[April 30, 1^4. 
Boston Letter. 
BosTOEF, April 25. — Com. Laurence Minot, of the East- 
ern Y. C, has rfeappointed I. Tucker Burr, Jr., fleet cap- 
tain, who has issued the commodore's orders for a cruise, 
as follows : 
Friday, July 15 — Rendezvous at Marblehead; captains 
report on board flagship at 8:30. 
Saturday, July 16— The fleet will sail at 3 P. M. for 
Gloucester. 
Sunday, July 17 — Gloucester to Isles of Shoals. 
Monday, July 18 — Isles of . Shoals to Peaks Island. 
Tuesday, July 19 — Peaks Island to Boothbay. 
Wednesday, July 20 — Boothbay to Islesboro. 
Thursday, July 21— At Islesboro, or elsewhere, as may 
be decided at a captains' meeting after the beginning of 
the cruise. 
Friday, July 22 — Islesboro to Bass Harbor. 
Saturday, July 23 — Bass Harbor to Bar Harbor. 
Sunday, July 24 — At Bar Harbor. 
Monday, July 25 — Eastern Y. C. regatta -at Bar Harbor. 
Fleet will disband. 
Suitable prizes will be awarded to winning yachts in 
port-to-port runs in classes specified by the regatta com- 
n^tee. 
The regatta committee of the Quincy Y. C. has an- 
nounced the following fixtures for the season : 
June 4, Saturday — Club race. 
June 16, Thursday — Interclub race at Wollaston. 
June 2g, Saturday — Interclub race at Squantum. 
July 4, Monday — Club race. 
July 16, Saturday — Interclub race at Quincy. 
July 29, Friday — Y. R. A. open. ..^^ .„ 
July 30, Saturday — Club race. 
Aug. 6, Saturday — Club race. 
Aug 20, Saturday — Club race. 
Sept. 5, Monday — Club race. 
It has been announced that the Corinthian Y. C, of 
Marblehead, will take charge of the race from Marble- 
hcad to the Isles of Shoals and return on June 25. Three 
'classes have been provided, as follows : ^^^^^ 
Class A, handicap — Yachts 30ft. and under Soft water- 
line. Cup offered by Mr. Lawrence F. Percival. 
Class B, handicap — Yachts under 30ft. waterline. Cup 
offered by Mr. Henry A. Morss. 
Class C, 22-footers. Cup offered by Mr. H. H. Walker. 
In addition to the cups offered cash prizes will be given 
in each class. The race will be started off the Corinthian 
club house at 8 on the evening of June 25. The boats 
will proceed to the bell busy off White Island, passing 
outside of Thatcher's Island and the Salvages, and re- 
turn. H. S. Goodwin, Marblehead, is chairman of the 
committee. 
Mr. Lawrence Percival has announced that he will put 
Sally VII. in commission this season. In this case it is 
more than likely that Early Dawn III., owned by ex-Com. 
J. E. Doherty, of the Columbia Y. C, will also be in the 
racing field. It is quite probable that clubs holding open 
races will provide a class for these boats. 
Wilson & Silsby have received orders for new sails for 
the following yachts: Thirty-footer designed by Will 
Fife, of Fairlie, for Finland; 3S-footer Ranger, H. P. 
King; 25-foGter Kalama III., David Rice; suits for 10 
Bay State dories; 70ft. schooner Seneca, R. A. Rainey; 
3C-footer Sauquoit, T. K. Lothrop, Jr. ; schooner Emerald, 
W. E. Iselin ; 6o-rater Weetamoe, H. F. Lippitt ; 25- 
footer, Richard Stone ; 21-footer for J. M. Zurn, of Phila- 
delphia; i8-footer for C. H. W. Foster; i8-footer for L. 
B. Goodspeed; 22-footer for C. H. Davis; i8-footer for 
H. M. Jones ; 70-foot schooner Katrina, J. B. Ford ; 19 
suits for White Bear Lake, for 17 to 20-footers; 4 suits 
for Seawanhaka cup boats; . 22-footer Urchin, John 
Greenough; 3S-footer Umbrina, W. H. Childs; 71ft. 
schooner building for H. C. TTinker, of New York; 
schooner Corona (ex Colonia), A. F. Luke; 10 suits 
for Northaven centerboard class ; sloop Petrel, R. H. 
Derby; yawl Petrel, H. V. R. Kennedy ; steam yacht 
Anona, Paul Rainey; 22-footer Tayac, W. H. Joyce. 
They have also orders to furnish about 20 suits of sails 
for export, including Finland, Sweden, Durban, Natal, 
Sidney, Germany and Italy. 
