472 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
[Dec. 12, 1903. 
Chicago Y. G, 
The annual meeting' of the Chicago Y. C. was held on 
Nov. 24, and the following were elected to - office; 
Com.. Marshall D. Wilber, steam j^acht Mercia; Vice- 
Com.v Godfrey H. Atkin, sloop Minota; Rear- Com., 
W. L. Baum, sloop Colleen; Sec, Chas; E. Fox; Treas.., 
Jas. P. Walker; Judge Advocate, N. W. Hacker; Fleet 
Surgeon, Raymond C. Turck; Trustees, William F. 
Cameron, John W. Edminson; Delegate L. M. Y. A., 
E. P. Warner; Delegate I. L. Y. A., George Lytton. 
The club by-laws were changed to permit only yacht- ■ 
owning members voting on strictly yachting questions. 
Before the meeting adjourned a unanimous vote of 
thanks to the retiring commodore, Mr. C. H. Thorne, 
was passed. To Mr. Thorne is due a great deal of credit 
for the prosperity of the Chicago Y. C. and the posi- 
tion it has attained to-da}^ as a yachting organization. 
It now has 462 resident members and 28 non-resident 
members, and the prospects for next season's yachting 
in this club seem particularly bright and encouraging. 
The report of the commodore's committee on the 
new 30ft. class was adopted. Subscriptions for a new 
syndicate boat in this class was started and $1,000 sub- 
scribed. It is expected that other boats will be built ^ 
by the members by next spring, and that there will be 
plenty of good racing for the Centennial Cup, which 
it is proposed to put up for this class. It is probable 
that invitations will be extenaed to all clubs on the 
lake to compete for the cup. A committe of five was 
appointed to take charge of the cup subscription. The 
proposal that the club put up $500 of the >$r,ooo needed 
for the trophy was left to the club directors. 
The report of the commodore's committee on the 
Fast Cruiser Class is splendidly gotten up. and gives 
an excellent idea of how thoroughly this body did their 
work. The committee was made up as follows: 
Dwight Lawrence, Chairman; E. P. Warner, S. P. 
Wells, Jr., W. H. Thompson and G. H. Atkin. 
We publish in full the introduction and the report of 
the committee, which are as follows: 
At the request of a number of members of the Chi- 
cago Y. C, Com. C. H. Thorne, in June, 1903, ap- 
pointed a committee of five members to gather mfor- 
mation and report as to the type and probable cost of 
the most suitable sailing yacht for Lake Michigan, and 
the instructions the committee received were embodied 
in the following letter sent to each member thereof 
on June 16: 
Dear Sir; Several club members have suggested to 
me that a committee -be appointed for the purpose of 
ascertaining the size, type, rig and probable cost of a 
sailing yacht most suitable for Lake Michigan. 
Answering these suggestions, I am pleased to appoint 
the gentlemen named laelow, and request that after thor- 
ough investigation they report to me in writing on the 
following points: 
First — The most suitable size for all purposes; gen- 
erallj'^ known as a fast cruiser. 
Second — Size; to include dimensions and cabin 
space. 
Third — Type; „to, include constructioji-^keel versus 
centcrboard. 
Fourth— Rig; to include spars, sails, shrouds, stays, 
etc. 
Committee; Dwight Lawrence, Chairman; E. P. 
Warner, S..P. Wells, Jr., W. H. Thompson and G. H. 
Atkin. 
Many of our members in the past have learned the 
game .by investing in great bargains which have turned 
out to, be "white elephants," and, as we now have many 
prospective yacht owners in the club, .who are without 
the knowledge needed for purchasing or building, I 
hope that the report of this committee will be of such 
character that but little doubt can remain as to what is 
best,. 
The question of rules will, of course, be applied to 
the studies of the committee, but I trust that the rules 
will be made to fit the boat rather than the boat be 
made to fit the rules. The committee, might also sug- 
gest a plan for creating an interest in the j^acht selected. 
It will give me great pleasure to have you accept this 
appointment. Very truly yours, 
Chas. H. Thorne^ .Commodore. 
The committee met shortly after, and with Mr. 
Dwight Lawrence as chairman, and Mr. G; H. Atkin 
as secretary, commenced their investigations, the re- 
sults of which are embodied in the following pages. 
The committee .desire that the nature of their work 
be clearly understood by members of this cliib, as it 
is their aim merely to lay before them for their infor- 
mation the designs received and tlie facts obtained. 
