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tf'CSB LIBRARY ^
YACHTING WRINKLES.
OUTING LIBRARY OF SPORT.
YACHTING WRINKLES
A PRACTICAL AND HISTORICAL HANDBOOK OF
VALUABLE INFORMATION FOR THE RACING
AND CRUISING YACHTSMAN.
CAPTAIN A. j. KENEALY,
Author of " Boat Sailing, Fair Weather and Foul,"
'• Yacht Races for the America's Cup,"
Etc., Etc.
Wrinkle — Something Worth Knowing.— Nautical Lexicon.
With Apposite Anecdotes, Diagrams and Illustration?.
OUTING PUBLISHING CO.,
NEW YORK. LONDON.
COPYRIGHTED BY B. J. WORMAN,
NEW YORK
PREFACE.
THE kind reception given by yachts-
men generally to " Boat Sailing,
Fair Weather and Foul," has in-
duced me to embark in a new
venture. The following "Wrinkles,"
gleaned from practical experience, ob-
servation and study, are printed in the
hope that they may prove of interest
and value to lovers of sailing craft.
I want to warn off literary critics by
the frank admission that I am not worthy
of their steel, being an old sailor who
went to sea when he was thirteen, and
spent many years afloat where books
were scarce. So far as yachting critics
or nautical experts are concerned, I
must let my work speak for itself. If
it has no other merit, it has at least been
conscientiously done.
A. J. KENEALY.
New York, March,
.CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
YACHT RACING AS A SPORT — Brief Review
of the Fascinating: Pastime From Its Incep-
tion to the Pi esent Time 13
CHAPTER II.
THE RACING YACHT— Some Remarks on the
Material, Construction and Selection ut ;i
Vessel 47
CHAPTER III.
THE TYPE OF YACHT— What Shall She Be—
Keel, Centreboard or Bulb-fin ? 78
CHAPTER IV.
FITTING OUT AND TUNING UP— Hints As to
Going Into Commission and Making the
Craft Fit For a Race 130
CHAPTER V.
Di'TY AND DISCIPLINE AFLOAT— The Ship's
Company in Detail From the Skipper Down
to the Sea Cook 166
CHAPTER VI.
A DOWN-TO-DATE YACHT RACE -In Which
May Be Found Some Noteworthy Examples
of the Sea-Jockey's Art 192
CHAPTER VII.
KACING RULES AND THE RULE OF THE ROAD
--Some Important Points That Amateurs
and Professionals Should Bear in Mind 215
CHAPTER VIII.
EVOLUTION OF THE RACER— How Tonnage
and Measurement Rules Have Affected Form
in America and Great Britain 225
CHAPTER IX.
THE ETIQUETTE OF YACHTING— What is
Comsidered to Be " Good Form " in Craft,
Owner and Crew 261
CHAPTER X.
YACHTING INSURANCE— Also a Few Legal
Wrinkles on the Status and Relation of
Owner to Crew 272
CHAPTER XI.
THE COST OF YACHTING— Cautionary and
Economical Hints to Those About to Em-
bark in the Sport 282
CHAPTER XII.
THE LAST WORD— Final hints to tars who
want to sail their own craft , 292
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE.
Frontispiece, "With
Topmasts Housed," 12
PAGE.
Double-huller of the
Pacific 126
Jason s Yacht A rgo, . 15
Viking Ship, .... 20
Flagship of Colum-
bus 25
Sloop Grade 133
Schooner Sappho, . . 134
Cutter Genesta, . . .135
Dutch Yacht of Seven-
teenth Century, . . 28
Commodore John C.
Stevens, 31
Rig of Cutter Showing
Masthead Shroud, . 139
Rig and Sail Plan of
Gimcrack and Maria, 34
America, 1851, ... 38
Maria, 185*1 38
Mastheads of Uncas, 147-8
Cutter Minerva, . .150
Sail Plan of Ethel-
America's Lines, . . 39
The Cutter Ortva, . . 48
Vigilant in Dry-dock, 51
Uncas in Frame, . . 55
Half-rater Spruce IV., 153
Fifteen - footer Ethel-
Interior of Uncas, . . 60
Form of Uncas, ... 60
Uncas On the Ways, . 66
Forty - footer Gossoon, 161
America, 1899, • • • '65
Phantom, 193
Ouananiche, .... 71
Dragon III., .... 75
Gloriana 79
A Stern Chase, . . . 201
Madge, 82
Germ of the Center-
board, 84
Defender in Dry-dock, 227
Thistle, now Comtite, . 230
Vesta 85
Valkyrie^IlI in Dry-
Athlon, 94
dock, 233
Catboat Dorothy, . . 101
Keivaydin, 103
The Herreshoff Cat-
boat Wanda, . . . 104
Lines of Evolution, . 107
Lines of Jullanar, . . 108
Lines of Niagara, . .no
Lines of Jubilee, . .no
Mid-section of Dilem-
Ellen, Twenty-rater, 235
Cutter's Bow and
Stern, 1892, .... 237
English Mid-sections, 238
Mid -sections of Cup
Contestants, . . . 239
Volunteering. Thistle, 241
Vigilant and Valkyrie
II., 24I
ma I 10
English Finkeel Freak
Na mi less, . . . . 1 1 1
Valkyrie If. 243
Valkyrie III., Stern
View, .... 245
Lines of Rocket . . . n2
Niagara's^ idshipSec-
tion, n3
Modern Type of Fin, 246
Defender and Valkyrie
III ->46
Niagara Under Sail, . 114
Hoisting Defenders
Dad, 117
Defender Under Brook-
Monstrosity Skate, . 118
Dominion on Even
Keel, 121
Defendtr Under Sail, 255
Valkyrie III. Under
Sail. . 259
Dominion Heeled, . .121
Dominion Under Sail, 123
Defender's Stern, . . 271
I.
YACHT RACING AS A SPORT.
BRIEF REVIEW OF THE FASCINATING PASTIME FROM
ITS INCEPTION TO THE PRESENT TIME.
A3OUT half a century ago, when I
wasn't so gray and grizzled as I
am now, I was shipmate with
John Gulliver, an ancient mari-
ner who fully believed in the doctrine
of the transmigration of souls. He used
to spin the most wonderful yarns. He
had in former incarnations animated
the body of a whale, a green turtle and
a sea-gull. He had also been cabin boy
on the good ship Ark. He declared
that, of all the skippers he had ever
sailed under, Captain Noah was the
strictest.
During the brief but memorable voy-
age of that historic craft, the crew, he
declared, never once got an afternoon
watch below. When they weren't feed-
ing the live stock they were kept busy
on deck cleaning brass-work and hauling
taut the lee crossjack brace. He said
he felt very glad when the time came
for the crew to be paid off. He had
grown weary of the weevily biscuits
14 Yachting Wrinkles.
and the tough salt junk. There were
no " manavellings " aboard the tarna-
tion hooker and the Old Man only
served out rum once during the voyage,
and that was when t\ieArk was hove-to
under a goose- winged maintopsail and
foretopmast staysail in the latitude and
longitude of Mount Ararat, waiting for
the dove to come aboard.
I remember I used to listen with my
mouth wide open to the marvelous
stories of this old salt. I once asked
him to describe the interior fittings of
Captain Noah's ship, but from what I
could gather from him there wasn't
much gilt gingerbread work in her
main saloon. Everything was for use ;
nothing for ornament. There weren't
even brass hoops on the mess kids. Be-
sides, she leaked like a sieve and
wouldn't steer well unless close-hauled
on a bowline.
The ship Argo, in which Jason sailed
in search of the Golden Fleece, had no
artistic decorations below, but her hull,
from all accounts, was a "dandy."
Built of lofty pines which flourished
on Mount Pelion, she was pierced for
fifty oars. She was daubed with coal-
black pitch, and her bows were painted
with vermilion. I don't believe she
ever made more than four knots an
hour, even with fifty heroes pulling
their hardest at the oars, all keeping
time to the music of the harp of Or-
pheus, who had too much low cunning
to do any work himself. TheArgo was
^V¥:I:- :'^>:;':rC\ \ v\:1
JASON'S YACHT " ARGO."
1 6 Yachting Wrinkles.
a yacht manned by Corinthians and
the first one that ever sailed on the Eux-
ine, vulgarly known as the Black Sea.
So far as I know, there are no photo-
graphs extant of her interior, but judg-
ing from the log of her voyage she had
a fine galley on deck, in which her crew
of heroes used to cook the choice parts
of swine and deer for their own use,
offering up the offal as a sacrifice to the
immortal gods — a circumstance show-
ing that the ancient mariners were just
as level-headed as the down-to-date sea-
men of to-day.
The handsome barges which belonged
to the high civilization of ancient Egypt
used to ply on the muddy waters of
the Nile, and highly ornate vessels they
were, manned by fifty rowers. They
had sails of crimson silk, richly em-
broidered. Their cabins, were sumptu-
ous, spacious and luxurious, gold, silver
and precious stones being used lavishly
in their decoration. In such a stately
craft Cleopatra and Mark Antony
passed many halcyon hours of splendid
ease and amorous dalliance. The
Romans and Carthaginians had their
pleasure craft, and so had the Greeks
and Venetians.
It was the custom of the Romans to
hold regattas of biremes and triremes,
and according to the chronicles a good
deal of money changed hands over the
results. Every schoolboy remember?
the exciting boat race between those
gallant Trojan captains, Cloanthus and
Yacht Racing As a Sport. 17
Sergestus, so ably reported by one Ver-
gil. I know that I can never forget it.
That regatta cost me many a cruel
birching. In these competitions oars
only were used. I fancy that sails were
not set in those days except when the
wind blew abaft the beam, the ancients
not being well versed in the art of beat-
ing to windward. The swift ships in
which Father ^Eneas, his faithful
Achates and his devoted followers, fled
from Troy, had, I supppse, but scanty
cabin accommodations ; and when bold
Pilot Palinurus glanced at the compass
to see if the helmsman was steering a
correct course, no highly polished brass
binnacle reflected that skillful old navi-
gator's bronzed and bearded face.
The flagship of Columbus may fairly
be classed with the Argo, and so may
the Norse galley which brought to the
rugged New England coast those hardy
salts who built the windmill at New-
port and left their indelible marks on
the primeval granite rocks of that re-
gion.
The Dutch, I think, were the invent-
ors of the sailing yacht proper, and
from Holland the finest diversion in the
world spread to Great Britain, and be-
came the sport of kings. Quaint old
Pepys, in his diary, tells us of a sailing
yacht named Mary, which was presented
by the Dutch East India Company to
King Charles II. in the year 1661.
Charles was a tip-top yachtsman, the
merry monarch being never sick at sea.
1 8 Yachting Wrinkles.
His yacht Mary was beaten by another
pleasure craft of English design, the
match being the first between sailing
yachts in the history of the pastime in
England. According to Pepys, the
Mary was snug and cozy below, quite
comfortable, but not at all luxurious.
The king cruised much in her up and
down the English Channel in the palmy
days of his reign.
Three hundred years before, when
Marino Faliero was Doge of Venice, a
merchant prince of that state originated
pleasure sailing on the peaceful Adri-
atic. A Dutchman called Van Kompf
transferred the craft to the German
Ocean, and gave it the name of yacht.
To the Dutch and Scandinavian strain
in the English blood is owing that pas-
sion for the sea which has.made yachting
so favorite a recreation in Great Britain.
Our own love for the sport is doubtless
derived from the same source.
Turning to our own land the begin-
nings are naturally more definite. We
know the exact facts, for the New York
Yacht Club was organized aboard Mr.
John C. Stevens' schooner Gimcrack on
July 30, 1844, the Gimcrack being at
anchor off the Battery. In those days
there were but few yachts, and most of
them were small. The fittings of pleas-
ure craft were then simple and inex-
pensive, when compared with the luxuri-
ous and costly appointments of the
palatial vessels which are our pride to-
day. The old Maria, which was the
Yaclit Racing As a Sport. 19
last yacht owned by Commodore
Stevens, would not rank very high in
the present fleet of magnificent steam-
ers, schooners, sloops and cutters. She
was the finest and fastest yacht of her
day, having many of what are now term-
ed " modern improvements," such as
outside lead, a heavily weighted main
centerboard, also a forward centerboard,
a hollow main boom ninety-five feet
long and nine feet in circumference at
its greatest girth, built of white oak
staves, with doweled and keyed edges,
iron bands and longitudinal iron trusses.
Her main sheet was fitted with a rub-
ber compressor.
Her former sailing-master is on rec-
ord as saying : " She would work with-
in seven points, and I have sailed her
seventeen knots. On her trial trip with
the A merica along the beach we beat her
so badly that Mr. Stevens was in doubt
whether it was good policy to send her
to England ; but as she defeated all the
others by as much as we beat her, it
was finally decided she ought to go."
The Maria is said to have cost $100,-
ooo, a vast sum in those days even for
Mr. Stevens, who owned nearly all Wee-
hawken and Hoboken. It must be re-
membered, however, that she was con-
tinually being altered and improved, no
expense being spared. The equipments
and cabin fittings of all the pleasure
craft of that period were plain and
economical. The greater part of their
cost was expended on hulls, spars and
THE VIKING SHIP.
Yacht Racing As a Sport. 21
rigging, which were of the best mate-
rial. The age was not so luxurious as
it is to-day. Though bronze and alumi-
num hulls, steel booms, wire rigging,
silken sails, and the one hundred and
one "fads," patented and otherwise,
which are now considered indispensable
for racing were unknown, the yachts
cost a pretty round sum, but merely a
trifle compared with the crack clippers
of this year of grace.
The cabins of those yachts were not
finished in costly hard woods carved by
artists and highly polished. No uphol-
stery of silken plush or hangings of rich
tapestry were to be seen. Sperm oil in
brass lamps of no particular design
illuminated the space below. The fare,
too, was plain and simple. Little or no
wine of costly vintage was consumed.
Honest claret, mellow Medford rum,
and fine old whisky were the staple
beverages with which those sturdy salts
moistened their clay, while they solaced
their souls with Virginia tobacco smoked
in pipes of quaint Dutch shape. It is
needless to say that the " 400 " of half a
century ago didn't carry their valets
with them while cruising on the Sound
or while sailing to Cape May.
The old course of the club was from
the club-house in the Elysian Fields,
Hoboken, out to the Southwest Spit and
back. The yachts, as a rule, were sailed
by amateurs. No uniform was worn in
those primitive days, and there was no
red tape whatever. But it is questiona-
22 Yachting Wrinkles.
ble if a finer class of amateurs ever ex-
isted than those men who sailed the
yachts of the club during the first twen-
ty years of its history.
If some of those sturdy salts who
flourished in the good old days of our
famous schooner America could rise
from their snuggeries in the cemeteries
and sail on the squadron cruise of the
New York Yacht Club next August, I
would promise them a spectacle which
would astonish them. I would first
point out to them in Glen Cove a fleet
of more than one hundred yachts, com-
prising some of the finest steam and
sailing craft in the world. I would next
call attention to the fairy-like electric,
steam, and naphtha launches darting be-
tween the ships and the shore, some of
them laden with ladies of bewitching
loveliness, dressed so saucily and co-
quettishly in nautical raiment as to
make a bachelor's mouth water.
I would next take my resurrected
friends in a naphtha launch on board
one of the big steam }Tachts, and while
on their way thither they would marvel
at the handiness and speed of the little
boat which carried them. If it was the
flagship Corsair they visited, her owner
would be sure to have the side piped in
true man-o'-war fashion in honor of the
old-time salts. Climbing up the gang-
way ladder, walking aft on the snowy
deck, they would be invited below, to
the hospitality of the Corsair, which
they would indeed be loath to leave.
Yacht Racing As a Sport. 23
I might then possibly convoy them
aboard the big racing schooner Colonia
and the new cup defender, and, after
gazing upon these two marine marvels,
you might wager that the old chaps
would make a vigorous kick against
returning to their little grass-covered
beds.
While rummaging over some musty
documents in the library of an old
seafaring friend the other day, I hap-
pened to come across some interesting
memoranda concerning the good old
schooner Giuicrack, the first flagship of
the New York Yacht Club. From these
items I gather that she was fitted with
a fixed centerboard of heavy plate iron,
four feet deep and fifteen feet long, re-
sembling the fin of to-day, but minus
the bulb of lead on the base. This is
another .exemplification of the truth of
the old adage that there is nothing new
under the sun.
The pastime which was so ably started
by those old and gallant sportsmen has
prospered beyond belief, and no won-
der, for yacht racing, in my judgment, is
the most fascinating and wholesome
sport in the world. Its devotees are
actuated by no mercenary or money-
making motives, but follow the pas-
time for the many delights its pursuit
affords. The praiseworthy ambition
that has for its goal the winning of
sea trophies is devoid of all craving
after filthy lucre, because the prizes
obtained, no matter whether in cash
24 Yachting Wrinkles.
or plate, are trifling in comparison
with the first cost of the yacht and
the incidental expenses of running her.
There are many other reasons that may
be adduced to prove that the pastime
excels all others ; but, in my opinion,
the most convincing argument that can
be urged is that no scandal has ever
sullied the fair name of the sport, and
that its followers the wide world over
are the best fellows that breathe — gen-
erous, hearty and manly — the salt of
the earth, in fact.
It is a sport in which the element of
gambling rarely enters, except in the
case of international events, when pa-
triotic pride impels men to back their
country's flag with a modest wager. I
have been a close student of yachting
lore for more years than I care to recall,
but I know of no instance where yacht
racing has made a financial wreck of
one of its faithful adherents. Of what
other gentlemanly sport can as much
be truthfully alleged ?
If a rich man has sons with a leaning
toward yachting he should encourage
its complete development. I know of
no better school for the cultivation of
all manly virtues. There is no question
concerning its healthfulness, but my
contention is that a man's moral tone as
well as his physical constitution im-
proves by association with the sea.
Self-reliance, quickness of decision, ac-
tion and resource, bravery and personal
endurance, are qualities necessary for
a 6 Yachting Wrinkles.
success in life. Where can all these
desirable characteristics be acquired
with more ease and greater satisfaction
than on a racing vessel, preferably one
of moderate size manned exclusively by
amateurs or with the aid of one paid
hand ?
It may properly be remarked that the
love of boating is innate and can never
be acquired. The mere sight of the sea
has an attraction to the true son of
Neptune as cogent as that of the magnet
to the pole. He eagerly desires to be
afloat on it, and can sympathize with
Charles Lever, who once said he would
rather have a plank for a boat and a
handkerchief for a sail than resign him-
self to give up boating altogether. The
man who has not the nautical instinct
can never come to regard a boat with
more affection than he does a horse- car.
When you rave ecstatically of the vir-
tues of your little ship he feels inclined
to think that you must be half crazy.
You can never make a yachtsman out
of ^material such as this. We cannot all
be sailors, so therefore let the cobbler
stick to his last and the cook to the fore-
sheet, where he belongs !
