318 
April 20, 18M. 
17. Massaehusetts'open, Nahant-Massachusetts Bay. 
17. Cor.. Atlantic City special cup, first race, Atlantic City. 
33. Yankee Doodle — Norwood race, Hudson River. 
22. Douglaston annual, Douglaston Sound. 
22. Atlantic special, New York Bay. 
22. Royal St. Lawrence, A, 80ft., 25ft. and 21ft. classes, Montreal. 
'32-23. San Francisco cruise, San Francisco Bay, 
~23. California regatta, San Francisco Bay. 
'24. Seawanhaka Cor. annual. Oyster Bay. Sound. 
24. Pavonia annual, Communipaw, New York Bay. 
25-26. Seawanhaka Cor. annual race to New London, Sound. 
'2fl. Atlantic special. New York Bay. 
29 Yankee Doodle, "Vamoose. Rex. race, Sound. 
'29-30. San Francisco cruise, to Mare Island, San Francisco Bay. 
'29. New Roohelle annual. New Rochelle, Sound. 
JUL... 
1. Royal St. Lawrence fourth annual, Sir Donald A. Smith. 
Cud, Montreal. 
1. Cor., Atlantic City record. Atlantic City. 
1. Indian Harbor special. Greenwich, Sound. 
3. Seawanhaka Cor. race to Larchmont, Oyster Bay, Sound. 
4. Larchmont annual, Larchmont, Sound. 
4. Boston Ci>y open, Boston Harbor. 
4. Lake Michigan Y. R. A. annual, Milwaukee. 
4. Cor. Marblehead Club, Marblehead (Mass.) Bay. 
4. Northwestern International Y. R. A. race, Seattle, Puget s 
Sound. « 
4-7. San Francisco cruise, up river, San Francisco. 
5. Americau annual, Milton Point. Sound. 
6. Royal St. Lawrence Commodore's Cup, Montreal. 
6. Riverside annual, Sound. 
5. Seawanhaka Cor. snecial. Oyster Bay, Sound. |3 
9. Horseshoe Harbor special, Larchmont, Souud. 
10. Huguenot special. New Rochelle, Sound. 
11. New York Athletic Club annual. Travers' Island, Sound. 
12. Larchmont, 34 and 21ft. classes, Sound. 
. Larchmont-Atlantic combined annual cruise. 
12. Rendezvous at Larchmont. _ , . . 
13 Royal St. Lawrence cruising race to Beauharnois, Montreal. 
13. Cor., Marblehead first champion, Marblehead (Mass.) Bay. 
13. Hempstead Harbor annual, Sound. 
14. Pan Frfl.n cisco open race. San Francisco Bay. 
15. Savin Hill open, Savin Hill, Boston Harbor. 
15. Riverside annual cruise, Sound. ... 
17 Cor Atlantic City Special Cup. second race, Atlantic City, 
17! Cor., Marblehead cruising and knock-about classes, Marble- 
bead. + •« 
20. Sea Cliff annual, Sound. - 
20 Royal St. Lawrence, A. 30ft., 2.5ft. and 21ft. classes, Montreal. 
20- 21. San Francisco cruise, San Francisco Bay. 
21. Cor.. San Francisco regatta, San Francisco. 
27 Indian Harbor annual, Greenwich, Sound. 
27. Quincy, Quincy Point, Boston Harbor. 
27. Cor., Marblehead, second champion, Marblehead (Mass.) 
^27.' Royal St. Lawrence, 18ft. skiff and steam yacht class, Mon- 
^I^ San Francisco club sail, San Francisco Bay. 
2*5. San Francisco outside, sail, San Francisco Bay. 
30 Cor., Atlantic City annual, Atlantic City. 
New York Y. C. annual cruise rendezvous and race. Glen Cove. 
July 29. Rendezvous and race, Glen Cove, Sound. 
* July 30. First run, Sound. 
* July 31. Second run, Sound. 
* Aug. 1. Third run to Newport. 
* Au". 2. Goelet Cups, Newport. 
