866 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Nov. 28, 1908. 
Gravesend Bay Records. 
The racing season on Gravesend Bay showed 
considerable improvement over seasons of some 
years previous to this, and there is every indi¬ 
cation that sport on the lower bay will con¬ 
tinue to grow, as the six clubs forming the 
yacht racing association of Gravesend Bay are 
all live organizations and take an active interest 
in promoting this sport. These clubs are: The 
Atlantic Y. C., Bensonhurst Y. C., Brooklyn 
Y. C., New York Canoe Club. Marine and Field 
Club and New York Athletic Club. 
Last summer one hundred and forty-six class 
and special races were sailed. And in these 
ninety-five yachts competed. The total number 
of starters in all these races was 592. The 
regular racing on the bay is for classes N and 
below. The courses have to be short because 
the harbor is crowded with vessels of com¬ 
merce and most of the racing is confined to 
Gravesend Bay. But some few special events 
w r ere arranged that took larger boats out to 
the Hook or to the Southwest Spit, and two 
races were started over ocean courses, one go¬ 
ing to Fire Island and back and the other to 
Fire Island Northeast End Lightship, off Cape 
May, and back. There were one or two power 
boat races, too. the power boat racing is not 
a success on the lower bay, because the water is 
usually rougher than it is on the Sound or up 
the river and power boat racing yachtsmen do 
not care to speed their crafts when the water 
is rough. 
The largest sized class in the regular regattas 
was that for yawls. These, however, did not 
start in every regatta, but it is probable that by 
next season special inducements will be offered 
to the owners of yawls and some of the larger 
sloops, and that the racing will be much better 
in the larger classes. Five yawls competed in 
the regular races. These were Sakana, Albi- 
core, Memory, Phantom and Eidolon; the latter 
is a sloop, but she raced in the yawl class once 
and finished third. These five started in six 
races and the total number of starters was 
eighteen. Sakana started six times, and of 
these she won four firsts and two seconds. 
Albicore won two firsts and three seconds. 
Memory started three times and was twice 
third, and Phantom in three starts was once 
second and twice third. , 
Next in size was the racing for the 27-foot 
sloops, class P. J. B. O’Donohue’s Crescent 
and E. F. Luckenback’s Sue fought it out dur¬ 
ing the season. 1 here were twenty-one races 
scheduled, but some were not sailed on ac¬ 
count of the weather. These two met in four¬ 
teen races and each won seven times. Before 
Sue go ready, Crescent had four sailovers, and 
these, together with her victories, give her 
the championship of the class. Adyta started 
once in this class and was beaten. This yacht 
raced through the season in the handicap class 
and made a very good showing. It is probable 
that Mr. von Foregger, her owner, will have a 
faster yacht for next season’s sport. 
The hottest class on the bay during the sea¬ 
son was that for 22-footers, the Q class. This 
class has been the most successful of all that 
have raced on Gravesent Bay, and many yachts¬ 
men think that it would be a great pity to let 
the class die out now, as some think it will be¬ 
cause many of those who now race 22 footers 
are thinking of building 18-footers. 
In this class Joy, Commodore William H. 
Childs; Spider, Hendon Chubb, and Soya, W. 
A. Barstow, raced, all through the season. In 
addition to the regular class racing the Thomp¬ 
son cup, offered through the Atlantic Y. C., at¬ 
tracted yachts from Boston and from the 
Sound. These were Eleanor, owned by F. T. 
Bedford: Achilles, owned by Caleb Loring; 
Chaperone, owned by Robert Jacob; Princess, 
owned by F. G. Stewart, and Capsicum, owned 
by C. Sherman Hoyt. Eleanor won this series, 
and having already won the championship of 
Massachusetts, is without doubt the champion 
22 footer of the year. Altogether eighteen races 
were started in this class and one was not 
finished. There were eight yachts competing 
in all and the total number of starters was 
seventy. In addition to these a series was 
arranged by the Atlantic Y. C. for women 
helmsmen, and this series took five races to 
decide. It was won by Mrs. W. A. Barstow 
who sailed Soya If these races are included, 
the total number of racers was twenty-three 
and the total number of starters eighty-four. 
Soya won in all nine races, Joy seven and Spider 
five and Eleanor two. 
Leaving out the series for the Thompson cup 
and taking into consideration all the races 
sailed by Soya, Spider and Joy, the record is 
as follows: 
Starts, lsts. 2ds. 3ds. 4ths. 
Soya, W. A. Barstow. 21 9 8 3 0 
Joy, W. H. Childs. 21 0 6 8 0 
Spider, Hendon Chubb.... 19 5 5 6 1 
Chaperone, F. Jacob. 10 10 0 
One race in which Soya. Joy and Spider met 
was not finished, and in one race Spider did 
not finish. 
Joy showed that she was still a remarkably 
fast boat in light winds and a smooth sea, and 
Soya was at her best when it blew fresh and 
there was a tumble to the sea. 
A handicap class was started early in the 
season, and it filled well, so that later a second 
division had to be formed. In the larger 
division nine yachts raced. They started eighty- 
two times in sixteen races. Adyta won six 
times and was four times second. La Cubana, 
a yawl, started twelve times and won four races 
and was third three times. Careless in sixteen 
starts won twice. Squaw in ten starts won 
twice and Ondas in eight starts won once. In 
the other division there were four yachts that 
raced consistently. These took part in twelve 
races and the total number of starters was 
thirty-four. Mischief started thirteen times, 
once having a sailover, and she won six races. 
Toy started ten times and won three races, and 
Madiana started nine times and won three 
races. 
