Oct. 9, 1897.] 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
299 
nailer bodies witli similar initials. For tMsHreason it 
ould seem desirable to start the new and more important 
rganlzation on a little different basis, witb a name that 
lall mark it distinctively from all the subordinate associar 
ons and unions. 
The correct name must embody three ideas: union, yachts- 
1, North America; and in some direct and simple form 
lat is easily indicated by initials, such as the American 
.anoe Association (A. C. A.) and the League of American 
Wheelmen (L. A. W.), Taking the first idea, union, either 
- three words, "union," "association" or "league," will 
onvey the meaning; and there is little to choose between 
nem as to the fine shades of meaning. Of the three, "asso- 
.ation" is the least desirable, being already in such general 
se in the same connection. 
The second idea, indicating the sport or the persons inter- 
sted, is in the form of "Yacht Racing" in the title already 
roposed. While racing must always be the raison d'etre 
jr such an organization, it is not the only one by 
ny means. The sport of yachting at large, certainly 
E more importance than yacht racing alone, is quite 
ipable of profiting by the assistance of a national 
ody devoted to its interests; and there is no reason, even 
lOugh at the present time it may be inclined to go no fur- 
ler, why the new organization should distinctly limit it« 
xertions to yacht racing. Such a word as "Yachting" 
ould be more compreh ensive, and quite as accurate. 
ember, and the date of the meeting; all the routine of 
reports and the proposals for amendment of rules coming at 
that time. 
The action of the original conference is well known; after 
much discussion it was decided to take no action whatever 
prior to final organization in the matter of measurement 
and classification rules; and in accordance with this the 
special committee on racing rules has dealt only with the 
general rules relating to the management of races and the 
racing "rules of the road." Very few changes have been 
made from the existing practice in the majority of clubs, the 
most important being the provision that a buoy or boat does 
not become a mark until the starting (not the preparatory) 
signal is given; with which is offered a modification of the 
new rule governing maneuvering for the line. In other re- 
spects there is nothing in the rules which alters the general 
practice on yac ht racing. 
Ocawa. 
For the past two seasons the 20-f ooter Onawa has not been 
raced, but during the present season she has been in commis- 
sion on Lake Minnetonka, Mr. H. J. Burton and his son, 
Ward C. Burton, sailing her for pleasure and exercise. 
Being thoroughly familiar with the yacht after long prac- 
tice, they have taken special pleasure in developing her high- 
est speed under favorable conditions; and in this they have 
been aided by the fact that the courses on Lak6 Minnetonka, 
ONAWA, OF LAKE MINNBrONKA. 
Owned by Messrs. H. J. ana W. C. Burton. 
The word "American" has, in common use, two different 
neanings; in its broader sense, as used in the title, "Ameri- 
can Canoe Association," it covers the continent of North 
ynerica, embracing Canada and the United States alike. 
't was adopted on the organization of the A. C. A. in 1880 
)y representatives of both nations, and has been in general 
ise ever since without any question arising as to whether it 
■elated more directly to one than to the other. At the same 
lime the word is also used in a much more restricted sense 
;o apply to the TJnited States alone, as in the "League of 
'A.merican Wheelmen," which organization is confined 
wholly to the United States, and has a counterpart, though 
mtirely distinct, in the Canadian Wheelmen's Association. 
50 far as this side of the line is concerned, tjiere would prob- 
iblv be no objection to the term "American," as briefer and 
)etter than "North American"; we cannot answer for the 
r ling on the part of Canadian yachtsmen, but the experi- 
1 ce in canoeing indicates that there are no serious grounds 
-oc objection. 
Without attempting any final suggestion, we would pomt 
3ut the desirability of some brief and compact title, such as 
"American Yachting League" (A. Y. L.), or one of similar 
form. It is certainly important that the organization should 
.start with a good title, and we do not consider the one now 
proposed as at all satisfactory. . 
The scheme of organization is very simple, with merely a 
council of fifteen and but three officers, chairman, secretary 
and treasurer. The general provisions as to representation, 
meetings, voting, etc., are in accordance with general usage 
In such associations. The date of the annual meeting, the 
-first Saturday in October, is rather early, the last Saturday 
would be better, as there will, presumably, be a good deal to 
io between the end of the active racing, some time in Sep- 
where there is neither tide nor current, are accurately sur- 
veyed on the ice, and marked by piles driven down immov- 
ably. The distances are thus fixed beyond question, and it 
is only a matter of careful and reliable timing between 
marks. The accompanying cut, from an amateur photo re- 
cently taken, shows Ooawa, with "Messrs. Burton and Miss 
Burton on board. The yacht was originally very lightly 
built, but she is still sound and strong and capable of hard 
service, such as she is frequently put to when the weather 
permits, merely for the sake of the excitement of sailing. 