* Aug. 4. Fourth run to Vineyard Haven. 
* Aug. 5. At anchor. Vineyard Haven. 
* Aug. 6. 
* Aug. 7. 
Aug. Special races at Newport. 
AUGUST. 
Lake Michigan Y. R. A. 
2. Lincoln Park, Chicago. 
3. Coloumbia, Chicago. 
7. Racine, Racine. 
15. Green Bay, Green Bay. 
' 3. Monatiquot open. Boston Harbor. 
3 Shelter Island annual, Grcenport, Shelter Island, Sounu. 
3. Larchmont. 34ft. and 21ft. classes, Sound. 
3-4. San Francisco chowder cruise to Pinnacle Rock, San Fran- 
cisco. - , 
13. American open. Newburyport. 
14-15-16. Cor., Marblehead mid-summer series, Marblehead 
Mass.) Bay. 
15. Cor., Atlantic City Special Cup, third race. 
10. American special, Milton Point, Sound. 
10. Winthroo open. Great Head, Boston Harbor. 
10-11. San Francisco cruise to California Y. C, San Francisco 
8av. 
15. Sea Cliff special, Sound. 
17. Huguenot annual. New Rochelle, Sound. 
17. San Francisco cruise to Mare Island, San Francisco Bay. 
17. Roton Point Imp. Co. annual, Roton Point, Sound. 
17. Cor. open, Marblehead (Mass.) Bay. 
17-18. San Francisco cruise to Mare Island, San Francisco Bay. 
17. Royal St. Lawrence Hamilton trophy, 18ft. and 21ft. classes, 
Montreal. 
19. Manchester open. Manchester, Mass. 
24. Norwalk, Norwalk, Sound. 
24. Squantum open, 6quantu.ro. Mass. 
24. Horseshoe Harbor annual, Larchmont, Sound. 
24. Cor., Marblehead third champion, Marblehead (Mass.) Bay. 
25. San Francisco open regatta. San Francisco Bay. 
W. Cor., Atlantic City Special Cup, fourth race. Atlantic City, 
30. American special, Milton Point, Sound. 
31. San Francisco cruise to Beiveia, San Francisco Bay. 
31. Larchmont, 34ft. and 21ft. classes, Sound. 
31. Huntington annual, Huntington. Sound. 
. America's Cup trial races, New York Bay. 
SEPTEMBER. 
. Seawanhaka Cor.. 15ft. class. Oyster Bay. 
2. New York Y. R. A. annual. New York Bay. 
2. Larchmont, fall regatta, Sound. 
' 2. Cor., Marblehead Club, Marblehead (Mass.) Bay. 
"2! Lynn open, Nahant (Mass.) Bay. 
'5. Larchmont. 34ft. and 21ft. classes, Sound. 
San Francisco cruise to Mare Island, San Francisc" Bay. 
'7". New York America's Cun, first race. New York Bay. 
— '. New York America's Cup, second race. New York Bay. 
— New York America's Cup, third race, New York Bay. 
' 7! Revere open. Marblehead (Mass.) Bay. 
: 7 Larchmont cabin cat classes. Sound. 
"S Sa.n Francisco squadron sail, San Francisco Bay. 
E 9.' Sau Francisco sail to Sauselito, San Francisco Bay. 
12! Sea Cliff special. Sound. 
13 Cor.. Atlantic City record, Atlantic City. 
14' Larchmont, 34ft. and 21ft. classes. Sound. 
15 Cor.. San Francisco regatta, San Francisco Bay. 
21 Huguenot cruiser's race. New Rochelle, Sound. 
21- 23 San Francisco informal sail, San Francisco Bay. 
27 Cor., Atlantic Citv Special Cup. fifth race. Atlantic City. 
28-29. San Francisco cruise to Petal umna Bridge, San Francisco 
Bay. 
OCTOBER. 
