March ig, 1904.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
287 
are on board the Indra at nine o'clock. Now ensues 
I)reparation for departure on the writer's part, who must 
leave the yacht this afternoon with many unavailing re- 
grets for the homeward journey, and for the starting next 
day of the Newfoundland expedition, E., L., and A., on 
a fortnight's trip by steamer to Port-aux-Basques, and 
then rail and canoe to the fishing and hunting grounds. 
As this does not pertain to the Indra riding quietly at 
anchor in Sydney Harbor meanwhile in friendly company 
cf big warships and tiny yachts, and as the writer's par- 
ticipation in the trip ends here, this chapter of our story 
draws to a close. 
It is a record of much pleasure and few mishaps, and 
perhaps even these accentuating the charm of this ever- 
changing life at sea; at the worst it is "all in the day's 
work," and at the best is an experience we none of us 
would forego. The philosophic sailor will dwell _ not 
alone on the sunny days of favoring winds and smiling 
skies, but on the untoward conditions he has met, and 
against which he has gloriously prevailed — the bit of 
prompt work here, or the quick judgment there that 
saved the situation and plucked victory out of seeming de- 
feat. Yes, even defeat after a good fight will lend its 
not unwelcome color to the retrospect, and the shadows 
bring out the lights until all turns to a pleasant glow in 
the unfading picture. Who would give up a day or an 
hour of it now as we gather for a happy reunion of old 
shipmates in these autumn days, or each one singly for 
himself lives over again this life on summer seas? 
Yonder lies the good ship stripped for winter quarters, 
and the sailor's heart goes out to her in grateful re- 
membrance of kindly shelter on unknown paths where his 
feet have strayed with hers. May all good fortune attend 
her, and "the little cherub that sits aloft" be her unfail- 
ing companion in all the days to come. 
Southern Letter. 
The yachtsmen of the extreme South pride themselves 
upon the fact that their sport has at last entered upon the 
boom which will,before long, place this favored section of 
the country's seaboard in- the front rank as an up-to-date 
and popular yachting coast. The advantages of both 
sides of peninsular Florida have for many years been 
known to lovers of the pleasure marine, but it is only of 
late that the claims of that grand stretch of the Mexican 
Gulf from Pensacola; to Galveston have begun to be 
realized. . These magnificent cruising latitudes are almost 
incomparable for their c attractiveness of „ the climate, 
scenery,, fish, game and romance. Of course, .New Or- 
leans, with the varied attractions of a great maritime 
metropolis, is the Mecca of those cruising from Florida 
to the east, or Texias to the west, as it is of the hundreds 
of voyageurs who leisurely float down the , waters of the 
Mississippi . in a hundred different^ kinds of craft in the 
course of a few months. Whether your cruiser comes 
down the Great. F'ather of Waters or comes from the east 
or the west, to the Crescent City, the great attractiveness 
of the shores of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have 
been heard of long before this arm of the gulf has been 
reached. The most attractive of all the gulf coast is the 
hundred mile stretch lying between Mobile, Ala., and 
New Orleans. This shore of old ocean is a continuous 
line of handsome villas, and here many wealthy Northern 
people spend the winter, and here many people from all 
the Southern States come for a summer resort,, the . win- 
ters being very mild and the summers cool ; exceedingly 
cool, owing to the influence of the constant gulf breeze. 
About every dozen miles or less along the coast there 
are small and attractive villages of about two thou- 
sand inhabitants each, such as Bay-St. Louis, Pass Chris- 
tian, Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean Springs and Pascagoula. 
The entire stretch of gulf from New Orleans to. Mobile 
Bay is what might be called an "inside route," as :there 
is a string of islands parallelling the shore some ten 
miles out, forming a natural break-water, the body be- 
tween them,, and the shore being; knownSas Mississippi 
Sound. The railroad skirts the shore of the main- 
land amid a beautiful semi-tropical growth, while some 
little distance back, as the land elevates, is seen the 
edge of the virgin pine forest, . which extends, for bun- . 
dreds of miles away toward the north. The salt sea 
waters play upon these shores most beautifully and most 
refreshingly, and they abound with much that is most 
useful and interesting in ocean life. This fine stretch 
of country is worth more than a passing notice, for many 
believe that the day is soon to come when it will be 
recognized as the Riviera of this continent. Such is 
the dream o.f those who already live and sail in the Igqal- 
ity. "If the section had had half the advertising vouch- 
safed to other parts of the South, it would long since 
have seen more halcyon days instead of just now enter- 
ing upon its red-letter period of prosperity as a winter 
resort. The first million-dollar hotel was constructed 
last year — a la The Royal Poinciana — and others are to 
follow. The Great Southern Hotel, at Gulfport, Miss., 
mid-way on the coast, has been crowded all winter, as 
. has the Mexican Gulf Hotel, at Pass Christian, Miss., 
and more accommodations of the same kind are required 
and will be added for next season. 
