May 14, 1898.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
393 
The combined effects of war and weather have sadly 
delayed the usual spring work of yachtsmen, and though 
it is now the middle of May but little has been done to- 
ward fitting out. One steam yacht, the Calypso, is at 
anchor off Bay Ridge, and a trip along shore shows some 
small craft ready for the season. Those of the large steam 
yachts which have not been sold to the Government 
show no signs of fitting out, nor do the large sailing 
yachts. With a change of weather from the steady rain 
of the past month, work will begin on the yachts of 
medium size, and a number of these will be\ ready in 
time for the first races. The majority of the yacht clubs 
along the Sound and the Eastern coast have opened their 
club houses to the officers of the United States Navy. 
Some have also declared ofT all their fixtures, but most 
of them will race as usual unless affairs take a more 
serious turn than now seems probable. 
The Royal Nova Scotia One-Design Class. 
The Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, of Halifax, 
N. ^ S., has had for the past two seasons a one-design 
class of small keel yachts, which has given very great 
satisfaction. The Squadron, like many other clubs, has 
of late years suffered from a lack of interest in racing, 
and with a good club house, a fine sailing ground and 
large membership, has at the same time had a difficulty 
in keeping up its fleet. By way of remedy for this un- 
satisfactory condition of affairs, it has resorted to the 
one-design idea. 
The class was established in the winter of 1895-6, a 
committee being selected to decide on the general char- 
acter and the dimensions of the design; the Squadron 
appropriating $50 for special prizes for the class, pro- 
viding that not less than four boats were built and regu- 
larly raced. The design here shown was made by Mr. 
H. C. McLeod, an amateur and an old member of the 
Squadron, but then residing in Chicago and racing on 
Lake Minnetonka. The design speaks for itself, and it 
is not surprising to learn that it has proved successful. 
The size and character of the boats were determined 
by the requirements of the club and the locality. They 
had in the first place to be cheap, consequently small 
and of plain construction. They had to be substantial 
to stand hard usage and to last, so that a fair price 
could be had at any time for one. They had to be fit - 
for general all-round use, day sailing, fishing, picnicking, 
etc., as well as racing. The prevailing winds about 
Halifax are very strong and squally, with a good deal 
of rough water, consequently they had to be able little 
craft, uncapsizable at any rate, and with a handy sail 
plan. Finally, though they were to be raced chiefly 
against one another, it was desirable to have them as 
speedy, quick in stays, and in other ways as up to date 
as was consistent with the main requirements. 
They would have been improved in looks by a long 
overhang aft, but it was clipped to save expense. Four 
boats were built in the winter of 1895-6, and as soon 
as afloat the class became popular. The only fault found 
with them was that the designer had underestimated the 
weight of wind they would have to meet, and the i,ooolb. 
iron keel was not a sufficient stiffener, necessitating 
some inside ballast. Next season, by common consent, 
lead keels were substituted for the iron ones, and all 
inside ballast dispensed with. 
So popular did the class become that in the winter of 
'96-7 five new boats were added, making nine in all. They 
have all been raced regularly every Saturday afternoon 
from the beginning of June to the end of September, 
sometimes in class races, sometimes in the open races 
of the club. After the change in ballast they have 
proved to be exactly what was required. They are stiff 
as churches. Their sail plan is small for Hght airs,_but 
as soon as it breezes up they are very fast, especially 
going to windward in a chop; at that mark, when reefs 
have to be tied down, they are more than a match for a 
good English i-i'ater. They are very dry, quick in stays, 
and handy as a bicycle. 
The four original boats had 9ft. cockpits, with ift. gin. 
side decks and 7in. coaming, and could accommodate 
quite a boat load. Some of the newer boats have smaller 
cockpits for racing purposes, but the advantage seems 
doubtful, as none have ever shipped any water, though 
tried as hard as they could be driven. They go out in 
all sorts of weather and have shown themselves in every 
way most capable little sea boats. 
Though one man can handle them anywhere in any 
weather with perfect ease, they are generally raced with 
three, as the courses are laid out with as many zigzags 
as possible (one of them has nine turns in eleven miles), 
and smartness at the buoys is indispensable. Besides 
racing, the boats are in constant use for general pur- 
poses. The general dimensions are as follows: 
Length, o. a 23ft. 4in. 
Length, l.w.l i8ft. 
Beam . 6ft. 6in. 
Displacement to original l.w.l 3,55olbs. 
Draft -4ft. 
Least freeboard - . ift. 6in. 
Ballast, lead keel i.soolbs. 
Mast, from stem at l.w.l 4ft. 3in. 
Mast, from stem to. tipper hounds 20ft. 6in. 
Boom i8ft. 
Gaff lift. 9in. 
Mainsail area, sq. ft . 241 
Foresail 64 
Total 305 
C. B., from stem at l.w.l 305ft. 
C. B., from stem at l.w.l lo.oift. 
C. E., from stem at l.w.l 9.S2ft. 
The construction is simple, but substantial. The boats 
were all built on the same set of models, around which 
ribbands were run, to which the frames, of oak, were 
steamed and bent. The keels are of yellow birch, sided 
4>2in. and moulded 6in. at center; stem birch, sided 
3j^in.; sternpost and deadwood (both birch), 3in. 
Frames of oak, ij^ by 1%, steamed and bent, spaced gin. 
Beams of spruce, sided 2in. by 2^m. center, and iin. 
