Sieier, §4, 1904.] 
26 5 
in the East, and follow along the lines found to be 
successful elsewhere. 
We can see no objections to inviting general competi- 
tion in the races for the selection of a challenger by the 
Rochester Y. C. and everything in favor of it. By all 
means let the races be open to all. 
Cape May Cup Race. 
Sept. 10 to 12-212 Miles. 
1 After having been lost or forgotten for nearly a score 
of years, the famous Cape May cup, presented to the New 
York Y. C. way back in 1872 by ex-Commodore James 
Gordon Bennett, suddenly jumped into the center of the 
aquatic stage a few months ago when Commodore Morton 
F. Plant announced his intention of challenging for it 
when he went abroad with his schooner yacht Ingomar. 
As the cup was won by the English cup challenger 
Genesta in 1885, and subsequently successfully defended 
by King Edward's cutter Britannia, it was generally sup- 
posed that the cup was in the custody of the Royal Yacht 
Squadron at Cowes, but a search of the historic castle 
failed to reveal this ancient trophy, when Britain's leading 
yacht club decided that it had no right to defend it. 
Windsor Castle's treasure vaults were then raked over 
by the royal tooth-comb, but still no cup, and finally the 
search was extended to Sandringham House, and there, 
among the royal curios, the long lost trophy was found. 
No time was lost in returning the cup to the New York 
Y. C, and last week's race between Atlantic, Endymion, 
and Vergemere was the result. 
So far as last week's race is concerned, the yachts were 
started at the bell buoy off the Point of the Hook at 1 :2g 
P. M. on Saturday afternoon, but as the yachts mistook 
the location of the starting line, Vergemere Was the only 
boat not handicapped. 
Both Atlantic and Endymion were so far to the 
eastward of the line that they were unable to get back in 
time in the light E. air against the strong ebb tide, and 
as a result Atlantic was penalized 6m. 30s. and Endymion 
26m. Vergemere, however, lost all of her advantage at 
the start by making a short hitch just after she crossed 
the line, and as a result Atlantic took the lead, with 
Vergemere second and Endymion last. 
All Saturday afternoon the yachts held down the Jersey 
coast on the port tack and towards evening the wind died 
away to nothing. Soon, however, the wind freshened to a 
good sailing breeze, and with spinnakers to port the yacht 5, 
made fast time to Cape May. Captain Loesch, sailing a 
slightly better course, soon brought Endymion to the 
front, while Vergemere took second place. 
They were timed at Five Fathom Bank lightship, off 
Cape May, on Sunday morning, as follows : Endymion, 
3 :oi :oo ; Vergemere, 3 :o8 :oo ; Atlantic, 3 123 :oo. 
It was blowing fresh from N. by E. then, and sheets 
were flattened in for the beat home. Atlantic and Verge- 
mere stood well off shore and on the second tack Atlantic 
crossed Vergemere's bow, which soon withdrew from the 
race and went into Delaware breakwater. 
Atlantic then turned her attention to Endymion, which 
boat was keeping in close to the shore, and, after a hard 
fight, the three-master finally took the lead about six 
o'clock Sunday morning. There was quite a heavy sea 
on then, but the boats made good weather of it and all 
Sunday kept up their windward battle down the Jersey 
coast, but toward midnight the wind shifted to the W. 
Endymion caught the- reaching breeze first, but not soon 
enough to catch Atlantic, which finished at 3:58:16 Mon- 
day morning, while Endymion was not timed until 
5 :oi :i8, and as a result Atlantic won, covering the course 
in 28h. 33m. 16s., beating Endymion by ih. 5m. 2s. 
Summary, start 1 125 P. M., Saturday, September 10 : 
Sept. 11 A.M. Sept. 12 A.M. 
Mark. Finish. Elapsed. 
Atlantic, Wilson Marshall 3 23 00 3 58 16 38 33 16 
Endymion, Geo. Lauder, Jr 3 01 00 5 03 18 39 39 18 
Vergemere, A. C. Bostwick 3 08 00 Did not finish. 