A joint meeting of the Lake Winnepesaukee Y. C. and 
the Kingswood club, of Lake Winnepesaukee, was held 
at -the New Hampshire Exchange Club last week, at 
which ways and means for improving Lake Winnepe- 
sauka^s were discussed. Ex-Gov. Rollins, of New Harap- 
shire^ and Dr. C. W. Bray, commodore of the Portland 
Y. C, were guests. 
Announeement of the fixtures of the Wollaston Y. C. 
for the season of 1904 by the regatta committee, published 
in pamphlet forni, has been made as follows : 
May 30, Monday — Club championsh^. 
June 4, SatLf day — Hardy cup. 
June 17, Friday — Interclub race, at Wollaston. 
July 2, Saturday — Interclub race at Squantum. 
July 4, Monday — Club championship. 
July 9, Saturday — Int&ixlub race at Quincy. 
July 27, Wednesday — Moonhght sail. 
July 3©, Saturday — Hardy cup. 
Aug. 6, Saturday — Clambake. 
Aug. 13, Saturday — Club championship. 
Aug. 20, Saturday — Hardy cup. 
Aug. 25, Thursday — Moonlight sail. 
Sept. 3, 4 and 5, Saturday, Sunday and Monday — Club 
citiise. 
The Cohasset Y. C. has elected the following officers : 
Com., D. N. Tower ; Vice-Corn., Alanson Bigelow ; Sec- 
retary-Treasurer, G. W. Collier; executive committee, L. 
G. Willcutt, C. H. Cousens, A. A. Barron, C. W. Gam- 
Sens and F. R. Pegran; house committee H. B. Cousens, 
, N. Ridley and D. C. Tower; regatta committee, B. R. 
Williams, F. J. Moore, W. R. Sears and James Dean; 
membership committee, J. N. Willcutt, S. C. Bates, F. R. 
Nichols, Odin Towle and C. H. Tower. 
Murray & Tregurtha have finished a 22ft. launch for 
William Whytal & Son, of Arlington. The 3sft. launch 
for G. H. Prior, of Wintb^-op, was launched last Thurs- 
day and showed , up well on her trial trip. The 30ft. 
l^«ch Talisman was launched last Monday and had a 
Ipial trip to Marbleliead and return. The same firm Iiave 
sold a launch owned by E. W. Burdett to John M. 
Devine. 
T. K. Lothrop Jr.'s 30-footer Sauquoit, designed by 
Burgess & Packard, the first boat in the class recently 
adopted by the Y. R. A. of M. to be completed, was 
launched _ at Salem last Thursday afternoon. The 
Sauquoit is 48ft. over all, 30ft. waterline, loft. 2in. beam 
and 6ft. draft. She will carry 1,200 feet of sail. 
The steam yacht Jule, designed by Mr. Fred D. Law- 
ley, and built by the Lawley Co. for Com. B. P. Cheney, 
of the Boston Y. C, was launched at the yard of her 
builders last Saturday. The Jule .was christened by 
Mrs. B. P. Cheney as she started down the ways. Com. 
Cheney will use the Jule as a ferry between the Boston 
and City Point anchorages of the Boston Y. C. and his 
summer estate on Brewster Island. 
John B. Killeen. 
Southern Letter. 
In the hundred-mile stretch between Mobile and New 
Orleans there are now seven yacht clubs, and the banding 
of these seven sisters into a yacht racing union three 
years ago has had a most beneficial effect upon the des- 
tinies _ of the sport, and in the use of uniform clas- 
sification and racing rules and of an interchange of 
entries and participation in the events of all there is 
made possible a regular yacht racing "circuit," a novelty 
in its way, which extends from one end of the line to 
the other, starting on the Fourth of July every year and 
upon succeeding Saturdays, touching at place to place" 
until each club has had its turn, the combined fleet mov- 
ing from course to course as one. The affairs of the"" 
Southern Gulf Coast Yachting Association are in the 
hands of the right men, yachtsmen who are progressive 
and aggressive, and it is fair to assume that it will one 
day make its brightness felt in the yachting world, and 
there is already that in the combined strength of these 
seven strong clubs other than a similarity of numbers 
v/hich presages a veritable pleiads in the yachting firm- 
ament. 