Five yachts raced in the 15-foot class S, and 
M. and F., sailed by C. M. Camp, was by a 
long way the best of the five. In all eighteen 
races were sailed and one of these was a sail- 
over for Pester. M. and F. in eighteen starts 
won twelve firsts, two seconds and one third. 
Gunda in thirteen starts had three firsts, seven 
seconds and two thirds. Pester in nine starts 
had one first, one sailover, four seconds and 
two thirds: Goblin in eight starts had one 
first, three seconds and two thirds. The total 
number of starters in the races for this class 
was forty-nine. 
There were thirteen dories when the season 
opened, and in all eighteen races were sailed 
for the regular class. The class was divided 
after seven races had been sailed, and Slow 
Poke and Merry Widow were put in a class by 
themselves. Up to the time they were taken 
out of the class Slow Poke had won six out of 
the seven races, and Nancy had won the other. 
In all these, thirteen boats started 146 times in 
eighteen races. The records were: Slow Poke, 
7 starts, 6 firsts; Nancy, 15 starts, 6 firsts, 2 
seconds, 2 thirds; Mouse, 16 starts, 3 firsts, 5 
seconds, 3 thirds; Mas Vue, 14 starts, 1 first, 
4 seconds, 1 third; Zig Zag, 4 starts, 1 first; 
Cherub, 17 starts, 1 first, 1 second. 2 thirds. 
Merry Widow and Slow Poke sailed together 
for the rest of the season after they had been 
eliminated from the regular class. They met in 
twelve races. In one neither could finish and 
Merry Widow won six races and Slow Poke 
five. 
Seven dinghies of the New York Canoe Club 
took part in ten races. The total number of 
starters was fifty-four. Mercury won five out 
of ten starts. Meteor was twice first, twice 
second and five times third, and Arees, Virgo 
and Taurus each won a race. 
Twice the yachts started to race for the 
Wilson cup, which trophy stood for the cham¬ 
pionship of Gravesend Bay. In the first race 
joy was ahead when the time limit expired, and 
in the second race she won. 
In the race for Childs trophy there were 
seven starters. This race was won by Seneca, 
owned by Addison G. PTanan and representing 
the Crescent Athletic Club, and the defending 
yacht. Chaperone, was second. 
The race for the Lipton cup was started from 
Gravesend Bay and this was won by Shamrock. 
There were thirteen starters. Mimosa III. was 
second. 
Sakana won the race for the Thompson cup, 
going to Fire Island lightship and back, and 
Mimosa III. was again second. 
There were a few races for power boats and 
the total number of starters was fourteen. 
A summary of the racing on Gravesend Bay 
follows: 
Yachts. 
Races. 
Starts. 
Yawls . 
. 5 
6 
18 
Class P . 
2 
19 
34 
Class O .. 
. 8 
23 
84 
Handicap . 
. 13 
38 
116 
Class S . 
. 5 
18 
49 
Dories . 
. 13 
29 
17!) 
Dinghies . 
.•7*._ 7 
10 
54 
Special races . 
. 28 
7 
53 
Power boats . 
. 14 
6 
14 
Total . 
. 95 
146 
592 
Hitch in Canada Cup Proceedings. 
It is possible that the challenge for the 
Canada’s Cup sent some time ago to the 
Rochester Y. C. by the Royal Canadian Y. C. 
may be withdrawn. The challenge was accepted 
by the holders of the trophy and they began to 
make arrangements for its defence. Negotiations 
were opened with Addison G. Hanan, who is a 
member of the Rochester Club, for Seneca, the 
last defender of the cup, which the club was 
anxious should race again. It is understood 
that the Canadians did not think that Seneca 
was eligible since changes have been made in 
the rules, as she does not conform to the 
scantling restrictions, but she was built before 
the rules were adopted, so is exempt. The 
Canadians seem to think that they have little 
chance of success against the Herreshoff-built 
craft that won so easily last year on Lake On¬ 
tario, and as the holders of the trophy feel that 
with Seneca on hand there is little necessity for 
their building a new yacht, the challengers want 
to withdraw. 
Commodore Culp, of the Rochester Y. C., has 
confirmed the report that the Canadians are 
anxious to withdraw their challenge, but the 
club has not received an official statement giving 
the reason for this action. 
A member of the Royal Canadian Y. C. ex¬ 
plained the situation this way: 
“Things stand just this way, at present. The 
Rochester Club holds the cup. It defended last 
year with Seneca, after the hottest kind of a 
controversy over complying with the con¬ 
ditions. We have challenged for a race for 
1909 and they have accepted. So far, so good, 
but we will not go up against Seneca again. 
She is the fastest boat of her size that ever 
floated, I firmly believe. I don’t believe a boat 
can be built ‘to beat her under the new stand¬ 
ing rule, which enforces planking and timbers 
of certain sizes.’ 
“We, of course, have to build our new boat 
under the new scantling rule. They insist on 
the right to sail Senaca again, if they want to. 
That is what the row will be. I would not be 
surprised to find the whole thing wind up with 
their refusal to withdraw Seneca and our re¬ 
fusal to send a boat against her. That would 
mean they could keep the cup, of course.” 
Cutter Rondina Sold. 
The cutter Rondina has been sold by P. E. 
Deliber and E. A. Batchelder, of Salem, to 
John A. McAleer, of Boston, through the 
agency of Hollis Burgess. This yacht is one 
of the old cruising type of cutter, built from 
designs by Edward Burgess, and is 30 feet on 
the waterline. 
A. C. A. Membership. 
NEW MEMBERS PROPOSED. 
Atlantic Division—Julius H. Seymour, 27 
William street, New York city, by H. Lansing 
Quick. 
Eastern Division—Dwight G. Holbrook, care 
of Mutual Life Insurance Co., Hartford, Conn., 
by H. Lansing Quick. 
