5£ 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Jaw, i8 f 190c. 
was known to sail around the entire fleet, and be at 
anchor with her sails stowed when the first boat came in. 
Following Comet was Fanita, Grayling, Montauk and 
others. Grayling for many years was the queen of the 
fleet. Montauk had the distinction, until two years ago, of 
holding the record over the New York course. 
Among the smaller boats there was very great rivalry. 
On the Staten Island shore the Seawanhaka Y. C. was de- 
veloping the cutter type — both the English and American 
styles. On the Long Island shore they were developing 
the Ellsworth boats. 
The Ellsworth productions represented boats of con- 
siderable displacement and beam, but moderate draft. 
The boats on the Staten Island Shore— the cutters — were 
generally of narrow beam and large displacement. 
Probably one of the best races ever sailed in New York 
Bay was the race between Valkyrie — a modified boat de- 
signed by Cary Smith — and Oriva, an English boat of 
moderate beam. 
At the end of the race these boats finished within a few 
seconds of each other; at no time during the race were 
they separated more than a few lengths. This race sug- 
gested that a combination of beam and draft was con- 
ducive to comfort, room and sea-going qualities, without 
being detrimental to speed. 
The first boat to thoroughly demonstrate the value of 
the keel boat of moderate size, was the Burgess cutter 
Papoose. This boat possessed the beam of the American 
vessel, the draft of the English, with a compromise dis- 
placement between the two. She was never defeated by a 
boat of her own size, or by a centerboard boat, and was 
the forerunner of the modern type of racing vessel. 
After first demonstrating that he could build a center- 
board boat which was faster than any keel boat at that 
time existing, Mr. Burgess, in Papoose, clearly demon- 
strated that he could build a keel boat yet superior to his 
own centerboard boat. 
Succeeding Papoose we find a fleet of 40-footers, both 
keel and centerboards, although the greater number of 
them were keel boats. This class of boats probably 
furnished the most brilliant racing this country has ever 
seen. 
While Papoose was at length defeated, it was never 
done except by larger boats, and while the centerboards 
did magnificent work, it was thoroughly demonstrated 
that the combination of the English and American ideas 
was superior to all previous practice in construction on 
either side of the Atlantic. It is hardly fair to leave this 
class without mentioning Minerva — a creation of Mr. Fife 
— with only 40ft. waterline, she crossed the Atlantic on 
her own bottom safely and made good time coming over. 
Although smaller than the American boats, the perfection 
of model, canvas and handling, placed her at the front 
of the class. 
While we were developing modified boats on this side, 
the English were developing an extreme type of boat — the 
rules governing the races giving an advantage to a type of 
excessive length and displacement, combined with very 
narrow beam. 
Probably the two most notable craft — as well as the two 
latest of this class — were Doris and Olga. While repre- 
senting an entirely different model, their dimensions were 
about the same. They were both wonderful performers, 
as regards speed, but unfortunately never came together, 
due to the sinking of Olga in a collision. 
Olga was a wonderful sea boat, and the personal ex- 
perience of the writer in connection with Olga is such 
as to warrant him in certifying to this statement. She 
was probably the'best example of a good sea boat of the 
narrow type that has been produced. 
Succeeding these boats, the rules were changed in 
England, and they immediately went to a broader type of 
boat. 
In this country the 46-footers succeeded the 40-footers. 
In this class appeared Gloriana. She was a radical 
departure from anything ever built in this country, and 
was a production of the Herreshoffs. She possessed ex- 
treme overhangs, full bow and stern, and was designed 
to sail over the water, rather than through it. I am told 
she was a development from a very careful study of 
Minerva — with her good qualities reproduced and her 
bad ones omitted. 
Her success was so great that it at once took the 
Herreshoffs directly into the front rank in the designing 
of modern yachts. 
Contemporaneous with Gloriana was Dora, built by 
Watson, for the owner of Doris. This boat possessed the 
convex waterline, full bow, nearly all the characteristics 
of Gloriana, except that she had a perfect triangular longi- 
tudinal section. So it appepars that in the same year a 
Complete change of type was made in England as well as 
in America. 
To whom most credit belongs for originality it is diffi- 
cult to determine. 
