816 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
fOor. 17, 1898. 
got np our sails preparatory to talsing advantage of any wind 
that might stray our way. 
The Sound Jay as smooth as glass under the sun's scorch- 
ing rays until nearly eight hells. With a faint west wind 
we then slipped out of the harbor against the flood tide under 
mainsail, jib, topsail and jibtopsail. After passmg Bridge- 
port Light we received the benefit of the tide, which now 
favored us, and made excellent progress in the direction of 
Penfleld Reef Light, passing it at one bell M, 
By the time Penfield Reef was two miles astern the wind 
died entirely out again, and we were left to fry in the dol- 
drums, A heavy haze now settled on the water and before 
long objects became indistinguishable outside a radius of 
two and a half miles or so. The sun's rays, however, man- 
aged to penetrate this haze and it was so oppressively hot as 
to impart to us a sense of suffocation. The only object to 
meet our gaze was Penfield Reef Lighthouse, which, on ac- 
count of the wavering heat that filled the air, seemed to rise 
out of a bed of molten copper. To make matters doubly in- 
teresting, we were regaled uow and then by the heavy 
grumble of thunder in the southwest. Much to our gratifi- 
cation our expected thunderstorm did not materialize. At 
five bells we were once more bowling merrily on our way 
under full sail and over a surface that was wrinkled by a 
flattering, southerly breeze. The tide had been running ebb 
for over an hour before the breeze came, consequently we 
had been carried fully two miles astern. With a fair wind 
it took but a short time to regain our lost ground, however. 
Under the wind's persuasive influence the haze soon de- 
parted and the atmosphere became perfectly clear. There 
was just sufficient wind to put our lee rail within 2 or 3in. 
of the water's surface under started sheet. Under these fa- 
vorable conditions we enjoyed those ecstatic sensations of 
freedom to be experienced only aboard of a boat when on its 
most perfect sailing point, reaching. With graceful leaning 
courtesyings, Roamer slid easily over the undulating swells. 
Meeting the approaching seas, her knife-like stem parted 
their olive crests in soft furrows of creamy foam. Off Pine 
Creek Point we passed a number of menhaden seijaes, they 
were being hauled by the crews of three or four menhaden 
steamers that lay rising and falling on the waves near by. 
We proceeded in the above manner until six bells, when 
the wind left us once more, and we lay idly rolling on the 
waves to the south of the red buoy which marks the Cows 
Rocks, off Shippan Point. 
I^Like a lusterless copper ball, the sun sank in a sky of dull, 
hazy yellow. At eight bells the lighthouses were once more 
sending forth their warning gleams. Night was spreading 
her sable blanket over the waters; still we lay idly rolling 
in the same place and there was no prospect of us reachin<f 
a harbor. This being the first time we had ever cruised to 
the westward on the Sound, we were therefore entirely 
ignorant of the harbors and were naturally anxious regard- 
ing our situation. ° 
By two bells we became disagreeably aware of the fact 
that we might have our hands full of business before long. 
At that hour a heavy thunderstorm had begun to concenl 
trate its forces in that most fickle quarter, the southwest. 
Dull flashes of lightning, followed by surly, muttering thun- 
der, trembled at regular intervals athwart the inky sky in 
that direction. A mile and a half to the north the steady, 
red glare of Stamford Light peered through the darkness! 
From, its elevated perch in the southeast Eaton's Neck Light 
sent white w arning shafts over the somber waves. Norwalk 
Island Light too flashed alternating danger gleams of red 
and white out of the ebony-hued eastnortheast. 
Higher and higher climbed the black-robed legions of the 
storm in the starless sky; fiercer and fiercer the lightning 
sent its dazzling bolts ; deeper and deeper boomed the thun- 
der's mighty voice; the timbers of the little Roamer trembled, 
and we — well, we would rather have been at home in bed 
about that time; at least I would. 
We had taken in the topsail and jibtopsail and were anx- 
iously awaiting, under close-reefed mainsail and jib, the con- 
test that seemed inevitable. Being unacquainted with the 
neighborhood, we were undecided as to the best course to 
pm-sue, but finally decided to run before the storm for the 
Norwalk Islands. We had hardly gotten Reamer's bowsprit 
pointed in that direction before, with a bhnding flash and 
deafening roar, the storm was upon us. 