She is 36ft. 9in. over all, about 20ft. l.w.L, 6ft. 4in. beam, and 
carries but 400sq. ft. of sail, thus making her racing length 
close to 20ft. The following account of one of her trials is 
from the Minneapolis Morning Times of Aug. 17; she has 
equaled this time on other occasions; 
The velocity attained by Onawa on Lake Minnetonka is 
believed to exceed any record yet made by vessels under 
100ft. in length, propelled by sails alone. 
Between 3 and i o'clock P. M. last Friday, the velocity of 
the wind in this vicinity was twenty-two to twenty-six miles 
per hour, according to the observations of the United States 
Weather Bureau. The larger boats were close-reefed, and 
not all of them succeeded even in getting to windward in the 
trial of the Minnetonka Y. C. lor selecting a representative 
for the White Bear races. 
Onawa was sent out under full racing sail to windward as 
far as Big Island, in order to return with the wind on the 
starboard quarter, and made the trip four times. On one 
run she left the steamer Saucy Kate far behind, going ap- 
parently twice as fast as the steamer. The best time made 
from the Excelsior- Wayzata buoy, near Big Island, to the 
club house dock, on inside channel was 3m. lOs. 
Greorge W. Cooley, who surveyed the M. Y. C. course, 
states the distance between the two points as 2,990ft., just 
about one-half of a nautical mile, and .57 of a statute mile. 
This would make the speed at the rate of 16 statute miles 
per hour, or 13 nautical miles, somewhat better than the 
best speed recorded even of the 90ft. Defender. 
The Boston Knockabouts. 
The following interesting summary of the season's racing 
of thn knockabout class of Massachusetts Bay is the work of 
Mr. W. E. Robinson, of the 'Boston Globe. We can speak 
from experience in similar work of the labor involved in the 
compilation and comparison of such records: 
KNOCKABOUT RECORDS— TABLE 1. 
Starts. 
1st, 
2d. 
31 
4tb. 
5th, 
6th. 
Av. 
26 
r* 
1 
8 
4 
1 
1 
0 
,453 
4 
« 
t 
5 
1 
0 
0 
.380 
27 
7 
3 
5 
5 
1 
2 
.361 
3 
0 
1 
0 
1 
0 
.325 
30 
3 
4 
2 
6 
1 
1 
.275 
3 
4 
7 
4 
6 
1 
.259 
Sally irr 
23 
2 
1 
^ 
5 
5 
3 
.141 
13 
0 
1 
0 
3 
1 
1 
.038 
KNOCKABOUT 
RECORDS- 
-TABLE 
n. 
Mon- 
Cock 
Cock- 
Sally 
Jaco- 
Gosling. 
Fly. 
goose. Robin. 
atoo. HazirJ. 
in. 
bin. 
Gosling 
16 
11 
2 
9 
15 
16 
11 
My......... 9 
13 
0 
11 
12 
14 
10 
Mongoose . , 9 
9 
1 
11 
12 
13 
7 
Cock Robin 2 
3 
4 
2 
4 
4 
1 
Cockatoo. , , 9 
7 
6 
i 
9 
11 
7 
12 
10 
1 
'9 
16 
9 
Sally Til.... 5 
7 
6 
1 
5 
'e 
11 
3 
3 
0 
0 
3 
"i 
In no class in or around Boston has there been such steady 
and interesting racing as that between theSlft. knockabouts, 
nor is there a class in which the boats have been so evenly 
matched or in which it has been so hard to pick a winner. 
There have been thirty-six races — club, open or sweepstakes — 
during the season, in which the boats of the class could 
enter, and but two of them were on a conflicting date. 
The fact that five of the racing fleet entered and sailed in 
thirty or more of these races speaks volumes for the oersist- 
ency of their owners, the sport which the racing afforded, 
and the possibility of a win at any time. The racing is alno 
a high tribute to what can be accomplished in a "restricted" 
class, where a boat is nob necessarily "outbuilt" every year, 
and where the cost is moderate and the racing strictly Cor- 
inthian. 
