704 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[May 2, 1908. 
The Fearless Trip. 
As usual, when a boat has been sold, there 
are a hundred and one odd things to find be-' 
fore she is fit to go to sea, and when Vice- 
Commodore Stoddard and George Granbery 
arrived in Newport on April 10, they were at it 
all day, filling tanks—water tanks of course— 
buying oil, provisions and seeing that everything 
in the way of knives, forks, spoons, coffee-pot, 
etc., etc., were ready to provide the wants of 
the inner man, and blankets, oilers, etc., to make 
life endurable with the temperature at the freez¬ 
ing point, as it was at night. 
Saturday morning, April II, when the milk¬ 
men were just going their rounds ashore, the 
Fearless, a Bar Harbor 25-footer, purchased by 
Vice-Commodore Stoddard, stood out of New¬ 
port harbor and shaped a course by the wind 
in a thick fog, bound west for her new home 
port at New Rochelle. 
The first thing sighted was the Brenton Reef 
lightship looming up in the haze, but soon after 
the mists cleared away before a stiff west wind 
that gave Fearless all she could stand with full 
sail. She at least was true to her name and 
with spray flying she hammered her way to 
windward, tucking in two reefs west of Point 
Jude and hugging the beach close. About 1 P. 
M. something came into view that was any¬ 
thing but comforting. The sky in the west 
rapidly underwent a change and the most lub¬ 
berly could see the black sloop was in for it, 
and in for it sooner than was expected, for a 
howling squall swept across the water accom¬ 
panied by a downpour of rain. Those who 
could got into oilers—the others got wet and 
sick. Everything was let go by the run, but the 
halliards were swollen and refused to run, so 
had to be hauled through the blocks. 
The thitid reef had no points, and to reeve a 
cotton line through all those holes and cut all 
the skin off one’s knuckles trying to pass it 
between the foot of the sail and a brass track, 
there was more fun than the amateur tars 
bargained for. The jib, after a heroic battle 
single-handed, had been stowed, and everything 
vvas in such a muss a council of war was held 
as to what to do. The result was Fearless was 
put before the squall, and with a sea tall enough 
to talk about and a wind that filled columns in 
the newspapers next day, she ran off to Block 
Island and came to anchor in the west harbor, or 
salt pond, safe, but, oh! so wet. Even here the 
sea ran so high it was impossible to go ashore 
in the small boat until the squall blew over, 
when telegrams were sent to the folks at home 
that all were safe. 
The next evening in a light breeze the sloop 
beat down toward Montauk and shaped a course 
to go through the Gut. Here there was some 
doubts as to the lights. The bug light was 
plain enough, and as the mate lay dozing (but 
not sleeping down below), he heard the steward 
and his watchmate discussing which side of the 
flashing light they should go. One insisted it 
must be left to port, the other was equally 
positive it must be left to starboard. 
Plum Island light was a flashing light all right, 
but this one was a four-second flash, while they 
were looking for a thirty-second flash. They 
finally settled it in a novel manner. Their watch 
was just up, so they called the sleepy mate and 
his crew and left him to decide where he was 
while they turned in and went to sleep. 
The mate coming up from below was naturally 
mystified, too, by the odd flash; but the mere 
fact that it was a flash warned him which side 
to go and the passage through the gut was 
safely made. 
As some of the boys had to report for busi¬ 
ness the Fearless was kept off, and at 5:30 A. 
M. she anchored in Bridgeport Harbor, where 
all hands left her and came to New York by 
train. 
The following Friday night at midnight with a 
fresh relay as crew, but with the same officers, 
Fearless stood out of Bridgeport just at midnight 
with a W.S.W. brisk wholesail breeze and a 
big full moon and made one long tack over to 
Long Island. Two-hour tricks on deck were 
arranged, owing to its being so cold. And with 
sweaters, oilers, winter caps and mittens, pipes 
and once in a while a nip of hot water to take 
the chills out of one’s spinal column, this night’s 
sail was a most delightful one. At 4 A. .M. the 
east grew rosy, and so gradual was the change 
from moonlight to sunlight, one could not 
notice the change. Nearing Eaton’s Neck, black 
duck, coots, old squaws and loons, knowing 
there were no guns aboard, came in flocks, 
wheeling around within a stone’s throw of the 
sloop. 
The breeze lightened with the daylight, and 
by hugging the Long Island shore a smooth 
sea and fair tide were obtained that sent Fear¬ 
less, with her vice-commodore’s flag flying at 
the masthead, into New Rochelle Harbor at 
9 o’clock on Saturday morning. A gun from 
the club house boomed its welcome as the sloop 
luffed up and picked up her moorings for the 
first time in her new port. 
Fearless is a Crowninshield designed, built by 
Lawley in 1901. She is 42ft. over all, 26ft. load 
waterline, 10ft. beam and carries a jib and main¬ 
sail rig of 1,000 sq. ft. 
Yachting in California. 
San Francisco, April 18. —Arrangements 
have now been completed for the joint cruise 
of the yacht clubs on San Francisco Bay around 
the battleship fleet, which will take place on 
Sunday, May 10. The clubs to be represented 
are the Corinthian, San Francisco, Aeolian, 
Golden Gate, South Bay, Vallejo, and Cali¬ 
fornia Y. C.’s.hrdluthH S Fshrdlucmfwypmf 
fornia yacht clubs. The cruise will be the 
biggest display that the pleasure fleet of this 
bay has ever attempted. Over a hundred sail¬ 
ing yachts will turn out, and probably there will 
be about two dozen power yachts. The cruise 
has been approved by the committee for the 
entertainment of the battleship fleet, and will 
have a place in the official programme. 