The committee beg to extend their thaiiks-for the 
prompt and courteous assistance rendered them by the 
following designers: 
Messrs. Gardner and Cox, i Broadway. New York;^ 
Mr, B. B. Crowninshield, 131 State street. Boston; Mr. 
Morgan -Barney, 29 Broadway, New York; Mr. C. D. 
Mower,' 9 Murray - street. New' York; Mr. W. P. 
Stephens,- Avenue A and Thirty-second street, Bay- 
orine, N. J.; Messrs. Small "Bros., :t2 Water street, 
Boston. 
The original drawings f-urnished. by the above design- 
ers will be kept for a time on file 'by the secretary of 
this committee, and will be open . to the inspection of 
any of our members who desire to. look them over, after 
which they will be returned to the designers. The sec- 
retary's office is at 1425 Marquette Building. 
Com. .Chas. H. Thorne, . ... 
Chicago Y. C, Chicago, y . 
Dear-'Sir: , In compliance with .the' -request contained 
in -your, letter of June 16. your- committee have had 
numerous meetings, and as a result of their delibera- 
tions beg to^ submit the following report on the- type 
of boat specified in your letter. : - 
In considering the .Fast Cruiser -ty^e, the followhig^ 
pomts were given careful -thought . and- much -discus- 
sion: . . . .- - . - I - . ..... ... , - „- : 
Cabin-.AcGommpdation..- (a) For criiising purposes^ in 
Lake Michi-gan, - where the yacht- owner and his -friends' 
might be living -on board, for. a -number- of weeks ■ everv- 
§ummer-,,-.we-.fe|t.^-that 4H$^.a4t@nti<xn.f^l^(^tyM-■ ber-paiS tec 
the cabin and its accommodations and decided that 
there should be at least 5 to 6ft. head room, berths for 
at least four in the cabin, suitable cooking space, room 
for the crew forward and toilet requisites. 
Keel, (b) The weather conditions of Lake Michigan 
necessitate the building of a particularly stanch craft, 
with reasonable freeboard and moderate disnlacement. 
The consensus of opinion, therefore, was in favor of a 
beamy, well-ballasted keel or compromise boat, with a 
draft that Avould permit of its safe use in the harbors 
and waterways mostly frequented by our boats. 
Cost, -(c) The first cost of a suitable cruiser to come 
within the reach of men of moderate means ought to 
range from $2,500 to $4,000, and in determining the size 
and type of boat these figures were kept in mind. 
Maintenance, (d) The cost of maintenance and up- 
keep was also given careful consideration, and the type 
selected is one which can be readily looked after by one 
professional sailor without additional help, which should 
keep down the annual cost of maintaining and operat- 
ing such a boat, including the commissioning and lay- 
ing-up expenses, to less than $500. 
Scantling, (e) The life of a suitable cruiser being de- 
pendent in a great meaiiure upon its plan of con.struc- 
tion and its material, it was advisable that great care 
should be given to the adoption of a sufficiently rigid 
scantling table that Avould preclude the building of a 
weak or unseaworthy boat, or one which would be 
shortlived for any other reason. 
The tendency of the present day among the builders 
of yachts is undoubtedly in the direction of a fast, well- 
built cruising boat rather than that of a much faster but 
lightly constructed yacht which might have a meritor- 
ious but brief career as a racing boat and then be prac- 
tically worthless as a cruiser. The boat chosen by your 
committee, we believe, will, with reasonable care, be 
good for twelve or fifteen years and keep its shape and 
speed. 
_ Class. - (f) In order that we could take up the ques- 
tion of designs with some of the prominent designers 
and boat builders of this country, it was necessary that 
we shonld select a class under which these boats could 
be built, more particularly (as will be seen farther on in 
this report) as it is the committee's hope that an at- 
tractive class wnll be developed and the boats take part 
in annual racing events to be shared by other yacht 
clubs located on the Great Lakes. Your committee 
looked into all the rules which have been adopted, both 
on the Great Lakes and in the East, and finally de- 
cided that the rules and scantling table which were 
adopted by the Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes 
after many months of research and preparation, would 
fit the case very well; and we recommend the 30ft. class 
under these rules; the scantling table which we have 
shown in the appendix to thjs report, is practically a 
copy of that of the Yacht Racing Union, the only addi- 
tional restrictions to these rules which we have made 
being to insert a toilet room and limit the over all 
length of the boats to 50ft, thus making an additional 
bar against the building of a freak type of boat under 
this class. By some designers this restriction has not 
been considered necessary, but in order to save all 
question and to prevent a boat being built with an ex- 
cessive overhang, which would diminish its usefulness 
as a cruiser, your committee felt that all the above 
points which would result in the most satisfactory fast 
cruiser are covered by the 30ft. class under the table 
of restrictions and table of scantling adopted by the 
Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes; the following 
is the table of restrictions: 
Maximum L. O. A 50ft. 
