Oct. 30, 1909.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
703 
sailed without time allowance. The prize was 
not a Queen’s cup, as has so often been stated. 
America was one of the largest yachts in the 
ileet of starters, and if there had been time 
allowance for difference in size she would never 
have won. America rated at 170 tons, and she 
beat Aurora, a cutter' of only 47 tons by 18m. 
In 1870 James Ashbury brought over the 
schooner Cambria. The representatives of the 
two clubs could not agree on terms, and so 
Cambria sailed one race over the New York 
Y. C. regatta course against the whole fleet 
af the home club. This was the club’s idea then 
af a 'match. A match, according to the dic- 
;ionary definition, is a contest to try skill or 
strength or determine superiority and it is gen¬ 
erally assumed before the trial that the two 
,-ontestants are about equal. That is the idea 
,)f a good sportsman, but it would not be con¬ 
sidered a fair trial if the challenger had to sail 
'.gainst fourteen of the present-day yachts. 
The time allowance then was based on the 
onnage rule. The cubic contents of a vessel’s 
mderbody was taken and the vessel of greatest 
onnage had to allow time to those smaller. 
,Vhen America won the cup and when the first 
feed of gift was drawn the rule on both sides 
>f the Atlantic was based on a formula that 
00k the length of the keel less the beam mul- 
iplied by the beam, and then one-half the beam 
nd divided by 94, which gave the cubic con- 
cnts of the vessel. 
After having been beaten in his attempt to 
in the cup, Mr. Ashbury went home, but set 
0 work at once to arrange another race. He 
'anted to bring a new yacht, Livonia, and sail 
m races, one for each club he represented, 
his. the New York Y. C. would not agree to, 
ut it realized that it was not a fair race when 
ie challenger had to sail against a fleet and 
greed to put one yacht against Livonia. Co- 
nnbia was selected and she won two races, 
hen she lost a race through an accident and 
appho was substituted as the defender, and she 
icceeded in defeating Livonia twice and kept 
le cup here. 
Then in 1876 Countess of Dufferin came from 
anada, and she sailed against Madeleine. An¬ 
ther modification was made for this race. The 
Fending club selected its representative and 
inounced it before the day of the race. There 
fid been a change in the measurement rule. 
,id these two yachts were measured in a way 
at gave the cubic contents of each vessel be- 
^ fhe lowest point of freeboard. It was only 
slight modification of the former rule, but it 
towed that the members of the club then 
crght that the deed insised that its rules 
ould apply to the cup contest. This rule also 
iphed to the match between Atalanta, of 
j'nada, and. Mischief in 1881. and then changes 
ere made in the deed of gift. 
The club believed that the original deed, 
ough simple and direct, was no longer ade- 
ate to cover all points that had developed in 
e growth of the sport. The old deed allowed, 
e challenger to come here through canals or 
the deck of a steamer. There were objec- 
!*ns to this. The vessels to race for the cup 
! w ? s contended should be sound enough to 
: able to cross the ocean, and so a clause was 
nerted which said: “Vessels intending to 
:mpete for this cup must proceed under sail 
their own bottoms to the port where the 
nt j St i' S t0 ta ^ e P^ ace -” ^ was also definitely 
' ted that one yacht should be chosen to repre- 
; lt the defenders of the cup. The mutual 
1 cement clause was also changed, so that 
: ’ e allowance was mentioned as well as rules 
T sailing regulations as well as all other con- 
• 10ns of the match. 
Two challenges came in 1884 on behalf of Sir 
■chard Sutton’s Genesta and Lieut. William 
' nns Galatea. It was asked by the chal- 
ger at that time that the races, three in 
uber, be sailed over ocean courses free from 
tides and shallow water and that time 
1 iwance be figured “by the mean time,” ascer- 
■ed by the New . York Y. C. and English 
l ~ht Racing Association methods of measure- 
1 nt. 
he New Y’ork Y. C. system of measurement 
had been changed. The formula adopted in 1882 
was twice the length plus the square root of 
the sail area divided by three. The matches 
were soon arranged. The New York Y. C. 
would not allow the races to be all sailed out¬ 
side. The start of the first was off Bay Ridge, 
and the course went out to the Sandy Hook 
Lightship and back to Fort Hamilton, and the 
challenger was at a disadvantage because of lack 
of knowledge of tides and currents. The club 
also insisted that the New York’s system of 
measurement for time should be used, so re¬ 
quired by the deed of gift. The cup remained 
here after these two matches. 
Thistle was the next yacht to come. An¬ 
other change had been made in the measure¬ 
ment rule which was length plus square root 
of sail area divided by two, and that rule was 
in force until after the race with the third 
Shamrock in 1903. These various changes in 
the rules of measurement have been made by 
the New York Y. C. in order to develop a good 
wholesome type of yacht, and those who favor 
another race being sailed for the America’s 
Cup do not understand why the club should 
have declared that it did not want a wholesome 
type to race for the America’s Cup. The fact 
that a clause was inserted in the deed of gift 
shows that the donors of the cup required that 
the challenger should be a safe, sound and sane 
boat, because it would be courting disaster to 
try and cross the ocean with a boat of freakish 
type. 
Shamrock II. was nearly lost at sea while 
coming over. She arrived here with several 
rivets pulled out and leaking badly, and the 
crew of that yacht and of the Erin, which was 
acting as convoy, were ready to abandon her. 
Shamrock II. is not as extreme a type as Re¬ 
liance, and should another race be arranged for 
boats of this type and Sir Thomas build a freak, 
he would find a vessel even more extreme than 
Reliance waiting to defend the trophy, and -the 
defender would be safe here because she is not 
required to stand the buffeting of an ocean 
voyage. 