6. San Francisco closing sail, San Francisco Bay. 
6. California regatta, San Francisco Bay. 
12. Tor.. Atlantic City record, Atlantic City. 
12. Huguenot cruiser race, New Rochelle, Sound. 
The mountain, of 325,000 suggestions, has brought forth a very 
small mouse in the name of the new Herreshoff Cup defender, 
announced on April 16 in the New York Herald, which conducted 
the competition. The name chosen by the members of the syndi- 
cate, Messrs. Vanderbilt, Iselin and Morgan, is— Defender. The 
new boat is a defender, and has been so termed, in default of a 
better name from the first, but there is nothing distinctive or 
even attractive in a generic term such as this, which has been, 
freely applied for years to Puritan, Mayflower. Volunteer and 
Vigilant. The popular enthusiasm awakened by those names is 
likely to be lacking in the present case. 
Madeline— Countess of Dufferin 
Mischief— Atalanta 
Puritan— Genesta 
Mayflower— Galatea 
Volunteer— Thistle 
Vigil ant— Valkyrie 
Defender— Valkyrie III. 
[ In nonelof the previous raceslhavelthe names Of either defender 
or challenger been so commonplace, and so poorly calculated to 
add to the interest of both sides in the races. 
There is a ray of hope in the report which comes as we go to 
press, that the Defender is, after all, to be a centei board boat and 
thus "of the national type.'' The detailed statements of her keel 
construction are in no way contradicted, but now that the casting 
for her stem has been seen. it is said that she will have a small 
auxiliary centerboard forward, to be iised if required, as in Pil- 
grim and Jubilee. This will, of course, make her a centerboard 
boat, and thus ease the minds of the old centerboard school to a 
certain extent. 
From all reports, the stem and stern of the new boat, both brass 
castings, are ready, and the frames nearly up, and^as the plating 
and rivets are at the shops, work can be pushed more rapidly 
from this time on. It is unlikely, however, that the yacht will be 
afloat before June. In the meanwhile, her crew, under Capt. Raff 
and Mate Berry, will be at work on board Oolonia. which yacht is 
now fitting out at South Brooklyn. The story published generally 
a few weeks ago of new spars making at Piepgrass' yard, had no 
better foundation than the fact that Vigilant's spare spars, stored 
for two years in the big ship-house, were mistaken by a yachts- 
man for new. Within a week, however, there have been towed to 
the yard two large sticks purchased by Mr. Morgan several years 
since when he talked of putting a cutter rig on Constellation. 
These sticks have lain in the mud at Erie Basin ever since, but 
will now be worked up by Piepgrass into mast and boom for the 
new boat. Mr. N. G. Herreshoff Is now at work again, and under 
the stimulus of his presence the boat will take shape rapidly. 
From the remarks, more pointed than polite, of the Boston Her- 
ald, it is plain that our comments on its method of printing wild 
guesses as authenticated facts have hit very near the mark. The 
Herald makes no attempts to explain whyitvoucbed for 22ft. 
beam and 23ft. draft one day and for 27ft. beam and 19ft. draft a 
day later, afterward repudiating (be latter beam dimension; but 
in its accustomed manner it loses its temper and indulges in wild 
shouts of "Anglo-maniac." This, Of course, it intends as convinc- 
ing evidence that the Herald is right and the Forest and Stream 
wrong. 
Dacotah's races iP the Mediterranean have netted her §3,250 in 
cash, besides "objets d'art," and other valuable prizes. She is 
now on her way to Glasgow by steamer, her skipper and crew 
having returned home before her. 
On April 11, Vigilant under yawl rig, sailed from Southampton 
for New York, with a favoring breeze. Upon her arrival, the new 
centerboard will be shipped, and the yacht at once fitted out for 
racing. 
The art of not racing steam yachts is apparently quite as well 
understood abroad as in this country; the o*fer of valuable prizes 
in fhe Mediterranean has resulted in several postponements, and 
finally a so-called race in which Mr. McColmont's Giralda was the 
sole competitor. This craft covered the 26 1-2 miles at a speed of 
22 3-5 knots, something unapproached in this country in a large 
steam yacht. 