Succeeding Gloriana the Herreshoffs made another radi- 
cal departure in Dilemma. This boat represented a very 
moderate displacement, full bow and stern, extremely 
long ends, a metal plate descending from the hull, at the 
bottom of which was suspended a bulb of lead. This 
boat was certainly an extreme development of the racing 
machine, for she possessed minimum displacement, with 
maximum sail-carrying power. 
Succeeding Dilemma we find two boats, El Chico and 
Pixey. El Chico was the successor of Dilemma — the 
most extreme of the fin type; Pixey was a boat of very 
much larger displacement, with a very short keel and 
fuller garboard. Her surface was smaller than EI Chico' s 
and displacement greater. 
Pixey was a combination of the cruising and racing 
boat, while El Chico was an extreme racing machine. The 
result of the season's racing was, that El Chico and 
Pixey came out practically even, El Chico winning the 
last race by an accident to Pixey — Pixey being ahead at 
the time of the accident. El Chico was 'successful in 
reaching in strong breezes. Pixey was nearly always 
successful going to windward, and was an easy winner in 
a light wind. This was the first real contest between the 
keel boat of extreme type and the ballast fin. 
Succeeding these two boats we find Vencedor and Syce. 
Vencedor was a ballast fin, similar to El Chico ; Syce" was 
a supposed improvement on Pixey'. Sy^e demonstrated, 
as regards the two boats, that the keel boat' of fjcr type 
Was very much superior to the ballast fin, A majority 
of the most modern boats — the successful Cup, defenders 
included— have all bf en boats of. that type. Ip fact, ftffcjn 
the rules were changed in England, and it was found 
advisable to increase the area of the midship section, the 
garboards of some of the ballast fins were filled, and, 
strange to say, independent of the reduction in their meas- 
urement, the speed of the boats was increased, due to 
filling the garboards. 
The Boston knockabouts are probably the best developed 
boats in existence to-day. They have been built under 
specified conditions, and are the result of a gradual im- 
proving development by a number of designers all follow- 
ing up the same conditions. 
These boats are of the keel type — the ballast fin rtot ' 
having been successful. 
The present racing boats are distinguished by full 
waterlines, easy garboards, very considerable displace- 
ment and extremely short keels. In fact, as stated before, 
the length of the keel is probably determined by the 
amount, location and form of the lead. I doubt if the 
keels will ever be made shorter than they are to-day. 
Among the present racing boats we find a very great 
variety of models at and above the waterline. Some are 
very good sea boats and some are not. The sea-going 
qualities seem to be a matter almost entirely of individual 
design, both in lines and in construction. 
The general feeling is that the present type of boat is 
dangerous, and if the opinions of the owners are to be 
followed, any one who is called upon to judge, would 
certainly have very confused ideas. At any rate, the 
opinion among many is such that it has been considered 
advisable to change the rules in such a way as to dis- 
continue the present type. Several boats have been 
built — both of large and medium sizes — that have shown 
such weakness in their racing that they have been con- 
sidered dangerous. 
To those who are familiar with the principles of naval 
architecture, and the proper construction of boats, it seems 
unfair to condemn a type on the results of the perform- 
ances of these boats; for no matter what bad qualities 
they may possess in form, they certainly were not con- 
structed in accordance with the principles of modern 
naval architecture, and until a boat that has been con- 
structed properly has failed, I do not consider that the 
type should be condemned. 
We have among us a few boats that have been wonder- 
fully successful in racing in England. They have all 
crossed the Atlantic on their own bottoms — some without 
a hitch of any kind. A few years ago these vessels 
would have been considered extreme racing machines, and 
those who have had the good fortune to be on board of 
them in bad weather, and who are familiar with the boats 
of the older types, can thoroughly appreciate how > much 
superior they are, for any purpose, as compared with the 
older boats. 
These boats represent modern ideas as regards the con- 
vex bow, the long but rounded stern, and moderate 
surface. They seem to be built to steer with any sail you 
put on them, and they have been known to handle well 
with staysail, jib and jib topsail, and no other sails set. 
This is certainly a guarantee that they will lay to in bad 
weather at sea. 