The deduction from the above is that
you should be careful as to the choice
of your seagoing chum. The most
congenial companion ashore may prove
an insufferable bore afloat. And to tell
the truth, you ought not to blame him
for the lack of the nautical instinct, but
rather yourself for inviting a person
Yacht Racing As a Sport. 27
lacking that saving qualification to go
sailing with you. A anticus nascitur,
non fit is a true adage. There is a huge
army of our fellow creatures who think
with Dr. Johnson that the pleasure of
going to sea is getting ashore again
from a prison, where there is also the
risk of getting drowned. But a far
brighter literary light than he, Thomas
Carlyle, to wit, the crabbed, the cynic,
who was ever ready to use his mordant
pen of wormwood in holding up to ex-
ecration the foibles and the sins of
humanity ashore, was always blind to
the faults of his fellow-man afloat. The
acrid gall of his being, induced by the
horrors of chronic dyspepsia, was con-
verted into milk and honey by the magic
influence of the Ocean.
Who can forget the account of his
trip to Ostend and back in the revenue
cutter Vigilant in 1842 ? He described
the craft as a smart little trim ship of
some 250 tons, rigged, fitted, kept and
navigated in the highest style of English
seacraft, made every way for sailing
fast that she may catch smugglers.
Outside and inside, in furniture, equip-
ment, action and look, she seemed a
model, clean as a lady's work-box.
His biographer, Froude, has told, of
their return trip, how at midnight they
were in their berths aboard the / 'igilant
running out into the North Sea : " The
wind fell in the morning and they were
becalmed. They sighted the North
Foreland before night, but the air was
Yacht Racing As a Sport. 29
Still light, and it was not till the next
day that they were fairly in the river.
Than a rattling breeze sprang up and
the Vigilant, with her vast mainsail, her
vast balloon jib, with all the canvas set
which she could carry, flew through the
water, passing sailing vessels, passing
steamers, passing everything. They car-
ried on as if they were entered for a
racing cup. The jib, of too light ma-
terial for such hard driving, split with a
report like a cannon. Carlyle saw the
' Captain's eyes twinkle ; no other
change.' In ten minutes the flying-
wreck was gathered in, another jib was
set and standing in place of it, and the
yacht sped on as before. 'To see men
so perfect in their craft, fit for their
work, and fitly ordered to it,' was a real
consolation to him. There was some-
thing still left in the public service of
England which had survived Parlia-
mentary eloquence. They entered at
Deptford and the gig was lowered to
take the party up to London.
" Five rowers with a boatswain ; men
unsurpassable, I do not doubt, in boat
navigation; strong, tall men, all clean
shaved, clean washed, in clean blue
trousers, in massive clean check shirts,
their black neckcloths tied round their
waists, their large, clean brown hands,
cunning in the craft of the sea — it was
a kind of joy to look at it all. In a few
minutes they shot us into the Custom
House stairs, and here, waving our
mild farewells, our travel's history con-
30 Yachting Wrinkles.
eluded. Thus had kind destiny pro-
jected us rocket-wise for a little space
into the clear blue of heaven and free-
dom. Thus again were we swiftly re-
absorbed into the great, smoky, simmer-
ing crater, and London's soot volcano
had again re-covered us."
I am sure my readers will pardon me
for quoting at such length from Carlyle,
if only for the reason that the matter I
reproduce is far more interesting than
any I can originate. Besides, I need
the extract to emphasize my argument
concerning the healthful moral tonic
of my much-loved sea. Here is atra-
bilious, doleful, indignant, and scorn-
ful Carlyle .cured temporarily of all
his mental disorders by a rattling rim
across the North Sea and back. He
lands in a delightful frame of mind,
and has nothing but the most pleasant
reminiscences of the Vigilant, her skip-
per and her crew. The readers of his
stories of other journeys by land will
appreciate the surprising contrast.
Very few men go into yachting for
the advertisement that it may offer. It is
always possible for some seller of quack
medicines to achieve cheap notoriety
by claiming that he is about to build a
yacht to defend or capture the Amer-
ica's Cup. If he uses diligently what-
ever art of claptrap he is endowed with
he will find numbers of newspapers
gullible enough to give him columns
and columns of gratuitous puffs. The
public may be beguiled for a time into
COMMODORE JOHN C. STEVENS,
The Father of American Yachting.
32 Yachting Wrinkles
the belief that his intentions are really
honest ; but the experienced yachtsman
will not be deceived for a moment, as
he knows that no yacht club of repute
will father the challenge of such a per-
son, even in the unlikely event of his
building a yacht for the purpose of a
real race. Yacht clubs on both sides of
the Atlantic, to their credit, fight very
shy of such queer customers.
Thus it is that the sport is confined
to gentlemen; nautical blacklegs, black-
guards, and ' welshers " • being un-
known. The membership committees
of the clubs are very discriminating
and cautious as to those whom they
admit ; and even if a " black sheep "
succeeds in entering the flock his pres-
ence is soon discovered, and he quietly
learns that his room is more desirable
than his company. His resignation fol-
lows as a matter of course.
A yacht club composed principally of
men who love the sport for the precious
gifts it offers, and not for fashion's sake,
or because " It's the proper caper, you
know, to belong to a yacht club, don't
you see ? " is an excellent school for a
young man, both morally and physical-
ly. In the arena of professional sport,
as we all know, objectionable charac-
ters, unhappily, fairly swarm. It would
be invidious to particularize or to single
out any one sport as being remarkable
from the number of black sheep among
its adherents. But of yachting it may
truly be said that the pastime never has
Yacht Racing As a Sport. 33
been disgraced or degraded by the pro-
fessional hands necessarily employed in
its service. Officers and men before the
mast quickly realize that good conduct
is the only secret of success, that brag-
garts and bullies have no place in its
symmetry, and that dishonesty of any
kind, whether selling a race or robbing
a yacht owner, is quickly detected and
punished. I have never known an in-
stance of the first-named disgraceful
offence, and the lack of it speaks
volumes in behalf of the honor and
integrity of yacht skippers the wide
world over. Be it remembered that
for a sailing-master to lose a race would
be as easy as for a jockey to so ride a
horse that in spite of his gameness or
his speed he could not possibly win.
Scandals such as in the past have made
the turf a byword are happily un-
known in yacht racing. In all my ex-
perience of yachtsmen I never heard
one of them, in his most open and con-
fidential moods, with his mind mellowed
with grog, boast of winning a race by
unfair or questionable methods.
Many stockbrokers race their yachts,
and, although the Stock Exchange is
supposed to have a peculiar effect on
the moral tone of its members, yet
when these gentlemen engage in a
yacht race they display the nicest honor,
the most chivalrous conduct toward
their adversaries, that is indeed most
admirable to contemplate. Lawyers,
too, who in the exercise of their profes-
34 Yachting Wrinkles.
sion are full of wiles and stratagems,
lose their chief characteristics when
they enter their yacht club or get aboard
their yachts. The transformation is
magical. You fail to recognize in the
bluff, open and honest sea-dog in his
natty suit of serge the shrewd gentle-
man of the long robe who, with his
quips and his quirks and his long list of
precedents and his unfailing gift of the
gab, has just succeeded in making the
Supreme Court of the United States
feel exquisitely unhappy. Talk of
Aladdin's lamp or any other famous
storied talisman as you pleasepbut, upon
my word, the sea has worked more won-
ders than them all !
There is much patriotism among our
yachtsmen, the bulk of the Naval Mili-
tia of the various States, possessing such
a volunteer organization, consisting of
men who are devoted to the sport. That
the United States Government is much
indebted to yachtsmen is now generous-
ly conceded by our naval authorities,
who, at the outset of the war with Spain,
availed themselves of a large fleet of
steam yachts, which were transformed
with marvelous celerity into despatch
boats, protected cruisers and torpedo-
boat destroyers. They proved of im-
mense service to the navy, as that arm
of our national defence was destitute of
these almost indispensable vessels. It
may be truthfully alleged that the navy
would have been in an unpleasant pre-
dicament if it had not been possible to
Vacht Racing As a Sport. 37
call upon the steam yachting fleet of the
Atlantic coast. The splendid achieve-
ment of the converted yacht Gloucester,
formerly the flagship of the New York
Yacht Club, which drove ashore two
Spanish torpedo boat destroyers near
Santiago de Cuba on July 3, 1898, wilt
always be remembered as one of the
most brilliant episodes of that " most
just and charitable war." She was in
command of Lieut. -Commander Wain-
wright, who was executive officer of the
Maine when she was blown up in
Havana harbor on February 15, 1898.
The generous response of the Naval
Militia to the call of the President and
the eagerness of yachtsmen generally
to recruit its ranks have been highly
appreciated Yachtsmen will ever feel
proud of the gallantry of the Naval
Militia because it is so largely composed
of their shipmates and messmates. It
is needless to expatiate on the patriotic
part of my theme. The advantages of
yachting as a nursery for the navy in
war-time are indisputable, and will
occur to anybody who will give the
matter due reflection.
The Corinthian Yacht Club of New
York, now unhappily extinct, did excel-
lent work in its rather brief but not
inglorious career. It achieved much in
the way of the abolition of the per-
nicious broad and shallow type of boat
which at the time of the Corinthian
Club's heyday was extremely popular.
I should be disingenuous were I not to
" AMERICA," 1851.
" MARIA," 1851.
40 Yachting Wrinkles.
confess quite frankly that the extreme
type of plank- on-edge cutters favored
by the leading lights of this club was,
in my judgment, nearly as objectionable
as the class of craft it sought to super-
sede. But still it must be said that the
boat of to-day, which is a compromise
between the extremes mentioned, owes
a share at least of its existence to the
bold efforts of the Corinthians. To
abolish the " skimming dish " was one
of the chief aims of the club, and that it
did yeoman's service in that direction
was one of its greatest glories.
An innovation made by this club was
the establishment of cadets as members.
These cadets were the sons or relatives
of members who took an interest in the
sport. They were entitled to many of
the privileges of their elders, including
the right to wear the club button It
always impressed me that the idea was
a good one. I know of no other club
that has followed its example. Now
that the ban against women has been
removed by half a dozen clubs of im-
portance, Young America may also be
granted an opportunity to rise and shine.
There is no doubt that the average
American boy is fond of a sailor's life.
It is also true that some of the genus
would hardly be a joy in the life of a
yacht club if admitted to cadetship.
There is every likelihood, therefore,
that it may be long before the boy
becomes an active participant in yacht-
ing, so far as clubs are concerned. But
Yacht Racing As a Sport. 41
I know several ambitious youths who
can handle their fathers' vessels as well
as a veteran, and who can be depended
on to enter into the vigorous practice of
the sport as soon as they get old enough
to run their own affairs.
It is my intention to discuss in detail
the cost of running a racing yacht, in a
subsequent chapter, but I may say in a
general way that capital sport may be
had each season at a moderate outlay.
There never before were so many yacht
clubs as there are to-day, and never has
a more intelligent interest been taken
in the economical pursuit of racing.
Defenders, Vigilants, Colonias and Em-
eralds are vessels beyond the reach of
all but millionaires. It is only the very
richest of our fellow citizens who can
enjoy the delights of racing these large
and costly vessels. But the popular re-
stricted classes of 1899 offer inducements
that the ordinary man of affairs earning
a moderate income may easily avail
himself of Suppose that two chums,
who have sailed together long enoiigh
to find out that their idiosyncrasies of
disposition and temperament will allow
them to dwell together in amity afloat,
form a marine partnership and buy
jointly a knockabout or raceabout for
cup-hunting and cruising purposes. The
first cost of the boat, complete and
delivered, might be $800. A second-
hand boat might be picked up much
cheaper. The expense of keeping her
in commission would be modest. No
42 Yachting \Vrinklts.
paid hand would be necessary j and the
boat might be so moored that one of
the club hands would keep a general
Watch on her to see that no harm befell
her in a summer storm, his recompense
for this being a generous "tip" at the
end of the season.
In nearly all of the yacht clubs in the
vicinity of the metropolis special efforts
are made to induce owners of small
craft to join, and there are facilities for
the safe anchorage and also the hauling
out of the club's mosquito squadron.
In this the clubs act wisely, for the
small classes are really the life of the
organization, which, without their active
interest, might stand a fair chance of
perishing of inanition.
Most pleasures are evanescent when
compared with the comfort that a sea-
dog gets from fixing up his cabin for
the season's sport. The ingenuity dis-
played in making the most of the neces-
sarily limited quarters at his disposal,
the stowage of his " dunnage," so as to
be able to put his hand on anything at
a moment's notice in the dark, the ca-
pacity of creating a home-like interior
out of chaotic surroundings, call out
every faculty.
The first sail on a new boat which is
your very own causes a thrill of joy. To
see the noble craft respond to the slightest
touch of the tiller, to watch her gradu-
ally eat her way to windward in the
teeth of a merry breeze, with a shining
furrow of foam in her wake and her
Yacht Racing As a Sport. 43
sharp cutwater cleaving the blue billows,
and when, with sheet eased off and wind
abeam, her lee rail almost awash, she puts
on an extra spurt — all these are ecstatic
raptures which your poor land-lubber
has never experienced.
Yachts are fickle jades, as all who'have
been victims of their whims and humors
must fain concede. It is no wonder that
they belong to the feminine gender. No
coquette can be coyer or more difficult
to pl.-ise than the highly strung racing
yacht. On occasions it is hard to realize
that she is an inanimate fabric. I have
known one to develop nerves and even
hysteria. It takes a man of great judg-
ment and infinite tact and good temper
to get the best speed out of a modern
racehorse. Qualifications similar and
quite as highly developed are necessary
to the successful yacht skipper, be he
amateur or be he professional.
The ambition to excel in the art of
yacht racing has been the means of in-
ducing a great number of our fashion-
able youth, both golden and gilded, to
cultivate the sport of yachting. The
wholesome and invigorating influence of
sea life and salt water have developed
scores of dudes into men; and the one-
design classes, now so popular, do much
to keep young fellows out of mischief.
Racing in the smaller classes is en-
couraged by all the clubs except one —
the New York Yacht Club — and open
regattas are plentiful, to which the boats
belonging to all recognized clubs are
44 Yachting Wrinkles.
not only eligible but cordially welcome.
The Yacht Racing Association of Long
Island Sound has made a specialty of
encouraging and promoting these open
regattas, and the result is a programme
of most attractive events, with no con-
flicting dates, that offer golden oppor-
tunities to ambitious amateurs to win
trophies of their skill and daring. All
existing classes are invited to take part
in these competitions, as the most gen-
erous and sportsmanlike spirit of com-
radeship pervades the yacht clubs of the
Sound; so, if a man prefers a catboat or
a sloop or a yawl to a knockabout, he
will have many opportunities of gratify-
ing his yacht-racing instincts. The
rules of this Yacht Racing Association
are so fair and liberal that the most
carping of critics can find nothing in
them to cavil at. A hearty welcome is
accorded the owners of all visiting boats
by the club holding the regatta, and
nothing can be more satisfactory than
the system which so happily obtains in
this present year of grace.
The benefits bestowed by this asso-
ciation on the yachtsmen of New York
and Connecticut are rivaled by those
offered to Eastern yachtsmen by the
Yacht Racing Association of Massachu-
setts. Similar associations exist on the
Lakes and the Pacific Coast, while the
International Yacht Racing Union, es-
tablished in 1897, promises to wield a
powerful and benignant influence in the
immediate future on the promotion of
Yacht Racing As a Sport. 45
international matches, which, in the past,
have proved so beneficial to the sport.
It may thus be deduced that the out-
look for sound and thriving sport was
never brighter or more promising than
it is to-day. White sails of racing craft
dot the waters of our coast line where
the sport is practicable. In the inland
lakes the pastime, too, is pursued with
zeal and intelligence. The advance and
progress made in the sport date, strange
to say, from 1880, when what is known
as the " cutter craze " first made itself
manifest in this country. In the light
of history it should be candidly con-
ceded that the lessons learned from the
Scotch cutters Madge, Clara and Mi-
nerva proved of incalculable benefit to
the sport in America. Broad-minded
Britishers will also admit that the vic-
tories of moderate and able compromise
craft like Puritan and Mayflower, com-
bining the American breadth of beam
and the centerboard with the British
outside lead, over such representative
English cutters as Genesta and Galatea
caused the alteration of the British rule
which penalized beam and which re-
sulted in the building of vessels like
Britannia, Valkyrie and Meteor.
The adoption by the English of cot-
ton duck for sails, and also of the Yan-
kee laced mainsail, show how our trans-
Atlantie cousins appreciate a good thing
when its advantages are made manifest.
The eager way in which they snapped
up the Herreshoff fin-keel is further
46 Yachting Wrinkles.
proof of the active interest the British
designers take in the development of
American yacht naval architecture and
how keen they are to avail themselves
of any new " wrinkles " in hull, sails or
rigging that Yankee genius may invent.
And while the British eye is kept
wide open in our direction, it must not
be thought that we are blind to the do-
ings of our rivals across the sea. The
friendly feelings that have been en-
hanced between the two great English-
speaking nations ever since the outbreak
of the late war with Spain did much
to make another race for the America 's
Cup possible and popular, and neither
nation can afford to nap when the yacht-
ing supremacy of the sea is at stake.
Queen Victoria's policy has ever been
to encourage yacht racing, as the many
Queen's Cups she has presented to yacht
clubs during her long reign abundantly
prove. The most popular act of her
life, so far as professional yacht sailors
are concerned, took place on April 8,
1897, when she visited the Prince of
Wales' cutter Britannia, at Nice, and
presented Capt. John Carter, her skip-
per, with the medal of the Victoria
Order, accompanying the gift with a
graceful compliment. In America the
yachting fraternity, both amateur and
professional, has received no encourage-
ment whatever from the Congress, and
is still subject to harassing legislation.
This is much to be regretted, as it is
without question bad and unwise policy.
II.
THE RACING YACHT.
SOME REMARKS ON TH E MA IKR1AL, ( ONS'I KUC'l ION
AM) SELECTION OF A VESSEL.
IT is a matter of some difficulty toad-
vise a prospective yachtsman as to
the acquisition of a racing craft.
There are two courses open to him.
He can either build or buy ready-made.
If the question of money is purely a
secondary consideration, the wealthy
amateur will probably feel inclined to
give an order to a fashionable naval
architect for the dovvn-to-date design
of a tip-top craft in the class on which
he has set his heart. He will find plen-
ty of accommodating builders who will
meet his views conscientiously and do
their best to follow out the minutiae of
the draughtsman's design. Swell sail-
makers — and we have some of the best
on earth — will supply his craft with a
splendidly fitting and sitting suit of
muslin, and he can hire a crack skipper
who will teach him all the tricks of the
most expert timoneer.
Mr. George L. Watson, the famous
Scotch yacht designer, in a lecture on
THE CUTTFR " ORIVA."
7 he Racing Yacht. 49
" Progress in Yachting and Yacht
Building," delivered early in i88r, said :
" As prophecy nowadays seems to be
one of the branches of naval architec-
ture, and we have been told by Sir E. J.
Reed and others what kind of ships the
next generation are to have, I am anx-
ious to keep abreast of the age, and
here'with present you with the outline
specification of a ic-tonner for the sea-
son 2000. You see I keep myself pretty
safe, as but few of us will be alive to see
her sail. The dimensions I won't ven-
ture on. Some yachting authorities as-
sert that you have only to make the
boat long enough and heavy enough, to
beat all existing racing craft; and it
seems strange that, with this knowledge
in their possession, they should not only
have had sufficient self-denial to resist
the building of certain successes, but
have even gone the length of turning
out duffers of normal dimensions. I
think there is just a little more in it
than that, and can't believe that a 10-
tonner 80 feet long could ever be a suc-
cess.
