94 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
OAK. 81, 1903. 
not less than 4ft. 6in. for yachts of 30ft. rating and 
°^4.*^ The measurements required in these limitations must 
be made by tlie official measurer of the club, and they 
must form part of the regular rating measurement certifi- 
cate to be filed with all entries. _ ^ 
L. D. Sampsell, Secretary S. Y. C. 
The Defense of the Canada's Cup. 
Toronto, Jan. 24.— Unless future developments change • 
matter: materially, the Royal Canadian Y. C. will have no 
choice in the selection of a Canada's cup defender. The 
match for this great international trophy is due to be 
sailed of? Toronto Island August 9, 10 and 11, I9p3, al- 
though the Rochester Y. C, the challengers, would like 
an earlier date. When Invader brought back the cup 
from Chicago in 1901, enthusiasm ran high m Toronto, 
and half a dozen syndicates were talked of for the build- 
ing of defenders for the next match, but for some reason 
or other the only defender now definitely in view is one 
which is being biiilt for Mr. Norman Macrae, of Toronto. 
Her construction has not progressed very far as yet, be- 
cause her frames, which are being furnished by her Eng- 
lish designer, have not yet arrived in Toronto. There is 
talk of a syndicate to build a second defender, and in 
the interests of yachting it is to be hoped that there 
will at least be enough defenders for the holding of trial 
races. As the contestants are 40-footers under the new 
regulations they are an absolutely new class, and while 
there are plenty of boats of approximately the same 
size, there are none built to conform to the latest rules. 
For instance, the original Canada and Men-ythought, 
Vreda, Aggie and Zelma are all of about the same size 
as the new boats, and these yachts and the larger flyer, 
Gloria, may be utilized in races to tune up the Toronto 
defender ; but it would be much more satisfactory for the 
Royal Canadian Y. C. to be able to choose their defender 
from a number of new 40-footers. If no other defender 
is built the craft with which Mr. Macrae has come for- 
ward will have to be utilized, as she will be the only yacht 
in the R. C. Y. C. fleet which will conform exactly to the 
requirements of the new rules. 
The Macrae defender for the Canada's cup promises to 
be a fine ship, whether she successfully defends the cup 
or not. She is no racing machine. Her owner wanted 
a smart pleasure craft, somewhat larger than his present 
yacht, the Watson cutter, Vivia, and was easily per- 
suaded, since the cup needed a defender, to give an order 
for a yacht of the competing class— the new 40-footers. 
Since so much depended upon the new boat, the best of 
designers and builders known to Toronto men were 
chosen— A. E. Payne, of Southampton, England, for the 
lines, and Capt. James Andrews, of Oakville, for the 
construction. A. E. Payne designed the fastest all-around 
sailing craft Toronto has ever seen— Gloria, the famous 
winner of the Coupe de France, and Beaver, the defender 
of the Canada's cup in 1899. Beaver lost then, but she 
did not get her weather. Capt. Andrews, on the other 
hand, has built every Canadian craft that has ever had 
a look-in, as far as the Canada's cup is concerned. _ 
Payne has turned out an able looking craft in the 
Macrae defender. She is roomy but not bulky, according 
to her lines. Her profile greatly resembles that of Beaver. 
The curve of her stem is a little less abrupt, and her 
counter ii>«:arried out a little further aft; her midships 
section shows a somewhat easier bilge than Beaver's, and 
more body; in short, there is less fin and more boat, ihis 
is probably the outcome of the new restrictions, and 
whatever the effect on speed, more headroom m cup chal- 
lengers and cup defenders is to be encouraged. 
The new craft will be within a few inches of 6oft. over 
all—probably 59ft. 6in. will be her length from stemhead 
to taffrail, and on the waterline she will just come within 
the limit of the 40ft. Under the new regulations the 
yachts are classified according to length on the waterline, 
hence the new 40-footers will be pretty big yachts for 
fresh water craft. The new boat will be of 13ft. beam on 
deck, and a little less at the waterline. Her draft is 
quite moderate for her other proportions, being just Hit 
These dimensions are very close approximates to the 
actual ones, the publication of the latter being held m 
abeyance for a little while yet, a matter of fairness to 
the owner of the defender. 
It is interesting to compare the new _ craft with the 
Watson-designed cutter Vivia, with which the Messrs. 