In this country many condemned the convex bow. This 
judgment has been reached by passing on a few badly 
designed boats ; but it is my opinion, that the most perfect 
sea boat in existence to-day is the boat that represents 
nearly all the qualities of the modern racer, not carried to 
an extreme, and those who are familiar with the per- 
formance of Defender in a beat to windward at sea, in 
this country, or the performance of Meteor under the 
same conditions in England, I feel will verify my state- 
ment. They are magnificent boats under these or any 
other conditions; they are dry, able and are totally free 
from the pounding qualities that mar other boats. 
Several boats have been designed lately in England of 
the older type, possessing the old clipper bow, but from 
reports I have received none of these boats compare in 
sea-going qualities, speed or handiness with Meteor. And 
from the reports of yachtsmen, whose opinions are worthy 
of consideration, I am told they are years behind the times. 
It is true that the full bow, under certain conditions, is 
not good; but when carefully and thoughtfully de- 
signed, you will obtain a steadier, faster and drier boat 
than can possibly be obtained by a return to the clipper 
bow of ancient history. 
Cruising Yachts. 
The general opinion has been that a boat five or six 
years old, or more, is a good cruising yacht; while a 
boat of the present day (whatever the day may be) may 
be a good racer, but is sure to be a poor cruising boat. 
Mr. Smither's definition of the cruising boat is: A 
boat that is not fast enough to win races. 
In this country we have built a good many famous 
cruising boats, and in their day they certainly were very 
successful. Among them are Intrepid, Iroquois and Yam- 
pa, all of which have covered thousands of miles of open 
water. . 
In England probably the most modern cruising boat is 
Cariad. In form she certainly represents the most modern 
ideas. Although an exceptional sea boat, Cariad has not 
proved herself the superior of the racing boats, either in 
a gale of wind or in heavy seas. 
In this country we have built a great many small and 
moderate sized boats for cruising solely. Their particular 
characteristics have been room ; and that room has gen- 
erally been obtained by excessive beam. I saw an ideal 
cruiser last summer. She was very wide and had a full 
bilge, giving plenty of cabin space, very high sides, short 
ends, short bowsprit, boom slightly over the stern, and 
an extremely high rig. She had a Boston cockpit, by 
which I mean a cockpit, the floor of which is very low 
in the boat. We walked directly from the cockpit into the 
cabin, The back of the cockpit is very high. This is 
particularly well adapted for ladies when the boat is at 
anchor. When the boat is sailing, the top of the shoulders 
are at the upper edge of the cockpit, and unless the seat 
is 24m. wide, or more, the end of the spine just comes 
into contact with the edge of the seat if one wishes to 
sit upright to windward. 
The unfortunate person who is steering the boat cannot 
see anything, either to leeward or to windward, and 
must have . some one sitting on the top of the; cabin house 
on I deck to inform" him where he is going. 
Tpis boat, as I said, is the ideal cruiser, I asked the 
captain how she sailed; he told me he was out once 
(juring the previous summer, and jpfww) hg ^tended; # 
go out again this summer if he had to take a tug to 
bring him back. 
We have, however, quite a number of boats that have 
been built for cruising, that represent a very wholesome 
type. Among them is the yawl Mr. Hyslop built for him- 
self last summer. This boat represents easy form, moder- 
ate rig, moderate dimensions; and while not possessing 
the accommodations of many of our so-called cruising 
boats, she is thoroughly capable of going anywhere, wind 
or weather, .without excessive work, and she does not 
require a large crew. 
Albicore is another of a similar type, a production of 
William Fife, Jr., which possesses all of the qualities 
of the above-mentioned boat. She is fast, comfortable 
and handy, and is one of the most desirable types of boat 
that has been built. 
For our requirements in this country we need large 
sail plans. It seems to me much better to devote time 
and money to the details of blocks and rigging and 
obtain ease of handling in this way rather than by 
reducing the sails. The best cruiser in the majority of 
cases is the one that makes her day's run and gets in 
before the wind dies down while the other spends the 
night on the Sound. 
It is very much easier to adapt a cruising boat to a 
man, than it is to adapt a man to a boat. We have every 
type of yachtsman, from the man at Shelter Island, who 
likes to keep his boat at anchor, so that' he will at all 
times know where she is, to the man that wants the 
fastest boat that can be produced, and who, although 
he never sails a race, wants the best of canvas and rig- 
ging, and who loves sailing out of pure love of the sport 
and whose enjoyment is in seeing his boat move. 
