816 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
fDEC. 26, 1896. 
preparatory signal, and iipilt be made at H o'clock noon across a liaa 
between Center Island Buoy and the committee steamer. 
First Signal. PreparatoiT. (Wbisde lo seconds long.) The club 
burgee ou the committee steamer will be lowered aud a blue peter 
hoisted. 
There will be an iuterval of S minutes between the first and second 
signals. 
Second Signal. Start. (Whistle 15 seconds long.) The blue peter 
will be lowered and a red ball hoisted. 
Note.— Attention is called to the fact that the flags and balls con- 
stitute the signals, the whistles merely calling attention thereto. 
Special Conditions,— (1) The yacht selected to defend the cup shall 
be the one which, in tne judgment of the race committee, shall be 
the best adapted therefor, and not necessarily the winuei- of a major- 
ity of the irial races. Additional I'aces may be ordered by the com- 
mittee between such contestants as they may select. 
(2) The owner of each yacht entering for the trial races must on or 
before July 10, 1897, furnish to the seci'etary of the committee the 
racing measurement of his ynchti certified by the measurer of the 
Seawanhalia Chib. 
(8) Each yacht must carry a racing number (which ma.ybe obtained 
at the club house on the morning of the lii'st race) fastened securely 
on both sides of the mamsail. 
(41 In the event of a race being postponed or ordered resailed, it 
will be sailed at as early a date as may be practicable. 
Entries.— All entries for the trial races must l>e made by the clubs 
to wbich the owners of the respective yacbts entered belong-. Clubs 
intending to make entries are requested to notify the secretai y of 
tberace committee, and will be furnished with printed or wrlttfn 
blanks, upon or in accordance with which entries must be made, ana 
at the request and upon the re^iTonsibility of any club enttring a 
yacht to compete in the trial races, all the privileges of the club 
nbuse at Oyster Bay will be extended to the owners and amateur 
crew of the yacht so entered during the period occupied by the said 
races, upon the same terms as to members of the club. 
Oliver E Cromwell, Chairman, 'l 
64 LeouBi'd street, N. Y. i 
CHARLES W. WeTMORE, | 
30 Broad street, N. T, 
Waiter C. Kerr, t Bace 
26 CorUandt street, N. Y. i Committee, 
D. Leroy Dripsser, I 
55 White street, N, Y. I 
Charles A Sherman, Sec'y. I 
114 Leonard street, N. Y. J 
AltliotJgli apparently simple enough, the details of tlie 
above agreement -were only arranged after much correspond- 
ence and a personal conference that covered an entire even- 
ing and nearly allot the following day. The two parlies — 
the Koyal St. Lawrence Y, C. and the Seawanliaka Cor- 
inthian Y. C. — were from the outset entirely in accord on 
the main points, which makes it all the more remarkable 
that the details should have proved so difficult, Bolh par- 
ties recognized that i,t was to their mutual advantage to set 
certain limits to sail and draft, and thus limit the opportu- 
nities for outbuilding, and also that certain details of the 
agreement of the previous year demanded amendment; but 
on the part of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Y. C. it was 
hampered considerably by its intimate relations with the 
Sound Y. R. U , sailing under the same rules. Aa Ihe rules 
of the Y K. U, govern nineteen different classes' of all sizes, 
it was impossible to incorporate with them the special re- 
strictions desired by the two clubs; and at the same time 
there were serious objections to making of the SOft. a special 
class such as has just been abolished. Whether or no this 
end has been attained in the above conditions may be an 
open question, but no other .solution seemed possible except 
to sail under the Y. R. U. rules, letter for letter, which 
neither party desired. 
