FOHEST AND * StHlEAM. 
UMBRINA. 
Designed and built by the Marblehead Yacht Yard for J. P. Elton. Photo by Willard B. Jackson, Marblehead. 
often been the custom fbr a. designer to give up the at- 
tempt at nice balancing and provide his boat with the 
so-called sliding m'ast, that is, a mast whose position 
forward and, aft could be rcadiljr changed by an adjust- 
JTietit of ivedgfes. 
Thferfe arc two extreme opinioils as to the use ol 
>;cicntific designing, the onfc holds that it is possible 
to calculate or in some manner to ultimately arrive at 
ft highly developed aiid perfect form of hull, which 
iov a given sail power will show such a balance of re- 
.eistance as will result in the greatest obtainable i>peed. 
On the other hand, some say that it is all mere guess 
\\ork, and one indiscriminate shape will do as well as 
I he other. The latter being often supported in their 
views by the sight of the very wide shallow and blunted 
craft sailing on equal terms with the narrow, canoe- 
like type of boat. I think it may be safely said that 
mathematical theory alone will never evolve a perfect 
craft, even for given conditions, but on the other 
hand, I firmly believe that careful and appropriate ex- 
periment with much thought and precise methods of 
calculation will always place the art of designing 
higher and higher, and eventually entireh'- supersede al! 
hit and miss methods. 
Theory is much, but experiment must give the final 
touch, as Goethe said, "Gray is every theory and green 
the golden tree of life." 
Umbdna. 
The plans of Umbrina, published herewith, show one 
of the type of light draft .35ft. waterline keel cutters 
designed and btiilt by the Marblehead Yacht Yard. In 
performance these boats turned out surprisingly well, 
being more than reasonably fast to windward and ex- 
ceptionally fast oflE the wind. Umbrina is, perhaps, the 
most successful example of the type, not onl}^ in point 
of Speed, but in seaworthiness and general comfort 
of arrangement. The two staterooms seem somewhat 
cut up, but as a matter of fact, there is plentj^ of elbow 
room even in the small one, and the convenience of 
the separate sleeping compartment appeals to many, 
especially when plenty of ventilation is provided for, as 
in this case. The main cabin is 7ft. 6in. long and the 
starboard stateroom is 7ft. long. The toilet room is 
3ft. 3in. wide. The cabin house is i8ft. in length, and 
there is a waterway 2ft. gin. wide all around. The 
galley is roomy and well arranged, and there is full 
headroom over a floor space 2ft. 6in. by 5ft. The 
forecastle has ample accommodation for the two men 
that are carried. The cockpit is watertight, and is 8ft. 
long and 6ft. wide. 
I 
! 
MANHASSET BAY CHALLENGE CUP FOR 3O-FOOT SLOOPS. 
The boat is- very handsomely finished below decks 
in figured mahogany. The cabin trunk is lined with 
mahogany. The beams are mahogany, and the deck 
IS laid in two thicknesses, the inner of mahogany, so 
that with carefully arranged panel work the ef¥ect is 
exceptionally handsome. 
The dimensions follow: 
Length — 
Over all 52ft. 3 in. 
^ L. W. L 3sft. 
Overhang — 
Forward 7ft. 9 in. 
Aft git. 6 in. 
Breadth- 
Extreme r2ft. irj/^in. 
L. W. L 12ft. 594in. 
Draft- 
Extreme 6ft. 6 in. 
Freeboard — 
Forward 4ft. 5 in. 
Least 2ft. 9 in. 
TafYrail 3ft. 2 in. 
Displacement 33,000 lbs. 
Ballast T4,oco lbs. 
Sail Area — 
Mainsail r.c86 sq. ft. 
Forestaysail 210 sq. ft. 
Jib 226 sq. ft. 
Area lower sails i,5?2 sq. ft. 
Top.sail 16S sq. ft. 
Jib topsail 178 aq. ft. 
Total area 1,868 sq. ft. 
Center of mast from stem at 1. w. 1 5ft. 
Bowsprit outboard 5ft. 9 in. 
YACHTING NEWS NOTES. 
Greene Bros., of Bridgeport, Conn., are building .1 
66ft. auxiliary for Mr. John A. Serrell, of Bayonne, N. 