" We have not exhausted the possibil-
ities of form yet, and really know very
little more about it than Solomon did
when he confessed his inability to un-
derstand 'the way of a ship on the sea; '
and when we do arrive at perfection in
shape, we can set to, then, to look out
for better material.
"The frames and beams, then, of my
ideal ship shall be of aluminum, the
50 Yachting Wrinkles.
plating below water of manganese
bronze and the topsides of aluminum,
while I think it will be well to deck her,
too, with that lightest of metals, as good
yellow pine will soon be seen only in
a museum. For ballast, of course we
should have nothing but platinum, un-
less the owner grudged the expense,
when we might put the top tier of gold.
" But by that date I hope we won't
care for sailing in such a sluggish ele-
ment as the water. I firmly believe that
some day the air will become as easily
traversed as the earth or ocean."
Now, in 1881, Mr. Watson's fame as a
naval architect was quite firmly estab-
lished, but as a prophet he was without
honor in his own and every other coun-
try. It is therefore remarkable that
his prediction, made presumably in play-
ful jest, was, in a great measure, ful-
filled not very long after. A torpedo
boat of manganese bronze was actually
built in England for the French Govern-
ment in 1891. Then followed the con-
struction in France of the yacht Ven-
dencsse, built almost altogether of alu-
minum, in 1892, and a series of French
torpedo boats of aluminum in 1895-6.
The Yankee Vigilant was constructed of
Tobin bronze below the water-line and
of steel above. She had a hollow bronze
centerboard and a solid bronze rudder.
The latest development of Mr. Watson's
fanciful idea was introduced in Defender
in 1895. This celebrated yacht has top-
side plating, deck beams, deck-strapping
52 Yachting Wrinkles.
and upper fittings of aluminum, 4 per
cent, nickel alloy, while the bottom
plating is of bronze. The stern, frames,
floor -plates, stiffening -angles, bilge-
stringers, inverted angle-bulbs, under-
de'ck beams, the two deck beams inclos-
ing mast, tie-plates round mast, step-
ping-socket, bed- plate fittings, and sup-
ports and chain-plates are of steel. All
the rivets are of bronze, thus completing
an intimate association of the three
metals, which was followed in a short
time by inevitable general corrosion.
Advocates of aluminum as a fit metal
for use in shipbuilding point out that no
effort at insulation of any kind whatso-
ever \v.as made, not even the simple pre-
cautions which would have been insisted
on in an ordinary case of steel and bronze
construction. Defender was built with
only one purpose in view — the winning
of a series of races. Her subsequent
proceedings were a matter of no interest
to her owners and builder. Had she
been built of steel throughout she would
have cost about half as much as she act-
ually did, and would have been good for
fifteen years of hard sailing if built up
to Lloyd's rules. But she might, in that
case, have failed to fulfill her only reason
for existence — the beating of Lord Dun-
raven's Valkyrie III.
The scientist who will invent some
alloy to combine with aluminum which
will make the metal free from corrosion
when immersed in salt water will confer
a great boon on the builders of racing
The Racing Yacht. 53
yachts and, incidentally, will enrich him-
self. That this problem will be solved
eventually there is little doubt. I hope
that Mr. Watson will live to see his
prophecy realized, even to the extent
of aerial navigation.
At present, however, the heavy first
cost of aluminum and its short life, when
exposed to the erosive action of sea
water, bar its use in the construction of
racing yachts, except when the senti-
ment of defending or regaining an his-
toric national trophy is indulged in by a
syndicate of capitalists. Probably no
single millionaire would have gone to
the expense of the Defender, but when
the price of her was divided up among
several, the plethoric purses were not so
very much depleted after all.
Aluminum as a material for yachts
has been an interesting subject to me
ever since it was first used in shipbuild-
ing. The aluminum used in the De-
fender had an alloy of from 12 to 15 per
cent, of nickel. The majority of the
plates used were fa and 3/s of an inch in
thickness. The heaviest plate weighed
about 200 pounds, was 38^4 inches wide,
13 feet 10 inches long, and ^ of an inch
thick. This plate gave an ultimate ten-
sile strength of 40,780 pounds per square
inch, an elongation of 10 per cent, in 2
inches, and the reduction of area at the
point of fracture was 14.75 Per cent-
Each and every plate iised was tested.
The Defender was constructed of
aluminum plating from the water-line
54 Yachting Wrinkles.
up. Her deck beams, lateral and diag-
onal braces under the deck, a stringer
plate connecting the deck beams with
the sides of the vessel, continuous
throughout her length, and the rail
were of aluminum. The same metal
was also used for dead-light frames and
covers and small interior fittings. The
sheaves of all her blocks were of alumi-
num.
I have read nearly everything that
scientific men have written on the sub-
ject of aluminum as used in Defend-
er, and from my reading I deduce
that the metal failed to prove satisfac-
tory because proper care was not taken
to prevent oxidation by galvanic action.
In the first place, bronze rivets were
used instead of aluminum rivets, or iron
rivets galvanized. Secondly, the insidcs
of the rivet holes were not coated with
white lead, nor were the rivets them-
selves dipped in white lead or paraffin e
before driving, as might easily have
been done. In fact, no precaution what-
ever was taken to minimize galvanic ac-
tion.
Mr. Herreshoff was advised to lay
strips of heavy canton flannel well
soaked in white lead between the lap-
ping aluminum plates of the topsides
and the bronze plates of the underbody,
and then rivet up with the flannel be-
tween the edges of the two plates, form-
ing a neutral joint. This precaution
was not taken, however, the result be-
ing great corrosion where, through the
The Racing Yacht. 57
junction of the two metals, galvanic
action set in.
As a general axiom it may be averred
that whenever brass or copper comes
into direct contact with aluminum ex-
posed to sea- water, corrosion is very
rapid. It may also be averred that
aluminum rivets can be made fully
as strong as those of any other metal.
Thus there is no good reason for using
bronze rivets in the construction of an
aluminum vessel.
The conclusion I arrive at is that
aluminum as a material for a racing
yacht should not be condemned until
further experiments have been made.
In strength and lightness it surpasses
every other metal.
It is the general opinion oi ship-
builders that the best system of con-
struction is to use one material alone in
a vessel. Let her be all wood or all one
metal, and then the strains will be equal
and corrosion will be avoided. There
'is no question that wood should be used
in all of the smaller craft up to the 51-
footers, at any rate. Strength and light-
ness may be most effectually combined
by the double-skin system of construc-
tion, which is by all odds the most ef-
ficient and lasting. In boats larger than
these, steel may be the material of the
hull. Metal in small craft is necessarily
so thin that unsightly bulges often dis-
figure the topsides of vessels built of
sheet-iron, ships' lifeboats, for instance.
It is true, however, that these metal
58 YacJiting Wrinkles.
boats are light and durable, and when
hung to a ship's davits do not warp or
shrink or become leaky when exposed
to the burning rays of a tropical sun.
These qualities, though of great value
in the craft indicated, do not apply to
small pleasure vessels, especially when
the great heat of metal vessels in our
hot summers is taken into consideration.
Steel corrodes quickly and soon gets
foul. It should, therefore, be kept well
protected with a preservative anti-foul-
ing paint.
Old-fashioned yachtsmen, a class of
people almost extinct, prefer wood to
any other material in sailing yachts of
even the largest size. But the most
prejudiced of these ancient mariners
are forced to admit, however reluctant-
ly, that wood will not satisfactorily stand
the jarring strains of powerful modern
marine engines. It would, of course, be
possible to build an oaken vessel strong
enough to sustain the stress of the
machinery, but the timbers would have
to be bulky indeed, and the weight
would be far greater than if steel were
made use of exclusively.
A friend of mine who is a devoted
yachtsman, as well as a pretty fair hand
with the rod and gun, having lost the
bulk of his money by an unfortunate
investment, was able by the exercise of
ingenuity to build for himself a smart
and able cruising schooner at a very
moderate cost, and also to spend a
winter very enjoyably. This is how
The Racing Yacht. 59
he went about it : In the first place lie
had a thorough knowledge of the type
of boat he wanted, and had a smatter-
ing of the shipbuilders' art, being moder-
ately handy with tools. So when he
went to a naval architect he was able
to give an intelligent notion of his real
requirements, and wasted no precious
professional time.
In the course of a few days the de-
signer furnished him with the requisite
working plans and specifications, all ad-
mirably clear and concise, and easily
comprehensible by an intelligent me-
chanic. Armed with these plans he
packed up his traps, not forgetting his
guns, and started for a certain seaport
in Maine, where some of the best coast-
ing vessels in the world are built and
where suitable timber is to be had at a
very low price. Labor is cheap and so
is the cost of living. He fell in with a
skillful shipwright who owned a ship-
yard in the harbor, and he made satis-
factory terms for the building of the
vessel, the construction of which he
generally supervised. She was built un-
dercover, and thus was not damaged in
the least by the severe winter weather.
My friend made the seaport his head-
quarters, his expenses averaging no
more than $i a day. He went on sev-
eral enjoyable shooting expeditions, and
was much benefited in health by the
pure and bracing air.
The best of it was that by this means
he became the owner of a very service-
The Racing Vac Jit. 61
able vessel All her timbers were sound
and seasoned. The estimate was so
reasonable that, instead of galvanized
fastenings, which the specifications
called for, he found that he could af-
ford yellow metal and copper bolts
wherever prudence dictated their use.
Being a " crank," as most good
yachtsmen are, when the vessel was in
frame he gave every inch of her a right-
down good soaking with kerosene oil,
applying as much as the dry wood was
able to absorb. He says this process
preserves the wood almost indefinitely.
All the oak was fall-cut, and not a
sappy timber found a place in the
shapely hull.
In the late spring she was launched
and rigged, and, when fitted out, her
owner sailed her to New York, where
the nautical critics carefully surveyed
her and pronounced her good.
I would not, however, advise the
average man to follow my friend's
example. The man of whom I write
was exceptionally well qualified and
equipped for the undertaking and car-
rying out of such a job. Outside of his
general knowledge of shipbuilding and
seamanship, he was a shrewd business
man, with plenty of tact and knowledge
of the world. It would be difficult for
the most rascally of shipbuilders to get
the better of him. He was also favored
by good fortune, insomuch as the hon-
esty and skill of the builder of his yacht
were concerned. He tells me he saved
62 Yachting Wrinkles.
twenty-five per cent, in the actual cost
of the vessel if built anywhere in the
neighborhood of New York. Moreover,
he got a boat capable of being classed
in the highest standard at Lloyd's and
good for a quarter of a century's hard
cruising. Having seen the boat put
together, he never felt anxious about
straining her in a squall. There was
no skimping of quantity in material to
procure a flimsy kind of lightness. Hull,
spars and rigging were all scientifically
adapted to the heaviest strains they
were likely to encounter, and a suf-
ficient margin of extra strength was
added in case of emergencies. The
schooner has been in commission now
for several years, her owner living
aboard her practically all the year
round. He has cruised south as far as
the Caribbean Sea and north to Labra-
dor. He is his own skipper, and a better
seaman and navigator never broke a
biscuit on his knee or drank grog out of
a pannikin.
The only objection that can be made
against iron or steel yachts in the larger
classes is that their bottoms foul so
rapidly. So far as their capacity to
resist stress and strain is concerned,
nothing can be said against them. The
first English iron yacht was the Mos-
quito, designed by Tom Waterman and
built on the Thames in 1848. The first
American iron yacht was the cutter
Vindex, designed by Mr. A. Gary Smith
in 1870 for Mr. Robert Center.
The Racing Yac/it. 63
Nickel steel, as its name implies, is an
alloy of steel with nickel. It possesses
all the qualities of steel for shipbuild-
ing purposes, but it has, in addition, a
breaking strength of forty tons to the
square inch, as against twenty-seven for
ordinary steel. The twenty-rater Drag-
on Iff., built in 1893, had frames and
beams of this metal, which I think is
destined to be much used in the con-
struction of racing yachts.
The composite system of construction,
namely, steel or iron frames and wood-
en planking, is in my judgment open to
objection. The frames of a racing yacht
are of course as light as the naval ar-
chitect dares to make them in his effort
to reduce weight in every detail of hull,
spars and rigging. When it comes to
pass that the seams of a composite yacht
require calking the strain of driving
the oakum home produces such a pres-
sure on the bolts that fasten the planks
to the frames that they snap off.
The composite system was introduced
in 1860 on the Clyde, many China clip-
pers being built after that plan. Among
the first composite yachts were Nyan-
sa and Oiinara, built by Robert Steele
& Co., of Greenock, about 1867. All
the large racing yachts of the pres-
ent time that are not constructed of
metal have steel frames, as a sufficient-
ly light wooden frame could not sustain
the immense strains of the large sail
plan and the heavy weight of the out-
side lead
64 Yachting Wrinkles.
If a man sets his heart on having a
composite vessel he should take care
that her skin is of double construction,
one layer of plank overlapping the
other, with a liberal luting of white lead
between. Thus no calking whatever
is necessary ; the vessel is tight as a
bottle and much stronger than if the
old-fashioned plan is followed. The
only objection is the expense.
John Harvey, the English yacht de-
signer and builder, who was first to
introduce the double-skin system in
yachts, told me once that many com-
posite yachts were hauled out in his
yard at Wivenhoe to be repaired. He
had been inside several of them when
being calked, and seen the nuts break
off and roll down in the bilges by the
score as the oakum driven by the calk-
ing iron wedged the planks apart. This
result is so obvious that it requires no
further comment.
It may well be urged that it is scarce-
ly worth while to incur so much more
expenditure of hard cash on a boat that
may be obsolete, so far as racing is con-
cerned, after two or three seasons; and
this argument will probably prevail
with the average yacht owner. I con-
sider it my duty, nevertheless, to call at-
tention to the defects of the system
generally in use, and to the advantages
of the double skin; and I will give two
striking illustrations which I think will
prove my case.
Mr. Coate's smart lo-ton cutter Madge,
The Racing Yacht. 67
designed by Mr. G. L. Watson, was a
single-skin craft. She was built in 1879
and created a great sensation when she
came to this country and beat all our
skimming-dishes. In 1890 she was al-
most ready to fall to pieces, and her
rickety frame had to be strengthened
with iron knees and fitted with new
topsides. In 1894 she was condemned
as unseaworthy and fit only for the
junkman.
On the other hand we have the cut-
ter Onva, designed by John Harvey and
launched in 1881. She is of the double-
skin construction, lighter in proportion
to her size than Madge, and to-day she
is as strong and stanch as she was
when she was launched.
If the prospective builder decides to
use wood as the material for his boat,
he will find that American elm is the
best material for the keel and the gar-
board strakes. When entirely sub-
merged, elm will last for half a century
or more, but is especially liable to de-
cay between wind and water.
White oak should be used for the
stem, sternpost, knightheads, apron,
deadwoods and futtocks The timbers
should be of oak or hackmatack, and
the planking of yellow pine. This ma-
terial, if well seasoned and properly put
together, should insure a sound boat.
Yellow-metal fastenings should be used
below the water-line, if the expense is
not too much for the owner's purse. If
that should prove the case, galvanized
68 Yachting Wrinkles.
iron may take their place. Personally,
I believe in having the hull as perfect
as possible. I would dispense with
costly gingerbread -work below deck,
having everything cozy and attractive,
and would expend the extra money, thus
saved, on hull, spars and rigging, yellow-
metal fastenings being my first object.
Of course, if I were building a " freak"
for a couple of seasons' sport, I wouldn't
use a fragment of copper in her con-
struction.
It is well to bear in mind that there is
absolutely no market for an outclassed
racer. For that reason I cannot recom-
mend the expenditure of much money
on the construction of a craft whose life
in the usual course of events is limited
to perhaps three seasons. Double skins
and copper fastenings would be absurd-
ly out of place in such craft. But when
a man builds a cruiser, there is no reason
why she should not be as sound and
strong as a judicious expenditure of
money can make her.
There is much to be said for and
against copper sheathing for the bottom
of a racing yacht. For some reason or
other it has never been popular in this
country. It was first used in 1761, when
the British warship Alarm was coppered
at Woolwich.
Mr. G. L. Watson is authority for the
statement that, as early as 1834, a metal
keel was fixed on the Wai'e, built for
Mr. John Cross Buchanan by Messrs.
Steele.
The Racing Yacht. 69
The man desirous of obtaining dis-
tinction in the arena of yacht racing,
supposing he decides to build a yacht of
his own so that the luster appertaining
to her achievements shall be inevitably
associated with his name, should, in the
first place, have a full and business-like
understanding with his designer, who
will only be happy to meet him half way
and will cheerfully name the honorarium
for his draught. The designer supplies
drawings, plans and specifications, and
supervises the work of the builder.
The builder's duty is to furnish an
estimate of the cost of such yacht,
which estimate, if accepted by the
yachtsman, should be embodied in an
agreement that takes the legal form of
a contract, after being signed.
The agreement should specify :
i — That the yacht shall be constructed
according to specifications and drawings
furnished by the designer, complying
with all requirements therein set forth
regarding material and workmanship,
and that all work shall be completed to
the satisfaction of the designer and sur-
veyor (if any).
2 — That the yacht shall be delivered
to the owner on a certain date afloat and
complete, and in default of completion
by such date, the builder shall pay a
certain stipulated sum for each and
every day afterward during which the
yacht remains incomplete and unde-
livered, for liquidated damages, the
owner being empowered to deduct
70 Yachting Wrinkles.
such damages from the price of the
vessel.
3— That the builder shall be paid by
the owner a certain sum on the signing
of the agreement, a further sum when
the yacht shall be in frame, yet another
sum when the yacht is timbered and
planked, and the final payment when
the yacht is completed to the satis-
faction of the designer and surveyor,
and delivered to the owner ready for
sea.
4 — All damage to the yacht, through
fire or any other cause whatever, previ-
ous to her delivery to the owner, shall
be made good by and at the expense of
the builder, and to the satisfaction of
the designer.
The specification should fully set
forth the dimensions of the yacht and
the material to be used in her construc-
tion. As an example I append the gen-
eral specifications of the Uncas, one of
the three one-design 46 -foot schooners
designed by Mr. A. Gary Smith in 1898 :
General Dimensions.— Length over all, 64ft. ain.;
lengthen l.vv.l., 46ft.; beam, extreme. i6ft.; draft with-
out board, 6ft. 6in.; least freeboard, ^ft. Specifications:
Keel, white oak, molded, 5 '/sin.; stem, whiteoak, sided,
4%m.; sternpost, white oak, sided, sin.; frames, hack-
matack, double, sided 2in., molded at keel ^i4in., at
planksheer z^in.; floors, sided 2!^ right and left; trunk
log, sided 6in. and molded ioin., bolted with y% gal-
vanized iron; sides of trunk, yellow pine and white
pine, 2x8in., bolted with % ga'lvanized bolts; center-
board, oak and yellow pine, bolted with f-j galvanized
iron ; pin and hanging to be of brass ; ballast to be of
lead furnished by owner, 20,000 Ibs. in all, 18,000 on
keel bolted with %m Muntz metal bolts, 25 in number;
planking of yellow pine, spike fastened; clamps, yellow
pine, 2 in number, i^xbin.; shelf, same, sxz in., worked
to shape, i through bolt on each frame; bilge strakes,
yellow pine, 3 on a side, ii£x6in.; ceiling, only where
cabin work calls for it, Yt\n. pine; deck beams, white
The Racing Yacht. 73
oak, sided .jin., molded 2%in ; partner beams and house
beams to be sided 6in.; partners, hackmatack, kneed
with same; planksheer, white oak. i^xyin.; deck plank,
white pine, i^in thick by 2%in. wide, spiked; bul-
warks, pine ; stanchions, white oak ; trunk cabin,
tongued and grooved sides, 1^4x3 in, with wrapper;
trunk deck, tongued and grooved stuff, i^in., covered
with canvas; hatches and slides, mahogany; bitts, lo-
cust: windlass, pump brake; anchors, 120 ibs., 160 Ibs.;
chains, 70 fathoms, ^ tested.