The first step toward laying a foundation for a sub- 
stantial organizing of yachting along this arm of old 
ocean was to adopt a racing rule that, while being en- 
tirely satisfactory to all and well adapted to the conditions 
prevailing, would give, from its very simplicity, no 
hmdrance to the advancement of the sport along healthful 
hnes, and which would permit of the encouraging of cer- 
tain desirable classes prevailing in other parts of the coun- 
try. The idea was to place for the cabin classes the need- 
ful safeguards against machines and freaks, not in a 
racing rule of much complication; sail area only is 
measured; but in the classification and in restrictions on 
scantlings and on extreme over all lengths. The saving 
grace of the whole business was in the rule giving to the 
race committee the power to finally designate a boat's 
class ; "model" or "special," freaks or machines being in- 
cluded in the latter. There was a well defined object in 
view of not attempting to encourage too many classes, , 
but to try and build up about three divisions of model 
racing cabin sloops. A class conforming to the size of 
the 25-footers of the Y. R. A. of Mass., a second class 
of about the size of 21 and 22-footers of the same asso- 
ciation, for the third a one design class of 20ft. center- 
board knockabouts ; and the fourth class to be left open 
to freaks and machines of smaller size and soosq.ft. sail 
fcrea, there being room here for a class of this kind, the 
waters being warm and shallow. Recruits for the two 
larger classes of cabin sloops could be purchased in the 
big yachting centers which would conform to the restric- 
tions, and the freak class mentioned is on the lines of the 
Seawanhaka Cup boats and of the "Class A" racers of the 
Inland Lake Yachting Ass'n. This latter class is growing 
rapidly. There are half a dozen fast boats here of local 
production, one designe-d by Crane and one by Mower, 
and last year a crack Northern machine was brought 
down, and now there are two of the fastest boats of the 
Inland Lake class on their way here. By next year it is 
hoped that the South will have boats of the class capable 
cf entering the above international and inter-association 
contests with some reasonable chance of making a good 
showing. The outlook for the cabin classes is very en- 
couraging, a number of boats being built here, and at least 
four having already been purchased in the North, all these 
being well and favorably known as racing-cruisers of the 
Letter type, such as Calypso, now enrolled in the Southern 
Y. C. 
The racing rule used here was printed in Forest and 
Stream, Jan. 31, 1903. It was thoroughly tried last year 
and all the clubs in the association are heartily in favor 
of it, as it seems to be entirely suited to the conditions 
and the plans for the future, which is all that is desired 
of the rule. The annual meetings of the other clubs of 
the association will all have taken place by the first of 
next month, when the season can be said to be in full 
swing, and then for the annual regattas of May and June, 
the racing circuit of July and part of August, after which 
the cup races, private matches, and then the closing re- 
gattas of early fall, and every Saturday of the long, 
breezy summer is accounted for. The fall and winter is 
left for cruising, and later some organization will be 
attempted for this part of the sport, and it is seen right 
now that if th§ South don't have a couple of hundred 
mile cruising races before the year is over it will still be 
behind the times. There could not be a better course 
than along the open Gulf from New Orleans to Mobile 
and back. 
No matter how strong are the efforts being m.ade to 
foster the sailboat fleet, just as effective measures are 
being taken to encourage the motor boat arm of the clubs 
(.f the Southern Gulf Soast Yachting Ass'n, and it will 
lie a toss up which makes the best showing for the season. 
The first of this series of "Southern letters" had to do 
with the conditions afforded for yachting along this corner 
cf the Mexican Gulf coast, the second with the particu- 
lars of the sport at. New Orleans and with the S'outhern 
Y. C. in particular, and this of current issue contains 
some of both, with a little on the perennial subject of 
"Racing Rule" thrown in for lagnyappe. It is to be 
hoped that the next may deal \yith the real actualities of 
a busy seasoi^, l^. D, ^AMfSitJ^, 
British Letter. 
According to the latest rumors received over here in 
connection with Sir Thomas Lipton's contemplated chal- 
lenge for the America's Cup, the negotiations appear to 
be at a standstill. One thing is perfectly clear, and that 
is no British yachtsman will issue another challenge if 
the boats are to race under the old American rating rule. 
Most of the fixtures of the big clubs are now published. 
The season proper commences, as usual, with the London 
River matches of the three principal metropolitan clubs— 
the Royal Thames, Royal Londori and New ThaiTies — and 
the regatta of the Royal Harwich Y. C. For a gteat 
number of years the London River matches were started 
froffl Gtavesend, but the increase in the shipping traffic 
and the general unsuilabilitir of the tguj-se up Sea Beach 
and into Gravesend have caused the clubs to strike out a 
new line the last two or three years, and a far more suit- 
able course has been mapped out from Southend, which, 
besides being down below the narrow reaches of the river, 
has the advantage of being quadrilateral, instead of 
merely straightaway and back. There was a certain 
amount of opposition from the older members when the 
new course was suggested, as it quite upset old time- 
honored customs, but modern ideas prevailed and *'the 
boats have now as fair a course as it is possible to get 
on tidal waters, whereas in the old days it was quite a 
frequent occurrence to see a boat which had been hope- 
lessly beaten all day come drifting up Gravesend Beach 
on the first of the flood and save her time from the lead- 
ers, which had been hung up in the narrows near the 
finishing line on thfe last of the ebb. This, of course, 
destroyed much of the interest of thfe faces, but that is 
.. npw fortunately a thing of the past, and the Course ffoni 
Southend Pier, round the Nore Lightship, West Oaze 
Buoy and Mouse Lightship has given universal satis- 
faction. The Royal Thames matches from the Nore to 
Dover on June 11 take the racing fleet away from the 
Thames, and after the regatta of the Royal Cinque Ports 
Y. C, on June I3, there will be a lull until the Com- 
mencement of the Clyde Fortnight on the last day of the 
month. 