I have often wished for a picture of that scene. Except- 
ing Roamer and the ghostly gleam of the rain-lashed sea, 
revealed at regular intervals by the lightning's flash, every- 
thing was completely hidden from view. Tom and I were 
in the cockpit handling the boat. The companion shde, open 
an inch or two, revealed the dimly lighted interior of the 
cabin and George, with chart and compass before him, coolly 
directing us how to steer. Although Roamer yawed at a 
frightful rate, still, considering her small size, she made ex- 
cellent weather of it and rose and fell on the heavy seas as 
buoyant as a rubber ball. 
Although it remained very dark and cloudy, and the wind 
and sea continued heavy, we were greatly relieved when the 
rain ceased to behold the welcome gleams of the lighthouses 
once more. We were also pleased to find that George from 
the cabin had directed us correctly in our steering. 
After passing a lot of breakers on the port hand which we 
could plainly hear, but not see, it was not long before we ob- 
served a dark object rising and falling on the waves off our 
starboard bow. By the sound of breakers roaring for a long 
distance to the east, we judged this object to be the buoy that 
marks the west end of Green's Ledge. Giving the breakers 
a wide berth, we ran well to the north of ShefBeld Island, 
then trimming sheet we kept the lead line going and slowly 
felt our 'way close in back of the lighthouse; here we 
anchored in two fathoms of comparatively smooth water. 
Once more had the little Roamer demonstrated her ability to 
easily cope with Neptune's briny forces. It was nearly five 
bells when, after furling our sails, we hung out the riding 
light and went below. We tackled a late but substantial 
supper that night with that hungry aggressiveness imparted 
by hard work in the open air. While it was not raining 
when we turned in at eight bells, still the sky had a dirty, 
threatening appearance. 
Morning broke with every indication of settled rain. Gray 
clouds scudding out of the southwest completely covered the 
sky and banked themselves in heavy masses in the gloomy 
northeast. When we had disposed of breakfast we hauled 
our anchor aboard, and at six bells we were once more 
thrashing our way to windward under mainsail and jib, and 
against a heavy, lead-colored sea which rolled out of the 
southwest. 
We had gone but a short distance when a disagreeable 
drizzle set in, compelling ua to don oilers and rubber coats. 
We were fully two hours bucking the heavy sea before we 
arrived at the place from which we had been compelled to 
run the night before. 
ETHELWYNN, SHOWING "WILSON" JIB. 
From Photo by J. S. Johnston, New Yorfr. Copyright, 1895. 
It was three bells in the afternoon when we rounded Green- 
wich Point, and we anchored in Indian Harbor at four bells. 
Here we met friends, and our run to the westward ended. 
While it took three days for Roamer to cover fifty miles, 
that is no proof that she was slow, as she covered the same 
course in eight hours afterward. The able manner in which 
she behaved under adverse circumstances, however, demon- 
strated that, were all small cruisers constructed on such safe, 
sensible lines as hers were, there would be few sailing fatali- 
ties to chronicle each year. The greenest, least experienced 
novice couldn't possibly capsize such a boat. 
William H. Avis. 
ETHELWYNN. 
^Concluded from page S95, Oct. 100 
In working under a length classification the designer has 
an easy task, as the sole limitation is that the yacht shall not 
exceed in waterline length the limit of the proposed class, and 
even if she does many clubs have in the past been weak and 
complacent enough to remit the just penalty bypassing each * 
year an exemption clause. The waterline disposed of in this 
easy way, the designer is free to put on or cut off sail as be 
pleases, until he has a sail plan that is not only suitable for 
the stability of the yacht, but that balances as perfectly as is 
possible. Under the racing length classification and the 
rules as now ligidly enforced by the leading clubs, the prob- 
lem is far more difficult; not only must the sail plan be fitted 
to the power of the hull, but it must be of a certain definite 
area, as there is no allowance to be had in the event of meas- 
uring under the class, and the yacht is certain to be disqual- 
ified if she measures over. In addition to this, and no less 
important, is the balance of sail — one of the first essentials to 
good windward work. 