In view of the revival of ocean yacht racing, and the 
talk of a transatlantic race for the German Emperor's 
cup next spring, and the amount of talk and criticism this 
particular race has brought out, I would like to make a 
few suggestions which I trust will be taken in the spirit 
in which they are written. Before I start in, I would like 
to say that I believe Atlantic won fairly and squarely, and 
would have won any way, no matter what happened be- 
fore or during the race. 
To begin with, the New York Y. C.'s original circular 
called for a start off Sandy Hook lightship, but someone, 
in looking over the old deed of gift, discovered that all 
races for this particular cup must be started at Buoy No. 
5, off the Point of the Hook (a very bad place to start big 
yachts, by the way.) When Commodore S. Nicholson 
Kane, who is always willing to oblige, discovered this, he 
cancelled the original circular, and issued a new one call- 
ing for a start off Buoy No. 5. Unfortunately, the en- 
trance to New York harbor changes from time to time, 
and now there is no Buoy No. 5 off the Point of the 
Hook, a bell buoy having taken its place some years ago. 
The result was neither the flagship Delaware, which was 
used as a, committee boat, nor any of the contesting yachts 
could find the missing buoy, and the Delaware finally 
anchored off the bell buoy, which was about where Buoy 
No. 5 used to be, while the three yachts, thinking that 
possibly there was a mistake in their instructions, went 
out to Buoy "No. 5 G" in Gedney's channel, some distance 
to the E. ' 
Now, while under ordinary circumstances it would have 
made little difference where the starting line was located, 
it made a great difference in this particular instance, for 
the yachts were way to the E. of the line, and had to 
work back in a light wind against a strong ebb tide. 
Not only this, but Atlantic and Vergemere being 
auxiliaries came out under their own power, while En- 
dymion, which was furthest to the eastward, had thrown 
off her tug's tow line when she arrived at what her skip- 
per thought was the starting line. 
When the yachtsmen discovered their error, Atlantic, 
which had in the meantime shut off her power, was the 
nearest to the line, while Vergemere, which was about in 
a line with Endymion, -came steaming back. ■ • 
Racing auxiliaries as sailing craft is a comparatively 
new pme ? but if these boats are to b§ raced, aj inch, 
they should either have their propellers taken off or their 
engines sealed down before the start, and there should 
be no use of power even for hoisting sail. 
Vergemere got over with the handicap gun, Atlantic 
was penalized 6m. 30s., and Endymion 26m. 
Another point brought out by the race was that nothing 
should be left to the option of the contestants, and that 
they should be instructed to round marks either to port 
or starboard. In this race the yachts had the option of 
leaving the outer mark (Five Fathom Bank lightship) on 
either hand, the supposition being that in a long race like 
this the yachts would be some distance apart. As it hap- 
pened, only 7m. separated Endymion and Vergemere . at 
this mark, but if they had been a few minutes closer to- 
gether, Endymion, which was leading, might have elected 
to round the mark to windward, while Vergemere might 
have gybed, then who would have had the right of way, 
and who would have been to blame if there had been a 
collision ? Someone will probably say this is far-fetched, 
but I recall an ocean race of the Atlantic Y. C. from 
Gardner's Bay to Sea Gate when Katrina, Sachem, 
Ramona, Coronet, and Thistle finished almost like one 
boat, only 4m. separating the first and last yacht, when 
Katrina beat Sachem by just is. for first honors. 
The official circulars also stated that the yachts should 
take their own time at the end of the race, and should 
finish 100 yards from the lightship. Now, it would be 
better to pay the captain of the lightship a small amount 
to take the yachts' time at the finish, which they would 
CAPE MAY CUP. 
probably be glad to do for nothing, and 100 yards might 
be far too close for a 206ft. yacht like the Atlantic to come 
to the lightship under certain conditions where she might 
need more space to maneuver in. 