The sport of yachting is well organized and it is the 
chief attraction of the coast, there being seven yacht clubs 
in the short distance of one hundred miles, all being 
banded together for racing and fostering purposes in an 
organization entitled "Southern Gulf Coast Yachting As- 
sociation," the combined enrollment of members of which 
is above the two thousand mark. It is' the intention of 
the association to make . this coast one of national im- 
portance, and steps are on foot to institute yachting 
events which will attract the attention of lovers of the 
sport in all sections of the country. Costly trophies will 
probably be put up, the promoters of the sport desiring 
to have events patterned after the Seawanhaka Cup and 
the Canada's Cup take place here every- winter. That the 
Southerners can handle such afi^airs was amply proven 
when the Southern Y. C. in the year 1884 put up the 
sum of $1,500 for an inter-state race; that they can be 
strong opponents was demonstrated, as the Louisiana 
yacht won from the New York representative in this 
contest, and that they would be excellent hosts they 
crave the opportunity to prove. Brethren of the North 
are earnestly requested to suggest wb^ kiiid of contest 
and style of craft should be selected to be the most popu- 
lar with those who would like to come South. 
With an idea of building up a small racing machine 
class on the style of those which contest for the Sea- 
wanhaka Cup, "and which are so popular with the 
clubs of the Inland Lakes Y. A., the Southern Gulf Coast 
Y. A. three years ago ofl^ered a valuable prize for boats 
of that size and type. The class has grown so that it 
is beginning to be the desire to want to try conclusions 
with the scows of other parts. One Western boat of 
this class was brought here and raced last season, and 
there is a M'ower and a Crane designed craft in the fleet, 
to say nothing of a number of other likely ones that have 
been modeled after fast machines of the North. Splen- 
did additions have been made to this class this season, at 
least two of the latest bidders for honors being expected 
frora the shores of Oshkosh, where was produced the 
champic:n of the United States. Coming on about now, 
the Southern Association yachtsmen begin to want to 
get into this national skimming-dish game, for they have 
taken to the type for their small classes, as it is found 
that boats nf the kind are very good for use for the 
younger element in a climate which invites no end of 
"slopping around'' during al! the months of the year. , 
Yachts of the more pretentious sizes are now being en- 
couraged also, rind the South particularly desires to be 
well up to the fore with a class of cabin sloops of 30ft. 
rating, such as are being encouraged by the Y. R. A. of 
Massachusetts, the Y. R. A. of Long Island Sound, the 
Y. R. U. of the Great Lakes, and other associations and 
individual clubs. This is the favorite size of cruiser 
for use on these tranquil waters, as they afford accom- 
odations for four or five comfortably, and yet they are 
not too large to be transported on the longest of flat 
cars. The latter fact is one that is appreciated, as it is 
being hoped that some of the crack racers of the North 
will be brought down next winter. Last winter the 
owner of one of the fastest Boston yachts proposed to 
bring his boat here for a series of races, but the j^achts- 
men here had not anticipated such an event, and they 
were in nowise prepared for a contest, but they have 
since been up and doing, and there are to be this season 
thirty-footers for the express purpose of meeting a 
Northern invasion. Boats are being built here from lines 
by leading Northern designers, and a Herreshoff and a 
Hanley sloop are now being negotiated for. Those in a 
position to know consider that the yachting world will 
be quite surprised to know the number of fine Northern 
cabin boats which will find their way South in the next 
several months. It is only in the past year or so that 
our yachtsmen began to wake up to a new order of things 
and want a better class of cruiser-racer, one that com- 
prises in its make-up the modern measure of speed, 
stjde, finish, comfort and general handiness. 
So much for the yacht that is a yacht, when the matter 
is written by a "wind-jammer crank," but candor com- 
pels the statement also that the boats of the other crowd, 
the motor yachts, are increasing in numbers at astonish- 
ing rapidity. The South, always conservative, took to 
the gasoline engine rather slowly, and not many of them 
appeared until the experimental stage had been passed 
in the motor manufacturing centers, but now the motors 
seem to be coming this way by the car load. The clubs 
dnd the association are welcoming them gladly, and 
Vv'here in former seasons the motor boat races were a 
side issue at our regattas, this season, what think you? 
the motor boat races will be held upon special and sep- 
arate days from the "yacht" races. Auto-boats, auto- 
mobile launches, launch-omobiles, "me latest launching- 
car," and what not, are, if not literally in the air, 
figuratively speaking, to be seen on every waterway path. 