The main' points of dilHculty were the failure of the Sea- 
wanhaka rule to measure fairly all sorts of canoe rigs, and 
the absence of a maximum limit of sail in the class. The 
draft limit, as finally agreed upon, is xbe same as that of the 
Larchmont Y. C. as far as it goes, but it goes much further 
in recognizing the patent distinction between keel and cen- 
terboard craft. The limit of draft for keel boats, tin or 
otherwise, is 5ft , but in addition it is provided that a cen- 
lerboard boat, with a board that may be housed in the trunk, 
may draw 6ft. with boara down. This prevents the obvious 
makeshift of a movable b\3 lb-fin, passing nominally as a cen- 
terboard and dropping to any depth desired; and it also pre- 
vents the use of a centerboard housing in a deep fin. It al- 
lows a reasonable draft to the legitimate fixed fia boat and 
also to the prevailing type of centerboard boat of shoal hull 
and fitted with the Hope board. It is still possible to use a 
weighted board, but it must be fitted to house fairly within 
the trunk, and thus cannot carry a lead bulb 
The limitation of the sail area to 500oCi ft. prevents what 
was otherwise inevitable, an enlarged Grlencairn with a sail 
plan as large as the old 25-footers, GSSsq.ft. The attempts 
to measure the actual sail m the lo.tt. class for the past two 
yeM'S were no more satisfactory than the regular Seawan- 
haka method; the compromise finally reached after much 
discussion was that the head sails shall be measured as a 
triangle between the mast, deck and forestay, and the main- 
sail shall be measured between points plainly marked on 
the spars, beyond which the sail shall not be stretched. 
This fixes three import mt dimensions, foot, luQ; and head, 
definitely ; and leaves only the distance from clew to throat 
as a variable, depending on the lift of the after end of the 
boom. The limitation of the mainsail to 80 per cent, of the 
total prevents the cat rig seen on some of the 15 footers, 
with a mere excuse for a jib. 
The measurement of the spinaker is better than that of 
last year, being far more positive and definite; but in rnaking 
the change one point was overlooked, and the result is that 
the allowance of spinaker is absurdly liberal. The restric- 
tion concerning the lashing of the .epinaker boom is not suf- 
ficiently explicit, and may fail to attain its end. It was in- 
tended to prevent the carrying of the spinaker boom as a 
bowsprit, and the spinaker or balloon jib when on the wind. 
After a good deal of discussion and many unsatisfactory 
propositions, the matter was left in its present shape, which 
obviously does not directly prohibit such a misuse of the 
spinaker as was so often seen last year. 
One important point is that the yachts shall be manned by 
amateurs in the cup races, though one professional is allowed 
ou deck, as in the Y. R tJ. rules, in all other races. 
It will be possible, in the regular racing of the 20ft. class 
on the Sound, if not in the trial races, to build a boat under 
the Y, R. U. rules which will carry more than SOOsq.ft. of 
sail and draw more than 6ft. of waver with board down; but 
it is to be hoped that no such experiments will be attempted, 
but that all designers may rest content with the libeial limits 
ot the cup conditions. 
New York C. C. 
At its annual meeting on Dec. 10 the New YSx^ -tlanoe 
dlub elected the following officers : President, Louis Bouuy ; 
"Purser, Fr. Read ; Secretary, J C. Mowbray; Captain, C. B. 
Vatix; Mate, R. Be Ferd Baylay. Trustees; F. C Moore, 
L L, Ooudeit; Officers: David Rait, Jr., S P. McGrOurkey, 
W. Oarmalt, 
The club will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary by a 
dinner on Dec. 31, 7 P. M , at 518 West Fifty eighth street, 
JSTew York, 
YACHT RACING UNION OF LONG 
ISLAIVD SOUND. 
The annual general meeting of the Yacht Racina: Uuion 
of Long Island Sound was held on Dec 18 at the Fifth 
Avenue Hotel, the fcllowiog delegates being present; 
Indian Harbor Y. C, George E. Gaitland, Frank Bowne 
Jones; Corinthian Fleet of New Rochclic, J. D. Sparkman, 
E, T. Birdsall; Hempstead Harbor Y. C, Ward Dickson; 
Huntinatou Y. C, H. H. Gordon; New Rochtlle Y. C, G. 