All chocks and kevels as required ; steerer, Perley
patent, mahogany wheel about 3oin.; tanks, galvan-
ized iron, to hold about 200 gals.; pump in galley
basins to discharge in receivers (bilge pump); one
small tank on C. B. trunk.
Masts and spars of best spruce ; rigging, best cast-
• steel wire rope and manila; sails to be as follows:
mainsail, foresail, forestaysail, jib, small jib, small
jibtopsail, second jibtopsail, spinnaker, two gaff-top-
sails, small maintopmast staysail ; blocks of white ash;
iron work of all kinds, of best iron galvanized ; awn-
ing stanchionsgalvanized; Coiner work to be of tongued
and grooved stuff, where it will not be seen, and the
rest to be paneled, of white pine, all to be of % stuff;
to be painted with three coats of paint.
The 2i-footer Ouananiclie, designed
by Mr. T. E. Ferris and built at the
same yard as Uncas, is an excellent
example of the modern type of boat.
Her accommodations are good and she
is both fast and able.
The specifications may also include
the cabin fittings and all furniture, up-
holstery for berths, and ship stores gen-
erally, not including edibles. It is more
satisfactory to the owner to have an
estimate of the total cost of the craft
complete and ready for sea.
The owner too frequently suggests
changes from the specifications, which,
in all cases, entail considerable ex-
pense. These alterations are quite justly
charged for by the builder as " extra
work ;" and if the owner is a good hand
at " suggesting," as the tyro generally
is, the bill for "extra work" makes a big
74 Yachting Wrinkles.
item when the final account is rendered.
I have known it to amount to as much
as $500 on a $2,000 craft. Sometimes
vexatious litigation follows.
All this trouble may be avoided by
having a clause inserted in the contract
to the effect that no work done on the
yacht without a written order, signed
by the designer and countersigned by
the owner, shall be deemed extra work.
The careful builder will insist on such
a clause if he is alive to his best inter-
ests.
A yacht, in the interesting process of
construction, possesses a sort of hyp-
notic attraction to the man it is being
built for. He haunts the shipyard from
the hour the men turn to in the morn-
ing to the time they knock off at night.
Naturally, he is anxious to know how she
progresses. If he were a wise man he
would keep religiously aloof from the
scene of operations, and leave the work
of inspection and supervision to his
naval architect. These remarks apply
only to the tyro, who is usually as proud
of his first yacht as a young mother of
her first-born. With old stagers it is
different.
On the day of the launch it is cus-
tomary for the owner to buy liquid re
freshments for the workmen in the ship-
yard. The naval architect, too, feels
hurt if he does not receive a personal
invitation to the ceremony and a seat
at the collation which follows the launch.
If a man has neither the means nor
The Racing Yacht.
75
the inclination to build a boat of his
own he need not despair. There are
always in the market a number of ser-
viceable boats. A shrewd buyer, if he
keeps his weather eye open, may pick
up a rare bargain. It is his own fault
if he gets the worse of the transaction.
Given a good designer and a good build-
er in the first place, he may safely con-
clude that the craft he has his eye on
was not a " gingerbread " boat when she
was launched.
Unless the purchaser is well versed in
boats I should bv all means advise him
" LRAGON Hi,
76 Yachting Wrinkles.
to have the craft surveyed by a compe-
tent man, whose cha'ge will be mod-
erate. It is sure to be money saved.
A boat with a bulb fin or a heavily
weighted centerboard is peculiarly sus-
ceptible to strains and wrenches which
a tyro would be likely to pass over, but
which would be clearly apparent to the
unerring- eye of an expert professional.
Sometimes a man who thinks he is
built on the lines of a yachting enthu-
siast joins a yacht club and builds a
boat in a fashionable class. After a few
weeks he discovers that all his enthusi-
asm has evaporated ; that he takes no
interest whatever in the sport. His
next course is to offer his craft for sale.
He is often so disgusted that he lets a
purchaser have her for a song. This is
a shrewd man's opportunity, and he
should not let it escape. It is not often,
however, that such windfalls come in
one's way, in spite of the old adage that
a simpleton is born every minute.
Let me in all seriousness conjure you
never to buy or launch a yacht on a Fri-
day ! If you do, you will surely rue it.
The superstitions of old sailors are not
to be despised. It is quaint and curious
that superstition of the sea about the
lucklessness of Friday, but I for one
most devoutly believe in it. I have
reason, too, for on one fine Friday morn-
ing, ever so manv years ago, I set sail
from the port of Sunderlandin the stout
brig Goshawk, hailing from the port of
Shoreham, with Captain Cuddington in
The Racing Yacht. 77
command. On Sunday morning we were
ashore on the Long Sarid in a howling
gale, and the brig went to pieces in six
hours. I was saved with others of the
crew by a smack from Harwich, in
charge of brave John Tigh, but a poor
boy, just fresh from a Sussex farm, per-
ished. I shall always remember that
day. There were two life-buoys aboard,
and these the captain and the cook se-
cured. The instinct of self-preserva-
tion was strong, no doubt, and it was
not an era of heroes. I was a romantic-
child at that time, on my first sea voy-
age, and fresh from a course of " The
Three Musketeers," " Monte Cristo," and
other such entertaining literature. I
thought then that we two little fright-
ened boys would have been allowed the
safeguard of the life-buoys. Now I know
better.
III.
THE TYPE OF YACHT.
WHAT SHALL SHE HE— KEEL, CENTERBOAKI),
OR BULB-FIN?
WHEN we come to consider the
type of yacht most desirable to
buy or to build, the problem is
perplexing-. We must in every
case be guided by circumstances. For
instance, a deep bulb-fin boat for racing
or cruising on the shallow waters of the
Great South Bay would be manifestly
out of place. Nor would a sharpie be
the most desirable class of craft for use
on the deep water cf the lower Hudson.
Locality is what must guide us in our
choice. Build or buy a boat suitable for
the work she is intended to do.
Remember that nearly every type of
craft, keel, bulb-fin, centerboard or
double-huller, has some good qualities
to recommend it. For cruising, a keel
yacht of moderate draught, so as to be
able to enter harbors where the water
is comparatively shallow, may be recom-
mended. A centerboard vessel for the
same purpose, to those who prefer
the type, holds further inducements. A
wholesome knockabout for general pur-
'*
The Type of Yacht. 81
poses, fashing and class-racing affords
lots of sport. A modern fin-keel for
racing only cannot be surpassed. So
out of these various types you have only
to choose. It is not necessary in this
connection to sing the praises of the keel
type. It speaks for itself. For speed
and safety it is equally adapted. In
war and in commerce as well as in yacht
racing it has made its mark.
There are a number of yachts which
without exaggeration or affectation may
well be characterized as epoch-making
vessels. First comes the schooner A rner-
ica, which revolutionized }^acht naval
architecture in Great Britain. Then fol-
lows Evolution, the parent of the bulb-
fin type of to-day. Next comes the
Scotch cutter Madge, which was respon-
sible for the decline and fall of our
unwholesome " skimming-dish " type.
Puritan is next — a compromise between
the two extremes of deep cutter and
shallow centerboard. It should be re-
membered in connection with this boat
that she combined the factors of out-
side lead, moderate draught and ample
beam, and was in every way a new de-
parture, reflecting great credit on her
talented designer, Mr. Edward Burgess.
Gloriana was as pronounced a departure
as Puritan, her famous spoon-bow and
immense overhangs arousing all the
British designers and causing them to
steer a new course. Her influence was
quite as great as that of America. She
made Nat Herreshoff famous.
" MADGE."
The Type of Yacht. 83
The remarkable feature of Gloriana
was that while her length on the load
water-line was 45 feet 3 inches (she was
built for the 46- foot class), her length
over-all was 70 feet. As the fullness of
the bilge extended to bow and stern, the
more she was inclined, the greater was
her water-line length. I never saw a
stiffer yacht. Her record for her first
season (1890) was eight starts and eight
first prizes. Dilemma, the Herreshoff
fin-keel, may also be described as an
epoch-maker, as her form and her fin
were speedily adopted and adapted by
British designers.
It will be noticed that all the yachts
enumerated, except Puritan and Dilem-
ma, are of the keel variety.
The long reign of what may be termed
the demoralized centerboard type is
happily over. It is really a matter of
marvel that the shoal hulls of great
beam, destitute of a safe range of sta-
bility, and carrying a dangerous spread
of sail, did not oftener turn turtle and
cause a greater loss of human life.
The Hudson River freight sloop was
a safe and well-built craft, well adapted
not only for the commerce of our coasts
but also for long ocean voyages. So far
back as 1785 the Albany, an 84-ton sloop,
Stewart Dennis master, made a voyage
to Canton, returning with a cargo of
tea. Between 1790 and 1800 there were
about a hundred sloops plying in the
freight and passenger trade between
New York and Albany, and proving
84
Yachting Wrinkles.
fast and able. These packets flourished
until steam drove them out ot the busi-
ness.
The centerboard, an improvement on
the Dutch leeboard, first used on the
Hudson about 1830, has since been a
necessity because of the shallowness of
some of our harbors; and there is no
reason why it should not continue to be
THE GERM OP THE CENTERBOARD.
popular, if the model is of sound de-
sign and the construction strong. Every
objection against the centerboard system
may be met by the argument that a large
proportion of our coasting schooners on
the Atlantic seaboard are fitted with
centerboards, and ply their calling win-
ter and summer, in storm and calm, ajid
the unerring test of their seaworthiness
is that the underwriters do not look upon
" VESTA."
86 Yachting Wrinkles.
them as greater risks than those of the
keel variety. A marine underwriter is
generally shrewd and businesslike, and
keeps a close watch on the statistics of
maritime losses. If it were proven by
the wreck returns that centerboard ves-
sels were more prone to succumb to the
perils of the raging main than the craft
not built with a movable fin, the infer-
ence is obvious, the premium of insur-
ance would be graded to meet the risk.
I think that this argument will ap-
peal to all people of common sense, and
will settle the question of the relative
safety and seaworthiness of the two
types. But there is this to be said on
the subject, that very much difference
exists between a craft constructed for
carrying coal and another built for the
purpose of pleasure. I think it may be
averred without error that the early
centerboard yachts were, as a rule,
modeled by shipwrights who had a due
regard for the factor of initial stability
as well as strong hulls scientifically put
together. But, step by step, a school
of naval architecture came into vogue,
so far as centerboard yachts were con-
cerned, in which most of the sound prin-
ciples of yacht designing were totally
ignored. Mr. W. P. Stephens, in an in-
teresting and scholarly paper read be-
fore the Society of Naval Architects
and Marine Engineers in 1895, well says:
" The centerboard lent itself as a will-
ing accessory to the sacrifice of that
depth which is essential to a safe range
The Type of Yacht. 87
of stability, mere sail-carrying power be-
ing derived from an excess of beam,
which was but an additional element of
danger. In the search for speed under
special local conditions, mainly those of
summer racing, the true principles of
naval architecture, so apparent in the
work of George Steers and others of the
earlier designers, were utterly ignored,
and a most dangerous and vicious
school of designing prevailed through-
out American yachting.
" Taking the centerboard sloop and
schooner as they were up to 1880 — dan-
gerously shoal and wide in model ; often
clumsily built of soft wood, with the
poorest of fastenings ; faultily ballasted
with stone and iron inside ; the hull in-
herently weak in form from the great
beam and lack of proportionate depth ;
the entire middle portion of keel and
floors cut away, with the familiar 'hinge
joint ' where the mast wTas stepped, just
forward of the trunk ; and with the
deck construction made worse than use-
less as an element of strength through
the absence of all beams in the middle
portion of the vessel and the presence
of a great superstructure, the cabin
trunk — the accepted laws of naval de-
sign and construction fail to give any
reason why such craft capsized no
oftener and kept afloat as long as they
did ; and we can only fall back for an
explanation on the doctrine of a special
providence."
Mr. Stephens is not only a naval
88 Yachting Wrinkles.
architect, but also a practical shipwright,
and therefore, his scathing arraignment
of the centerboard type must be taken
as emanating from his ripe judgment
and long experience. It must be re-
membered, however, that he is a pro-
nounced advocate of the keel type, and
has long waged war against the center-
board. So far as his denunciation ap-
plies to the vicious and exaggerated va-
riety I agree with him, heart and soul.
But I am not prepared to condemn the
whole class because of the glaring im-
perfections to be found in examples.
It must be borne in mind that with-
out the aid of the centerboard the pas-
time of 3'achting would be impractica-
ble on innumerable sheets of shallow
water, both salt and fresh, to be found
in North America. With that point in
view, the abolition of the vicious ele-
ment in the type, and its succession by
a sound and seaworthy class of pleasure
craft, should be the aim of all yachts-
men. And since the year 1880 great
strides have been made in that direc-
tion. I have witnessed with joy the de-
cadence and abolition of the "sand-
bagger," a craft of immense beam,
shallow draft, and big sail plan. The
sandbagger was the ideal racing ma-
chine of twenty five years ago. Its place
has been taken by the fin-keel. I won-
der if the fin-keel is destined to be suc-
ceeded by the double-huller, such as
Dominion, which made her debut in
Canada in 1898 ?
The Type of Yacht. 89
In the course of the same paper Mr.
Stephens also says : " To us familiar
with it [the centerboard] from our
earliest knowledge of the water, the
striking characteristics of the type ap-
peal with little force ; but if, with our
knowledge of the sea, of naval instruc-
tion, and of the strains and stresses to
which every vessel is subjected, the idea
were laid before us, for the first time,
of a vessel with the entire backbone and
floor construction cut away for the mid-
dle third of her length, devoid of deck
frames almost from mast to rudder-post,
with a great box amidships open to the
sea, and with a thin, movable plane
projecting deep below the bottom, it
would be strange if the majority would
not condemn on sight a combination
so unmechanical, so lubberly, and so
dangerous."
But Mr. Stephens gives the other
side of the question also. He says : '' In
the hands of competent and honest
shipwrights the centerboard coasting
schooner has disproved all theories as
to the non-utility of the type for sea-
going purposes : in a hull of moderate
first cost and running expense it has
carried swiftly, safely and profitably its
cargoes of coal, lumber, sugar, firewood,
barley, bricks, or general freight, both
on the lakes and on the Atlantic, up
and down the ' Beach,' across Nantucket
Shoals, and around Hatteras in winter,
light or loaded, taking in and landing
its cargoes in localities inaccessible to
90 Yachting Wrinkles.
the keel vessel. In the ocean coasting
trade it has been and still is a powerful
factor for good ; and in the local trade it
has been a Godsend to the small farmer
or miller or lumberman, carrying his
product cheaply and safely from his own
small creek or bay to a profitable mar-
ket. In the face of such practical re-
sults all theories as to the initial weak-
ness of the centerboard type or its in-
feriority as a sea-going vessel must
stand aside ; numerous instances of bad
design and construction may be found,
it is true, but they prove nothing
against the type itself in capable hands."
This last extract gives a fair present-
ment of the whole question. It is by
practical results that the centerboard
yacht must be judged, as well as the
centerboard coaster. I believe that the
centerboard has been beneficial to the
sport of yachting. I will go further,
and will say that without the board
yachting could not possibly have at-
tained the great popularity it now en-
joys in this country.
Viewing the subject broadly, I see no
reason why the centerboard should not
be good for centuries to come in honest
cruising and racing, especially in class-
es of moderate size. The keel will
probably bear off the palm in the larger
classes of cutters and schooners, but for
craft in the thirty-foot class and under,
the centerboard has advantages which
the bulb- fin in my judgment does not
possess. Those who care for speed alone
The Type of Yacht. 91
and whose ambition it is to acquire a
stock of more or less inartistic silver-
ware, will continue to pin their faith to
the fin. Others who like to enjoy a
modicum of comfort when afloat may
safely swear by the centerboard.
When I was a young man I had an
unconquerable prejudice against the
centerboard. My opinion of the type
was often expressed in language of
great warmth and strength. Mind you,
I was not so utterly devoid of common
sense as to be blind to the advantages
of the " board " in shallow water. I had,
however, a fixed idea that the average
centerboard sloop was no good in a
blow. This view has been consider-
ably modified in the school of ex-
perience. It once fell to my lot to be
an eye-witness of the excellent sea-
worthy and speedy qualities of a center-
board sloop in an easterly gale on Long
Island Sound. When we reached port
I was perfectly willing to confess that a
vessel of the type aboard which I had
been, if well-found and well-manned,
was equal to any keel boat of her size
that I had ever sailed on.
Permit me to spin you the yarn :
The cruise of the Atlantic Yacht
Club in 1889 will always be remembered
because of the bad weather encountered
on the Sound between Black Rock and
New London. In that year Jefferson
Hoganwas Commodore and theschooner
Cavalier was the flagship. I was the
guest of Vice-Commodore E. B. Havens
92
i 'achtir.g Wrinkles.
on his stout sloop Athlon, a remarkably
fast and able craft in heavy weather,
but by no means speedy in light airs.
She was built by Mutnm, at Bay Ridge,
for Dr. Barron. Mr. Havens bought her
and lengthened her six fe~t, adding a
handsome " Burgess stern," which im-
proved her appearance wonderfully. I
joined the Athlon at Black Rock, Conn.,
on Saturday, July i3th, and, after pass-
ing Sunday very pleasantly, turned in
early, as the orders were to get under
way next morning at five o' clock, the
early start being necessary, as our des-
tination was New London, distant nearly
fifty miles to the eastward.
I recall that, as we were enjoying our
pipes on deck preparatory to going be-
low for the night, the weather looked
dirty and the barometer was falling.
The guests of Mr. Havens besides the
writer were Mr. Levi Burgess and Mr.
Havens, Jr. All of us were capable of
lending a hand in an emergency, and
when the time came we did our level
best.
The preparatory gun from the flag-
ship aroused us next morning at an
hour when the early birds were still
roosting. Going on deck we found a
light wind blowing from east -northeast
and a drizzling rain falling. The sky
looked threatening, and all round the
horizon black and angry clouds were
clustered. A glance at the aneroid in
the companionway showed a fall of
two-tenths of an inch during the night.
' ATHLON."