The launches of last year are considered now to be 
good enough for fishing and oyster boats, and the sound 
of the ham_mer tacking on the veneer to "airy, fairy" 
forms is now busily heard in the Southland. In speak- 
ing of a very lightly constructed hull now being built 
here, which has the small frames very close together, an 
old barnacle of a ship carpenter said that they "might 
as well 'knock-off' planking altogether and just caulk be- 
tween the frames." Speed, speed, thy name is frailty. 
Our regatta committees are up-to-date and agile in hand- 
ling a timing watch, and all this speed that is being 
figured on by all classes of our. yachtsmen will be mea- 
sured with accuracy ; the rules and regulations to be 
used for the motor races will be those of the American 
Power Boat Association. 
The promoters of the sport here feel that if the South 
should hold a big contest every winter, both for speed 
launches and sailing yachts, the plan would meet 
with great favor from the devotees of boating through- 
out the entire country. Several of the leading motor 
manufacturers have been broached on the subject, and it 
is certain that a number of them will join with a move- 
ment to hold a grand mid-winter boat carnival at New 
Orleans about the month of February. 
In summing up, it would seem that there is no fairer 
field for the expansion of the revolution now going on 
in all kinds of yachting than the hundreds of miles of 
the enchanted Mexican Gulf coast with its thousands and 
thousands of tributary rivers, bayous, lakes and lagoons. 
LORILLARD D. SaMPSELL. 
Boston Letter. 
BosTONj March 10. — Last Thursday evening, at the 
Boston Athletic Association, there was a conference be- 
tween representatives of the Boston, Eastern and Corin- 
thian Y. C.'s, and of the Y. R. A. of Massachusetts, to 
arrange dates for racing fixtures for the coming season, 
with a view to having as little conflict as possible aftet 
the racing season has been started. This practice has 
been adopted for the past three years and has resulted in 
much good. The fact that clubs have not scheduled any 
event on the day that another club has arranged for a big 
open or club race has been productive of much better 
general attendance at all of the races. ' The fixtures ar- 
ranged at that conference were as follows : 
May 30, Memorial Day— South Boston, Y. R. A. open, 
City Point. 
June 4, Saturday— Boston, club, City Point. 
June II, Saturday— Corinthian, club, Marblehead. 
June 17, Friday'-Bostoii, Y. A- open, Hull 
June 25, Saturday— Corinthian, club, Marblehead. 
July 2, Saturday— Corinthian, club, Marblehead. 
July 4, Monday— Corinthian, invitation, Marble- 
head, A. M. 
July 4, Monday— Eastern, special open, Marble- 
head, P. M. 
July 9, Saturday — Boston, club, Marblehead. 
July 16, Saturday — Eastern, special open, Marblehead. 
July 23, Saturday — Corinthian, open, Marblehead. 
July 28, Thursday — Boston, midsummer series, Y. R. 
A. open, Hull. 
July 29, Friday — Boston, midsummer series, Y. R. A. 
open, Hull. 
July 30, Saturday — Boston, midsummer series, Y. R. A. 
open, Hull. 
Aug. I, Monday — Eastern, special open, Marblehead. 
Aug. 2, Tuesday — Boston, Y. R. A. open, Marblehead. 
Aug. 3, Wednesday — Corinthian, midsummer open, 
Marblehead. 
Aug. 4, Thursday — Corinthian, midsummer series, 
Marblehead. 
Aug. 5, Friday — Corinthian, midsummer series, Marble- 
head. 
Aug. 6, Saturday — Corinthian, invitation, Marblehead. 
Aug. 8, Monday— Manchester, Y. R. A. open. West 
Manchester. 
Aug. 9, Tuesday — Manchester, Crowhurst Cup, West. 
Manchester. 
Aug. 10, Wednesday — Boston, club, Marblehead. 
Aug. II, Thursday — East Gloucester, Y. R. A. open, 
Gloucester. • 
Aug. 12, Friday — Annisquam, Y. R. A. open, Annis- 
quam. 
Aug. 13, Saturday — Annisquam, Y. R. A. open, Annis- 
quam. 
