes of the club. 
The present attitude of the Field is identical with that of Lord Dun- 
raven in 1892, so long as concessions are made on minor points, all 
question of principle will be waived. 
From the latest reports from London, it is evident that there are 
still some British yachtsmen who are not so complaisant, and who 
have not yet forgotten the matter of the new deed and the manner of 
its adoption. Surprise is expressed that the New York Y. C. should 
have revived what was evidently a dead issue, but we have repeatedly 
pointed out that the complicated negotiations of 1892 were on a basis 
of mutual misunderstanding which absolutely precluded any final 
settlement of the international dispute over the new deed. 
To us the reiteration of the cry of conditions of the Thistle- 
Volunteer and Valkyrie- Vigilant races is becoming very wearisome. 
Will British yachtsmen never understand that so far as the holding 
and challenging for the America's Cup are concerned, these con- 
ditions mean absolutely nothing; and further, that if Valkyrie had 
defeated Vigilant five times in succession, the America's Cup would 
not have been delivered to the Royal Yacht Squadron until that club 
had executed a legal paper distinctly binding it to hold the cup under 
the new deed of gift? 
On Monday night a special meeting of the New York Y. C. was held 
to receive the report of the cup committee. Vice-Corn. Brown pre- 
sided, and the meeting was well attended, no less than twenty-five 
voting members being present. Sec'y Canfield read the report, em- 
bodying the letter to Lord Dunraven, already published. The report 
was adopted and a resolution was passed authorizing the same com- 
mittee to continue in charge of further negotiations, and of the races, 
should a challenge be received. 
On Tuesday a report was current that a challenge had been mailed 
from the Royal Yacht Squadron, but it lacked confirmation, and is 
probably without foundation. 
We understand, on apparently reliable authority, that the Herres- 
hoffs are all ready prepared to build, and that the new yacht will be a 
keel craft, of less extreme forward proportions than Vigilant, but 
with very hollow section and practically fin keel. 
Pilot— A Small Racing Schooner. 
The yacht herewith illustrated was designed by Mr. Richard P. Joy, 
of Detroit, Mich., one of whose designs, the "double cat" Squinx, we 
have already had the pleasure of publishing (Nov. 4, 1893). While 
the general preference in so small a craft is for a single-stick rig, the 
schooner is in common use about the Massachusetts coast, and has 
not a few adherents. The light draft of the design is a decided ad- 
vantage in many localities; and at the same time i he yacht is evi- 
dently well suited for open and exposed waters. The dimensions of 
the Pilot are: 
Length over all 40ft. 
l.w.l 28ft. 
Overhang, aft 7ft. 
forward 5ft. 
Draft 3ft. 8in. 
Least freeboard . 2ft. 
Sheer, forward 2ft. 
aft 8in. 
Displacement, fresh water 6}^ tons. 
Lead keel 2J4 tons. 
Lateral plane, without board 81.65 sq. ft. 
with board 97 sq. ft. 
Lower canvas 839 sq. ft. 
The Pilot was designed for a cruiser and has comfortable accommo- 
dations for six people. She has proved herself a most seaworthy boat 
and a fast sailer in several cruises on the Lakes during the past sum- 
mer. The hull is divided into five watertight compartments by four 
bulkheads, which greatly reduces the danger of sinking in case a hole 
is stove in the boat. Her hull is of solid construction, the keel, stem 
and sternpost being of oak. The frames also are of oak, steam- 
bent. The planking is double, of p'ne, inside J4 m -> laid diagonally, 
outside %m. 
This type of boat is usually slow in stays, as evidenced by the be- 
havior of Vigilant. To overcome this fault the deadwood has been 
cut away aft in Pilot and she is remarkably quick in coming about. 
The center of effort is so figured that she is perfectly balanced with- 
out the foresail or with the foresail alone, which is a great convenience 
in case of a sudden squall, as she can immediately be brought under 
shortened canvas without reefing. 
The yacht was built by the Detroit Boat Works, being launched on 
July 21 of this year, just two months from the time her keel was laid. 
The work of construction was very thoroughly done, and the yacht 
has proved satisfactory in every way. 
The navigation class of the Seawanhaka C. Y. C. will meet on Dec. 
18 at the club house for a course of twelve or fifteen lectures, one a 
week, under Capt. Howard Patterson. 
Marietta, steam yacht, H. B. Moore, has been sold to W. J. Arkell of 
New York. 