Macrae have been associated for years. Vivia has long 
been known, under the old measurements, as a 40- 
footer," but the new craft is 8ft. longer on the waterline 
and loft. longer on deck, and has i8in. more beam. Her 
section shows more curve than Vivia's, and she draws 
i^in. less. Her sail area is greater by a thousand square 
feet, so that the new regulations appear to have produced 
a bigger boat with more driving power and less dratt, 
and the "long legged" craft are becoming les.s and less 
desirable on Lake Ontario. The famous Gloria, for in- 
stance, was brought to Toronto for Mr. H. C McLeod 
two years after her Mediterranean victory; and while a 
magnificent craft in many respects, she has the somewhat 
doubtful honor of having grounded in every harbor on 
Lake Ontario that she has entered— and she only dra^ys 
ten feet Whether statistics bear it out or not, every old 
sailorman will tell you that there is less water m Lake 
Ontario harbors than there used to be, in spite of aU the 
'^'^The^coming contest will witness a return to the club 
topsail regime that prevailed when Canada first won the 
cup. We have had jib-and-mainsail defenders and chal- 
lerigers ever since, but the Macrae craft will have a full 
cutter rig, and it is expected that the other contestants 
will follow suit. Twentyrsix hundred square feet of can- 
vas is a lot to handle in two pieces, so the j ib-and-mam- 
sail will probably be replaced by the cutter rig in all the 
40-footers. The Macrae boat has a shipshape sail plan, 
her horn being of generous length and not stubbed ott in 
modern fashion. Her biggest clubtopsail is not very 
large and the mainsail will furnish most of the driving 
oowe'r. Her mainmast is 33ft. from deck to hounds, and 
her topmast is 20ft., -so that .she has pretty good hoist for, 
^oft of waterline. The mainboom is long, but not ab- 
normally so-47ft.-and the gaff is 28ft None of her 
three headsails are abnormal in size. The sail plan is 
pleasing, and, like everything else in the boat, has noth- 
ing freakish about it. Its total area is a few feet under 
the 2,600 limit. 
Commodore jEmilius Jarvis, of the Royal Canadian 
Y. C, he who first brought home the Canada's cup, and. 
who has sailed for it in every contest, will probably be at 
the helm in the latest defender. * His health has beem 
giving his friends some anxiety, but a winter in the brac- 
ing atmosphere of Muskoka is working beneficent won- 
ders with him and his return to yachting activity is. 
looked forward to. Of course there are many other good' 
sailors in the Royal Canadian Y. C, and such skippers as. 
J. Wilton Morse or H. C. McLeod, of Toronto, or Capt.. 
J. E. Fearnside, of Hamilton, would be able to handle the: 
defender well if Mr. Geo. E. Macrae did not care to take 
the responsibility or could not afford the time. Mr. G.. 
E. Macrae is a well-lcnown racing sailor, and they relate: 
of him how, in the last Canada's cup races, he saved 
Cadillac from losing her mainboom when she jibed alL 
standing at the second turn. Mr. Macrae was the Can- 
adian scrutineer, but the sailor outweighed the patriot,, 
according to the story, and he threw the turns of the lee 
backstay runner off just quick enough to save the Ameri- 
can from losing her mainboom or possibly being dis- 
masted. Mr. Norman Macrae, who is the sole owner of 
the Macrae defender, is less of a racing sailor, but has 
been associated with his brother in the cutter Vivia, anjdl 
is well known to Lake Ontario yachtsmen. 
Charles H. Snider. 
Boston Letter. 
Boston, Jan. 24. — The annual meeting of the Bostoffl 
Y. C, to be held at Parker's on Wednesday evening: 
next, will be a most important one, not only to the 
Boston Club, but also to the Hull-Massachusetts Y. C.,. 
and all yachtsmen of the East as well. At this meet- 
ing action will be taken upon the question of whether 
or not the Boston Y. C. and the Hull-Massachusetts; 
Y. C. may be amalgamated. This subject has been un- 
der consideration by prominent members of both clubs: 
throughout the past year, but the time for decisive 
action has not been considered ripe until now. The; 
matter came up before the Hull-Massachusetts Y. C. 
at its annual meeting, but Avas laid over, and in regard! 
to that meeting I must correct an error made in a 
recent letter on the election of oflicGi s of that club. It 
seems that the matter of election of officers was laidl 
over, on account of the possibilities of amalgamation,, 
although the officers had been nominated as announced.. 
There is no doubt that the amalgamation of these: 
two clubs will be of great benefit. The Boston Y. C. 
is the oldest in New England, and has among its mern- 
bership the names of yachtsmen who were first identi- 
fied with the development of the sport in the East. 
The Hull-Massachusetts Y. C. is a very active one, its 
activity having been more marked within the past few 
years. If they join forces the new club will start with 
a membership of over 700, and will have a good equip- 
ment in the way of stations. There will be five of these 
in all, located at Boston, City Point, Dorchester, Hull 
and Marblehead. Having these stations under the 
management of one club will be of immense advantage 
to cruising yachtsmen. There is no doubt that the 
membership in the new club would increase rapidly 
from the time of amalgamation, and, with such a large 
prospective membership, it would be a very easy matter- 
to establish stations at different points along the 
coast, as the demands of the cruising yachtsmen might 
require. Thus it would become one of the strongest 
yachting organizations in the country. 
