The Revival of Canoe Sailing. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
For about the last six years a good deal .of gray matter 
has been used, but perhaps not wasted, in sincere thought 
and effort to do something for the sailing canoe, and the 
sailing races in the Association, either by reviving interest 
among the old sailors, or getting new ones in the ranks, 
but all efforts have been crowned with the success of 
seeing each year a smaller fleet than the preceding 
one, and doubtless many have become disheartened and 
asked themselves the reason of non-success. . I have 
been very much interested in your articles on the evolu- 
tion of the modern canoe, and the letters that have been 
sent on the subject, and am glad this matter has been 
revived. It would seem that if serious attention was 
given this subject, and ideas expressed and discussed 
without being too rude to one another, some plan might 
be formulated by the time of the meet, or at least gotten 
in shape there for the Executive Committee meeting in 
the fall, whereby some success could be reached next 
year. • * . . 
We have been going on for some time, tinkering with 
the problem, changing the rules here and then there, but 
principally accomplishing nothing at all, and in my 
opinion the time has come when something radical must 
be done, and stop, as they say in whist, "sending a boy 
to do a man's work." The question has been asked, "Why 
do the old sailors give up racing, and new men do not 
take it up?" The answer, along with a few others, is, 
that it has become a case of "drill, ye tarriers, drill." or in 
other words, too hard work. Look over the fleet of 
starters of to-day and ten years ago, and see how the 
personnel has changed. About lo per cent remain, and 
perhaps i per cent, is new. 
Now, why is this? It is not because we have tired of 
sailing — the efforts to sail the open canoe prove that — but 
we have gotten tired of acrobatic performances and the 
work required to properly groom a racing canoe of the 
modern type, which is good for nothing else but match 
sailing, and then get her to a meet or regatta, with a 
trousseau of sails to accommodate all the whims of 
Boreas, and then race her, with a severe physical strain 
upon the old sailors, and both a mental and physical one 
upon the new ones, that has tired out the veterans and 
frightened the novices away. 
For instance, look at the entries that the New York and 
Brooklyn canoe clubs and the Marine and Field Club 
used to have from the Passaic River, and the entries the 
Passaic River clubs had in return. Why was it? In my 
own case, because ten years ago it was a pleasure to 
sail down to Staten Island or Gravesend Bay in a com- 
fortable sailing canoe, of staunch model and a moderate 
rig of two sails. Then we were prepared for all emer- 
gencies. If we came to a disobliging draw-keeper we- 
could lower our sails and paddle under the bridge, or if 
by chance the wind failed we could comfortably paddle. 
If it blew hard we could reef and still make good weather 
and keep dry ; but how about it now ? Will I ever forget 
my last trip to Bensonhurst from Newark in Cricket? 
The modern racing canoe is all right to go sailing in 
from the club house float, but excuse me from wandering 
far from my own fireside in one, especially when you 
have to go twenty-five miles and take along a decent suit 
of clothes to be presentable in'good society, and perhaps 
come home by train. 
I believe in unlimited development and the survival of 
the fittest as a theory, but for canoeing it is not practical, 
or the best thing for the sport. I believe the general pur- 
pose canoe was the nearest approach to the solution of 
the problem before us, and if ten years ago, with the 
experience we now have, we had stuck to that good old 
ship, with a few more limitations, and abandoned the 
racing machine altogether, we would not now be trying to 
see what we could do to enlarge our fleets. And yet, per- 
haps the natural order of progression required it, but 
now that we have learned our lesson and see our mistakes, 
let us start anew. The reason why the cruising canoe was 
not the success it was intended, was entirely because we 
retained the racing canoe as the star attraction, and rele- 
gated the general purpose canoe to a class that one felt 
obliged to apologize if he got in one. It would be a 
miracle if it could succeed under such circumstances, 
especially when only one race was given to it on the A. C. 
A. regatta programme. 
Now, how would this do? Start out again with a canoe 
of the general purpose measurements, or something ap- 
proximating them, limit the midship section to a minimum 
(to be decided upon), but which should give only a 
moderate amount of dead rise, and a sufficently hard bilge 
to make a staunch and comfortable canoe. The weight 
should be limited to a minimum of say iiolbs., and 
the planking to be not less than H^n. thick, to insure a 
serviceable and strong craft. Limit the sliding seat so 
that the under or stationary part shall not project beyond 
the gunwale, and the sliding part to not more than 4ft. 
in length, or less if thought better. Next, limit the sail 
area to a limit that means something, say looft., so that 
sailing will mean sailing, and not acrobatic ability — make 
the rig a reefable, hoisting and lowering one. Do away 
with hollow spars, to keep down the cost, as they are 
both expensive and unsatisfactory in some ways, and not 
as necessary in a smaller rig; get a decent regatta com- 
mittee, one that does not think they are the only acrobats 
on the trapeze, and then see if we do mot put some new 
life in the sailing races. 
Anent the subject of regatta committee, either the posi- 
tion is an almost unconquerable hoodoo — there have been 
some horrible mistakes somewhere — or else the trouble is 
with the racing men themselves. Which is it? I am loath 
to believe it is the racing men, for they certainly work 
hard, spend time and money to prepare for the races, and 
are seldom found complaining, and then only^ when they 
find a committee that acts as if it thought it was a whole 
circus itself, was there to consult its own pleasure, and 
at the crack of the whip expect the racing men to jump 
like a lot of trained animals— preferably monkeys. That 
sort of monkey business is discouraging. Of course, I do 
not mean that all committees have been equally bad, or 
that all the members have shown a like amount of incom- 
petence, but I do think we have had a perfect gorge of 
the latter. Certainly a judge ought to know his business 
to start with, no matter what he is called to pass upon. 
I should not expect to be a satisfactory judge at a horse 
or dog show, nor do I think a farmer of necessity make^ 