According to the times taken by the owners of the two 
leading boats, Atlantic finished at 3:58:16, and Endymion 
at 5:03:18 on Monday morning, but according to the 
telegraph operator at Sandy Hook, Endymion was only 
half an hour behind Atlantic when they passed the Point 
of the Hook, instead of being over an hour behind as the 
official figures have it. Whether it was 30 or 65 minutes 
of course made little difference in the result of this par- 
ticular race, but nothing should be left to chance and 
some disinterested party should always take the times so 
there could be no room for argument. The angle of view 
makes a big difference in the finish line of a race, and out- 
siders, not yacht owners, should decide when a line is 
properly crossed. 
The historic Cape May cup for which the yachts raced 
was first offered for competition in 1872 by ex-Commodore 
James Gordon Bennett, or the same year the Brenton's 
Reef cup was offered, but, unlike the last named trophy, 
it is not a perpetual challenge trophy, but becomes the 
bona fide property of any yacht holding it successfully 
through three consecutive contests. 
The first race for the cup was sailed on October 10, 
r872, when the schooner Dreadnaught, owned by Alden B. 
Stockwell, defeated Palmer, owned by Rutherford Stuy- 
vesant. Dreadnaught covered the course in 25h. 5m. 40s., 
or the fastest time on record, beating Palmer by ih. 39m. 
25s., whose time was 26k 45m. 5s. 
The second race was arranged between J. N. Loubat, 
owner of the schooner Enchantress,- and Dreadnaught, 
which was to have been sailed in October, 1873, resulted 
m a walkover for Enchantress, as Mr. Loubat refused 
to allow Dreadnaught time to repair damages sustained 
by Dreadnaught in a previous race. 
The third race was sailed in September, 1877, between 
Dreadnaught, then owned by Charles J. Osborn ; Rambler, 
W. H. Thomas; Vesta, Samuel M. Milis, and Idler, 
Samuel J. Colgate. Idler won, covering the course in 
40b. 35m. ios., with Rambler second, Vesta third. 
It was eight years before another race was sailed for 
the trophy, when Sir Richard Sutton, owner of the un- 
successful cup hunter Genesta, challenged for the cup, and 
the only yacht which came forward to defend the cup was 
Caldwell H. Colt's old schooner Dauntless. As the wind 
waff very light and 4ea4 ahead, the modern cutter 1^4 
little trouble in beating the ©Id-time two-sticker* and tha 
cup was taken across the Atlantic. 
John Jameson, owner of the cutter Irex, challenged the 
Genesta for the cup, and on August 14 and 15, 1886, in a 
race from the Needles to Cherbourg, France, and return. 
Irex won, covering the course in 27b. 10m. 28s., while 
Genesta took over 3oh. 
In 1889 the yawl Wendur challenged for the cup and 
sailed over for the prize, as the Irex failed to defend the 
trophy. 
In August, 1893, the cup was forfeited by Wendur to 
the Prince of Wales' Britannia, who was challenged by 
Royal Phelps Carroll's American cutter Navahoe. The 
race was sailed in September of that year, and Britannia 
won, though she lost the Brenton's Reef cup to Navahoe 
after a very close race. 
When Commodore Plant took Ingomar abroad this 
year, he _ challenged for the cup. In looking over the 
records, it was discovered that as Britannia had been sold 
out of the_ Royal Yacht Squad ron, the cup had long ago 
been forfeited to the New York Y. C, so the Squadron 
had no right to defend it. 
Duncan Curry. 
"Inefficiency of Race Committees." 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
The letter which appeared in the September 10 issue o£ 
Forest and Stream, by Mr. D. G. Whitlock, chairman of 
the Regatta Committee in charge of outside race to 
Marblehead under auspices of the Brooklyn Y. C, cer- 
tainly demands a reply in refutation of the insinuations 
of attempted deception on my part in the matter of 
Newasi carrying a professional pilot in the race. 