Maximum L. W. L.... 30ft. 
Maximum draft 7ft. 
Maximum sail area (square feet) i,550 
Minimum beam on L. W. L., keel type 9ft. 6in. 
Minimum beam on L. W. L., centcrboard type.ioft. 6in. 
Minimum area of largest immersed vertical 
cross section*. . , . , 22.25 
Minimum freeboard, keel type 27in. 
Minimum freeboard, centcrboard type 26in. 
l-[a\-ing cho.scn this clas:-. the commi^tp" ".-n.t.^ |■■^r 
designs of boats coming within its restrictions, and in 
response to our request we have received Lue slvn-cnes 
which have been reproduced and form a part of this 
report. 
A comparison of the different designs- shows them to 
be all within the restrictions and to exhibit only such 
variations in proportion and general dimensions as 
might well suit the ideas of the different designers, and 
we are therefore encouraged in the belief that the adop- 
tion of this class by the Chicago Y. C. will tend toward 
the building up of a splendid tj'pe of a fast cruising 
boat. 
Designers.— The designers who have so kindly helped 
us in this matter will be glad to elaborate their work for 
those who desire to build into the class^ and their viev.-.s 
regarding this 3ort. fast criuser are expressed as fellows: 
Gardner and Cox state : 
"In this boat we have followed the Irondequoit largely. 
We would advise the rig shown, as it has many good 
features, being a particularly good heavy-weather rig. 
The boat is laid out to conveniently accommodate four 
persons, as shown, with full head-room — 6ft. zin. — in the 
cabin." 
B. B. Crowninshield says: 
"In my sketch I have attempted a boat with a good 
turn of speed, but, at the same time, in this boat you 
v.'Ould be able to get a fair amount of accommodation. 
The cabin, as arranged, has three pipe berths and tran- 
soms which would sleep three, if necessary, making six 
in allj alsQ one pipe berth forward. 
"This, of course, is only a general suggestion of what 
might be done in a boat for this class, and would prob- 
ably- be altered- in many details to suit the requirements 
of the owners. 
"Yoit will note that the head-roam in the cabin is 5ft. 
rein.- under the beams amidships; this, of course, could 
be increased, but the effect \yould not be so pleasing from 
the" outside, ..as it would, necessitate. -a higher house. I 
have .given the deSi'gn long overhangs, as-tha,t is the type 
'*Se-ctiona1 area of centcrboard yachts to be measur?<J «JCcI«sive 
of .sectional area of centerbbard when lowered. 
which will produce the most speed under the waterline 
restriction, such as your rules have. A shorter overhang 
would probably produce a more desirable type of cruiser, 
although the speed would necessarily be less." 
W. P. Stephens writes : 
"I presume it is now too late for a design to be of any 
use, but I would like to call your attention to one which 
1 made some time ago for one of your members, Mr. 
J. W. Keogh, and which he will no doubt .show you. This 
design was made for the old 3Sft class, but by slightly 
enlarging the dimensions it will almost fit the various 
requirements of the new 30ft. class, and would show 
pretty closely the type of yacht which I would advise for 
this class. The design was intended to replace Mr. 
Keogh's little Spray (also designed by me), and would 
be, like her, a good sea boat, safe and comfortable, and 
fast in class racing. 
"I think that your committee has done well in select- 
ing the 30ft. class, as it will give a yacht of sufficient 
size and power to be safe on Lake Michigan, of pretty 
good accommodation, and the cost will be materially less 
than the 40-footer. * * * 
"Such a boat should, from its model and construction, 
be certain of such a long life before being outbuilt as to 
make her worth her cost." 
LTorgan Barney says : 
"The design conforms with the restriction of the Y. 
R. U., and would make a yacht suitable for occasional 
cruising, as well as day sailing and racing. The displace- 
ment and beam are sufficient to give stability with about 
ten thousand pounds of lead, notwithstanding the liberal 
sail plan. 