The Type of Yacht. 95
While the men were sweating up the
peak and throat halyards and heaving
short on the anchor chain, Mr. Bur-
gess and I sneaked below and inter-
viewed the steward, with the result that
we each got outside of a cup of fragrant
coffee mellowed with some remarkable
old cognac, carried on the Athlon for
medicinal purposes only. Fortified with
this we joined our shipmates on deck,
giving an imitation of two men look-
ing eagerly for work and praying to the
gods not to be successful in the quest.
" Shall we get the jibtopsail out of
the sail locker ? " inquired young Mr.
Havens of his father.
" I guess the weather looks more like
a double-reefed mainsail than a jibtop-
sail," was the reply. So the jibtopsail
reposed in the locker.
Bang ! went the gun from the Cava-
lier. It was the signal to start. An-
chors were broken out smartly, jibs were
hoisted, and the squadron sailed out of
the harbor and began the long and
dreary beat to New London in the chilly,
pelting rain.
As I remarked above, the Athlon re-
quires a strong breeze to start her, and,
although our anchor was up in good
time, the smart sloop Anaconda, with
Mr. Prague at the helm, looming up like
a gray ghost in the mist, glided past us
and assumed the lead of the fleet. The
Anaconda was the only boat in her class
that ever beat the swift Fife cutter Clara
— an achievement that speaks volumes
in her behalf.
g6 Yachting Wrinkles.
" Our turn will come by and by,"
tersely remarked Mr. Burgess. Events
proved that he was a prophet.
Presently the Anaconda, far out to
windward, was struck by a savage squall.
Down came her flying kites by the run.
I looked at her through the glass and
saw her heel over until the water boiled
and bubbled on her lee deck. All was
now activity on the Athlon. The boats
were swung in and everything was made
snug for the approaching gale. Mr.
Havens determined not to reef till the
last moment, and just before the squall,
with its long line of white water in
marked contrast with the murky clouds
above, smote us, we clewed up the gaff-
topsail. It wasn't an instant too soon.
Had that topsail been set when the
blast hove us down nearly on our beam
ends the topmast must have snapped off
short, like the brittle end of a carrot.
Mr. Havens was steering. He gave her
a few spokes of lee helm and kept her
shaking in the wind till the first fury of
the squall was exhausted. It was almost
as dark as pitch for ten minutes. When
it cleared up a little we cast anxious
eyes to windward and to leeward to see
what had become of our companions.
The Anaconda had snugged down to a
couple of reefs. The 4o-footer Chispa,
a brand-new Burgess boat, was taking
it easy under storm trysail and foresail.
The sloop Concord was scudding back
to Black Rock under a bare pole, with
the Fanny chasing her under short sail.
The Type of Yacht. 97
The schooner Asalea was having a lot
of trouble, and the flagship Cavalier was
making plucky efforts to collect her
scattered and stormbeaten convoy about
her.
Just about this time the Athlon began
to go. She was carrying her whole
mainsail, jib and foresail. Every now
and then a shower of spray dashed over
the weather bow and drenched the
Commodore as he stood at the wheel.
The yacht now and again careened to
the puffs to such an extent as to take in
green water over the lee coaming of the
cockpit. We passed the Chispa as if
she was at anchor, and soon began to
forereach on the Anaconda. Under the
pressure of the gale the masthead fairly
buckled. It was a case of carrying on
sail with a vengeance, but the Commo-
dore had confidence in his craft, and
Mr. Burgess and I had confidence in the
Commodore, so we went below and
drank to the health of the brave little
ship. The steward forsook his kitchen
and pantry. He was too nervous to
stay anywhere except on deck. As
Byron sings :
He was a man in years,
And long had voyaged through many a stormy
sea,
And if he wept at length, they were not fears
That made his eyelids as a woman's be ;
But he, poor fellow, had a wife and children —
Two things for drowning sailors quite be-
wild'ring.
The wind and sea increased. Lum-
bering schooners bound to the eastward
98 yachting Wrinkles.
showed only a rag of canvas, while the
west-bound coasters were under single
or double reefs. Still the Athlon held
on to everything, showing the ability of
a representative centerboard sloop to
do wonderful work in heavy weather.
At last things came to such a pitch that
we just had to shorten sail. We were
knocked down by a squall of particular
violence. Anybody to windward of us
might have caught a glimpse of Athlon's
keel. We hauled down the jib and tied
a single reef in the mainsail, which, be-
ing brand-new and soaked with rain and
spray, was hard to handle. At last we
got it reefed, and after swaying up the
halyards taut as bars of steel we ham-
mered at it once more.
The gale was dead in our teeth. The
other yachts of the fleet had disap-
peared, most of them seeking harbors of
refuge. The Athlon's destination, how-
ever, was New London, and thither she
threshed her way right gallantly, mak-
ing a short leg and a long leg along the
Connecticut shore. Never before had
I seen so heavy a sea in the Sound, and
I had had a long experience on which
to draw.
The crew looked like drowned rats.
Every time we tacked, the yacht shipped
a good deal of water as she plunged her
bows under in the steep head sea. It
was hard work for all hands, but there
was a lot of excitement in it. By and
by we struck a streak of good luck. It
was off Branford Beacon, and it was
The Type of Yacht 99
just one bell in the afternoon watch.
The wind had a trifle more northing in
it, so much so, in fact, that our saucy
and stanch little ship was able to lay
her course for Bartlett's Reef lightship,
thirty-five miles distant.
This prospect cheered us up consid-
erably. The steward resumed duty and
gave us a square meal of fine cold roast
beef and pickles, which we washed
down with bottled Bass. Thus strength-
ened, we went on deck and set the jib,
gave her a foot or two of the mainsheet,
and, keeping her a good full, went
smoking through the perturbed sea at a
great rate. The whole distance to
Bartlett's Reef, at the entrance of the
River Thames, was accomplished with
the A thlon 's lee rail under water. Strong
gusts from the land smote her at fre-
quent intervals. If all her gear hadn't
been of first-class material, something
would have carried away. At half -past
four o'clock we passed the lightship,
having made the thirty-five miles in
four hours — a highly creditable per-
formance, considering the villainous
weather we had had.
Our troubles, however, were not over
by a long shot. The ebb tide was run-
ning out of New London harbor with
the velocity of a mill-race. It was blow-
ing a living gale dead in our teeth. The
beat to the city against wind and tide
was as hard a one as I remember on this
side of the Atlantic; but we drove her
at it. Glad enough we were to cast
ioo Yachting Wrinkles.
anchor off the old steamboat landing at
six o'clock, thus ending twelve hours of
tough fighting, in triumph. The Chispa
arrived at a quarter to eight o'clock
that evening. The rest of the fleet
reached port in straggling order the
next day. The Athlon thus had the
credit of beating the whole squadron,
including several vessels treble her
size. The Cavalier, of course, could
easily have made the passage, but Com-
modore Hogan felt it his duty to stick
to the bulk of the fleet, and for this he
was justly commended. So thus it came
to pass that Athlon made the record
heavy-weather run in her history, cov-
ered herself with glory, and made a
convert of me.
I have had some experience of yachts-
men, but I feel bound to say that I
never saw a vessel handled better in a
blow than Atiilon was by Commodore
Havens on that occasion.
This must be added. If the Athlon
had not been well-built, well-rigged, and
her sails good, in addition to being
handled most capably, it is not likely
that she would have made such a splen-
did record.
The popularity of the catboat as a
racing craft will never die out in this
country. The horseless carriage may
supersede the hansom-cab in our city
streets, and the electric launch may
usurp the place of the Venetian gon-
dolas, and drive the gay gondoliers to
adopt some other means of livelihood.
The Type of Yacht. 101
But the catboat is destined to survive all
such revolutionary changes, and a cen-
tury hence it will doubtless be more in
CATBOAT " DOROTHY.
vogue for pleasure, sport and business
than it is to day. In hull and sail plan it
will probably be much improved, but its
io2 Yachting Wrinkles.
general type will remain unaltered. For
cruising as well as racing it will never
fail of an array of enthusiastic admirers.
Of catboats there are many varieties.
They are plentiful at all waterside
haunts, and as they glide gracefully to
and fro they look so tempting and so
easy to handle withal, that the visitor
from the woods or the mountains longs
to be afloat in one of them, grasping the
tiller with his left hand, while his strong
right arm encircles the slender waist of
his trusting but slightly timid sweet-
heart. The average catboat is as safe
as a church when sailed by a man who
knows how, and the art of sailing her
may soon be acquired. But when a lub-
ber undertakes to handle her she may
become as stubborn as a balky mare
and as perilous as the bottomless pit.
Many who have no liking, inherent or
acquired, for the modern racing freak,
whether in the i5-foot, 20-foot or3o-foot
class, need not give up their hopes of
acquiring fame in mosquito craft racing.
A good, fast catboat is never out of
date, and there are various classes of
these wholesome little vessels in which
there is always room at the top. The
best of the racing cabin-cat is that she
has not yet degenerated into a mere
machine, but has certain modest ac-
commodations which permit her to be
used for pleasant cruises.
The heavy sand bags, or shot bags,
which a few years ago necessitated so
much laborious toil and the carrying of
The Type of Yacht.
103
such large crews, are now, happily, out
of date, shifting ballast being barred in
nearly all clubs. The modern cat car-
ries outside ballast, which makes the
sailing of her a pastime, not a perspi-
" KEVVAYDIIS."
ration-compelling task, while for hand-
mess in rig the cat cannot be surpassed.
By many ingenious methods and con-
trivances the mast is so securely stepped
and stayed that there is now no danger
in carrying a press of sail in a piping
The Type of Yacht. 105
blow or a steep head sea. The boat
can be sailed along and permitted to
feel the full strength of the breeze with
out any fear of springing the mast or
straining thebo^.t forward.
Catboats of many kinds there are,
from the craft common in the Great
South Bay, with its pleasant but rather
flimsy summer cabin, to the robust boat
of Cape Cod, which bravely dares the
steep seas of a stormy coast, and is at her
best in a vigorous blow. I don't know
of any craft of such light draught that
can compare with the " Caper " for bad-
weather qualities and general all-around
usefulness. She is by no means pretty
to look at, but her appearance can be
materially improved without detriment
to her sterling attributes. Mr. F. M.
Randall has introduced to New York a
modified " Caper."
All his boats have been built by the
Crosbys, of Osterville, Mass., who now
have a branch shop in South Brooklyn.
They have been highly successful, and
with EtJiel, Prest-o, Step Lively, and Scat,
Mr. Randall won pretty nearly every-
thing he tried for.
Not less successful was the catboat
Kittie, designed and built for Mr. Hazen
Morse, by Captain Thos. R. Webber, of
New Rochelle. She has a lead shoe
on her oaken keel, through which
works her centerboard of Tobin bronze.
Launched in 1894 and sailed by her
owner, Kittie won fourteen first prizes
that year, and in 1895 she carried off
io6 Yachting Wrinkles.
seventeen firsts. She is now owned in
Galveston, Texas. She is 27 feet over
all, 20 feet on the load water-line, 9 feet
beam, draught 2 feet, mast 30 feet, hoist
19 feet, boom 33 feet, gaff 21 feet, and
sail area 700 square feet.
The racing catboat is such a fasci-
nating theme that a whole volume
might be devoted to its advantages and
possibilities. No finer craft in which
to learn the rudiments of yacht racing
can be chosen by an amateur ; and
there are several classes, large and
small, in which eager rivals compete
from the beginning to the end of the
yachting season, offering many oppor-
tunities for the winning of prizes.
A successful racing cat is the 25-foot
cabin craft Wanda, designed and built
by the Herreshoffs, for Mr. F.T.Bedford,
Jr., of Brooklyn. She is 30 feet over all,
21 feet 9 inches on the load water-line,
with 12 feet beam. Her record for 1898
was thirteen starts and thirteen firsts.
11 Starts 13 Firsts.
May i6th.— Norwalk.
May 3oth. — Norwalk.
Iune 25th —Indian Harbor,
uly 2(3.— New Rochelle.
uly 4th.— Larchrnont.
uly cth.— Riverside,
uly i4th.— Seawanhaka; won in 30-foot class by
eight minutes actual time.
July 2sd.— Norwalk.
July 3oth. — Indian Harbor ; won on resail.
August i3th.— Horseshoe ; ^o-foot class by twenty-si::
minutes.
August 2oth. — Huguenot.
August 26th.— Huntington.
September 3d. — Atlantic.
zs-foot cabin catboat Wanda: zift. gin., 1. w. 1.; vjft.
o. a.; beam uft. Designed and built by the Herreshoff
Manufacturing Co., Bristol, R. I. Owned by F. T.
Bedford, Jr., Brooklyn, N. Y.
MID-SECTION OF "EVOLUTION.
SHEER-PLAN OF "EVOLUTION."
The Type of Yacht. 109
By a glance at the illustration of
Wanda (p. 104) it will be seen that Mr.
Nat Herreshoff, her designer, has intro-
duced the modified form of fin-keel
which he exploited so successfully in
Vigilant. Wanda, in point of fact, was
designed and built to elude the measure-
ment rule in force at the time of her
creation. Like Gloriana, when heeled,
she gets the benefit of long overhangs
forward and aft, while at the same time
she escapes the penalty of excessive
length on the load water-line. Taking
into consideration all her features, it
must be candidly acknowledged that
she is the most "scientific" catboat
that "tonnage-cheating " ingenuity ever
devised. Both the principles of yacht
designing that worked so admirably in
Vigilant and Gloriana, namely the
large lateral plane and the increased
water-line length, when heeled, have
been embodied in Wanda. The result
has been a gratifying success. Catboats
of the olden time used to measure about
the same length over all and on the
water-line. It remained for Mr. Her-
reshoff to produce a boat 21 feet on
the water-line with an over-all length
of 30 feet.
In marked contrast to the Wanda is
the catboat Dorothy, which is quite
famous, both as a cruiser and a racer,
on Long Island Sound. She is a sturdy
boat that can give a good account of
herself in a blow, and, in addition to
this most excellent quality, she has a
112
Yachting Wrinkles.
nice roomy cabin, in which every inch
of space is utilized. Her mast is well
secured by means of stays and spread-
ers, and, as may be seen from the
illustration, her rig is scientific and
down to date.
The Dorothy is interesting as show-
ing the transition stage between the
old - fashioned catboat and the new
Wanda, which is sure to become popular
as a racing machine, .but from her
limited accommodations is not likely to
be much sought after as a correct type
for mere cruising.
I have said before that Evolution was
the parent of the ballast fin, and in an
article I wrote for OUTING many years
ago I think I made out a good case.
She was designed by Mr. E. H. Bentall,
an English manufacturer of ploughs
and other agricultural implements,
whose famous yawl, Jullanar, created a
sensation when she came out in 1875,
"ROCKET," 1851.
The Type of Yacht. 115
from the circumstance that the dead-
wood was cut away fore and aft in the
most audacious manner. She was, per-
haps, the most original tonnage cheater
ever built, as a study of her plans will
show. The cutting away of her fore-
foot was followed by Mr. G. L. Watson
in his design of Thistle, but he overdid
"NIAGARA'S" MIDSHIP SECTION.
it, leaving the yacht without sufficient
lateral plane for successful windward
work. Jullanar's dimensions follow :
Length over all, no feet 6 inches;
depth of hold, 12 feet ; length on load
water-line, 99 feet ; extreme beam, 16
feet 10 inches ; draught forward, i foot
6 inches ; draught aft, 13 feet 6 inches.
n6 Yachting Wrinkles.
Evolution was launched in 1880. She
was built to sail in the ten-ton class,
and was the first yacht of which I can
find any record to carry a bulb of lead
on the keel. The transition to the Her-
reshoff fin-keel was natural and easy.
The first yacht to be fitted with a
weighted centerboard was Rocket, whose
sheer-plan and mid-section are on p. 112.
" RORQUAL," TWO AND ONE-HALF RATER, 1894.
Niagara, a most successful yacht of
the bulb-fin type, was designed by Mr.
Nat Herreshoff for Mr. Howard Gould
in 1895. She made a splendid record
that year in British waters. She was
sailed by Captain John Barr, who was
skipper of Thistle when Volunteer beat
her in 1887.
Jubilee, a fin-keel, with lead bulb and
The Type of Yacht. i \ 7
" DAD.'
two centerboards, was designed by
General Paine for a possible Cup de-
fender in 1893. She was 122 feet over
all, 84 feet 6 inches on the water-line,
" VESPER."
n 8 Yachting Wrinkles.
22 feet 6 inches extreme beam, and had
a draught of 13 feet 9 inches. She com-
peted in the trial races of 1893 against
Vigilant, Co Ionia and Pilgrim, and was
unsuccessful.
Fin-keels of the freak variety were
produced in large quantities on both
sides of the Atlantic, following each
other in quick succession. Two of Eng-
lish design are shown in the illustra-
tions. One is the Rorqual, the other the
Nameless. Neither proved successful.
The last five years have been remark-
able for the prolific production of
" freaks " and monstrosities, three of
which I show, the Skate, Vesper and
Dad, all racing machines. In marked
contrast to these abortions is the
Seawanhaka knockabout Kewaydin, a
wholesome type of boat with many good
qualities to recommend it. I advise
all my readers to fight shy of "freaks,"
especially those of flimsy construction.
As a matter of history it may be men-
tioned that the centerboard schooner
Vesta, in the midwinter ocean race of
1866, and the centerboard schooner Iro-
quois, in the blizzard of March, 1888,
both acquitted themselves admirably,
much to the surprise of the prejudiced
devotees of the keel type.
The double-hull type of craft came
prominently before the yachting fra-
ternity in 1898, and will doubtless be
exploited in many ingenious ways here-
after. The development of a type of
vessel whose origin is lost in the mist of
The Type of Yacht.
121
antiquity into a racing machine like the
twenty-footer Dominion attracted the
attention of naval architects generally
to Mr. Herrick Duggan, the Canadian
yacht designer, who for three consecu-
tive years has humbled the pride of the
Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club by
keeping in Kanuck hands the cherished
international challenge cup, won with
singular ease off Oyster Bay in 1896.
FIG. I. THE "DOMINION," ON EVEN KEEL.
THE DOMINION, HEELED.
Mr. Duggan, of course, did not pretend
to be the originator of a new type of sail-
ing craft, but he may safely lay claim
to whatever laurels are due to the fac-
ulty of astute adaptation. He succeeded
in a field where others tried and failed.
He skillfully modified the principle of
the Malay proa, and introduced its sali-
ent characteristics into a vessel small
indeed in the matter of dimensions, but
122 Vac Jit ing Wrinkles.
huge when its inherent scientific possi-
bilities are considered. Since Nat Her-
reshoff made practicable the crude fin-
keel of former designers, no such inter-
esting phase of marine architecture has
been evolved.
As a matter of historical fact, it re-
mained for Mr. Duggan to revive inter-
est in the type, and this he did most
effectually by the production of Domin-
ion. The craft has given rise to much
discussion among yachtsmen and in the
press, both at home and abroad. The
point of sailing in which Dominion ex-
cels is close-hauled on a wind or with
the wind abeam. It is then that she sails
on her lee hull only, the weather hull
serving the same purpose as the ballast
of a " sand bagger," enabling her to
carry a good press of sail. This is
shown by Figure II., which portrays her
when heeled. With the wind dead aft
and both hulls immersed, Dominion in
the races at Dorval was slightly slower
than her rival, her paramount advantage
being gained when sailing with one hull
immersed.