The proposed figures for Ethelwynn, as §,lready stated, 
were: l.w.l. 14ft. 6in., sail area 340sq. ft., making 15ft. 
racing length. Though sailed in some of the races with no 
ballast, as it was intended that she should be, the- yacht was 
never measured with less than lOOlbs. of ballast aboard, 
with this weight going just over 15ft, l.w.1. Had there been 
any object in so doing, she could have been brought to about 
14ft. 6in., but there was little to be gained by this, as she 
had not sail enough to make it necessary. The sail plan as 
first drawn bad the same mainsail as shown in the present 
plan, of 189sq. ft. and a jib of 50sq. ft., that nearly filled 
the whole fore triangle, the luff nearly parallel to the mast 
and the clew very low, with a light club on the foot, the 
single jib sheet working on a traveler across the deck. With 
a new and unstretched mainsail the yacht balanced very 
badly, having too much lee helm, although the C.B, was 
placed well aft of the C.L.R. The mainsail at the same time 
set poorly and was recut, making it still smaller, and lo 
balance it the original jib was discarded for a smaller one 
without the club. A new mainsail was made which also 
proved short on the hoist, but being a good sail, it was car- 
ried in the trial and cup races. The final result in the way 
of head sail was a very small Jib cut after the peculiar fash- 
ion devised by Mr. Gilbert Wilson. The boat was very 
sensitive, and while she worked adnlirably to windward 
tmder this odd little sail, she performed indifferently with 
one to all appearances as good in cut, but half a dozen feet 
larger. 
'The dotted lines show the sails as ofiicially measured by 
Mr. Hyslop, by pegging them down on a lawn, the day pre- 
ceding the first cup race. The area of mainsail is but 
168. 6sq. ft,, and that of the jib 29.5sq, ft., or 198sq. ft. in 
all. With the longest nieasurement of the waterline, with 
ISOlbs. of ballast, the allowance of sail would be 318sq. ft., 
or 30ft. in excess of that actually carried. While this deficit 
of over 10 per cent, was a serious handicap in the light 
winds that prevailed, there was no help for it under the 
circumstances. The larger jib shown in the plan, of 
35sq. ft. area, was drawn later as of the proper size to bal- 
ance such a mainsail as would fill the spars and at the 
same time to give the amount of sail which the waterline 
allowed. 
In planning the spars there was little to go on as to the 
diameters for hollow sticks; the matter was discussed with 
the spar maker, Mr. Young, and Mr. C. J. Stevens, and the 
result was a 4iin. mast. Mr. Praser, of the Spalding-8t. 
Lawrence Co., advocated strongly a much smaller spar, but 
was overruled, as it was decided to be on the safe side as far 
as the stiffness of the mast was concerned, the jib being set 
flying. The experience of this past year has shown that the 
spar was far too heavy, even for the rig as originally planned, 
and more so for the small sails finally carried. With just 
lOOsq ft. more sail, the mast of Glencairn was, we believe, 
but S^in. diameter at the deck. As it was, the runners were 
not required, but it would seem now that for the sail plan 
as it actually was a hollow stick of Sin. and of about one- 
half the weight would be fully strong enough. The boom 
was also hollow, of about 3|in. diameter in the slings. The 
rigging was of phosphor bronze wire rope, headstay -3%in. 
diameter, shrouds /gin. diameter and runners iin. Both 
main and jib halyards were of the same material, ^in. 
diameter. The main halyard ran over a 3m. sheave in the 
masthead, a single part with a whip tackle at the deck. The 
jib halyard was double, with a jig. The running rigging 
was of imported English cord. 
The centerboard was of manganese bronze, of -,\in. thick- 
ness, weighing about 651bs. It was. we believe, of a sheet 
of the metal rolled for the plating of Defender. It was fitted . 
with a lifting arm, a separate casting of bronze, with a 
tackle to the forward deck just abaft the mast. The board 
was hung from two brass straps, one on each side, with a 
pin through the lower ends, as frequently illustrated in con- 
nection with canoes. As it proved, the board was too light, 
bending badly during the cup races and taking a permanent 
set that could not be removed with the appliances at hand at 
Oyster Bay. 
The rudder construction was something of a novelty; the 
stock was cast in one piece with an oval rim about IJin. 
wide and |in. thick, tapering to a sharp edge on its outside, 
of the outhne shown in the drawings. The main part of 
the blade, in the center of the rim, was to have been filled in 
with mahogany, in two thicknesses riveted together. A 
very good casting was procured, but the rudder was spoiled- 
in the making, being filled in with oak fastened only with a 
few brass wire nails. The result was that after a couple of 
days in the water the wood swelled and buckled so badly 
