-YNVEUfl V JO ft 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Dec. 18, 1909. 
To Benefit Yachtsmen. 
The British port of Southampton is to make 
special efforts to accommodate visiting yachts- 
. 1 t rtf FnmniPft'P fit tllJlt CltV 
men it the Chamber of Commerce of that city 
has its own way. Efforts are being made to get 
a suitable landing stage built, and the Harbor 
Board now has tne matter under consideration. 
On the matter, The Field says: 
"In the yachting centers of the world there 
is no port which can compare with Southamp¬ 
ton for the amount of its trade in connection 
with the pastime of yachting. Nearly eveiy 
foreign pleasure vessel visiting England puts 
into Southampton. The Scottish vessels, upon 
coming south, make for Southampton Water, 
and yachts which fit out at other English ports 
on tne east coast or elsewhere make great use 
of the harbor and town for catering. Year by 
year the trade generally increases. It is true 
that the ltchen is not so famous just at the 
moment as it has been in the past for the 
building of racing yachts. 1 he Clyde seems to 
carry all before it in the way of racing vessels. 
Similarly, perhaps the Scottish yards generally 
have more than maintained their leading 
position in the construction of fine steam 
yachts. \'et the fact that building trade has 
drifted northward affects the position ot 
Southampton as the premier yachting port very 
little for from whatever vicinity vessels may 
hail,' they inevitably come into Southampton 
as a convenient center. So conservative, how- 
ever are the authorities at Southampton that 
in several respects the accommodation for 
yachtsmen remains of the most primitive 
nature. The port of course depends tor its 
success upon its geographical position; on this 
account it remains, and is likely to remain, the 
premier yachting port. If it had depended upon 
the accommodation offered to yachts by the 
town authorities-—which is of the poorest 
description—its popularity would have waned 
long ago. Probably it is not that the town 
authorities have any objection to making some 
improvements—extensive improvements are 
sorely needed—in the facilities for landing, etc., 
at the town quay, but their neglect has been 
owing to a vis incvticz. It will therefore be with 
no little satisfaction that the owners of yachts 
will learn that upon the proposal of Mr. W. 
Summers the Southampton Chamber of Com* 
merce last week passed the following resolution. 
“ ‘That this chamber, recognizing the inade¬ 
quate means provided by the harbor board for 
the embarking and landing of yachtsmen, urge 
the necessity of providing suitable accommoda¬ 
tion at the town quay, whereby easy access can 
be obtained to boats at all stages of the tide, 
and that a copy of the resolution be sent to the 
clerk to the harbor board.’ 
“We hope the harbor board will act promptly 
upon the resolution of the chamber, which was 
carried without the smallest dissent. There is 
a great deal more in what Mr. Summers has 
said than the tradespeople of Southampton at 
first sight may suppose. Yachting people are 
generally folk with money to spend, they spend 
it generously— too generously sometimes; if 
they are robbed their trade is driven elsewhere; 
the tradespeople who serve them should not 
forget this—but the condition of a landing place 
creates a first impression upon the minds of 
those who set foot in a town that is never 
effaced. Visitors forget many things—even the 
amount of the bill if they have had a good 
time—but they never forget the annoyance of 
an uncomfortable landing, of sticking in foul 
mud, of the lack of porterage, damaged boat 
gear, the launch propeller foul of innumerable 
things, and the general disgust and discom¬ 
fort which results from coming alongside a 
wretched and inadequate causeway or quay. 
In the course of a very interesting paper, which 
he read to the Southampton Chamber of Com¬ 
merce, Mr. W. Summers said that the inhabi¬ 
tants of the town ‘looked upon Southampton 
as a great port, the home of the large shipping 
companies, and they seemed to imagine that the 
docks and the S. W. Company were the begin¬ 
ning and end of their commerce. The yachting 
industry was a steadily growing one, second 
only to the shipping, and was of real importance 
for the welfare of a very large number of the 
townspeople. The trades more directly bene¬ 
fiting from the industry were the yacht build¬ 
ing yards, the engineers, the S. W. Railway 
Company, both on their railway and their 
graving docks, the upholsterers, tailors, boot¬ 
makers, coal merchants, sail and flag makers, 
tug-boats and water-boat owners, and pilots, 
all provision dealers, wine and spirit mer¬ 
chants, laundries. They were more or less large 
employers of labor, upward of £85,000 being 
paid away per annum in wages in the various 
trades employed. In addition there were many 
officers and crews who were residents in the 
town, and whose families were always with 
them. All the yachts spent money in the town. 
Day after day their caterers and stewards came 
ashore to buy provisions, their owners made 
purchases in the shops or hired carriages or 
motors and drove to the town’s beautiful sur¬ 
roundings. He cited the case of a single yacht 
now refitting at Southampton, the benefit from 
which would amount to £2,500 being paid to 
local tradesmen, in addition to which the whole 
of the crew, with the exception of the captain 
and doctor, were Englishmen (or seventy-four 
out of seventy-six), and many of them South¬ 
ampton men. Recently a member of one of 
their municipal bodies stated that the yachts 
only benefited a few tradesmen at the bottom 
of the High street. He spoke without know¬ 
ing what the commercial value of the yachting 
industry was. If they visited their local yards 
they would find them crowded with some of the 
finest yachts in existence. It was true that 
they were laid up, and that a large majority of 
their crews had been paid off, and only a few 
officers and men were retained to keep them 
in order, but the yachting industry had not 
come to a standstill. Money was still being 
spent in overhaul and repairs or the passing of 
the survey. 
“ ‘Although building orders for next season 
had not had time to mature, each winter all 
trades were more or less employed. Motors 
had become recognized as beyond the experi¬ 
ment stage for marine purposes, and he men¬ 
tioned the floating club house of the Motor Y. 