This cruise, with the race between the 
Corinthian Y. C. and the San Francisco Y. C. 
for the San Francisco perpetual challenge cup. 
which will come soon after it, will make the 
opening of the season the most brilliant that has 
ever been held on the bay. The Corinthian Y. 
C., present holder of the cup, received two 
challenges, the San Francisco Y. C. challenging 
with the Neva, and the Golden Gate Y. C. with 
the Moonlight. As only one race a year is pro¬ 
vided for in the deed of gift, the Golden Gate Y. 
C.’s challenge was not accepted. The exact date of 
the race has not been set, but it is to come off 
some time in May, rather earlier than in the 
past. The defender for the Corinthians will 
probably be the Discovery, which successfully 
defended against the Valkyrie of the South 
Coast Y. C. last year. Frank Stone’s new 
sloop, the Pronto, however, is showing up very 
well, and may be decided on as the defender, 
i he Neva and the Discovery have raced before, 
showing up about equally, and a race between 
these boats would be regarded with the greatest 
interest. 
The season will be officially opened next 
Saturday by the Aeolian Y. C. at its club house 
on Bay Farm Island, where the high jinks will 
be held, and the opening cruise in squadron will 
take place the following day. The Golden Gate 
Y. C. will hold its opening at the same time. 
1 he Aeolian Y. C. has admitted ten new mem¬ 
bers during the month, and applications are 
cdming in fast. The yawl Ripple, which took 
part in the Farrallone race last year, will fly 
the flag of this club this season, the owner, T. 
Mizner, having joined the organization. 
Frank Stone’s new sloop Pronto, which was 
designed by his son Lester, was launched early 
this month. Her racing measurements will be 
between 19 and 20ft. She is a keel boat, with a 
fin keel fitted with a lead bulb. She is smaller 
than the Neva, and if she races, she will have 
to have a time allowance. 
Julius Gutte, nephew of the late Commodore 
Gutte, is getting a crew together and will sail 
the Chispa this season. She has just been fitted 
up and is in fine trim. She will be sailed as 
formerly by Captain Chittenden. 
While the date of the launching of the trans¬ 
pacific cup racer Hawaii has not been definitely 
decided on, the event will occur soon. Work 
on the yacht is practically completed, with the 
exception of the masts and spars. Captain Alec 
Lyle will be in command, with Captain S. J. 
Harris as navigator. Two Los Angeles entries 
for the race are guaranteed, and in addition it is 
reported that John Kyle will enter his yawl- * 
rigged ‘‘Lady Maud,” with Wilbur Kyle as navi¬ 
gator. The Lady Maud is 70ft. over all, i8j^ft. 
beam and Sj^ft. draft. The La Vaijera. built 
by Prescott Sawyer on Puget Sound, is also ex¬ 
pected to enter. She is schooner rigged, 75ft. 
over all, 17ft. beam and 14ft. draft. British 
Columbia is yet to be heard from. 
The Harbor Commissioners have found a new 
home for the Ariel Boat Club, immediately 
north of the Sixteenth street drydock. The club 
will be given a lease for a term of ten years. ' 
l here will be room for a club house and space 
for a landing-float. 
Morrisania Y. C. Slag. 
The ninth annual stag of the Morrisania Y. 
C. was made a most enjoyable affair by the four 
hundred odd members and their friends who 
were at South Brother Island the night of April 
25. Professional talent satisfied the boys’ tastes 
for music and art, while sandwiches and liquids, 
liberally dispersed, satisfied the inner man, and 
through it all clouds of tobacco smoke dimmed 
the ceiling. 
This account might be prolonged, but as Com. 
W. S. Creighton remarked from the stage when 1 
the show started. “Don’t be too vociferous in I 
applause and make no facetious remarks,” so 
we’ll quit. 
Tiif. schooner yacht Fleur de Lys, Dr. Lewis 
A. Stimson, N. Y. Y. C„ is being fitted out at 
Gloucester, Mass,, for a cruise in the Mediter¬ 
ranean. She will sail from Gloucester in about 
three weeks, with her owner , on board. His 
guests will join the yacht at Gibraltar. 
Captain "I ommy ’ Boldin, the skipper in 
charge of the yacht during the ocean race for 1 
the Emperor's cup in T905, is still in command. 
« *t « 
Com. William C. Tovven’s schooner yacht 
Tammany, flagship of the Brooklyn Y. C.. has 
gone into commission. The yacht has been 
thoroughly overhauled and fitted with a new 
suit of sails by Ratsey. She is entered for the ( 
club's ocean race for the Lipton cup on July 4. 
and her owner is sure that the boat that wins 
the trophy must beat the Tammany. 
* * « 
Cart. G. H. Miller, of Patchogue, L. I., has 
shipped a 36ft. auxiliary sloop to Mr. Benia¬ 
min Degetau for use in the North Sea. She 1 
will make the trip across on the deck of the 1 
Hamburg-American liner President Lincoln. 
Her auxiliary power is a 7-horsepower gaso¬ 
lene motor. Mr. Degetau is a retired merchant, 
formerly in business in Chihuahua, Mexico. 
* * * 
Through the Hollis-Burgess yacht agency of 
Boston, the following vessels have recently been 
sold: 
The cruising yawl Wahcana, by Walter H. 
Cutter, of Dorchester, Mass., to the Rev. 
Leighton Parks, of New York, and the knock¬ 
about Pickaninny, by the Rev. Leighton Parks, 
to a prominent Boston yachtsman. 
* * * 
Mr. Adrian Wilson, the well-known sail- 
maker, has contributed an article on sail making 
to the May number of the International Marine 
Engineering that goes into the principles of sail 
making in a most interesting way. 
* * * 
Mr. “Larry” Huntington has designed a 
new 25ft. sloop for himself, to be built at the 
yard of the Huntington Mfg. Co., at New 
Rochelle. 