Dominion's dimensions are : Length
over all, 35 feet 10 inches; on load
water-line, 17 feet 6 inches; extreme
beam, 7 feet 7^ inches; beam, load
water-line one bilge, 2 feet 5^ inches ;
draught of hull, 10 inches; draught
writh board, 6 feet ; freeboard, i foot ;
displacement, 1,750 Ibs. ; area midship
section, total 2.88 square feet ; sail area,
500 square feet.
" DOMINION."
The Type of Yacht. 125
I remember how fascinated I was as
a boy by the perusal of " Lord Anson's
Voyage Round the World," telling how
that famous English navigator, in his
stout ship Centurion, doubled Cape
Horn in 1740, visited the romantic isle
of Juan Fernandez, and enriched him-
self and his accompanying bold seadogs
by the capture of a Spanish galleon
literally laden with treasure. Incident-
ally, the book describes the surprise ex-
perienced by the ship's company at the
first sight of the proa, as used by the
natives of the Ladrones. In a copy of
the first edition of the work, in my
father's library, was a quaint illustra-
tion of the proa under sail, with a plan
drawn to scale, from which I made a
crude model, and sailed her on an arm
of the sea that washed the beach not
fifty yards from our front door. I was
not slow to recognize the advantage of
the type in windward work. It was
my good fortune in the year 1870, from
the deck of the East Indiaman Hurkaru,
bound to Madras, to obtain my first
view of the Singhalese type of flying
proa off the coast of Ceylon. The sight
was novel and picturesque, and, being
young and impressionable in those days,
it was photographed indelibly on my
mind.
The southwest monsoon was blowing
briskly and the Hurkaru was bowling
along with stunsails set at a nine-knot
gait. It was my forenoon watch below,
and I was suddenly awakened by a ship-
126 Yachting Wrinkles.
mate who invited me on deck to look at
the "queerest craft I ever saw." Turn-
ing out in a hurry I followed him, and
from the topgallant forecastle saw the
proa in the act of shooting across our
bows. The breeze piped at a "three-
man power," for that number of lithe
and swarthy lascars straddled the out-
rigger to windward, hanging on by their
eyelids, after the manner of mariners
the seas over. The sail that propelled
this craft was of the sprit variety, but
was made of cotton stuff and not of
matting, as was the sail described in
"Anson's Voyage." She darted past us,
with rare velocity, throwing the spray
over her crew in fine style. There were
six or seven of them in the main hull of
the proa, the helmsman steering with
a rather long paddle. After she had
cleared the ship's bows she luffed up
sharp and seemed to point almost in the
wind's eye, the sail sitting quite flat, un-
like the sails of the ordinary " country
wallah," which are, as a rule, of the
baggy kind. I judged her speed at
about sixteen knots — certainly not less.
The mast and sprit of her sail were of
bamboo, the rigging of kyar. Subse-
quently I had several opportunities of
inspecting these proas, and subjecting
them to a close examination — notably at
Pointe de Galle, where the Hurkaru
touched to take in cargo on her home-
ward voyage.
The main portion of the hull proper
consists of a trunk of a tree hollowed
The Type of Yacht. 129
out and hewn into symmetrical shape,
bow and stern both being pointed. The
bilge of the weather side is neatly
rounded, while the lee side is as flat as
the side of a half model of a vessel that
is nailed to a board. Cut a double-end
boat in two longitudinally, take one of
the sections and nail on planks so as to
form a wall-like side, and you have a fair
imitation of the principle of the main
hull of the Singhalese proa. To this
trunk, when hewn into shape, are fas-
tened the topsides, which consist of
planks of suitable length and thickness
bound with lashings of kyar rope, the
seams being calked with cocoanut fibre,
which swells when water-soaked. Not
a nail is used in the construction of the
craft, it resembling in this detail the
famous Masoolah boats of the Madras
coast. In all its essentials the charac-
teristics of the proa of the Ladrones de-
scribed by Anson are reproduced. The
cigar-shaped log, which is connected to
the main hull by bamboo outriggers
(which give the necessary elasticity) and
kyar lashings, is hewn out of a solid and
rather heavy tree. This gives the re-
quired stability, and in a strong breeze
pretty nearly all hands "hike out" to
windward on it, leaving only the helms-
men (one at each end) aboard the main
ship. It need not be said that the
Singhalese are as nearly amphibious as
it is possible for human bipeds to be.
IV.
FITTING OUT AND TUNING UP.
HINTS AS TO GOING INTO COMMISSION AND MAK-
ING THE CRAFT FIT FOR A RACE.
WE will now assume that, either by
buying or building, the amateur
yachtsman has come into pos-
session of a craft which he in-
tends to race this season. If he has had
the vessel built to his order, the de-
signer will have seen that she complies
with the specifications, which, of course,
include all gear necessary for her mug-
hunting efforts. If he has purchased a
second-hand vessel, after having her
surveyed by a competent naval archi-
tect it might be well to learn from him
what repairs, if any, are needed to her
hull or rigging. The next thing to do
is to obtain estimates for making the re-
pairs ; and imless the yachtsman is an
old hand at the business, and knows ap-
proximately what should be the cost of
such work, I should advise him to ob-
tain figures from two or more concerns
if extensive work is called for.
It is unbusinesslike and unsatisfactory
to order a master shipwright to haul a
yacht out and make such alterations
Fitting Out and Tuning Up. 131
and repairs as he may deem requisite,
but examples of such fatuousness have
been known and have afforded much
profit to lawyers and much unhappiness
to clients on both sides. A shipwright
may have views of his own about a rac-
ing yacht, and it is inadvisable to give
carte blanche to any builder of ships, or
even of houses.
In these days of progress in yacht
naval architecture, to the man of sen-
timent there will always be one source
of regret. The owner of a success-
ful yacht that has gallantly won scores
of well -contested races and has proudly
flaunted a superb string of racing
flags at the close of her second sea-
son, cannot help having an affection
for his vessel, especially if she was
designed and built to his order. To
think that after a few short seasons she
has become outclassed — a regular back
number — naturally awakens many sad
reflections.
Old-timers remember that racing
craft, when their cup-winning days were
over, were converted into comfortable
cruising craft, fishing boats, or pilot cut-
ters. Nowadays such a transition is im-
possible. In many cases an expensive
fin-keel is outclassed in a single sea-
son, and I have yet to learn what use
she can be put to when her career after
cups comes to an inglorious finish. Her
lead, metal bolts, spars, sails and fig-
ging may fetch a fraction of their first
cost in a junk-shop ; but few yachtsmen
132 Yachting Wrinkles.
would care to buy a vessel of the kind
indicated for cruising or fishing pur-
poses, not only because of the lack of
accommodation, but also on account of
the unhandiness of the fixed fin, whose
vicious qualities can never be fully ap-
preciated until one happens to get stuck
in the mud or sand with the tide fast
ebbing and no tug in sight or any other
means of hauling off into deep water
available.
In the good old days of yacht racing
it was customary to lengthen, "hip out,"
rebuild and otherwise alter a boat that
showed signs of having outlived her
usefulness, and in a rejuvenated condi-
tion bring her to the line again and
with her achieve new conquests. Such a
method is rarely resorted to nowadays.
In fact, it is doubtful whether it would
pay. Mr. J. Rogers Maxwell, who owned
the schooner Emerald, is one of the few
yachtsmen in this country who, of late
years, have made extensive alterations
in large racing vessels with any degree
of success. He practically rebuilt the
sloop Shamrock, and greatly improved
her speed, and has twice made radical
changes in the Emerald at great ex-
pense, both processes making her slight-
ly faster.
Among the many yachts which were
altered often and extensively may be
mentioned the famous sloop Grade,
designed and built at Nyack-on-the-
Hudson, by A. Polhemus. She was
launched in July, 1868, her dimensions
SLOOP " GRACIE."
SCHOONER "SAPPHO."
Fitting Out and Tumng Up. 135
being- 60 feet 3 inches over all, 58 feet on
the water-line, 18 feet 8 inches beam,
5 feet 6 inches depth of hold, and
5 feet draught. Her center board was
lengthened 2 feet aft in 1869. She was
altered in 1874, and when completed
measured as follows : length over all,
72 feet 9 inches ; on water-line 62 feet ;
CUTTER " GENESTA.
beam, 20 feet 6 inches ; depth of hold, 6
feet 6 inches ; draught 5 feet 8 inches.
In 1879 she was rebuilt by David Carll,
at City Island, her length over all
being 79 feet 10 inches, on water-line
72 feet 2 inches ; beam, 21 feet 6 inches ;
depth of hold, 7 feet 2 inches, and
draught, 6 feet 6 inches. In 1886 she
was given 12 inches more freeboard.
136 Yachting Wrinkles.
She sailed in the trial races against
Bedouin, Puritan, and Pnscilla, for the
honor of defending the America's cup
against Genesta, but that task was given
to Puritan.
The keel cutter Colonia, built by Her-
reshoff as a cup defender to sail against
Valkyrie //., proved less fast than Vigi-
lant. Her fault was a deficiency of lat-
eral plane, which made her sag off
bodily to leeward in a most discouraging
manner. After serving as a drill ship
for the crew of the Defender in 1895, she
was purchased by Commodore Clarence
A. Postley, fitted with a centerboard
from a plan by Gary Smith, at Lewis
Nixon's shipyard, and rigged as a
.schooner. She is now (1899) the crack
American " two-sticker."
Old-timers will recollect how slow the
schooner Sappho was until Capt. " Bob "
Fish hit upon the bold expedient of
" hipping her out," which was done by
swelling out her midship section about
fourteen inches, and tapering it off to
nothing about thirty feet each way. The
result was that Sappho, theretofore so
sluggish that she could scarcely get out
of her own way, beat nearly every craft
bold enough to encounter her, and won
many cups and much kudos for her
sportsmanlike owner, Mr. William P.
Douglas. Mr. A. Cass Canfield altered
the sloop Pnsctlla considerably, but it
cannot be said that he was altogether
successful. When Volunteer was trans-
formed into a schooner her forebody
138 Yachting Wrinkles.
was reconstructed, and she made an en-
viable record as a " two-sticker ; " but
when rerigged as a sloop she never
showed an approach to her original
splendid form, as I think most yachts-
men will frankly concede.
Our British cousins used to have a
perfect craze for rebuilding famous
yachts, the old crack cutters Alarm and
Arrow — both celebrated prize-winners
— being notable examples of this ruling
passion. But both here and in England
the custom of materially altering the
form of a yacht's hull in the hope of im-
proving her speed may be said to have
gone completely out of fashion. This
is doubtless due to the radical and rapid
changes in hulls, brought about by the
frequently shifting rules of measure-
ment for time allowance and the art-
fully ingenious methods of generations
of yacht designers to get the better of
those selfsame rules.
I only mention these just to give a
practical illustration of the way the old-
timers used to alter and rebuild their
beloved boats. The custom is now ob-
solete. If a racing machine of the
present day is not outclassed in her
third season she is looked upon as quite
a smart craft. It may thus be perceived
that conditions have altered considerably
during the last decade.
On general principles it is unwise to go
in for very extensive alterations on a
yacht of any kind, whether cruiser or
racer. If, however, you are determined
Fitting Out and Tuning Up. 139
to go ahead, I advise you to
be sure to have an iron-clad
contract as to cost.
While your boat is being
repaired or altered, ship
your sailing-master, scru-
tinizing his references as to
ability and character with
care, and if possible supple-
ment this examination by an
interview with his last em-
ployer before engaging him.
Of course, much depends
upon the size of your craft
and the depth of your
pocket. A Hank Haff or a
Charley Barr would be too
expensive a luxury for a
craft of modest dimensions,
and a boat-owner in matters
of this kind must depend
much upon his own judg-
ment ; it is impossible to
give him advice except in
the most general way.
The work of fitting out a
racing yacht preparatory to
tuning up for the season's
sport is exceptionally inter-
esting to the real amateur,
but the owner who has no
true regard for yachting
generally finds the process
somewhat of a bore. In
" Boat Sailing, Fair Weather
and Foul," a companion
volume to this book, there
Rig of Cutter
showing- Mast-
head Shroud.
140 Yachting Wrinkles.
is a chapter on " The Overhauling of a
Yacht," which contains a useful wrinkle
or two, of which the reader may avail
himself if he feels so disposed. The
same is true of the chapter on " Laying
up for the Winter," which is indorsed by
naval architects and practical seamen.
It is customary with some builders to
have a sail-loft annex to the shipyard,
and these men are, in most cases, anx-
ious to contract for the sails as well as
for the hull of a boat. I should not ad-
vise any yacht-owner who contemplates
racing his craft to employ anyone but
the most skilful manipulator of duck to
make his sails, which are of as much
consequence as the hull itself so far as
the winning of cups and prizes is con-
cerned.
The man of fashion, ambitious of be-
ing well attired, so as to shine socially,
doesn't go to Baxter street for a dress
suit. Neither does a yachtsman patron-
ize a tentmaker for a racing mainsail or
a well-cut jib. There is no objection to
the shipbuilder contracting for the sails
if he desires to make a little extra
money, but the yacht owner should take
care that the name of the sailmaker ap-
pears in the contract, and this will be a
sufficient guarantee for first-class work.
There are many firms in the United
States justly famous as yacht sailmak-
ers, and these are of such high standing
that their names marked on the sails
supplied insures the best in the way of
cut and the quality of material. It is a
Fitting Out and Tuning Up. 141
great mistake to exercise any cheese-
paring economy on a yacht's means of
propulsion, whether it be steam or duck.
The best in the market, whether it be
machinery or sails, is none too good.
A cruising craft with a slovenly or
slatternly owner may, perhaps, be con-
tent with a suit of sails that fits like a
purser's 'shirt on a handspike, with a
mainsail all abag and headsails that
would disgrace a coal barge ; but even a
cruising craft may be caught on a lee
shore with a gale of wind, and perhaps
the owner will curse his fatuous econo-
my when he has tried in vain to claw off
the beach with his baggy sails and finds
that his craft is crunching to pieces in
the surf and he himself is struggling
for life in the treacherous undertow.
The cost of racing sails is high, and,
ordinarily, a yacht that goes the clip-
hunting circuit needs a new mainsail
every season. Under careful manage-
ment, however, a mainsail, with good
luck, has been known to do good ser-
vice for two summers. The quality of
cotton duck has improved appreciably
of late, owing to a better method of
manufacture, and sails " sit " better and
do not " bag " as they used to. Cotton
is king, so far as racing sails go, in Eu-
rope as well as America, flax having
been entirely superseded by it. The
change from flax to cotton began in
England about 1893.
The rig of a racing yacht should be
no more neglected than her sails. The
142 Yachting Wrinkles.
spars should be hollow on 2o-footers and
all in excess of that class. The stand-
ing rigging should be of silver-steel
wire, set upbyturnbuckles. The blocks
should be strong and light, and the run-
ning rigging of the best quality. There
should not be a superfluous ounce of
weight in the craft alow or aloft if the
winning of cups is what the owner has
in view.
Rigging screws or turnbuckles, which
have superseded deadeyes and lanyards
for the setting up of standing rigging, .
were first used in 1877 on the English
cutter Verve. They are used now on
all racing yachts.
In the old days of reefing bowsprits
it was quite a usual event to carry
away several bobstays during the sea-
son. The long overhang forward of the
modern yacht has reduced the length
of the bowsprit, and consequently the
strain on the spar when pitching into a
heavy head sea. The overhang also
gives better facilities for handling the
head-sails.
Flexible silver-steel wire rope is now
used for running rigging in many yachts,
notably for runners and runner tackles,
and also for peak and throat halyards.
The best spars for large yachts are
made of Oregon fir. This splendid
wood is the best in the world for the
purpose. Some spars have been known
to measure nearly 40 inches in diameter,
and some 172 feet long ; the average
length of spars shipped to Atlantic ports
Fitting Out and Tuning Up. 143
from the Pacific coast is 90 feet, and
the diameter 22 to 23 inches. Oregon
fir is stronger than spruce or white pine,
and hence less diameter is required for
the same height. Spruce is in general
use for the spars of smaller craft. Steel
booms for racing yachts were first used
on Defender and Valkyrie III.
The greatest improvements in the
rigging of yachts of recent years have
been the masthead shrouds, bridles on
gaffs, and the comparatively new throat-
halyard pennants. In a spanking breeze
there is a great strain on the masthead,
also much play, but by the adoption of
the three devices mentioned the strains
are both minimized and equalized.
Large vessels carry double masthead
shrouds, and smaller craft single ones.
Vigilant was, I believe, the first Ameri-
can yacht to be fitted with them. Now
they are carried by every craft of con-
sequence. Gaff bridles and throat-hal-
yard pennants are indispensable to the
rigging of every racing yacht from the
smallest cat to the largest schooner.
If your craft is large enough to spread
two shrouds on each side, have them
fitted in pairs. A bight and a good seiz-
ing are preferable to two single eyes.
The bowsprit - shroud outriggers or
spreaders should be bolted fast to the
ship without any hinged joint. This
prevents any unnecessary play when the
boat plunges bows under in a heavy
head sea. There should be the same
length of shroud between the spreader
144 Yachting Wrinkles.
and the bowsprit end, and the spreader
and the turnbuckle which sets them up.
The strain is thus divided equally and
advantageously. The bobstay spreader
or dolphin-striker should always have a
hinged joint.
The rigging of Uncas is fitted as fol-
lows : Bobstay, 2 YZ -inch steel wire ; fore-
stay, 2-inch do.; jibstay, i^-inch do.;
bowsprit shrouds, i^-inch do.; standing
rigging, i^-inch do.; masthead shroud,
i ^/s-inch do. ; topmast gear, all i inch
do.; runner shrouds, i^ -inch do.; spring
stay, i YZ -inch do.; main lifts, i y^ -inch
flexible ip-thread steel wire ; gaff
bridles, i^-inch do.; peak and throat
halyards, 2^-inch manila bolt-rope ;
main sheet, 2-inch do.; fore sheet, 1 24-
inch do.; head sheets and minor gear in
proportion.
The Vigil, of similar design, is rigged
precisely the same, with the exception
that her main peak and throat halyards
are of i-inch flexible steel wire, the fore
peak and throat halyards of ^6 -inch
do.; club-topsail halyards, ^6-inch do.
Lengths of manila are so spliced to
these flexible wire halyards that when
they are belayed the splice is about six
feet above the deck. This flexible steel
answers remarkably well. When once
set up, it stays set up. There is no
" give " to it, and thus frequent " sway-
ing on it," as is the case with hemp rope,
is quite unnecessary.
A modern 25-foot- water-line single-
sticker with a pole mast, is rigged as
146 yachting Wrinkles.
follows : Bobstay, rod of steel 24 -inch
in diameter, set up with a turnbuckle.
at end of bowsprit ; shrouds, two on
each side, i^-inch steel wire ; forestay
set up to stem head, i^-inch do.; jib
set flying, hoisted with ^-inch 8-strand-
ed flexible steel halyards, set up with a
jig-purchase ; runner shrouds of ^-6-inch
steel wire canvased over ; main lifts, 24 -
inch flexible steel wire, painted, par-
celed, served over with white cod-line,
and then covered with white canvas
sewed on ; the throat and peak halyards
are of 2i-inch flexible steel wire. The
blocks are all strapped with grommets
of flexible steel wire, served and leath-
ered.