"It has been my intention to submit to the members of 
your club a yacht suitable for all-around work in any 
sort of weather, fast, of stylish appearance, and devoid of 
scow and freak features. Although the extreme' scow 
with the maximum sail, minimum cross section 'and long, 
fiat overhangs might show more speed, it would be ob- 
tained at a sacrifice of very many desirable qualities." 
C. D. Mower writes ; 
"In regard to the general features of design, rig, etc., 
I may say that I have in many ways followed the so- 
called 'Buzzard's Bay 30-footers' built by Herreshoff, as 
I consider those boats the best type of one-design cruis- 
ing and racing 30-footers that have ever been turned out. 
My design complies with the restrictions of the Yacht 
Racing Union 30ft class, and the specifications would be 
written in accordance with those restrictions. While I 
have aimed to produce a fast boat, I have by no means 
sacrificed good cruising qualities in my design, and the 
cabin is arranged to give four good berths, toilet room, 
galley and room for the two hanging berths forward." 
Small Brothers write ; 
"In these boats we have endeavored to combine 
strength, good looks, stability, speed, accommodations and 
general handiness. * * * The little which we have 
seen of the lake winds and water convinces us that a 
moderate boat in all directions would be the most 
weatherly and desirable. In reference to the approximate 
cost of these boats, it is hard to tell, as there is such 
a wide difference in the estimates of various builders, 
their prices ranging from $3,000 to $4,000. We should 
say that the average cost of a well-built and well-finished 
boat would be about $3,600." 
Summary. — We give below a sumrnary of the measure- 
ments of the various designs submitted : 
6 ^ 
Gardner & Cox... 49. 3 30.0 10.0 10.7 6.11 2.2 1525 5.10 
Crowninsl-iield ....50 29.9 11.1 11.7 6.11 2.5 1550 B.VA 
Small Bros., keel.. 49 30 .... 12.2 6.11 2.4 1550 6.0- 
Small Bros., C.B..50 30 12.2 12.10 5.00* ... 1482 6.4 
Morgan Barney.. . .49.8 30 10.9 11.0 6.10 2.7 1550 6.0 
C. D. Mower...... 46 29.6 10.0 10.6 7.00 2.4 1550 ... 
*With board up. 
Annual Challenge Cup. — Your committee think that 
interest in this class will be aroused and maintained if the 
Chicago Y. C. arrange for a has dsome silver trophy to be 
known as the "Centennial Chall. nge Cup," in commemo- 
ration of Chicago's recent celebration, the value of ths; 
cup not to be less than a thousand dollars, and paid for 
in the following manner: Five hundred dollars to be ap- 
propriated by the club and five hundred dollars to be 
obtained by voluntary subscriptions from members of 
the club exclusively. The committee feel that there 
should be no difficulty in obtaining this amount, as there 
are among the club members so many who are interested 
in the sport of yachting who thoroughly enjoy witness- 
ing yacht races but have not the time nor inclination 
to permit of their owning and racing yachts themselves, 
and we feel that we should look to these gentlemen for 
support by liberal subscription to the proposed challenge 
cup. 
We further recommend that the Directors of the club 
appoint a committee who will formulate rules governin.? 
annual_ races to be taken part in by boats of this class 
belonging to any recognized yacht club enrolled in the 
Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes, which races 
shall be a series of three out of five, raced for at Chicago 
in July or August each year for the "Centennial Chal- 
lenge Cup," the ownership of the cup alwaj's to rest with 
the Chicago Y. C, but the cup to be held by the win- 
ning club" and returned to us by July the first, each year; 
the owner of the winning boat to be presented with a 
silver replica of the cup as a prize and his name and the 
yacht winning the cup engraved upon the trophy. 
Furthermore, the races should be sailed under existing 
rules of the Yacht Racing Union, and for judges there 
should be selected one active member from each club, 
having entries in the annual race. 
In Conclusion, we feel that this would ' promote the 
building up on the Great Lakes of the 30ft. fast cruiser, 
an admirable type of yacht — one that would give much 
pleasure to its owner, either in racing or cruising, that 
would be safe in all weathers, easy to handle, and, with 
reasonably good care, have, a long life of usefulness. . 
Respectfully submitted, 
Dwight Lawrence, 
" . E. P. Warner, y 
S. P. Wells, Jr.,. 
Wm. Hale Thompson, 
' (3, ^, Atwn, 
Chisago, Nov. 7," 