Nor does there seem to be any prospect of the interest in 
the class dying out. The results of the season's racing are 
not so conclusive in the matter of the superiority of one boat 
over another as to discourage an owner from continuing next 
year with this season's boat, while at the same time there is 
already talk of new boats by men both in and out of the 
present racing contingent. 
Taken all around, the class is proving itself an extremely 
vahiable one from almost any standpoint, and deserves en- 
couragement in every possible way, 
In presenting the records of the season's racing, the Oldbe 
has, however, taken only those races which counted for the 
Y. R. A. championship. It was this championship which 
was the main prize in the class, and races which did not 
count for it were deemed by many of the owners as merely 
side issues to the main question. In fact, several starts were 
made which would not have been had the races been cham- 
pionship ones. A comparison of the entire racing season is 
a very interesting one, but a comparison on a Y. R. A. 
basis is but simple justice to boats specialUy competing for 
that championship. 
In table No. 1 is shown the number of times a boat has 
started and the places she secured. No boat is credited with 
a place unless defeating a competitor. In table No. 3 ia 
shown the number of times each boat has beaten or has been 
beaten by every other boat in the fleet. Read it across the 
columns for wins and down the columns for losses. There 
have been twenty-nine races which counted for Y. R. A. 
championships. 
Jenny Wren is not included in the tables, since she only 
started in four races and was last each time. So far as the 
writer could ascertain there are no protests pending except 
that at Hull, Sept. 11, and they will not affect the standing 
of the boats, whichever way they may be decided. The 
positions in that race are therefore credited as the boats fin- 
ished. The decision of the protests would make but minor 
changes. 
A look at table No. 1 shows that Fly has the "sportiest" 
record of the lot with 27 starts. Gosling and Hazard are a 
close second with 36 each, and thea come Mongoose and 
Sally III with 23 each. Cockatoo has been raced with com- 
mendable persistency, but Cock Robin has been raced so 
little in championship races as to make her record an unsat- 
isfactory one for championship comparison. 
The boats are ranked in table No. 1 according to their Y. 
R. A. averages. (Jock Robin's total percentage is divided 
by 10 as required under Association rules, the requirement 
being made to insure starts in at least ten races by boats 
really out for the championship. 
In table No. 3, however, the boats, vrith the exception of 
Cock Robin, are ranked on the basis of series with other 
boats, won, lost or tied. The writer believes this to be the 
fairer way of the two, and as more likely to show the boat's 
relative abilities. The exception is made in Cock Robin's 
case for the reason that she has started in so few races as to 
make almost impossible a fair comparison with boats racing 
five times as often. She is therefore left in the same position 
between the winning and losing divisions of the fleet to 
which she is entitled by her Y. R. A. average, and her wins 
and losses can show for whatever they may be worth. 
Gosling takes first place by reason of having won five 
series, lost none and tied two. Fly comes second with four 
won, two lost and one tied, while Mongoose is third with 
four won and three lost. It is a close fic between Fly and 
Mongoose, but since the former has won her series with the 
latter she is entitled to precedence. 
The question of place between Cockatoo and Hazard is also 
a close one. They are tied in series lost and won, also in 
their series vrith each other, but in proportion to her number 
of starts — and she has started a sufficient number of times 
to entitle her to her full rank in the tables — Cockatoo 
shows a little ahead. 
In brief, the results of the tables are: Gosling wins from 
Mongoose, Fly, Hazard, Sally HI. and Jacobin, and ties 
Cock Robin and Cockatoo. Fly wins from Mongoose, Cock- 
atoo, Sally III. and Jacobin, loses to Gosling and Cock Robin 
and ties Hazard. Mongoose wins from Cockatoo, Hazard, 
Sally III. and Jacobin, and loses to Gosling, Fly and Cock 
Robin. Cockatoo and Hazard win only from Sally HI, and 
Jacobin, while Sally wins only from Jacobin. Jacobin has 
not been raced with that persistency characteristic of her 
owner's course in past seasons, but has at times shown 
much better speed than her low place in the table would in- 
But after all the careful tabxilation of the results of the 
season's racing, the question may be fairly asked— do the 
records and tables in this case actually show which is the 
fastest boat of the fleet, and is the matter of superiority de- 
cisively settled? 
And in reply the writer would answer that, in his opinion, 
"no." The records indeed show what has been done in the 