P. Towle; Knickerbocker Y. C, 0. H. Chellborg; Park 
City Y C, R S. Bassett; Harlem Y. C, T. C. Allen; Sea- 
wanhaka Corinthian Y. C , W. C. Kerr, C. A.. Sherman; 
Huguenot Y C, T. Flemiog Day, E, Buiton Hart, Jr, ; Sea 
Cliff Y C, Le Grand L Clark; Horseshoe H«bor Y. C, 
G. G. Fry and F. E. Towle, Jr.; Douglaston Y. C, W. G. 
Newman 
In the absence of President Cromwell Mr. Kerr was elected 
chau-man. The report of the Council and its recommenda- 
tions were read, after which the proposed amendments to 
the rules were taken up and passed upon, being finally 
adopted. 
The general recommendations of the Council areas follows: 
1. That In future no special classes be recognized. 
During the past few seasons it has been demonstrated that the 
building up or special ciaaaes has detracted from building in the 
regular classes, and as each special class has been built to diflferent 
and contllciing rules and J'estrictiona ttie complication arising there- 
from has been annoying and c infusing to both regatta committees 
and owners. The Council believes it necessary that some special 
action be taken to discourage the building o£ any more special classes. 
If some ac'ion of this kind be not taken there would .seem to be no 
limit to the number of classes that may be built either under the 
auspices of different clubs or promoted by individuals. It also seems 
necessary that there be a reduction in the number of classes, as the 
entrias have been very much divided, and the placing of the special 
classes with the boats buiic for the regular classes will conduce to 
this result. There are some conditions and restrictions which are 
common to all the special classes, and it is proposed, inasmuch as 
these regulations have proved both popular and satisfactory, that 
thty be incorporated in the regular rules; and if this is done it is be- 
lieved tbat there will be little temptation to build outside of the reg- 
ular classes in the future. The placing of the 34-raterB in the 36ft. 
racing length class; the SO-footers in the regular 30ft. class; the HI- 
footers in the 25ft, class; the one-raters In the 20ft, class, and the 
half-raters in the 15ft. class, will have the effect, it is believed, in re- 
viving tbelnterest in all the small classes ot sloops, and creating a 
nucleus for the building up of some ot the classes' during the coming 
season. 
3. That the distinction between "cabin" and "open" yachts be 
gradually ellDQinated, 
One ot the bugbears of racing committees and racing men has been , 
the difflculiy of drawing a line between cabin and open yachts. As a 
matter or fact, the cabin and open classes naturally lap at the 35ft. 
classes; that is to say, there are few open boats now racing above 25tt., 
and few cabin boats under SOft. In Eaglish waters there is prac- 
tically no distinction between cabin and open yachts, and the Council 
believes that in time the same conditions will prevail here. It la 
hardly thought advisable, however, to bring this result about imme- 
diately; but aa a step toward this end it is recommended, where clubs 
giye races for relative classes of both cabin and open yachts, that for 
the coming season they be requested not to offer prizes for any class 
of open yachts over 25ft., or a^y classes of cabin yachts under SOft. 
This action will also have the desirable result of further reducing the 
number of classes. 
3. That one-gun starts be generally adopted. 
The popularity and practicability of the one-gun start has been so 
fully demonstrated that the Council believes It is sate ia making the 
recommendation that this mode of starting be generally adopted. It 
is one of the rules governing the starting in the special classes, and If 
fleets are started in small divisions, or each class separately, there can 
be no Objection to its use. The one-gun start, especially in connec- 
tion with the gradual elimination ot time allowanca, it is believed, will 
have the effect of cloeer and more interesting racing; it will relieve 
the regatta committees of a certain amount of work m recording and 
almost all u'jceriainty as to correct timing; it will promote sharper 
helmsmanship; and itwill be more gratifying to the spectators of a 
raca, for the reason that It makes it unnecessary to figure the elapsed 
and corrected time in order lo ascertain the winners, as the first boat 
home in a class is necessarily the winner of the race. 
1. That, in addition to Saturdays, Wednesdays be recognized as reg- 
ular race days. 
The experiment of holding two or more races on the same day dur- 
ing the past season canfiardly be considered successful, and on ac- 
count or the number ot races tnat the different clubs desire to hold 
each season, there are not a sudlclent number of Saturdays to enable 
the allotment of a separate day for each race, and some other week 
day should also be recognized aa a race day. As a matter of fact, 
during the past season the week-day races seem to have filled as well 
as the Saturday races, and there would seem to be no particular ad- 
vantage in maintaining Saturday as the only race day "in the week. 