The bill now before the New York Legislature would, if enact- 
ed, prevent the use uf the naphtha launch as a yacht tender, and 
interfere seriously with the convenience of yacht owners to no 
good purpose. The New Y"ork Times very properly condemns the 
bill, as follows: "A somewhat absurd measure about naphtha 
launches pends in the Legislature. It requires anybody \yho oper- 
ates a naphtha launch or an electric launch to lake out a license 
as an engineer. 
"Now, everybody knows that the main uses of the launch are to 
serve as a tender to a yacht, or as an adjunct to a country place. 
The man who runs the launch is commonly a humble sailorman, 
at §15 a month, who Could not pass an engineer's examination, or 
any other, except perhaps in composing a Mathew Walker. Some- 
times he is a gardener, or a man of all work, who could not pass 
an examination in anything. 
"If any ownor of launches proposed to carry passengers for 
hire, it might plausibly be required of him to take out licenses for 
the men who run his launches. But when he intrusts to the 
launches only the lives of his family and his guests, the exaction 
is absurd. 
"What could possibly have put it into the head of Assembly- 
man Gleason to introduce this ridiculous measure? There is no 
money in it. There is no popularity in it. There' is nothing in it.'" 
Isolde. 
The trial trip of the new20-rater Isolde was made on April 8, 
with Mr. N. G. Herreshoff at the stick. The performance of the 
yacht was very satisfactory, but in coming to her moorings she 
touched the bottom. On April 11 she was out again, this time car- 
rying topsail in a fresh N. W. breeze. She will soon be shipped by 
steamer from New York. 
The Yacht Racing Union. 
The movement for a uniform arrangement of racing dates, 
among the Sound clubs, inaugurated some time since, has not 
only been successful in itself, but has gone much further than its 
projectors dared to hope, in the organization on a permanent and 
systematic basis of the Yacht Racing Union of Long Island 
Sound. At the preliminary meetings, though the main topic of 
discussion was that of non-conflicting fixtures, it was evident that 
the Sound vaehtsmen were in favor of a general union of the 
clubs; and a special committee. Messrs. F. B. Jones and C. W. 
Wetmore, was appointed to report on a scheme of organization at 
a meeting on April 15. The Seawhanhaka Cor. Y. C. offered its 
town house as a place of meeting, and on Monday night some 
twenty-five yachtsmen were present, representing the following 
clubs: Douglaston by F. E. Barnes; Knickerbocker. O. H. Chol- 
borg Horseshoe Harbor, E. P. Cronkhite; Indian Harbor, F. B. 
Jones; Seawanhaka Corinthian, O. E. Cromwell; Huo-uenot, E. B. 
Hart. Jr.; Waterside. H. A. Irvene; Hempstead Harbor, War''. 
Dixon: Sea Cliff, L. L. Clark; Larchmont. J. F. Lovojoy; Hunt- 
ington. J. W. Shepard; Riverside, W. J. Selleck; Yale Corinthian, 
G. D. Babcock; Pequot Casino Association, L. V. Clark; New 
Rochelle. J. W. Rough; Harlem, F. W. Oregan and the Cor- 
inthian Fleet. E. T. Birdsall. Mr. Crowell presided, Mr. Jones, 
who has been the moving spirit in the enterprise, acting as secre- 
tary. 
The report of tho committee was road by Mr. Wetmore, and 
each section was very fully discussed. Some amendments were 
made, hut the proposals of the committee were not altered ma- 
terially, the rules being finally adopted in the following form: 
The name of this organization shall be the Yacht Racing Union 
of Long Island Sound. 
The object of the Union shall be to encourage and promote yacht 
racing on Long Island Sound. 
Any recognized yacht club, in good standing, having a station on 
Long Island Sound or the waters tributary thereto, between Hell 
f^ate and Race Rock, shaU re eligible to representation in the 
Union. 
Each club admitted to the Union shall appoint from its mem- 
bers representatives to the Union, the number of such representa- 
tives to be proportionate to the. number of each club's members, 
and to he determined as follows; One representative for each 100 
or fraction of 100 members; provided, however, that no club shall 
be entitled to more than five representatives. Representatives 
shall be chosen, as far as may be practicable, from the Race or 
Regatta committees of the club. 