J. The yacht will be fitted with a Globe engine. 
1^ 1^ 1^ 
Messrs. Herreshoff & Wells have gotten up plans 
for a one-design class for members of the Ncav York 
Y. C. The boats are 25ft. waterline, 40ft. over all, loft. 
breadth and 4ft. 6in. draft with the centerboard up 
and 8ft. with the board down. There is i,ico sq. ft. 
of canvas in the lower sails. It is expected that eight 
of ten boats will be built, and all of them will be ready 
for delivery by May 15. 
>t »l 
The auxiliary steam yacht Elsa has been sold by 
Mr. Evans R. Dick, of the New York Y. C, to Mr. 
Max C. Fleischmann, of Cincinnati, through the agency 
of Messrs. Gardner & Cox. The Elsa was formerly 
the Black Pearl, and was designed by Wm. Fife, Jr., 
and built by Culyean Shipbuilding & Engine Co., of 
Scotland, in 1885. She is of steel construction, 162ft. 
over all, 144ft. waterline, 23ft. 3in. beam. 
i| »l *6 
The steam yacht Maria, owned by Vice-Commodore 
Frederick G. Bourne, N. Y, Y. C, arrived at Newport 
on Tuesday morning, Dec. 16. She was eleven days, 
sixteen hours from Fayal, and twenty-six days from 
Queenstown. Very rough weather was experienced, but 
the yacht behaved well, and Captain Archibald Lear- 
mouth, who brought the vessel out, speaks hig-hly of 
her seagoing qualities. Mr. Bourne and Mr. Geo. 
A. Cormack, Secretary N. Y. Y'. C, met the yacht at 
Newport and came down the Sound in her. Maria is 
now at the works of the W. & A. Fletcher Co., Hobo- 
ken, N. J., where she will be generally overhauled. 
»? 
riie annual reoort of the Regatta Committee of the 
New York Y. C. has been printed and has been dis- 
tributed among the members. The report is very 
complete and well gotten up. 
^ ^ ^ 
The Regatta Committee of the Atlantic Y. C. an- 
nounce the resignation of Captain George Hill as 
Chairman of the Regatta Committee, and the election 
of Captain Henry J. Gielow as Chairman, to fill the 
unexpired term. The report of the committee has been 
printed and sent to the members. 
English Letter. 
Tni'. names of the (.)\vners of the new one-design 
class for the Solent have been published, and it is a 
\'ery influential list, viz.: The Earl of Albemarle, Earl 
of Arran, Lord Brassey, Baron Eckhardstein> Mr. 
John Gretton, M. P., the Hon. Alwyne Greville, Capt. 
Richard Charteris and Capt. J. Orr-Ewing — eight, to 
start with, and with power to add the whole aristoc- 
racy to their numbers. Now, nobody could grumble 
at this movement, were it not for the fact that it will 
infallibly kill open racing in the 36ft. and probaly in 
the 30ft. class on the Soletit. The owners have chosen 
.•1 design of almost the same dimensions as a 36-footer. 
the loadline length being 34ft. 6in. The boats have 
only one cabin. It may be very satisfactory so far as 
raciiig is concerned, but the movement on th''- part of 
wealthy men is characteristic of that selfig' less that 
has (being quite unchecked by legislation") 'di.ectly led 
to the collapse of our yacht racing. Capt. J. Orr- 
Ewiiig is a member of the Council of the Yacht Racing 
Association, which, as the representative org.--ii7.ation 
of British 3'achting, has never received a morc^ deadly 
blow than this. . T have been responsible, perhap.^, for 
tlie establishment of more O. D. C. classes than any- 
( ne. and I have always favored the idea as being pro- 
d"ctive of good sport among men of moderate means 
who cannot otherwise afford to race; but hitherto 
these classes have not interfered with open racing 
in any marked degree. This South Coast class, as it 
is called, is a very different matter. 
No authentic news about the new challenger is 
forthcoming. I believe she will have a more easy 
bilge than Shamrock I., but that belief rests on very 
slender foundations. Sir Thomas Lipton declares that 
the design is the very best that has .ever been seen. 
As to that I would prefer to rely upon ray own belief 
in Mr. Fife's talents, for I do not forget that 'on two 
former occasions Sir Thomas used almost the same 
words. The yacht will be ready for launching in April 
next. At the yard, where she is building, there was 
a serious fire last week, and the challenger was in 
some danger.- Happily, however, she was uninjured. 
On Monday last Col. McCalmont died very sudden- 
ly as he was leaving his house. His death is deeply 
regretted, for he was a splendid all-round sportsman. 
He built the great steam yacht, Giralda, which was 