After the defeat of Thistle the inside course 
was abandoned. The defenders of the cup real¬ 
ized that it was not fair to the challenger, and 
that a course free of headlands and shoal water 
should be chosen for the yachts to race over. 
A third deed of gift was drawn up and ratified, 
but this provoked so much criticism that the 
club announced that matches under terms that 
governed the races of 1885, 1886 and 1887 would 
be acceptable. Lord Dunraven in 1889 tried 
to arrange a race for a 70-footer, but no race 
was arranged, as the two could not agree on 
conditions. Lord Dunraven then challenged 
with an 85-footer, and it was agreed that any 
excess of that length should count double in 
figuring time allowance. Five races were to be 
sailed for this match, which was won by 
Y’igilant. This match developed the first of the 
rating cheaters, as the big yachts have been 
termed. They are deep vessels with excessive 
overhangs, and when heeled under the pressure 
of the wind they increase the length, for which 
they pay no penalty, and it is on that increased 
length that they are able to carry the tremend¬ 
ous spread of canvas. 
Another change was made when the next 
Yalkyrie came in 1895. Until then the actual 
time, of starting had been taken for each yacht, 
but in 1895 it was agreed that it should be a 
one-gun start. This was tried only once, and in 
the last three races two minutes have been 
allowed to get over the line, and sometimes this 
works to the advantage of one boat over the 
other, as the wind will frequently change in two 
minutes and the last boat will usually benefit 
by the change. 
The history of the cup shows that many 
changes have been made in the conditions in 
order to keep up with the progress made in 
the sport, and the majority of sail yacht owners 
think that Sir Thomas is asking only what is 
fair in wanting to sail a race under the present 
rules of the club. These sailing yachtsmen, un¬ 
fortunately are in the minority in the New York 
Y. C., and things there are in control of owners 
of big steam yachts. 
Col. Stevens’ Views. 
Col. E. A. Stevens, a son of Commodore 
Stevens, who was the principal owner of the 
yacht America, has given his views of the cup 
situation. Col. Stevens probably knows what 
the donors of the cup meant better than any 
other man. He said: 
The donors of the America’s Cup probably 
looked at the gift in two ways. First, en¬ 
couragement to what then in this country was 
a very prosperous and lucrative industry, ship¬ 
building; second, as furnishing an opportunity 
for splendid sport. 
“The first aspect has been wiped out. The 
steam engine has made sail propulsion obsolete 
a , nd , A . 1 ? 1 , cncan legislation has well-nigh killed 
shipbuilding. It is still to be remembered that 
they contemplated the use of practical sea-going 
vessels.. The second aspect remains. Yacht 
lacing is. still a sport, but it has met serious 
competition. In 1851 there were no automobiles 
or aeroplanes to vie with it in popularity. It 
seems, a shame to load the classic event of such 
magnificent sport, already heavily handicapped 
with the great cost due to limiting the contest 
to go-toot racing machines good for nothing 
but that one event, and beyond the reach of any 
except multi-millionaires or syndicates thereof. 
1 greatly doubt whether the donors in the 
language of to-day would have stood for any 
such restriction. If we are 'to hold the 
America s Cup it would seem better to do so 
by virtue of the skill of our builders and 
skippers without any peradventure of our suc¬ 
cess being ascribed to our ability as sea 
lawyers. 
Yankee a Houseboat. 
The yo-I 00 ^. 1 " Yankee, one of the class of 
four yachts built by Herreshoff in 1900, has 
been sold by Harry’L. Maxwell to a firm who 
makes a business of buying yachts for their 
lead and fixtures. Yankee will have her lead 
lemoyed, but will not be broken up but fitted 
as a house boat. Mr. Maxwell has purchased 
the sloop Avenger, which he will race next sea¬ 
son. Four of the 70-footers were built. They 
were Mineola, for August Belmont; Rainbow, 
■ 0rne 1US Vanderbilt; Yankee for H P 
f Whlt o e y and Herman B. Duryea, and Virginia, 
for W. K. Vanderbilt, Jr. The racing in their 
first year was of the best. Capt. Wringe sailed 
Mineola, Capt. Parker sailed Rainbow, and the 
owners sailed the other two. A series of ten 
races was sailed off Newport, and this series 
was won by Yankee. During the summer 
Mineola started 28. times, won 13, was second 
9 times, third 3 times and fourth once; she 
won the Astor cup. Rainbow started 27 times, 
won 8 firsts, 7 seconds, 7 thirds and 5 fourths! 
Yankee starting in 21 races, winning 6, was 
second 6 times, third 5 times and fourth 3 times. 
Virginia started in 20 races, of which she won 
1, was second 6 times, third 6 times and fourth 
5 times. At the end of the first season Mr 
Whitney called Mr. Vanderbilt’s attention to a 
violation of the. agreement. Ballast had been 
changed on Rainbow, which altered her trim 
and length., Mr. Vanderbilt at once notified the 
regatta committees of what had been done and 
declined to accept the prizes won by his yacht 
Yankee was later purchased by J. Rogers 
Maxwell and raced by him until Queen was 
built, when he gave the sloop to his son. 
Mineola was sold to W. Ross Proctor, and is 
still owned by that yachtsman. Virginia was 
sold , to a Philadelphia yachtsman, who turned 
her into a houseboat, and Rainbow was trans¬ 
ferred to Herreshoff when Aurora was built 
and is now rigged as a schooner. This class 
was one of the fastest for its size ever built, 
and yachtsmen will be disappointed that it has 
now disappeared from the racing world. 
The Forest and Stream may he obtained from 
any newsdealer on order. Ask your dealer to 
supply you regularly. 