Chairman Whitlock's memory can scarcely be so de- 
fective as not to recall a visit I made to his office to con- 
sult him on the pilot or navigator subject. I then in- 
formed him of an interview I had had with one most in- 
terested in the success of this race, and one holding a 
high position as a sea lawyer, who had defined those who 
would be eligible to act as navigators or pilots in the 
race. This definition was as follows : 
"Any one who is not a paid yachting man. He may 
be connected with the navy ; may be an officer in the mer- 
chant marine, or a Gloucester fisherman, but he must 
never have received pay in any way in connection with 
yachting." 
Mr. Whitlock was aware that I proposed employing 
such a person, and also knew that the object of mv visit 
was to have the correctness of this definition "either 
affirmed or denied. While Mr. Whitlock did not give 
written consent to such a pilot being engaged, he did not 
deny the right of so doing. Perhaps he did not know. 
But if he did, and he was the judge, not I, who had come 
to him for advice, it was manifestly unjust for him to per- 
mit Newasi to start, if he knew that a protest could be 
sustained against her should she finish among the leaders. 
Again, if as Mr. Whitlcck has caused to be put in 
public print the statement that I never notified him of 
the intention of employing a pilot, how, then, does he ex- 
plain the visit above alluded to? 
Some time after my return to' New York, I was in- 
formed over the telephone by a friend— not by a member 
ot the committee— that the latter were holding a meeting, 
and that it was advisable for me to be present. It was 
impossible to go at once, but when I reached the office 
specified, the committee had adjourned. The next morn- 
ing Chairman Whitlock was sought at his office, and the 
fact of Captain Chase being a member of Newasi's crew 
was immediately acknowledged, for there had been not 
the slightest attempt at concealment, although this is 
unfairly and unkindly insinuated in Mr. Whitlock's 
article. 
Regarding the following paragraph in Mr. Whitlock's 
letter : 
"When the Regatta Committee, the morning of the 
race, made the rounds of the boats, and asked for the 
names of those composing the crew, the owner of 
Newasi failed to give name of Capt. Chase, the profes- 
sional pilot, which may be readily verified by looking 
at newspaper accounts of the crews, published the morn- 
ing after the start. The name of another man was given 
however, who, we believe, did not start." 
I was not on board Newasi at the time the commit- 
tee made this visit, but a member of my crew who talked' 
with them makes the following statement: "The com- 
mittee came alongside, and -on being asked to come on 
board, declined, and said, 'You are all right' They did 
not ask for the names of the crew, and no names were 
given at this time." Further, while on shore, at the re- 
quest of one of the officials, I gave the names of all mem- 
bers of my crew, specifically giving Capt. Chase his title. , 
His name, with his title, appeared in many of the morn- 
ing papers. Who gave the erroneous name to the other 
papers I do not know. 
I received no official notice of the protest against 
Newasi, and only learned of such protest being filed 
through the daily papers. The committee never notified 
me of any meeting held to consider such protest, and I 
nave never had any opportunity to officially state my case 
the only communication on this subject from the com- 
mittee is a letter dated August 24, 1904, in which I am 
mtormed that Newasi had been disqualified 
• A f to cutting across the shoals: At an informal meet- 
ing held at the Brooklyn Y. C. the night before the race, 
it was agreed by the owners of every vacht to keep to 
the eastward of the shoals. The commodore of the 
Brooklyn Y. C. put the question, and a vote was taken 
on the subject. Shortly after this I left the meeting with 
my crew and went on board Newasi. If the subject was 
again brought up and the agreement reconsidered it cer- 
tainly showed inefficiency on the part of the officials in 
t J^l of * he r ^ Ce "° t t0 notify Newasi of this change 
If the Race Committee had taken the trouble to find 
out what conditions were prevailing along the coast (and 
this could have been done without difficulty), they would 
have learned that everything was favorable for a fast 
run. There is no excuse for their not having had nt 
least one of their committee at Marblehead when the 
boats finished. As the signals marking the finish line were 
not Placed as specified in the instructions. Newas barX 
escaped a bad accident, which, had the wind beS ronS? 
could not baye been avoided, stronger, 
A. H. W. Johnson, 1 
• • ■ -•• * VW33SX oi Sloop Nmml 