5. That aU racas on the Sound be started at the same hour (noon). 
There has been a good deal of complaint among racing men during 
the past season on the ground that there was an uucertamty as to 
what time of day the different races were to be started; and also that 
a number of the clubs delayed the stajt after the announced time. It 
is believed that if it is generally known that all races are to be started 
at tUe same hour there will be leas delay in starting, and owners will 
be more inclined than heretofore to have their yachts promptly at the 
starting line. 
It ia suggested that the starting hour be not later thannoon^ and 
that all races be started promptly, provided the weather conditions 
allow. 
If it be necsssary to postpone the time ot starting, it is recom- 
mended that postponemeais be of a halE-hour's duration, as it la a 
convenience to helmsmen to know that races will be started on the 
even hour or half hour. 
The abDva recommendations hardly call for comment, as they are 
self-explanatory, and the necessity lor thepropostd ohangea has been 
universttUy recjgnizad during ihe past season, as ahowa partly by the 
fact that in a very full discussion no objections were advanced. The 
aufegestion that all races be started at noon brought out a proposal 
for limiting the time of postponement to some hour, such as a P. M., 
and also one to make the starting hour 11:30 A. M.; but after discus- 
sion both points were dropped. The other paper presented by the 
Council, the Beport on the Proposed Amendments, was of a similar 
nature; it will, pirhaps, be best to give its various paragraphs sepa- 
rately, in connection with the amendoaenta to which they apply. 
Amendments as Passed. 
Meusurejnent. 
Add to Section 3 — AU yachts ia the SOft. and lower classes shall be 
measured for l.w.l. lengih with the same number of persons on board 
OS are allowed for crew in theyactit's class, and whose average weight 
shall not be less than IQOlbs., or, at the option of the measurer, with a 
desd weight placed on board equivalent thereto. 
Recommendation: It is the opinion of the Council that the usual 
practice of measurers, of taking the I w.l length of yachts without 
the crew aboard, is contrary to the spirit of the existing rule, which 
rule expres ly states that the l.w.l. length shall be measured with the 
yacht in racing trim, and also provides that any persons who are on 
board when the measurement is being taken shall be stationed amid- 
ships. A yacht cannot be considered to be actually in racing trim un- 
less she has on board the same weight as when she is raced;- therefore, 
if a yacht ia measuired without the crew aboara she is not of the same 
measurement (except she be a plumb stem and stern boat) as when 
she is competing in a race. Bdiides this, requiring yachts to be meas- 
ured with crew or an equivalent weight abuard will have a tendency 
to discourage the building ot freaks, especially in the smaller classes. 
The Council has theretore framed this addenda to the rule so that 
there will be no longer any discretion left to the measurer as to 
■whether he. shall measure a yacht with crew aboard or not in classes 
0/ %ft. and under, 
We have italicised the final words because thoy were not in the orig 
inal report, the Council being very strongly m favor of applying this 
restriction to every racing yacht. When the yachts whion race for 
the America's cup< to say notbing of the smaller international trophy 
which has so interested yachtsmen for the past two years, are meas- 
ured with crew aooard by the consent of all parties, and when this 
method ot measurement is generally recognized as the correct one, 
tooth in theory and practice, for these and all the smaller racing yachts, 
thereis no possible reason why it should not be apphed to the com- 
paratively smaller number of larger yachts. At the time these amend- 
ments were framed, early In the fall, and the report di-awn up, it was 
hoped that the rule could be thus amended to include all yachts . 