The powers of the Union shall be advisory merely, and no club 
shall be bound by the action of the Union until it has ratified such 
action. 
The affairs of the Union shall be managed by a council of seven 
of the representatives, who shall be elected annually by the Uuion 
as its general meeting. Not more than one representative from 
the same club shall be eligible to election to the council. Vacan- 
cies occurring between the general meetings shall be filled by the 
council. It shall be the duty of the council to elect clubs to the 
Union; to anpoint special officers and committees; to frame racing 
rules for adoption by the Union and to arrange dates for racing 
events; to determine and settle all questions and disputes relating 
to yacht racing which may be referred to them for decision, and, 
further, to take such steps as they consider necessary and expedi- 
ent to carry into effect the objects of the Union. The council 
shall elect a chairman and a secretary. 
There shall be a general meeting of the Union in New York in 
December of each year, on such days as the council may appoint. 
The council may call special meetings of the Union whenever they 
consider it necessary, and shall do so upon the requisition in 
writing of seven representatives. Representatives from seven 
clubs shall constitute a quorum at any meeting. The council 
shall meet at such times and places as they may consider expedi- 
ent and appoint. Four representatives shall constitute a tjuorutn 
at any meeting of the council. 
The expenses of the Union shall be apportioned pro rata among 
the clubs composing the membership according to the number 1 f 
their representatives therein. 
Voting by proxy shall be allowed. 
Amendments to these rules may be adopted at any meeting of 
the Union by a two-thirds vote of those present, provided notice 
of the amendment has been given in the call for the meeting. 
A motion was carried, empowering the chairman to appoint a 
temporary council of seven, including himself, until an election 
was held. 
The following resolution was offered by Mr. Jones, and carried 
after d iscussion. 
Resolved, That it is considered desirable that all yacht clubs on 
Long Island Sound adopt a uniform set of racing rules; but 
. Whereas. It is considered impracticable for this season to have 
the clubs change their rules, so that they shall conform exactly in 
all details, it is recommended that for the present the different 
clubs amend their rules only in so far as to make them agree upon 
the following points: 
That all yacht« be classified according to their racing length. 
That the system of measurement be of length and sail area as 
per the formula, load water line plus the square of the sail area 
divided by two, equals the racing length. 
That open yachts sailing with fixed and with shifting ballast be 
classed separately. 
That crews shall be limited. 
That a uniform time allowance table be used. 
That a uniform system of race signals be used. 
. The committee also presented a paper in which the organization 
of the Union and the adoption of the rules was set forth; this 
paper being signed by such delegates as were fully empowered to 
act for their clubs. In the case of other clubs, the action of the 
meeting wiU be laid before them for their indorsement. The full 
schedule of racing dates will be published about May 1. Resolu- 
tions of thanks to the committee for its work, and to the Seawan- 
naka Cor. Y. C. for the offer of its house were adopted. 
After the business was concluded, Mr. Cromwell invited the 
delegates to the dining-room, where a supper was served. 
Early Centerboards. 
Edi or Fuiesl and Stream: 
If any good Americans are in distress over the prospective aban- 
donment by their countrymen of the centerboard in yachts, it 
may relieve them to know that the centerboard is, in all proba- 
bility, the invention of a Scotchman, at least the earliest adapta- 
tion of the invention in this State, of which I have ever read, took 
place in this qua-ter of the State about ninety-live years ago on 
Seneca Lake, and the man who built the boat was Captain Wil- 
liamson, who at the time was agent for the European owners of 
the celebrated Putteney estate, including the site of this city 
Reference to the centerboard is found in a book of travels, print 
ed in London bv an Englishman, John Maude, who in detailing 
incidents of a trip through this region in 1800, mentions some- 
thing known as a "jumping keel," which Captain Williamson was 
then putting in a boat. The book is npt at hand, but. my recollec- 
tion of the passage satisfies me that the centerboard exactly as 
it is to-day, was nut i 1 use by Captain Williamson in 1800. 