There is no doubt that it is very beneficial to health to 
get out on the water and spend the night, no matter what 
the boat might be, so long as you can sleep comfortably. 
As one of our progressive producers advertises : Yacht- 
ing makes a man hungry, and after all, that is what it 
is for. 
But there is a much higher aim to those who care to 
seek it. To race a yacht perfectly is something that no 
one has ever accomplished, and never will. 
You can go through life and continually acquire knowl- 
edge, but you never can make a perfect sailor. The man 
who loves yachting for the sport, who loves the art of 
sailing, and who desires to be proficient in it, is the man 
who derives the greatest benefit, mental and physical. 
At the present time we have a very decided agitation 
over measurement rules, and we are going to legislate. 
We cannot legislate to produce a type of boat that will 
be a success in racing, and at the same time will fill all 
the requirements desired of a cruising boat at the present 
day. The best we can do is to develop a type of boat, that 
while safe, will be conducive to the development of the 
art of sailing, and which will at the same time give the 
designers an opportunity to develop the highest speed 
qualities, so that we will not be forced to devote our 
energies to the creation of a type that will lose for us the 
prestige we now enjoy. 
Cherokee. 
Through the kindness of the designers, Messrs. Tarns, 
Lemoine & Crane, we are able to reproduce in this issue 
the plans of the 35ft. waterline sloop Cherokee, now 
being built by the Geo. Lawley & Son Corp., of South 
Boston, for Mr. H. A. Morss. 
Her dimensions are as follows : 
Length — 
Over all 52ft. 7^in. 
L.W.L 34^. 11 >n. 
Overhang — 
Forward 8ft. o in. 
Aft 9ft. 8^in. 
Breadth- 
Extreme 12ft. o in. 
L.W.L 10ft. 11 in. 
Freeboard to Top of Rail — 
Forward 5ft. 0 in. 
Aft 3ft. 5 in- 
Least 3ft. o in. 
Draft, extreme 8ft. o in 
Sail Area — 
Mainsail 1,228 sq. ft. 
Jib 270 sq. ft. 
Staysail 208 sq. ft. 
Area lower sails i,7°6 S Q- ft. 
Topsail 196 sq. ft. 
Total area 1,902 sq. ft. 
In design neither displacement or deadwood has been 
much cut away — in fact, she is a more full-bodied boat 
than we have seen for some time. A glance at the mid- 
ship section shows plainly how so much accommodation 
is gained on a boat of 35ft. waterline. The section is 
well rounded and of full form; this, together 
with good freeboard, gives a large amount of 
internal room. The main cabin is 7ft. long. There 
is a wide transom on each side, with lockers under. Be- 
hind the transoms are lockers and shelves. In the for- 
ward end of the cabin on each side are sideboards for. 
silver, etc. On the starboard side opening from the main 
saloon is the toilet room, fitted with a folding wash basin 
and closet. The owner's stateroom is just forward of the 
toilet room on the starboard side. This room can be 
reached either from the passageway on the port side or, if 
that is being used as a stateroom, one can go through the 
lavatory. The owner's room is fitted with a wide berth, 
with drawers under, bureau, folding wash basin, etc. The 
passageway on the port side can be made into a stateroom 
by closing the folding doors at the forward and after end. 
The galley, which is of excellent size, runs the width of 
the boat, "and is fitted in addition to a large ice box, with 
the usual sink, lockers, dish racks, etc. The forecastle is 
unusually large for a boat of this size, and is fitted with 
two pipe berths for the crew. There is a water closet for 
the crew. There is 6ft. 2in. headroom under the carlins 
of the cabin house, which is 19ft. long and 5ft. ioin. wide. 
The cockpit is watertight. 9ft, long and 7ft. t wide. The 
waterway on each side of the cabin house is 3ft. wide. 
The boat is splendidly built, and a good idea of the con- 
struction can be learned from the plans. 
Cherokee has a pole mast rig of moderate size, and the 
boat should be easily handled. ppder 9$ conditions of 
win<l. and weather. 