The nominating committee of the Boston Y. C. has 
presented the following names for election at the_ an- 
nual meeting, although it is likely that the nominations 
will be laid over, as in the Hull-Massachusetts Y. C.,. 
until action upon amalgamation has been determined: 
Commodore, B. P. Cheney; Vice Commodore, Walter 
Burgess; Rear Commodore, Elmer F. Smith; Secre- 
tary, A. C. Fernald; Treasurer, William H. Bangs; 
Measurers, W. Starling Burgess and Jefferson Borden; 
Trustees, Commodore (ex-officio) and W. C. Lewis; 
Regatta Committee, Walter burgess, Bertram D. Ams- 
■den, Charles A. French, Charles G. Browne and Sum- 
ner H. Foster; Membership Committee, Commodore 
and Secretary (ex-officio), Walter C. Lewis, Edmund 
H. Tarbell, William D. Turner, Charles E. Lauriat, 
Jr., and Everett Paine; House Committee, T. Wolcott 
Powers, William D. Turner, Willard B. Jackson, Her- 
bert W Wesson and Charles G. Browne. 
Hollis Burgess has sold the 21-footer Recruit, owned 
by Mr. F, B. Rice, of Quincy, to Wagener Bros., of 
Penn Yan, N. Y. ; 22ft. waterline yawl Edith, owned 
by Mr. F. H. Green, of Wollaston, to Mr. H. W. Hand, 
of New York; 21ft. raceabout Shawsheen. owned by 
Mr. George Atkinson, Jr., to Vice Commodore Walter 
Burgess, of the Boston Y. C. ; 18ft. knockabout Shrimp, 
owned by Vice Commodore Burgess, to George Atkin- 
son, Jr., and 2S-footer Kalania III., owned by Mr. 
David Rice, to Mr. H. N. Richards, of Boston. 
Small Bros, have an order for a 2T-footer for the 
defense of the Lipton Cup from a syndicate of mem- 
bers of the Columbia Y. C. of Chicago. They have 
also an order for a cruising 21ft. Avaterline yawl for 
F, W. King, of Olneyville, R. I. They have sold a 
17ft, waterline knockabout to Mr. F. H. Cheetham, of 
the South Boston Y. C, and the 26ft. Cape cat, Alma, 
owned by Mr. S. H. Eldridge, to Mr. R. J. Pond, 
Mr. E. A. Boardman has gone ahead with the plans 
of a Seawanhaka challenger, and is now quite sure 
that the boat will be built. He will own her with an- 
other Boston yachtsman, whose name has been with- 
held. Mr. Boardman has an order for a 22-footer. He 
has sold his i8ft knockabout Sioux to Mr. P. W. 
Clement, who will sail her on Lake Champlain. 
The Winthrop Y. C. has elected the following offi- 
cers: Commodore, William D. Allen; Vice Commo- 
dore, John J. Nicholson; Secretary, Charles G. Bird; 
Treasurer, Edgar H. Whitney; Measurer, Albert S. 
Richards; Directors, James R. Hodder, William I. 
Kelley, Joseph L. Rankin and Charles A. Rouillard; 
House Committee, xMbert S. Richards, Charles G. Bird 
and William E. Watkins; Regatta Committee, Frank 
H. Byrne, Charles O. Whitney, Charles W, Gray, John 
P. Feehan and Charles F. Chipman; Membership Com- 
-mittee, Albert Partridge, Joseph J. Devereux, Daniel 
J. Langlands, Frank H. Byrne, Charles H. Kelley, 
Frank H. Beckler, Albert M. Crowe, Frank H. Mason 
and Charles H. Sawyer. 
At the Marblehead Yacht Yard, the 41ft. auxiliary 
yawl designed by W. H. Stearns, is in frame. Work 
has been started on a 25ft. speed launch. R. K. Long- 
fellow's cutter, Wyvern, is being altered. The cruising 
:25-footer, which has been designed by Crowninshield 
for Levi C. Wade, will be built at this yard. 
Work has slowed up somewhat on the Seawanhaka 
■cup challenger that is being built from designs by Bur- 
gess and Packard, at Manchester, There is no great 
hurry at present for the boat, and there is no doubt 
that she will be ready when wanted. The plans for the 
second boat for the Higginson-Boardman syndicate 
have not yet been finished, and it may be some time 
;now before she is started. These two and the boat de- 
:signed by E. A. Boardman are the only candidates for 
ichallenger that have been heard from up to date. 
John B. Killeen. 
Thames Househoats. 
BY C E. THOMAS. 