Wnen at a subsequent dat«, however, the amendments to the rules of 
the Larchmont and New York clubs were presented and acted upon, 
they made no provision for measurement with crew aboard. The 
Larchmont Y. C. agreed to adopt the restriction in the smaller classes, 
a td the question remained whether the Y. B. U. would accept such a 
compromise or fight the matter in living up to Its convictions. On 
this point, as on several others, the final judgment, both of the Coun- 
cil aa well as the representatives, was that such a fight, no matter 
which aide might win, could only do harm to yacht racing in its pres- 
ent condition. A man must be utterly blind, both to all that has hap- 
pened within the past two years, and to the unassailable logic of 
events, if he does not see that the measurement with crew aboard, 
and also the visible marking of the waterline in racing trim, must 
come speedily and certainly, just as the one-gun start, the abolition 
of time allowance, the classification by racing length and other impos- 
sibilities are now accomplished facts, and delay in this matter can 
only do harm to racing owners. 
Tbere was no diacuasion of this point at the meeting, all present 
having accepted the conclusion to keep in line with the two outside 
clubs for the present. Two points, however, were very thoroughly 
discussed, that of live weight or dead weight and that of the position 
of such weight. Both present some difficulties in practice. It is 
recognized that in anything not over 30ffc. the trim may be affected by 
such a movement of the crew as would hardly be perceptible, and on 
the other hand that the work of measuring would be greatly facili- 
tated if measurer and owner could mutually agree on the use of the 
requisite'number of men of average weight in place of handling iron 
or lead weights. The original amendment was altered to leave the 
use of live or dead weight to the discretion of the measurer, the 
weight to be placed approximately about the center of buoyancy. 
Even this latter restriction does not settle the position of weight be- 
yond all possibility of evasion by a freak boat; In fact, it is hardly 
possible to cover all contingencies by any rule. 
SUBSTITUTE FOR BDLHl III. 
Classification. 
1. All yachts shall be elasaified by racing length, and shall toe divided 
Into classes as follows: 
SOHOONBKB^ 
First Class— A— All over 95f fc. 
95ft. Class— B— Not over 95ft. and over 85ft. 
gSft. Class-C— Not over 85ft. and over 75ft. 
75ft. Class— D— Not over 75ft, and over 65ft. 
6,^ft. Class- P— Not over 65ft. 
SLOOPS, OUTTEKS AND YAyfLS. 
First Class— G— All over 70ft. 
70ft. Class- H-Not over 70ft. and over 60ft. 
aoft. Class— J-Not over 60ft. and over 51ft. 
51tt. Class— K— Not over 61ft. and over 43ft. 
43Ct. Class— L— Not over 43ft. and over 36 rt. 
aeft. Class— M— Not over 36tt. and over 30ft. 
sort. Class— N— Not over SOft. and over 25ft. 
25ft. Class— P— Not over 85rt. and over 20ft. 
soft. Olasa-Q-Not over mt. and over 15ft. 
15ft. Class— K— Not over 15ft. 
CATBOATS. 
soft. Class- S— Not over .SOft. and over 25ft. 
aStt. Class— T— Not over 25ft. and over 20ft. 
soft. Class— V— Not over 20ft. and over 15tt. 
15ft. Class— W— Not over 15ft. 
Open yachts shall not be classed with cabin yachts. 
3. Yachts launched prior to Nov. 1, 1898, not exceeding the limit of 
any class SOft, or under by more than .5 ot a foot, and that have not 
been increased in sail area measurement ainc 3 that date, shall sail in 
such class. 
Recommendation: In reducing the number of classes it was thought 
desirable to eliminate the SOft. class of sloops, cutters and yawls. 
Doing this will make it secessary to reletter all the classes, and the 
classification as it will then stand will embrace exactly nineteen 
classes. There being nineteen fiags in the international code, it was 
thought appropriate that the code letters be used in designating the 
classes in future, and this system has already been adopted. The 
classiflcation aa formerly defined was not perhaps as explicit as it 
might have been, and it is believed that the new arrangement, as sub- 
mitted, will be more satisfactory. 
The provision for allowing existing yachts not exceeding the class 
length: by over a fraction of a foot to still remain in their respective 
classes will be made necessary through the adoption of the rule for 
measuring with crew aboard, so that the existing boats which are 
close to the class limits may be kept in their regular classes. 