Whether ho invented the contrivance or merely adapted the idea 
of some one else was not stated by Maude. 
If Captain Williamson was the "original and first inventor" of 
the device, while there may be some satisfaction in knowing that 
it was produced on our soil, our patriotic ardor may be cooled by 
the other fact that he was of foreign birth, and started for this 
country as a captain in the service of George HI., to assist in put- 
ting down certain trouble in his majesty's colonies. An American 
snip captured Williamson's on the sea, and he was held as a priso- 
ner in Boston during the War of Independence. But he became a 
naturalized citizen of the United States, aud appears to have been 
a high-minded and able man. 
I do not know that the bulb-fin is claimed as an American in- 
vention, but if it is the. claim will have to go back over fifty years, 
for I have assurance from a perfectly trustworthy authority that 
a boat having that device attached was built on the Slaney River. 
Ireland, and sailed in St. George's Channel, off the Wexford 
Coast, prior to 1845. The builder, whose name was Lewis* was 
owner of a cotton mill, at Clairmon, on the Slaney. 
EDWARD REDMOND. 
ROCHESTER, N. Y., April 6, 1895. 
. [The centerboard, in one form or another, was known prior to 
this date, 1800.] 
The Centerboard in Cup Defense. 
The auick passages of Vigilant and Lasoa last yea)-, and the 
slower one of Valkyrie, were duly exploited at the time as con- 
vincing evidence of the superior speed of centerboard craft, re- 
gardless of the details of model and centerboard; the two center- 
board yachts made quick passages, the keel yacht a slow one; 
ergo, the centerboard gives speed. The radical differences be- 
tween the deep-bodied Lasca with a wooden board and no keel, 
and the semi-fin Vigilant, with excessive depth of keel and loaded 
board were conveniently overlooked. The return voyage of Vigil- 
ant, begun this week, is likely to give more convincing proof of 
the demerits of the keel type, as this yacht is now a keel boat 
without a centerboard and with the slot blocked up temporarily. 
Should she, as is more thffn likely, encounter bad weather and 
westerly winds in place of the favoring conditions which attended 
her last spring, she may take nearer thirty days than twenty to 
cross, which would furnish a clinching argument against the 
speed of keel boats. We are not awarehow much the centerboard 
was used in the passage from New York to Glasgow probably lit- 
tle or none, but in the minds of many the argument is just as con- 
vincing: with her centerboard snugly housed in the trunk, she is 
indubitably a centerboard boat. in spite of six feet of keel; with 
the same board at the bottom of the Solent, and the slot blocked 
up. she becomes, of course, a keel boat. 
The question which we recently touched on is very ably han- 
dled by the Boston Globa, as follows: 
Since yachtsmen and others intorosted in the defense of the 
America's Cup have become satisfied that the new Herreshoff Cup 
defender is a keel boat, and that in all probability she will be the 
one selected by the Cup Committee, there have been many ex- 
pressions of regret that the Cup defense was to be left this year to 
a keel boat, aud that the centerboard, the "national type," which 
had proved so successful in previous contests, had been aban- 
doned. Predictions of dire failure have also been made because 
of this change of type, and to many of the most ardent center- 
board adherents, the Cup seems already in the hands of the Roval 
Ya"ht Squadron. A little caTeful oonsiderati n n of the question 
will show, however, that the charge of abandoning for the first 
time the ' ' national tvpe" does not hold good, and at the same time 
will give promise not only of the fastest America's Cup defender 
yet turned out, but also of successful Cup defense. 
The original American centerboard was a beamy, shallow-hulled 
boat, with all her ballast carried inside. She was largely depend- 
ent upon her beam for her stability and power, and was undoubt- 
edly fast in many conditions of wind and weather. The first 
prominent departure from the type was Puritan, a boat which at 
22ft. beam retained much of the breadth of the type, but which, 
with a draft of 8ft., and with 27 of the 48 tons of lead ballast car- 
ried on the keel, was a decided admission of the value of outside 
lead as taught by Madge and other British racing oraf t. She waa 