Aug. 17, Wednesday — Corinthian, club, Marblehead. 
Aug. 18, Thursday — Eastern, special open, Marble- 
head. 
Aug. 19, Friday — Eastern, special open, Marblehead. 
Aug. 20, Saturday — Boston, club, Hull. 
Aug. 25, Thursday— Plymouth, Y. R. A. open, Ply- 
mouth. 
Aug. 26, Friday — Duxbury, Y. R. A. open, Duxbury. 
Aug. 27, Saturday — Duxbury, Y. R. A. open, Dux- 
bury. 
Aug. 29, Monday— Cape Cod, Y. R. A. open. Province- 
town. 
Aug. 30, Tuesday — Cape Cod, Y. R. A. open. Province- 
town. 
Aug. 31, Wednesday — Cape Cod, Y. R. A. open, Prov- 
incetown. 
Sept. 2, Friday— Wellfleet, Y. R. A. open, Wellfleet. 
Sept. 5, Labor Day— Limn, Y. R. A. open,_ Nahant. 
From July 28 the above list gives continuous racing 
to the close of the season, with the circuits in sequence, 
so that the boats will be constantly traveling in the 
same general direction. Saturday, June 18, has_ been 
left open in the above list. This is a good date, with an 
afternoon tide, and some of the clubs, that have to chose 
time according to the tide, will probably be most anxious 
to take it up. There is an opportunity for the Squan- 
tnm and the Wollaston Y. C.'s to come in on the two 
first days of the week, when the Boston Y. C. midsum- 
mer series is sailed, it being assumed that the Quincy Y. 
C. will give a race on the day before the opening of the 
series. This would give all these races in one centra! 
circuit and would ■ keep the boats together. _ It is ex- 
pected that the Y. R. A. of M. rendezvous will be held 
on Sept. 10 and 11, and it is likely that some clubs will 
"want Sept. 10 for an open race. 
The annual meeting of the Y. R. A. of Massa- 
chusetts will be held at the town house of the Boston Y. 
C, on Thursday evening, March 17. At this meeting the 
selection of dates for open races is made by the different 
clubs. The preliminary conference provided for dates 
for most of the Y. R. A. club.s, especially for those whose 
fixtures come at about the same time each year. There 
are other clubs, however, which might want to give open 
races, and it is likely that they will prefer to hold them 
on Saturdays, if possible. On this account it may be pos- 
sible that some of the fixtures in the preliminary schedule 
may be altered, although it is understood that the sched- 
ule arra'nged at the conference was intended to be per- 
manent. At the annual meeting of the Y. R. A. of 
Massachusetts there will also be proposed an amendment 
to the racing rules, which is expected to bring out more 
or less discussion. The amendment proposed is to adopt 
a new class, to be called "Class H — yachts conforming to 
the limitations of the Massachusetts 3oFt. Cruising Yacht 
Association." It is understood that there is niore or less 
objection to the adoption of the class. 
The three i8-footers, designed by Mr. E. A. Board- 
man, which were destroyed by fire at Fenton's shop, 
Manchester, will be rebuilt at the same yard Two of 
these boats were for the one-design class, which is to 
race the one-design class from Buzzards' Bay. The boats 
of this class for Mr. Charles Francis Adams, 2d, and Mr. 
C. H. W. Foster, have been finished at Law- 
ley's. Mr. Boardman has an order for a 50ft. over 
all auxiliary cruising yawl, for Dr. W. M. Baum, Vice- 
Commodore of the Chicago Y. C. She will be of the 
modern fisherman type, with lengthened ends. 
Stearns & McKay, of the Marblehead Yacht Yard, are 
designing a 33ft. hunting launch for Mr. Roger Upton; 
also a 35ft. launch and a i6ft. speed launch. 
Considerable interest is taken in the proposed ocean 
race for yachts of less than 40ft. over all from New York 
to Marblehead. Opinions vary as to advantages of such 
a race and there are some who do not believe in it. 
There are others who are quite willing to enter their 
boats. It is considered that the limit of 40ft. is about 
right, owners of yachts of less than 25ft. waterline, 
whose over all length does not exceed 40ft., believing 
that if the modern 30-footers and 35-footers should be 
allowed to enter, the smaller boats would not have a 
ghost of a chance in anything like a breeze, notwithstand- 
ing time allowance. It is figured that the smaller boats 
would have to lie to at times when boats of longer water- 
line Gould carry their sail and go along. The opinion has 
been expressed that the same allowance of 30 minutes to 
the foot is not enough, 
