544 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[April 2, 1910. 
wish to balance nature of things. But I will 
end in simply stating the whole object of this 
race is conceived in a sporting sense, and 1 do 
not think you can associate sport when you are 
running considerable risk to life in your at¬ 
tempts to produce it. . 
“V. A. Montagu, Admiral. 
It is very doubtful if any yacht owner would 
think of sailing a racing yacht in a race across 
the Atlantic with her racing rig. In the race 
of 1905 there were some yachts that had been 
built for cruising, notably Valhalla, Sunbeam, 
Thistle, Utowana, Fleur de Lys and Atlantic. 
Not one of these vessels was put into the race 
without being thoroughly prepared for any 
weather that might be encountered. Some rac¬ 
ing yachts were entered, Ailsa and Hamburg, 
and these had their racing rigs taken off and 
were equipped with a cruising outfit suited to the 
voyage. Even the cruisers removed their spars 
used in light summer weather in sailing along 
the coast and put on smaller and heavier spars 
and sails that would stand the hard blows that 
might be met. Not a yacht left here that was 
not well suited for the race and that was not 
thoroughly equipped for all sorts of weather. 
The yachts reached their destinations safely. 
There' was not an accident on one that might 
not have occurred in an ordinary cruise in any 
water. 
The Field calls attention to this letter editor¬ 
ially and says that it is suggested that “our 
largest racing cutters should be in this _ race.” 
Then it goes on to explain that it is no disgrace 
that cutters like Shamrock, White Heather and 
Brynhilde are not fitted for such contests- and 
points out that they are resigned and rigged to 
be fast in light winds and smooth seas. Then 
the Field says: 
“A race across the Atlantic Ocean sounds a 
very fine thing when the enterprise is proposed 
at a banquet or upon some auspicious occasion 
on shore, but with Admiral Montagu we are in¬ 
clined to doubt whether there is really much 
sport in the majority of trans-Atlantic races. 
Now, supposing a trans-Atlantic race were given 
for the A class oJ schooners and yawls under 
our international rules. Hamburg (late Rain¬ 
bow), Meteor, Germania, Cicely, Narrative, the 
American schooner Westward, the great Glen- 
iffer and others would be eligible to sail in the 
race. If the three-masted schooner Atlantic 
were classed either by the British or German 
Lloyd’s or the Bureau Veritas, she also would 
be eligible, but not otherwise. There would be 
a time allowance of four seconds per meter per 
mile for the passage of about 3,000 miles. For 
every meter of rating one yacht would allow an¬ 
other about 3 hours 20 minutes. We may 
imagine that the race would be a very keen one. 
Every stitch of canvas would be carried. Skip¬ 
pers would crack on for all they were worth. 
“In certain respects this would be a fine test 
of seamanship. The selection of the course 
would also require good navigation. It might 
be claimed by the promoters of such a match 
that the contest was a test of the seaworthiness 
of the yachts, of seamanship, navigation and the 
efficiency and endurance of the crews, and we 
realize that the prestige that would attach to 
such a race and the extent to which it would be 
written about in the newspapers would lend to 
the contest no small popularity. The race would 
undoubtedly find immense favor with thousands 
of persons who know nothing at all about a 
yacht race. Whether it would find favor with 
yachtsmen of experience is quite another mat¬ 
ter. Like Admiral Montagu we have no wish 
to throw cold water on the proposal, but we 
agree that such a contest should not be entered 
upon without most serious consideration. It 
might incur very grave risk to the lives of the 
paid hands. 
“The_ owner of a yacht with a crew of paid 
hands is in a different position from an owner 
with a crew of Corinthians. Tf a sportsman 
likes to risk hi£ vessel, along with the amateurs 
who help him to handle her,' and who rather en- 
io_\ the fun of a bit of foolhardy seamanship, 
no one will have much to say about it. but it 
is a more serious affair to cause a vacht’s crew 
to take undue risk in an ocean race' It is diffi¬ 
cult to associate this form of seamanship with 
sport. Admiral Montagu has referred to Hen¬ 
rietta and Dauntless. It may, however, be re¬ 
called that Henrietta, Fleetwing and Vesta raced 
across the Atlantic in 1866. Six of the Fleet¬ 
wing’s sailors were washed overboard and 
drowned. 
"The Admiral says that yachts of their day 
were far better adapted to be sea boats than 
yachts are now. While naval architects and 
theorists might disagree with him, and no d'oubt 
in some respects his statement is not correct, we 
are afraid that for the principal purpose of a 
trans-Atlantic race his statement is true. It is 
true not because the form of the hull of a Ger¬ 
mania is inferior to form of one of the old 
boats—for Germania is a very fine seagoing 
type—but because science has shown yachtsmen 
so many ways of running to extremes. Now¬ 
adays you have only to make the competition 
sufficiently keen, and there would seem to be 
no limit to the ingenuity of the designer in go¬ 
ing one better than his rival, and nearly every 
little step in the direction of speed whittles away 
the broad margin of safety that is essential for 
a trans-Atlantic race. Hence it would be very 
difficult to foresee the'result of an international 
race for what are called A Class yachts on time 
allowance across the Atlantic Ocean. 
“Generally, however, those who have planned 
trans-Atlantic races in the past have not both¬ 
ered about rating rules or time allowances. The 
committee in the race for the German Emperor’s 
cup from Sandy Hook to the Lizard in May, 
1905, said, “Let the first yacht in win.” What 
was the result? The immense three-masted fore 
and aft schooner Atlantic of 532 tons—a shal¬ 
low bodied vessel, a perfectly useless type of 
yacht for any purpose but a trans-Atlantic race 
— was an easy winner. The schooner Atlantic 
crossed the ocean, 3,013 miles, in twelve days, 
four hours, and her best day’s run was 341 
nautictl miles. Of course such a yacht beat 
Rainbow and the old yawl Ailsa, because she 
was so much bigger than she could not well do 
otherwise. 