In the event of no earlier writer having worked off 
:the ancient wheeze, I may perhaps be pardoned the sug- 
gestion that the original houseboater was inspired to 
'build his craft by the description in Holy Writ of the 
Ark, the name, by the way, of one of the earliest of 
English craft of this character, and still used. Certain 
it is that the skipper of this most ancient of houseboats 
•could not have been an American, or he would have 
rigged her up with power of some description. He is 
more likely to have been an Englishman, for the present 
■day English houseboat is still practically a barge with a 
few rooms built thereon, and there has been no develop- 
ment in the direction of fitting with a motor or sails.- 
In fact, the most notable exception, a species of com- 
bined houseboat and launch, once owned by Colonel Fitz- 
'George, son of the Duke of Cambridge, was quite an early 
■craft. 
The reason for this apparent slackness in the country 
which introduced the pleasure houseboat is that on the 
'Thames, the houseboat river par excellence, the condi- 
tions of life and traffic regulations only admit the possi- 
bility of what is practically a stationary floating home, 
:and not one to be moved every few days or so. 
Different conditions prevail, say, on the Broads, the 
■fine waterways of Norfolk and Suffolk, where the pleasure 
wherry, a development of the ordinary craft of commerce 
■on these waters, with its one huge sail, is, perhaps, more 
in keeping with the American idea of a houseboat. But 
'the wherry does not represent the English idea, for which 
■one must visit the "silvery Thames" in the height of the 
summer season, notably during Henley Regatta week, 
when numerous fine craft form an attractive background 
to this grand aquatic picture. 
The early history of the Thames houseboat is not very 
■easy to trace, but there is little doubt that the inception 
■of the idea came from Oxford. At any rate the first 
■of these craft seen there was of very remote date. 
Originally it was a barge, used, before the days of raili- 
ways, as a "fly-boat" for carrying purposes between Lon- 
■don and Oxford, when the river was indeed the Thames 
Highway, the barge, with its team of eight horses, making 
.a pretty quick journey. When this craft had served its 
time of usefulness for traffic purposes, a house was built 
on it, and it was devoted to boat-letting purposes by 
Messrs. Davis and King, the predecessors of Messrs. 
Salter Bros., the promoters of the Oxford to Kingston 
launch service, which is so popular with American visi- 
tors to this side. Mr. Davis and Mr. King lived in alter- 
nate years on board their roomy craft (she is 107 feet 
long and 17 feet 9 inches broad, and the largest in Ox- 
ford, for it is still in existence). The barge was an old 
boat when taken over by Messrs. Salter in 1858, but re- 
mains in use for boat-letting purposes, and is known as 
"Salter's green barge," forming a landmark in boat race- 
practice. It has been in its present position for between 
'60 and 70 years ; for a few years no one has lived on 
board, but for 40 out of the last 44 years Messrs. Salter's 
manager has resided on her. 
Other craft responsible for the introduction of house- 
boats, too, were the stately old city barges, belonging 
to the various London companies. Many of these, on 
their retirement, were taken to Oxford, the first probably 
between 1850 and i860, and were used by College boat 
clubs as quarters ; they have all disappeared now, but 
the Oriel College barge of to-day was designed on the 
lines of one of the old city barges, and most of the 
modern craft have retained much of their ancient ap- 
pearance. 
Many well known architects and artists have designed 
these graceful and handsome college barges, among them 
Mr. J. G. Jackson, R. A. ; Mr. J. O. Scott, Mr. A. Water- 
house, R. A., and Mr. H. Wilkinson Moore. The last 
named, an Oxford gentleman, has designed several of the 
more modern barges, most of which have been built by 
Messrs. Salter, and by the courtesy of the designer and 
builder I am able to give the design and photographs of 
the Keble College barge, built in 1899, and one of the 
handsomest of the Oxford College boats. The dimen- 
sions, etc., are given in the plan, and the photographs 
show the graceful and old-world appearance of one of 
the most striking craft on the long line of college barges 
at Oxford. 
The last of the city barges to be used for pleasure pur- 
poses was the Maria Wood, which ceased her excursions 
only a few years ago. She was towed by horses to 
Hampton Court, and was always filled with frock-coated, 
white waistcoated and tall-hatted magnates, most inap- 
propriately attired for a river trip, who, with their 
woman-kind, threaded the mazy waltz on a hot summer's 
afternoon, to the amusement of what Mr. Rudynrd Kip- 
ling would probably describe as the "flanneled fools" in 
sculling boats. Her departure seems to remove one of 
the last links with the old-time life on the Thames, and 
many rivenncn have heard with regret that the ancient 
craft is now doing duty as a floating dock. 
Doubtless the early pleasure houseboater seized on a 
ready-made hull on which to construct his floating resi- 
dence, and as the Thames Conservancy regulations as to 
places for mooring, etc., were not so numerous in bygone 