From these examples a fair idea of
the modern method of rigging a racing
craft may be gathered. Strength, light-
ness, and neatness are the qualities
sought and attained. Steel wire is now
largely used for the leech ropes of sails,
and it is strongly recommended by our
" swellest " sailmakers.
The above I owe to my old sea-faring
friend, John F. Byno, who put the neat-
est splice ever seen in the Brooklyn
Bridge cable, and is an expert with the
marlinspike, as all the members of
the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club
can bear witness.
Flexible steel-wire rope is nearly if
not quite as pliable as new hemp rope
of the same strength. It is made with
nineteen wires to the strand. The
greater the diameter of the sheaves
No i. Side view of main masthead
No 2. Back view of main masthead.
MASTHEADS OF " UNCAS.
NO. 3.
NO. 4.
Side view of fore masthead.
Back view of fore masthead.
MASTHEADS OF " UNCAS. ''
Fitting Out and Tuning Up. 149
over which it passes, the longer it will
last. The manufacturers recommend
as a preservative a mixture of linseed
oil and pine tar. It is impossible to
belay wire rope to a cleat, as it will
surely " render " or slip. Manila rope
is therefore spliced to the hauling end
of the wire, which makes it pleasanter
to haul on, and insures its remaining
fast after it is once belayed. I would
not counsel a lubber to try to splice wire
and rope together, unless in the privacy
of a separate room. Why ? Because
the bystanders would be sure to laugh.
It takes an artist to make this most
difficult splice.
Grommet straps for blocks made of
flexible steel wire cannot be surpassed.
After making the grommet, paint well
with raw linseed oil and white lead ;
parcel with canvas, serve with marline,
apply another coat of paint, and then
cover with leather or canvas sewn on.
For neatness, strength, and durability
this method is superior to any other.
But it requires an expert to do the work.
With regard to turnbuckles for set-
ting up all kinds of standing rigging, it
must be conceded that they are indis-
pensable for racing craft both large
and small. One advantage of deadeye
and lanyard for deep-water cruising is
that if it should be necessary to cut
away the mast to save the ship when
hove on her beam ends, a cut with an
axe will sever the weather lanyards and
away goes the mast. The turnbuckle
150 Yachting Wrinkles.
cannot be cut. A combination of turn-
buckle, and deadeye and lanyard, might
be fitted so as to combine the advantages
of both.
The bulwarks of racing yachts have
been reduced in height to mere battens.
All deck fittings have been lightened as
much as the designers dared. All with
CUTTER " MINERVA. '
the intention of reducing weight, iron-
work on spars looks very frail when
compared with that of a decade ago, and
the weight of blocks has been diminished
in some cases more than fifty per cent.
The abolition of all cabin fittings first
took place in the Marquis of Ailsa's
Bloodhound, built in 1874. All she had
in her cabin was a seat along each side.
Fitting Out and Tumng Up. 151
It is only comparatively recently that
yacht designers have made serious ef-
forts to reduce weight aloft. Some-
times they have gone too far. I re-
member a 40- foot cutter, built to sail
against the Scotch cutter Minerva. She
was dismasted in a puff on the occasion
of her first race, which was also her
maiden sail. The same mishap befell
her later on in a fine sailing breeze off
Newport. I was on the committee boat
which towed her into port. If she
hadn't been well handled after being
disabled some serious accident might
have happened to her hull. The ac-
cident was ascribed to defective iron-
work.
It is of no benefit to stay the masts
of pleasure vessels with rigging heavy
enough for a great brig. A sense of
proportion should be observed. Scien-
tific men have calculated and tabulated
the- stress and strain that wood, metal,
wire and hempen rope will bear, and
these tables may be consulted by any-
body able to read.
It is a fact that piano wire plays a
leading part in the rigging of some
of the ciown-to-date little racing freaks
one meets nowadays, especially in fresh
water where it is less exposed to cor-
rosion. It is highly spoken of by those
who have used it. Better, however, not
to go to extremes and always to be-
ware of a spider-web rig. Like flimsy
construction it causes a yacht to come
to grief.
152
Yachting Wrinkles.
A good example of lightness of rig
was the 15 - footer Ethelwynn, de-
signed by Mr. W. P. Stephens, to de-
fend the International Challenge Cup
of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht
Club. It will be remembered that she
beat Mr. Brand's Spruce IV. > which boat
SAIL PLAN OF " ETHELWYNN."
was quite heavily rigged when com-
pared with the American craft. The
mast was a hollow spar of 4^ inches,
a far too heavy stick, as experience
proved, for one of 3 inches and about
half the weight would have been suf-
ficiently strong. The hollow boom was
HALF RATER "SPRUCE IV.
FIFTEEN-FOOTER " KTHELWYNN.
Fitting Out and Tuning Up. 155
2^4 inches diameter in the slings. The
rigging was of phosphor - bronze wire
rope, the forestay being 332-inch di-
ameter, shrouds ^B-inch diameter, and
runners ^-inch. Main and jib halyards
were of the same material, £-inch diame-
ter. The main-halyard ran over a 2-
inch sheave in the masthead, a single
part with a whip-tackle at the deck. The
jib-halyard was double with a jig. The
running rigging was of imported Eng-
lish cord. She carried 198 square feet
of duck.
I am indebted to Mr. Stephens for the
description and the accompanying sail
plan.
J. M. James, Vice-Commodore of the
Imperial Model Yacht Club, of Tokio,
Japan, is enthusiastic in praise of lacquer
as a coating for the outside skin of
yachts. He says that all the club's
models have their topsides and bottoms
lacquered ; and after numerous experi-
ments for testing those thus treated
against painted craft an increase of
speed, amounting to ten per cent., was
found in favor of the lacquered ones.
A model yacht once well lacquered, with
care and barring accidents, will last a
lifetime and retain its luster. He says
that all the Japanese naval ships have
their bottoms lacquered. The lacquer
gives increased speed and almost pre-
vents fouling, and if properly put on
lasts for three years. The only draw-
back is that the process is very expen-
sive.
156 Yachting Wrinkles.
Here is an opportunity for some en-
terprising individual to experiment with
lacquer. If he proves successful he
will gain the gratitude of yachtsmen.
Incidentally, he will also win a large
pecuniary reward.
In the matter of a compass the racing
yachtsman should be careful. In thick
weather, when steering for a mark, it is
necessary that the deviation for every
point should be known. In wooden
yachts there is no difficulty, if ordinary'
precautions are taken, in keeping com-
passes exact. In iron and steel yachts
they have to be licked into shape by a
professional adjuster of reputation.
In spite of opinions to the contrary,
held by old salts, the compass is not af-
fected by fog, thunder, or attraction of
land. It should be remembered, how-
ever, that magnetism exerts its magical
influence through all bodies, no matter
how dense, while light, heat and elec-
tricity do not possess this wonderful
property.
Thus, casing an iron bulkhead with
wood or covering an iron stanchion with
copper or canvas will not prevent the
metal from affecting the compass. It
may be thought superfluous to assert
such a well-known scientific fact in this
year of the world, but experience teaches
me that there is still much to be learned
by those who go down to the sea in
yachts.
It is not generally known that no iron
vessel has been struck by lightning.
Fitting Out and Tuning Up. 157
The wooden spars have been shattered
frequently by the electric fluid, but,
owing to the circumstance that water is
a better conductor than iron, the hull
of an iron vessel has never suffered. If
the spars of an iron ship are made of
iron, the vessel may be looked upon as
immune from disaster by lightning.
As soon as your craft is fitted out
place her in commission, and proceed to
become acquainted with her. Prizes
are won only by hard work, and if you
intend to make a record for yourself
and your craft you can attain your end
by honest industry only.
Part of the sea-jockey's stock in trade
is to discover how slow a yacht may be
made to go with every stitch of sail set
ostensibly to the best advantage, with
sheets pulling like horses and trimmed
to perfection. It is only the most subtle
and knowing customer that can so mas-
ter a yacht as to excel in this. The most
accomplished proficient I ever knew
was the skipper of the Scotch ten-ton
cutter Madge, which came over in 1881,
and created a great revolution in yacht-
ing. That man could make the boat
almost speak. By manipulating the
sheets, slacking one or flattening in an-
other, and by other tricks unknown to
this deponent, I have seen him allow
an oyster-boat to beat the crack racing
cutter. The name of that canny skipper
was Duncan. The Yankee captains
who sailed against him are not likely to
forget it.
158 Yac htmg Wrinkles.
I remember reading somewhere about
a yacht skipper of experience who fooled
a younger rival and caused him much
unhappiness during a hotly contested
race on the Solent. It was blowing a
piping breeze, and Sally, the rival craft,
had one reef in her mainsail and the
topmast struck. Bantam, on the other
hand, was the stiffer of the two, and
held on to the whole mainsail, but also
dowsed topmast. Sally had passed Ban-
tam, and was leading her some fifty
yards. Both yachts were at that time
sheltered by the land, but a few hun-
dred yards ahead a big sea was running
in the West Channel.
It was at this moment that the sly old
sea dog played his low-down trick on
the green young skipper, who was
watching his every action.
" Up with the topmast, lads ! " yelled
Captain Sly of the Bantam.
His crew made a great pretense of
swaying away on the heel rope, but
somehow or other it got jammed and
stayed jammed, in spite of the apparent
efforts made to clear it.
Captain Green thought he would be
smart. He sent up his topmast in sea-
manlike style. The topsail was set just
as the Sally encountered the heavy sea
in the channel. She made one dive and
buried herself up to the skylight. The
pressure was too much for her. In an
instant Bantam's topmast was housed,
and all the gear fast again, and while
Sally was pitching and 'scending in the
Fitting Out and Tuning Up. 159
choppy sea Bantam crawled through
her lee and beat her. Captain Green
was so demoralized by the trick of
which he was the victim that he did not
regain his self-possession until it was
too late.
Captain Sly was convinced that Cap-
tain Green would imitate him in every-
thing, and the result proved that he had
formed a correct estimate of his op-
ponent.
It is not wise or politic to undervalue
the sailing qualities of an opposing
yacht, especially when she is practically
an unknown quantity. In other words,
don't prophesy unless you know. Here
is a case in point :
When the Madge was about due to
sail her first race in these waters, the
skipper of her Yankee opponent is said
to have paid a visit to Sawyer, the sail-
maker, and asked for the loan of some
flying kites.
"Any old stuff will do," quoth the
skipper. " I've only got to knock out
that narrow - gutted coffin anchored
yonder."
The sails were lent by Mr. Sawyer,
and it is needless to say that they did
not fit "like paint on a post." The
" coffin " beat the " skimming dish "
with singular ease.
I put this little yarn on record only
just to show the contempt the average
American yachtsman had at that time
for the epoch-making Madge.
The proper balancing of sails is im-
160 Yachting Wrinkles.
perative when racing. To illustrate my
meaning I need only refer to the deci-
sive race between Vigilant and Valkyrie
for the A merica's Cup, which all but re-
sulted in the winning of the race by the
British yacht. In point of fact, Val-
kyrie, had not her two spinnakers blown
away, would have romped in victori-
ously. In the beat to the outward
mark Vigilant carried a reefed main-
sail and a big jib, and, for the first time
in her history, required lee helm. This
blunder, in addition to her centerboard
becoming jammed, made Valkyrie beat
her im. 555. on the windward leg. Val-
kyrie had a half-reef in her mainsail,
but shifted her jib and set one whose
center of effort was in exact accord
with the reduced after-canvas. Vigi-
lant won by forty seconds only, and had
it not been for the Valkyrie's hard luck
would have been badly defeated.
On July 13, 1889, the Katrina, while
racing against the Titania in a reefing
breeze, carrying a big jib and a reefed
mainsail, suffered a like deserved defeat.
Under her ill-balanced sail-spread, for
the first time in her history, she, too,
carried lee helm, and sagged off to lee-
ward like a haystack adrift. She made
a pitiable exhibition of herself, and all
hands rejoiced when her main boom
snapped off and permitted her to with-
draw without disgrace. Meanwhile Ti-
tania, splendidly handled by Captain
Haff and Mr. C. Oliver Iselin, sailed
over the course and won the race.
Fitting Out and Tuning Up. 163
It is interesting to note that the mis-
haps to both Katrina and Vigilant
occurred on the i3th of the month.
The jibtopsail when a yacht is close-
hauled is of very little use, especially in
a bit of a breeze. Some skippers set
what is known as a " baby-jibtopsail"
when the wind is very light. It is ques-
tionable if the sail is of any benefit at
all under such circumstances. In my
opinion, the sail makes the boat's head
sag off to leeward, lee helm being the
result. If no such sail were made, I
think it would never be missed. Of
course, with the wind free the jibtop
sail, from its most diminutive size to its
most extreme balloon development, is a
very valuable sail.
In taking note of the speed of boats
the length should be considered. I re-
member that the 4o-footer Gossoon, the
conqueror of the Scotch cutter Minerva
in 1890, without any tide to help or re-
tard her, made in a race I saw an aver-
age of nine knots an hour. This means
that to accomplish this feat she had to
run her length in 2^ seconds. A little
reflection will show that this is a remark-
able achievement for so small a vessel.
It may be mentioned here that a
nautical mile, a knot, and a geographical
mile are one and the same thing. A
knot equals 1.15 statute miles. Multiply
the number of knots by 1.15, and you
have the distance in statute miles.
There are 6,080 feet in a knot ; 5,280
feet in a statute mile,
164 Yachting Wrinkles.
Chronometers should be kept free
from damp, dust, and draughts. When
winding turn the key steadily, avoiding
any jerky action. Most of them require
seven and a half turns of the key.
Wind slowly and steadily as far as the
mechanism will permit. Wind punc-
tually at the same hour every da)-. A
chronometer that has run down, on
being wound up again, will probably
not start until it has been quickly but
not violently slued half round and
back again. This is easily done by
placing the instrument on the table,
and turning it horizontally between
the hands. Take care that the instru-
ment has neither too much nor too little
side-play in the gimbals. A standard
compass stowed away, while in port,
close to a chronometer has been known
to ruin the going of the watch, the
powerful compass needles having by
induction magnetized the steel portion
of the balance. Do not stow a chronom-
eter close to an iron bulkhead, an iron
vessel's side, the upper or lower end of
a vertical iron stanchion, or within eight
feet of compass compensating magnets.
The chronometer case should not be
screwed down to a table containing
drawers which might possibly be used
to hold spare compass cards. Chronom-
eters should be kept away from iron
almost as religiously as compasses.
Jolting in a railway train or a con-
veyance of any description is liable to
alter the steady going of a chronom-
Fitting Out and Tuning Up. 165
eter. The quick jerk of a boat pro-
pelled by oars is still more likely to
prove injurious. If, therefore, a chro-
nometer has to be taken from one place
to another in a pulling boat, it should
be held free in the hand by the leather
straps, taking care to avoid a circular
motion. When traveling by train place
the instrument on a pile of overcoats or
rugs, in such a position that it will not
fall. Marine chronometers are intended
always to be kept strictly horizontal
with the face up. Never allow a chro-
nometer to run longer than four years
without having it overhauled by a first-
class workman. If it is a new instru-
ment, it should be looked at after a year
or eighteen months.
"AMERICA," 1899.
V.
DUTY AND DISCIPLINE AFLOAT.
THE SHIP'S COMPANY IN DETAIL FROM THE
SKIPPER TO 'THE SEA-COOK.
TO cruise with pleasure from port
to port and to win races — the
yacht owner must remember that
he can do neither unless his sail-
ing-master thoroughly understands his
business. Whether amateur or profes-
sional, the skipper must be a man of
dash and daring tempered with a mod-
est soup^on of discretion, active, vigil-
ant, with his weather eye wide open at
all times and seasons. He must have
the knack of handling men so as to get
every foot-pound of energy out of them
that is in them. He should be a strict,
but not necessarily a stern, disciplin-
arian; and he should have sufficient dip-
lomatic instinct in his make-up to know
when to wink at a slight lapse on the
part of a generally capable and faith-
ful blue-jacket.
The personnel of the racing yacht is
of the greatest importance, and, if not of
the best, the career of the vessel is not
likely to be crowned with the laurels of
success. The man in command must
have the rare gift of personal magnet-
Duty and Discipline Afloat, 167
ism, the art of inspiring enthusiasm, of
compelling victory. A cool head is no
less necessary than are nerves of steel.
He must be a splendid helmsman, a good
practical seaman and skillful navigator.
A man possessed of all these attri-
butes commands high wages and de-
serves all he can get. The discipline of
his yacht is perfect. Everything goes
with the precision of clockwork, at sea
or in port. He is prepared for every
emergency that may arise when at an-
chor or under way, and is never caught
napping. Keeping a watchful eye on
the interests of his owner, he is also
careful of his crew, being fully aware
of the evil consequences of a discon-
tented forecastle, and knowing that
sulky or surly sailors never yet were
conducive to the capturing of sea tro-
phies. A good skipper must therefore
be a good judge of human nature, alive
to the idiosyncrasies and frailties of
sailors, who have in good sooth as many
whims and vagaries as silly schoolgirls
in the transition stage of development.
In fact he should be quite a past master in
the cunning art of "jollying along." It
is astonishing what a number of men
there are who possess all these qualifica-
tions. Modest, unassuming men, skill-
ful navigators and seamen they will
prove to be, and you can avail yourself
of their services for a moderate compen-
sation.
There is no fixed scale of wages for a
yacht skipper. The sailing-master of a
1 68 Yachting Wrinkles.
large steam yacht may be paid $3,000 a
year, while the skipperof a racing 5 i-foot-
er might think himself lucky if he gets
$80 a month with the prospect of being
paid off when the yacht goes out of com-
mission. This practice of engaging a
skipper for the season seems to me to
be short-sighted policy. It cannot be
expected that a captain hired for three
months only will take more than a pass-
ing interest in the vessel. He would be
more than human if he lay awake nights,
scheming how to save his owner money.
Whereas, an honest, conscientious skip-
per, assured of receiving living wages
all the year round, will more than earn
his salary by the extra care he takes of
the yacht. He naturally looks upon
the vessel as a prime source of revenue.
He realizes that it is to his interest to
run her as economically as possible, to
keep her in thorough repair and order
at the least possible cost, to make life
aboard her as pleasant as possible to his
owner and his guests, to win as many
prizes as he can if the boat is a racer, or
if simply a cruiser to get her talked
about for a phenomenally fast passage
from one port to another, for beating a
rival of approximate size by a handsome
margin, or for successfully reaching her
destination in a heavy blow, when other
boats were glad to scud under bare poles
for a harbor. These little acts if per-
formed with tact, make an owner prouder
than ever of his yacht and more appreci-
ative of the services of his skipper.
Duty and Discipline Afloat. 169
Permit me to illustrate. A friend of
mine several winters ago purposed to
buy a schooner and fit her out for a
West Indian cruise. He provided him-
self with a number of tickets of admis-
sion to several vessels laid up in a dock
at South Brooklyn. He invited me to
accompany him on a prospecting- tour.