“There was surely no special credit attached 
to her defeat of the wholesome old oceangoing 
yacht Sunbeam, belonging to Lord Brassey, or 
even of a big ship like Lord Crawford’s Val¬ 
halla. Indeed, the result of the trans-Atlantic 
race—minus rules and time allowance and bar¬ 
ring accidents—might easily have been foreseen 
in 1905. and similarly it could be foreseen in 
1911. If the event attracted sufficient attention 
to warrant the money being spent, some wealthy 
person would build a very large skimming dish 
type of clipper specially for the occasion which 
would completely outsail all ordinary yachts. 
We fail to see where the sport would be in rac¬ 
ing such a craft—an exaggerated edition of 
Wilson Marshall’s three-masted schooner At¬ 
lantic—against any yachts at present in exist¬ 
ence. 
“The fact is that if two or three owners of 
nice seagoing yachts like Sunbeam, Utowana or 
Modwena agree to race for a stake from Lizard 
to Sandy Hook, such a friendly event would 
doubtless produce most excellent sport. Tf, how¬ 
ever, an important international trophy is offered 
for a trans-Atlantic race, the competition is at 
once liable to become so keen that if no restric¬ 
tions are imposed an Atlantic freak is bound to 
be built for the occasion—a circumstance which 
of course quite spoils the sport for the other 
yachts. If on the other hand the competition 
is arranged on time allowance for rating, the 
course is so long, the test so arduous or tedious 
-’’’d the chances and risks are so numerous that 
the event is not likely to afford much sport to 
the owners.” 
Atlantic was built for cruising. She is not 
(is big or as powerful as Valhalla, but she is 
a food cruiser in spite of her racing appearance 
and she has made some good cruises and weath¬ 
ered many storms. In the race across the At- 
’'Tt-'c she won largely because Captain Barr and 
Wilson Marshall, her owner, realized that they 
were in a race. She was driven night and day. 
She had some luck, especially toward the end 
of the race. At one time the wind was so strong 
that it was thought advisable to shorten sail, but 
when this was about to be done the gale blew 
itself out. Had the wind freshened Valhalla 
would in all probability have won the race. 
Hamburg, formerly Rainbow, was beaten be¬ 
cause those on board seemed to be afraid to 
carry sail, and she was often seen under ordi¬ 
nary working canvas while the other yachts were 
carrying their kites. The surprise among the 
yachtsmen in the race was that Hamburg did 
not do better than she did. 
Motor 'Boatir\g. 
To Defend British Trophy 
Tiie [Motor Boat Club of America has at last 
done something toward defending the British in¬ 
ternational trophy. The British have challenged 
for a race which will be held next August. The 
club held its annual meeting last week and it was 
a very enthusiastic one. It was shown to the 
members that the club must do something if it 
hoped to retain the trophy after this season, and 
during the evening $25,000 was subscribed to¬ 
ward the cost of building and maintaining a boat 
to meet the British challengers. It is understood 
that the designs for this boat have already been 
made and work will be started at once so that 
it will be ready for a good tuning up early in 
the season. It was also decided, and very prop¬ 
erly too, that the race should be held oyer the 
Huntington Harbor course, which gave such 
satisfaction two years ago. 
Henry R. Sutphen presided. It was decided 
that Commodore Melville should appoint a com¬ 
mittee of five to organize a syndicate to build the 
defender. The Automobile Club of America is 
to be asked to co-operate with the Motor Boat 
Club committee in arranging the details of the 
international race. 
These officers were elected: Commodore, H. 
H. Melville; Vice-Commodore, Henry R. Sut¬ 
phen; Rear Commodore, James Craig; Treas¬ 
urer, Charles Francis; Secretary, Walter M. Biel- 
ing; Board of Governors, B. J. Steiner, John M. 
Shaw, Charles P. Tower, Frank D. Gheen, 
Morris M. Whitaker and J. H. Hoadle. 
More Motor Boat Bills. 
More bills to regulate the equipment of motor 
boats have been introduced in Congress, and 
these are not nearly as radical in their require¬ 
ments as former bills. Senator Nelson, of Min¬ 
nesota, introduced the bill in the Senate for 
Senator Frye, and in the House of Representa¬ 
tives Breen, of Massachusetts, was sponsor. The 
purpose of these bills is to simplify existing 
laws as recommended by a conference of dele¬ 
gates to the Motor Boat Association last De¬ 
cember and January, and endorsed by builders 
of these craft at a recent meeting in this city. 
The bills as now drawn and as favored by the 
Navigation and Steamboat Inspection Bureaus 
allow motor boats less than 25 feet long to carry 
a combination light and exempts them from 
carrying range lights, a bell and fog horn, but 
requires all motor boats to be equipped with a 
whistle. They require motor boats over 25 feet 
long to carry a white light forward, a white 
light aft and red and green side lights. 
Motor boats over 25 feet long must carry the 
means of promptly extinguishing burning gaso¬ 
lene, and all motor boats must carry buoyant 
cushions or some form of life preserver. Secre¬ 
tory Nagel, of the Department of Commerce and 
Labor, has strongly recommended legislation to 
do aw T av with the present impossible require¬ 
ments for motor boats and to substitute practical 
equipment for safety and favors action before 
the motor boating season opens. 
The demand for motor boats this season far 
exceeds that of former years. Cruising craft 
are mostly in demand, and a last season yacht, 
if well built, will sell for as much as she cost. 
Some owners have sold their last year’s yachts 
nnd made money. Small bay boats, too, are to 
be very popular, and motor boating in all 
classes will be very popular on all waters this 
season. 
