Schooner for European Rule. 
* The inconvenience of the rules of measure¬ 
ment of this side of the Atlantic and of the 
other are now beginning to be felt. A. S. 
Cochran, of the New York Y. C., is having a 
big schooner built, which he hopes to race at 
Kiel, and then at the British regattas. It was 
first rumored that Mr. Cochran would race 
abroad early in the summer and then come 
home in time to take part in the late racing 
here. This is not possible, and he is going to 
spend the whole season abroad. His yacht, 
which will be about 96 feet on the waterline, is 
to conform to the International Rule of Meas¬ 
urement which has been adopted by all coun¬ 
tries in Europe where there is yacht racing. 
This rule differs from the universal rule 
adopted by American clubs, and to be able to 
race against the British and German yachts, 
Mr. Cochran thinks that it is better to take 
every advantage of. their system and not incur 
any penalties; but in doing so, he will have a 
yacht that will rate poorly under the American 
rule, and when he returns here for racing his 
yacht will be handicapped considerably. 
The European formula is: 
L+B+K G+ 3 d+i/ 3 VSa—F 
---=Rating 
2 
, Under this rule girth is taken into con¬ 
sideration, and there is an allowance for free¬ 
board, so that it is better to build a yacht that 
is seaworthy, but the yachts on the other side 
are allowed more draft than here, and conse¬ 
quently can carry more sail area. It has been 
figured that the new schooner will have about 
1V2 feet more draft than she would be allowed 
according to the American formula, and this 
will be penalized unless changes are made when 
she starts to race in these waters. 
The efforts of Sir Thomas Lipton to arrange 
a race for the America’s Cup and the visit of 
the American schooner to Europe have caused 
considerable comment specially in the London 
Field. 
Prof. David W. Finlay recently wrote this 
letter: 
“In various quarters one sees hints of a 
repetition, of the challenge for the America’s 
Cup. Is it not time to consider whether it is 
worth while to lavish more trouble and expense 
on what is universally recognized to be an un¬ 
equal contest? 
“I have not much sympathy with those who 
rail at American yachtsmen for sticking to the 
present conditions, if they are genuinely con¬ 
vinced that , they are not legally entitled to 
relax them in favor of what, without offense, 
may be called fair play to both sides. Would 
it not be best to give up challenging for this 
particular cup and promote a race for a fresh 
prize—the cost of which could be easily raised 
—to be regarded as the equivalent of the old 
cup? If this were done a joint committee of 
British and American yachtsmen might be 
chosen to formulate fair arrangements on a 
clean slate,” nothing being given aWay by the 
Americans but the present unequal conditions. 
bo far as I understand the matter, these are 
mainly the following: That the dimensions of 
the challenger must be declared, and that ten 
months.before the racing: that the Americans 
may build as many defenders as they like, and 
need not name their champion before the morn- 
ing of the first race; and that the challenger must 
cross the Atlantic on her own bottom. 
“With reference to No. r, it should be enough 
that the rating of the challenger be communi¬ 
cated on a notice of six months; as to No. 2, 
one defender only should be built for the con¬ 
test; and No. 3 is so obviously a severe handi¬ 
cap that it ought to be swept away without 
hesitation. 
“But there is another point of importance re¬ 
lating to No. 3. It might be impracticable to 
take to New York a vessel of the size required 
by the present rules in any other way than by 
sailing or towing. In any case, I would sug¬ 
gest that the size of the competitors should be 
so reduced that the challenger could be trans¬ 
ported on the deck of one of the big steamers. 
I do not know whether a 19-metre boat could 
be dealt with in this way, but surely, a 15-metre 
boat could be so carried, her keel if necessary 
being taken off for the voyage. There would 
be also this benefit gained from bringing down 
the size of the competitors, that the con¬ 
stituency. of possible challengers would be 
greatly increased, and men who are not 
millionaires, and who perhaps sail their own 
boats, might be willing to go upon the quest for 
the America’s Cup equivalent. 
“I am not unmindful of the sentiment which 
has made the bringing back to this country of 
the cup an object of ambition and endeavor: 
but sentiment may be too dearly purchased, and 
I think we are oyer the score already. Possibly 
there is no use in troubling further about such 
a contest at all. Those who, under conditions 
such as I have put forward, might be disposed 
to issue a challenge must judge of that. 
“I assume, by the way, that the International 
rules as to measurement and scantlings would 
be adopted. David W. Finlay.” 
“Oct. 9, 1909 ” 
The Field, commenting on this, said: 
“The conditions relating to the America’s 
Cup, as set forth by Professor Finlay in the 
letter in our present issue, are substantially 
correct, but we think that there is no object in 
substituting any other cup for the America’s 
Cup. There must be either a race for this cup 
or no race at all. The present conditions of 
this cup being unfair, there can be no race until 
they are altered. If they cannot be altered that 
is the business of the New York Y. C. The 
present New York Y. C. rule differs from the 
International Rule, which is only in force in 
Europe and not in America; therefore, a yacht 
built for the America’s Cup, either under old 
conditions or the present N. Y. Y. C. rule, can¬ 
not race in .Europe at all where the Interna¬ 
tional Rule is in force. 