The establishment ot classes for open boat sailing withflxed ballast 
has had the result of killing the interest in* the shiftabla ballast 
class 6."^. As a matter of fact, sandbag racing on the Sound is practi- 
cally daad, but a small percentage of the entries in the regattas of 
the last year having been in the shiftable ballast classes. The elimi- 
nation of these classes will help toward the deairaole result ot re- 
ducing the number ot classes, and will dispense with an undesirable 
type of yacht. Of course there is no reason why clubs desiring to 
give races for these classes cannot do so, provided they announce 
in their carculara the suspension of the ballast rule for certain 
classes. 
This classiflcation is not materially different from that thus far 
used by the Y. R. TJ. In this, the one matter above all others in 
which uniformity is indispensable, arrangements have been made in- 
formally between the Council and the Larchmont and New York 
clubs to preserve absolute uniformity. The classification as it now 
stands is greatly superior to any preceding one; the only criticism 
that we would make is that there are still too many paper classes, in 
spite of the reduction and simplification. It would be still better in 
our opinion if some agreement could be made among all clubs to offer 
no prizes for new yachts in the 65tt. and 85ft. schooner classes, and 
the 43ft. and 60ft. single-stick ciaaaes. These lour classes are now 
practically dead, there being but halt a dozen old yachts in the four 
classes to-day, and these would be hopelessly outbuilt by any new 
yacht. The suppression of these classes must tend to strengthen 
others of far more Importance, the Cdlonia-Emerald class, the 
Amorita Quiasetta class, and tbe two new classes of 1897, 51ft. and 
70f f . There are few enough boats in each of these ciaaaes at best, 
and in the interests of racing the clubs cannot do better than to exert 
a certain compulsion on owners intending to build, in order that they 
may build to strengthen existing classes rather than merely to win 
pots from some ola boats In classes in which there are no new ones. 
The use of the code flags and letters to designate the different 
classes, an ingenious idea originating with the Council, is likely to be 
generally adopted. 
SDBSTITnTB FOR BULB IV. 
Time AUoivance. 
Time allowance shall be calculated on racing length according to 
the appended table, but yachts launched after Nov. 1, l896, except in 
the first class of schooners and the first class of sloops, cutters and 
yawls, shall not be entitled to time allowance in their classes, and no 
yacht that has been increased in measurement for the.purpose of sail- 
ing in a class above that in which she sailed prior to that date shall 
receive time allowance from other yachts in that class. 
Recommendation: Although the present class limits have been 
firmly estabUshed for over two years, there seems to have been some 
inclination to build below tbe limit for the sake of securing time 
allowance. It ia thought that there Is sufiioient choice of sizes for 
owners to select from, so that there can be no reason for building a 
racing yacht to anything but the class limit, and the doing away of 
time allowance in the new boats will, it Is believed, effect this result. 
Notable of time allowance has proven satisfactory and fair for all 
velocities of wind, and hence the gradual elimination of time allow- 
ance is desirable. In dispensing with time allowance the liabhity to 
error which now exists in calculating the allowance, and the uncer- 
tainty as to the wmning of a race until the corrected times are 
figured, will be removed, and the results will be obviously more satis- 
factory. 
In this connection, Delegate Thomas Fleming Day, Huguenot Y. 0., 
offered the adoption of the following amendment: 
ADD TO RULE IV. 
Allowance for time will be abolished in all classes after season of 
1837. 
This amendment, though favored by some, was considered rather 
too radical, and was not adopted. It would, if passed, have made lit- 
tle practical difference, as there will be very few old boats under the 
class limits which will have any chance at all in the racing of 1898. 
The owners of these boats are hkely, before that time, to be fully con- 
vinced of the futility of racing even with time allowance against the 
boats of the coming and the following years, and to drop out volun- 
tarily without being compelled to by the rule. 
The abolition of time allowance and the compulsory building to the 
top of a class is one of the most important advances made In yachting 
for many years. 
bOlb v. J 
AllovioMcefor Eig. .': 
Change 94 per cent, to 93 per cent. 
Recommendation: Allowance for yawl rig: la corrected, the 94 per 
cent, being theoretically incorrect. 