The prospects for the Clyde regattas are not very 
bright. For some years the German regattas have proved 
sufficiently attractive to draw many British yachts to 
Kiel, and as the "Kiel Week" has now developed into a . 
fortnight and takes place during the latter half of June, 
yi'cht owners have to make up their minds which function 
they will attend, Clyde or Kiel, as it is impossible to do both. 
It cannot-be denied that in some respects Kiel has the pull, 
for the boats which go there can take part in the raC2 from 
Dover to Heligoland, which starts a week after the 
Nore to Dover races of the Royal Thames Y. C, and 
only a few days after the Royal Cinque Ports June re- 
gatta, and they are, so to speak, on the spot. For some 
years, therefore, the German regattas have seriously in- 
terfered with Clyde fixtures, for in the absence of first- 
class racing and the 65-footers the presence of the big 
handicap boats is much to be desired, though it is very 
doubtful if many of them will be seen on the Clyde. It 
seems strange that the once brilliant series of regattas, 
familiarly known as the Clyde Fortnight, should be de- 
pendent upon the S2ft. class for their chief attraction. 
Such, however, was the case last year, and there is at 
present no reason to suppose that a better fate awaits 
them this season unless owners in the handicap class 
come to the rescue. 
Mr. Cecil Quentin's handsome Fife schooner will not 
fit out this year, so if Ingomar comes over she will not 
find any British schooner fit to give her a run. If she 
goes to Kiel she will have good bo,ats to sail against, but, 
although the Watson designed Hamburg — ex-Rainbow- — 
and the new Fife schooner building for Germany, would 
possibly be worthy of her caliber if properly handled, they 
will be no match for her with German skippers and crews, 
and the German Emperor's Meteor is such a ship that 
she requires something like half a gale to warm her up. 
There is once more talk of Mr. Kenneth Clark fitting out 
Kariad now that he has sold his steam yacht, Katoomba, 
but nothing definite has transpired, and it seems unlikely 
on the face of it that Kariad will hoist racing colors un- 
less she goes into the handicap class. 
A burning question among small yacht owners on the 
Clyde is what is to become of the 23-3oft. length c'.3.s<, 
which has collapsed owing to the for. nation of the new- 
restricted class. In all probability they will be co'npel'ed 
to join the already overfilled ranks of the four old rating 
class unless, as Mr. J. A. Leckie, the owner of Cymbeline, 
suggests, they be formed into a limited handicap class. 
This idea is well worth following out, as the form of the 
boats is pretty well known, and much sport should result 
from a form of handicapping which has been tried in 
ether classes with excellent results. 
E. H. Kelly. 
Eistem Y. C.*s Proposed Invitation 0>ean Race, 
NEW YORK TO MARBLEHEAD (ABOUT 325 NAUTICAL MILES), 
FOR YACHTS 30 FEET AND NOT OVER $0 FEET WATERLINE, 
DURING THE SECOND WEEK IN JULY, I904. 
Prizes.- — Silver cups to be awarded in each class ac- 
cording to the number of starters. 
In addition a suitable trophy to be awarded to each 
yacht completing the course, but not winning a prize. 
Classes. — Classes D and E. — All schooners not over 
64ft. rating measurement. 
Class I. — Sloops and yawls not over 64ft. and over sift, 
rating measurement. 
Classes C, J and K. — Sloops and yawls not over 51ft. 
rating measurement and not less than 30ft. load water- 
line. 
Note. — Other classes may be added in the discretion of 
the committee. 
Course.— Start from some point in New York Bay to 
be announced later. 
Finish to be between Marblehead Rock and Cat Island. 
As the time of finish is very uncertain, each yacht will be 
requifed'td take her own time when the monument on 
Marblehead Rock bears W.S.W. 
Course. — Leave Sandy Hook Lightship and South 
Shoal Lightship on port. Each -yacht must pass near 
enough to the South.. Shoal Lightship to be identified and 
jeportgd by wireless. Each yacht to be furnished with 