C. of 300 members, the Enchantress, in South¬ 
ampton Water. Everything eaten on Board was 
bought at Southampton. He put the total turn¬ 
over of the yachting industry at £230,000 a 
year, and he believed this was below the aver¬ 
age. Nature had provided Southampton with 
a beautiful stretch of sheltered water, within 
easy reach of London, and to this they owed 
largely the yachting industry. Many of the 
yachts were fitted out in the early part of the 
season, and only used by their owners for 
week-ends. They joined them on Friday or 
Saturday, and rushed away again to London 
on the Monday morning. They took their 
pleasure at a rush, and yet- year by year the 
yachts increased in tonnage and magnificence. 
So numerous were they that 'they could not 
find room off the Royal Pier, where all would 
like to be. The Gymp was the only unkind 
thing which nature had provided, for if instead 
of this mudbank they had a pool in which 
yachts could anchor, the conditions would be 
ideal. He was not suggesting an impossible 
expense of dredging away this obstruction, but 
proposed that proper landing and embarking 
facilities should be provided. Sometime since 
the harbor board made landing steps at the 
Royal Pier, but these did not meet the want, 
for, in the first place, they were in such a 
position that they could only be used in slack 
water, as the tide at all other times ran like 
a millrace. He was informed that the board 
contemplated improving these impossible land¬ 
ing steps by dredging, but he hoped they would 
not waste money in doing so. Better accom¬ 
modation had lately been made on the pontoon, 
but few people knew of it, and those who did 
considered it somewhat dangerous. Steps were 
also provided at the town quay, to which nearly 
all the traffic went. Every fortnight these steps 
were inaccessible, owing to the depth of water, 
the channel having silted, and the steps were 
quite dry. The alternative was the lower steps, 
where the Hythe boat moored. Unfortunatel 
the powers did not hear the complaints whic 
were made on the point of landing facilities 
nor did they apparently recognize the import 
ance of the yachting industry to the town. ] 
the present steps were supplemented by a pon 
toon, and the channel dredged, so that acces 
could be obtained at all states of the tide, a 
difficulty would be overcome. Of recent year 
some mooring buoys had been provided in th 
roads, which had been much appreciated an 
had provided a good return for the board’ 
enterprise. If more were laid down he wa 
sure they would be eagerly sought after an 
bring equal profit to the board.’ ” 
Yachting in the River Plate. 
A correspondent of the Yachtsman writ* 
that while in all the British yards yachts ai 
snugged down in winter quarters, everythin 
on the River Plate, south of the line, that ca 
float is out and about, and he says, “in all tl 
clubs the 1909-10 season has set in with evei 
good augury. All the clubs are flourishing, ar 
the programmes published by the Yacht Civ 
Argentino and the Tigre Sailing Club promi: 
good sport all round. Then there are two ne 
clubs on the Plate this year, viz., the La Pla 
Y. C. and the Yacht Club Rio de la Plata, whi 
at San Pedro, on the Parana, the local sailir 
men hope to get some good fun out of the fle 
of five 14-foot waterwags, purchased toward th 
end of last season from the Tigre Sailing Clu 
“Handicap racing will, perforce, be the mai 
stay of the senior club—the Yacht Club Arge 
tino—though a large increase in the number j 
cruising races will both diversify and increa 
the interest of its members. Two class-boa; 
(Aurora and Brisa), belonging to the Yac 
Club Rio de la Plata, will also enter for sui 
races as are open to them, and as this is t: 
debut of the Belfast one-design craft in the: 
waters, much interest will attach to their pc 
tormances. Stiff, seaworthy boats—in every w. 
more ship-like than the Dublin Bay Colleens 
it is quite on the cards that they will becor: 
very popular. Hilditch, of Carrickfergus, i 
their builder, and though both finish and a 
pearance are heavier than those of the Colle 
class, the cost of the new boats is relatively : 
cheap that the odds are that they will displa; 
the latter in these waters before very long. 
“Meanwhile they are still going strong, a: 
the Tigre Sailing Club has ten of them on i 
register, and eight races for the class figure 
this year’s card. This club also anticipates: 
very hot season for the new dinghies, bf 
(like the last boats) by Bond, of Birkenhe; 
Measuring 14 feet between perpendiculars, w 
a center-plate, and 160 square feet of cam! 
(split up into a modified balance-lug and a foi 
sail), these boats differ very slightly from the) 
previously owned by the club. They have,_ ho 
ever, mahogany planking in place of pine,: 
straight keel instead of a rocker, and the fc 
of the rudder is flush with the keel instead 
hanging down a foot below it. These slip 
changes all tend to better the class. Ten bo ; 
have been ordered, and there is every likeliho: 
that this number will be largely increased 1 
fore the season is over. 
“Unfortunately, there are only two boats ho 
built in accordance with the present I. Y. R. I 
rules, viz., Rafaga, Senor Suarez, and Ser 
Alberto de Bray’s Mouchette—both i2-me< 
yachts. Last year, owing to private reasoi 
they were unable to meet, but it is hoped tl. 
no such difficulty will occur during the presu 
season. In conclusion, one may say that i ; i 
prospects all around look exceedingly brig; 
and there'is every reason to believe that yor< 
Argentina will take more and more interest 1 
sailing as the years go by. The Plate is 1 
ideal cruising ground. _ Its shoals _ and : 
pamperos alone are sufficient to give it an ei 
reputation, but if it be true that no sport 
worth having without the salt of difficulty 1 
justify its existence, then the River Pl- 
yachtsman need not gffer any defense for i. 
lowing his favorite pastime.” 