“After the refusal of the delegates of the N. 
Y. Y. C. to attend the International Conference 
of 1906, convened in London by the Y. R. A., 
which conference was attended by all the 
European nations, it can only be assumed that 
it was the wish of the N. Y. Y. C. that interna¬ 
tional contests between European and Amer¬ 
ican yachts should be suspended. This decision 
is undoubtedly noted by all yachtsmen on this 
side of the Atlantic with the greatest regret. 
“At the present we can see no chance of the 
rules of Europe and America being assimilated 
so as to provide international sport. The 
chance of an agreement came in 1906, when the 
two American delegates had actually booked 
their passage to attend the conference, but 
were at the last moment withdrawn. The con¬ 
ditions under which racing yachts are built in 
Europe and America are now widely different. 
In . Europe all racing yachts must be strongly 
built and. classed R or A by one of the great 
classification societies, such as Lloyds. In 
America there is no such regulation. You mav 
build your yacht anyhow you like, as lightly as 
you please. The system of measurement in 
America, comprises the ascertaining of the total 
dead weight of the vessel by a rather compli¬ 
cated series of measurements, which, if made 
actually upon the hull, are regarded by some 
as being liable to error. If made upon the de¬ 
sign, they lead necessarily to disclosure of the 
lines, at any rate to certain officials. If the 
designer merely declares the dead weight and 
his word is accepted, this system is also open 
to some objection. In Europe no such meas¬ 
urement of dead weight of hull is required. 
The only measurements taken are of a nature 
that can be easily ascertained by means of a 
steel tape measure. The measurements can be 
very easily checked by any yachtsman. In 
Europe, too, the present International Rule of 
yacht measurement has proved a great success. 
Most of our leading English racing men have 
built yachts for it, and they are prepared to 
build more, notwithstanding the fact that 
business is not very brisk in this country at the 
moment. The German Emperor and the King 
of Spain are among its patrons, and the Kaiser 
is a keen supporter of the rule, and has done 
much to encourage international racing between 
the countries affiliated to the International 
Yacht Racing Union. Yacht owners generally 
are pleased with the new regulations, which 
compel the yachts to be ‘classed’ either at 
Lloyd’s or by one of the foreign societies, 
they find they get a good article, even if the 
initial cost is rather high, and, there being 
thirteen or fourteen countries in the union, 
there is a good market for old boats, and plenty 
of sport for all classes. We call attention to 
these conditions to show that at the present 
time there is not the least reason to suppose 
that European yachtsmen generally will sacri¬ 
fice these advantages in the hopes of promot¬ 
ing international contests with America, either 
for the America’s Cup or any other trophy. 
Not the smallest blame attaches to Europe 
for the present deadlock, because a cordial in¬ 
vitation was issued to America to send two 
delegates to the conference at which the future 
conditions of yacht racing were framed. The 
New York Y. C. refused the invitation. What 
advantage there could have been in this refusal 
it is difficult to see. Even had an agreement not 
been the eventual outcome of the debate, the 
meeting between the delegates of the New York 
Y. C. and those of the Yacht Racing Associa¬ 
tion and the delegates of Germany, France, 
and other countries would probably have re¬ 
sulted in some great benefit to the sport of the 
Old and New Worlds. H. R. H. the Prince of 
Wales was the president of the conference, and 
held a reception of the distinguished assembly 
at Marlborough House, and it is a matter of 
history now how in 1906 and 1907 the delegates 
went to Berlin, there to be received by the Ger¬ 
man Emperor, and also went to Paris, where 
they were welcomed by the Minister of Marine 
of France. Their work was crowned with suc¬ 
cess; but even to-day the union is only in its 
infancy; it is impossible to say how widespread 
and beneficial may be its influence on the sport 
of yacht racing in the future. 
“From all this the New York Y. C. has 
stood aloof, with its America’s Cup locked up 
in a box. Indeed, the trophy has now remained 
there so long that some yachtsmen will begin 
to feel with Professor Finlay that ‘possibly there 
is no use troubling further about such a contest 
at all.’ If it were only the race for the cup itself 
that concerned us we should agree with this 
sentiment, but it is not so. We believe that the 
inclination among the majority of American 
yachtsmen is to join hands with European 
yachtsmen. We think the practical common 
sense of the American people is such that they 
would have resented the refusal of the New 
York Y. C. to send delegates to the interna¬ 
tional conference had they understood the true 
position, of affairs. 
‘ The fact is that in America there is no legis¬ 
lative body which corresponds to the Y. R. A. 
of Great Britain or the Deutseher Seglar Ver- 
band of. Germany. Whereas in Britain the Y. 
R. A. is a body composed of all clubs, and 
gathers a consensus of opinion of all yachts- 