It was a dirty day, sleet, snow and wind
being the objectionable features that
confronted us.
Our first port of call was the office of
the dock, where we found a man in
charge who examined our credentials
and sent to a neighboring tavern for the
"ship-keeper," who he said had "gone
to lunch." In about half an hour this
functionary made his appearance, and
piloted us to the pier where several
schooners which we desired to look at
were moored. We boarded the first on
our list, a cruising vessel of some celeb-
rity, whose owner desired to sell her, as
he was building a steamer. The decks
were deep with water, the scuppers be-
ing obstructed. Everywhere were signs
of disgraceful neglect. The binnacle
was a mass of ver-digris. Costly and ar-
tistic wood carving was without protec-
tion from the weather. The handsome
companion way of mahogany was with-
out a canvas cover. Going below we
found everything mildewed and musty.
The bedding in the berths was damp.
Water trickled from the deck beams.
What really had been a most attractive
interior presented an appearance of
170 Yachting Wrinkles.
dampness most dispiriting, as well as
every evidence of decay. It was indeed
pitiable to see such a fine vessel in so
sad a plight. We passed on, and in-
spected two other craft whose condition
was only slightly better, and which pre-
sented few attractions from a purchaser's
point of view.
The next yacht we visited was in
marked contrast to the others. A hand-
some, sunburned man greeted us at the
gangway, and after we had explained
our mission, invited us below. He was
the captain of the schooner, he told us,
and was spending the winter aboard of
her. Stepping down into the cabin we
saw a snug and cozy saloon, a cheerful
fire burning in the open grate, every-
thing bright and spick and span, as
though the yacht was in Newport at the
height of the season. A pretty young
woman was at work at a sewing ma-
chine, while a pampered Persian cat
basked luxuriously on a handsome rug
in front of the fire
"This is my wife, gentlemen," he
said, and then he showed us all over the
vessel from right forward to right aft.
The staterooms were in perfect order,
not a sign of damp or mildew anywhere.
Everything was clean and spotless as a
new pin. We found that the skipper
had been in charge of the yacht from
the day of her launch, that he and the
steward and a boy lived on her every
winter and kept her in thorough order
outside and inside.
Duty and Discipline Afloat. 17 1
We were shown the logs of several
deep-water cruises she had made, to-
gether with track charts of the voyages.
We were entertained with an intelligent
and interesting description of the yacht's
behavior in a hurricane off Bermuda,
given with a wealth of seamanlike de-
tail, which we both hugely enjoyed. It
was evident that the skipper was a firm
believer in his boat, and that he had
tended her with care and loving kind-
ness from her christening to that day.
He explained that his owner had mar-
ried a woman who hated the sea. and
that the vessel was in the market at a
reasonable price.
That schooner now flies my friend's
private signal, and that same skipper is
still her sailing-master, and, according
to his employer, is worth his weight
in gold. This practical illustration may
demonstrate the advantage of employ-
ing a sailing-master by the year and not
by the season.
Every word I have written about a
skipper applies, in the case of a steam
yacht, to the engineer. And if possible,
still more strongly, for the deterioration
of marine engines left without care or
protection is both rapid and, I need
hardly add, costly in the extreme.
I strongly advise a yacht owner who
thinks he has the skill and knowledge
requisite for the command of a yacht, to
assume command himself and dispense
with the services of a professional sail-
ing-master. Let him ship a competent
172 Vachting Wrinkles,
man as mate and give him to understand
that his duty is to carry out the owner's
orders, and simply to act as executive
officer. It is impossible that a yacht can
have two captains and turn out a cup
winner. Jacob found two wives in the
same house quite incompatible ; and the
discipline of a racing craft with the
owner and the sailing-master both issu-
ing commands at the same time is not
unlikely to be lax, and with lax disci-
pline races cannot be won.
The treatment of the sailing-master by
the yacht owner varies according to
the temperament and disposition of the
latter. A gentleman is incapable of
rudeness to an employe — especially to a
man holding so responsible a position,
and in charge of such a valuable piece of
personal property as a yacht. The judi-
cious owner always treats his skipper
with respect. If he desires to preserve
proper discipline aboard, he will let the
crew see that the captain has his en-
tire confidence. The owner, therefore,
should always give his orders to the
skipper, who will then communicate
them to the crew. For instance, if he
wants a boat lowered he should not sing
out to the crew to lay aft and lower the
launch. That would be a grave breach
of yachting etiquette. The correct
course to pursue is to tell the captain
that he wants the boat, and leave to him
the issuance of the necessary commands
for the carrying out of his wish. This
may seem a small matter, but it is really
Duty and Discipline Afloat. 173
of importance. If neglected, it is sub-
versive of discipline. The owner should
always address the master as Mr. ,
never as " Skipper " or "Cap," as is too
often the case aboard a certain class of
craft conducted after slipshod methods.
The men should always address the
sailing-master, and also the mate, as
" Sir," and no departure from this rule
should be tolerated. The sailing-mas-
ter should be held responsible for any
breach of discipline on the part of thi
crew, and his authority should always
be sustained by the owner.
I have seen more than one sailing-
master who, not content with tyrannis-
ing over the crew, held the owner in
complete subjection. It may be readily
surmised what kind of worms these
owners were. But take yacht skippers
by and large, the average is worthy of
confidence and respect. The percent-
age of black sheep among them is al-
most infinitesimal. The same remark
applies to the mates and the men.
The following hints to sailing-masters
were written by a dyspeptic martinet of
a yacht owner, but there is much good
sense in them. They are hung up in
his sailing-master's berth :
i. — Never curse the crew. The owner
will do all the swearing.
2. — Should the owner or any of his
guests not use tobacco, never smoke
to windward of him or them. Have
the goodness to step to leeward.
3. — Always be at the gangway when
174 Yachting Wrinkles.
the owner comes alongside. No
matter how warm it may be, do not
receive him in your shirt-sleeves.
4. — Have a memorandum of all the
stores in your department. Do not
rashly answer, " There is none on
board," without consulting your list
when asked for an article required.
5. — There are yachts afloat whose own-
ers are run by the sailing-masters.
This yacht is governed differently.
6. — If the sailing-master is at any time
dissatisfied with the owner or the
yacht he has an unfailing remedy,
and the sooner he avails himself of
it the better.
7. — The owner trusts that pleasant re-
lations will always prevail between
the sailing-master and himself.
Having secured your skipper let him
ship the crew. If your yacht is a large
vessel you will need a mate. In the in-
terest of harmony it is advisable to let
the skipper have some say in the matter
of his selection. It will be advisable to
look over his credentials, with a view to
finding out if he is competent to take
charge of the vessel in the event of any
accident befalling the captain. If you
contemplate a blue- water voyage, be
careful that the mate is a navigator and
has the requisite license. If deprived
of the services of your skipper by any
unforeseen cause, it would be awkward
to find yourself, say, a thousand miles
from land, with nobody aboard capable
of finding the vessel's position otherwise
Duty and Discipline Afloat. 175
than by dead reckoning — a hit or miss
method always unreliable.
The wages of mates vary. Some of
them are paid $10 or $15 a month more
than the men, whose pay ranges be-
tween $25 and $30 a month. This is
much more than is paid to English
yacht sailors, who have to feed them-
selves out of their pay.
The mate's duty is to take charge of
the yacht when the master is below.
When the master is on deck the mate's
station is forward. He superintends
the setting, taking in and trimming of
sails, and in a general way carries out
the skipper's orders. He is a very im-
portant man in a race, for then the
captain's place is at the helm and the
mate is responsible for the proper work-
ing of the vessel and the prompt setting
of balloon sails. If any of the running
gear gets foul or parts he is tolerably
certain of a brisk dressing-down, espe-
cially if the mishap causes the loss of
the race. The reason of this is because
he has charge of all the gear and sails
and spars, and is responsible for their
being always in good condition.
The mate superintends the work of
getting under way, sees the head-sails
clear for hoisting, looks after the wind-
lass, sees that the hose is played on the
chain cable if the vessel has brought up
on muddy bottom. Also when coming
to anchor he sees that the mud-hook is
clear for letting go, all halyards read)r
for lowering, booms in good shape for
176 yachting Wrinkles.
swinging out, and the boats in good con-
dition for lowering. The captain is in
command of the starboard watch, and
the mate takes hold of the port watch.
In long runs the watches are set as in
ocean steamers, the men taking two-
hour tricks at the helm and the same
on the lookout.
The mate, as executive officer, super-
intends the washing down of the decks
in the morning, and is held responsible
for the yacht's ship-shape appearance.
If any " Irish pennants " are seen townng
overboard or if there is a speck of dirt
anywhere to be found, the mate is
brought up with a round turn. A good
mate is invaluable, and if he and the
sailing - master work in harmony to-
gether, the yacht, so far as discipline is
concerned, will be perfect, and the ves-
sel will be a pleasant one for all hands.
The mate in large steam yachts has
generally the charge of the launch,
bringing aboard guests and taking them
ashore. It is imperative that he should
have a thorough knowledge of the art
of boat-handling and that he should be a
smart, all-round man in every detail.
Only very large craft carry a boat-
swain. His duty is to care for the rig-
ging and " pipe the side." Personally, I
like to hear the cheery sound of his
whistle. It reminds me of old times.
The boatswain nowadays finds no occu-
pation for his " call " on a racing craft.
Great Britain and the United States
are the leading yachting nations of the
Duty and Discipline Afloat. 177
world. The yachting flags of both
countries have been seen in nearly every
harbor of the globe. France, Italy and
Germany have during the last decade
made some noticeable progress in the
pastime, but neither in racing nor in
cruising have they accomplished any-
thing of real significance.
For instance, how galling must it
have been to the patriotic pride of the
German Emperor to be forced to sail
his imperial racing cutter, Meteor, de-
signed by a Scotchman and built on the
Clyde, with a crew of Hampshire and
Essex sailors. But stern necessity com-
pelled him. The German seaman has
many merits, but he doesn't show up
to advantage aboard a racing cutter.
One would have thought that the Em-
peror would have trained a crew of
Germans especially for the task, but the
idea either did not occur to him or was
judged not to be feasible.
He might have followed the example
of our countryman, Mr. C. Oliver Iselin,
the managing owner of the Defender,
who in 1895 turned the tables on certain
of his British critics, who had declared
that no American crew could possibly
beat the trained British yacht sailors who
formed the crew of the Valkyrie. These
seamen, all hailed from Wivenhoe or
Brightlingsea in Essex, had sailed in
cutter yachts in the summer and cutter-
rigged fishing smacks in the winter from
boyhood, and were indeed the flower of
the racing sailors of England. Captain
178 Yachting Wrinkles.
Cranfield, one of the smartest skippers
afloat, had drilled them for several sea-
sons. They were pronounced invincible
by recognized authorities.
In previous contests for the America's
cup the crews of the Puritan, Mayflower,
Volunteer and Vigilant were composed
largely of Scandinavians, concerning
whose ability as seamen I have nothing
to say except in praise. It was the
general idea that without the Scandina-
vian element the battle was lost. Mr.
Iselin undertook to expose the fallacy of
this notion. Without disparagement of
the excellent yacht sailors hailing from
Danish, Swedish or Norwegian ports,
he determined to prove practically that
the. native-born American sailor, when
properly licked into shape, makes as
fine a yachtsman as ever trod a deck or
broke a biscuit.
Accordingly Captain Haff was sent to
Maine, and there the veteran skipper
shipped an American crew worthy of
the saucy Stripes and Stars — active
young fellows who had never sailed on
pleasure craft but had followed the sea
on fishing schooners and coasting ves-
sels. After being drilled by Captain
Haff for a few weeks they became as
smart and efficient a crew as ever tailed
on to a mainsheet or manned club-top-
sail halyards.
I had many opportunities of compar-
ing them with their British opponents,
and I pledge you my word as a sailor
and a gentleman that one crew was as
Duty and Discipline Afloat. 179
smart as the other in setting or shorten-
ing sail and in all marine manoeuvres.
It was a surprise to many, but nobody
was more astonished than Captain Cran-
field, who admiringly admitted the abil-
ity and efficiency of the boys from
Maine who manned the Defender.
This achievement opened the eyes of
the British critics and showed them of
what our raw material is capable. It
was also a surprise to many of our rac-
ing skippers, who were laboring under
the delusion that Scandinavian sailors
alone are capable of manning our yachts.
Never was a greater error. The native-
born American, when properly trained,
makes as smart a yacht sailor as ever
walked a deck.
Most of these Maine sailors, judging
from their names, belonged to the great
Anglo-Saxon race whose deeds afloat
are written on the bright pages of sea
history. America has reason to be proud
of her seafaring ancestors. The infalli-
ble law of heredity and the no less
assured principle of the survival of the
fittest have been well exemplified among
the dwellers on the British coasts. The
bold sea-dogs of the West Country to-
day are fitting successors to those sturdy
semi-pirates who under the flag of
Frobisher, of Drake, of Raleigh and of
Hawkins shed so much glory on the
nation they upheld and so much of the
enemy's life-blood. The smugglers and
privateers of the southern and eastern
coasts may justly be classed as the pro-
180 Yachting }\rinkies.
genitors of our racing yachtsmen. For
be it remembered that speed was the
prime necessity of their means of liveli-
hood. The contests between revenue
cutters and luggers were continuous
struggles for sea supremacy. 1 f a lugger
was captured by a cutter, the keel of
what was hoped to be a still faster
lugger was laid, and so the war went
on. British privateers generally got the
best of their Gallic opponents. Nelson
crushed Great Britain's foes at sea as
effectually as Wellington defeated her
enemies ashore.
In the war of 1812 America proved
her naval superiority by many a heroic
deed. Until the devastating cruise of
the Alabama our mercantile marine was
our national pride. It is true that our
mercantile fleet of to-day is by no means
what it ought to be, but it is also a fact1
that our fine coasters and fishing vessels,
although manned by a large percentage
of foreigners, are, as a rule, commanded
by native-born Americans. Those of
our countrymen who follow the sea for
a livelihood soon rise in their profession.
The somewhat scanty emoluments of-
fered are sufficient reasons for deterring
the average ambitious American youth
from seeking his fortune afloat, but
should more liberal inducement ever be
offered, the sea-loving Yankee will be
to the fore again.
That the raw material is at hand was
proven by the adaptability of the Maine
men to be transformed into efficient
Duty and Discipline Afloat. 181
yachtsmen in so short a time. Had the
Emperor of Germany tried to convert
some of his seafaring subjects into a
crew for the Meteor, he might have met
with a far different result.
Sailors are a queer lot, and good ones
are to be found in every maritime coun-
try. In their native climes a crew of
lascars, hard as nails and agile as mon-
keys, cannot be surpassed. Ship them
aboard a vessel bound to the English
Channel and due there in midwinter,
and you might just as well have a ship's
company of frozen earwigs. In the Bay
of Bengal, blow high or blow low, you
couldn't wish for smarter sailors. I
speak from personal knowledge, having
had command of a smart schooner en-
gaged in a certain lucrative trade on
the Coromandel coast and in the China
seas, the precise nature of which I de-
cline to divulge, but which called for
quick work. Never have I sailed with
a more satisfactory crew than Abdool,
the Serang, and his twenty alert fol-
lowers. They made that schooner talk.
In the Bay of Biscay they would have
been as useless as a dead steam-engine.
They were the most economical sailors
I ever knew — five rupees a month and
a modest ration consisting principally
of curry and rice. I wonder in what
seas my faithful Abdool and his lithe
and dusky shipmates are cruising to-
day, for I am writing of thirty years
ago, when I was a little spryer on my
pins than I am at present.
1 82 Yachting Wrinkles.
The selection of a crew, especially for
a deep-water cruise likely to be of long
duration, is an important piece of busi-
ness. The skilled skipper, from long
experience, possesses the instinctive
faculty of picking out the right men
from a small army of applicants. This,
too, without any unnecessary delay. A
short talk, a glance at papers, and the
trick is done. A sea-lawyer has no
chance of being shipped. The skipper
detects him at once. He knows that
breed. The inexperienced yacht-owner
cannot appreciate what troubles he is
saved from by the wise selection of his
ship's company. One sea lawyer with
the pestilent gift of the gab will infect
a whole forecastle full of honest and
well-meaning men, just as one sheep
with the rot will taint a sound and
healthy flock. The incessant wagging
of his jaw, his perpetual growlings like
a bear with a sore head, are as likely as
not to breed a mutiny, or, at any rate,
to make a floating hell of that part of
the vessel that is forward of the fore-
mast. Such a man will grumble even
if he gets roast beef and plum duff
three times a day and a " nobbier " of
rum every hour of the twenty-four.
It is wrell, therefore, to exercise due
care in shipping your crew if bound on
a globe-circling expedition. Some own-
ers insist that candidates for berths
aboard their ships shall undergo a med-
ical examination, in order to make sure
that they are physically fit for a long
Duty and Discipline Afloat. 183
Voyage. This is, in my opinion, a wise
course to pursue, for sickness at sea is
like a wet blanket on the pleasure of a
voyage, and no owner wants to ship a
sailor unfit to fulfil the duties for which
he signs articles.
A crew intended for the usual coast-
wise cruising and racing, taking part in
all the events of the season for which
the yacht is eligible, should, of course,
be selected with care. You will often
see the same crew stick to a yacht for
years. They are paid off at the close of
the season, get through the winter as
best they can, some ot them subsisting
on their summer savings, others ship-
ping on coasting vessels or fishing craft,
or even finding odd jobs to do ashore.
When the yacht goes into commission
at the beginning of the following sum-
mer, there they are to be found aboard
of her, and ready for anything that may
turn up. Smart and steady men are
always in demand, and when they leave
the yacht in the fall they get the tip
from the sailing-master to report for
duty in the spring.
The prudent yacht-owner, when pre-
paring for a deep-water voyage, should
ship a crew as small as possible for the
proper working of the vessel. Every
device for the economizing of labor
should be adopted. In these days, when
a crew of six, all told, sail a big fore-and-
aft cargo schooner, a large ship's com-
pany is not absolutely necessary aboard
a yacht of moderate size. It is easier
184 Yachting Wrinkles.
to keep a small crew in good health
than a large one, especially when
cruising in the tropics. The necessarily
limited space at the disposal of the
"jackies," in spite of all the mod-
ern contrivances for their convenience
and comfort, causes some forecastles
to be unhealthy. Without taking into
consideration the saving of money in
the wages of men not absolutely neces-
sary for the handling of the yacht, the
owner is likely to get more solid 'com-
fort out of a small, contented crew of
picked men than he would out of a
large, injudiciously selected crowd of
sailors. The fewer the mouths to feed
the more stores and water for each can
be carried. Personally, I would rather
have twelve good men to work a large
schooner, than a score of indifferent lub-
bers and skulkers masquerading under
the names of able or ordinary seamen.
These may seem to be revolutionary
notions in these days of kid-gloved
skippers and large crews. But let us go
back half a century or so, and see what
the custom \vas in the brave old days of
the Yankee schooner America. In her
historical voyage to England in 1851 she
was commanded by Captain " Dick "
Brown, with Nelson Com stock as mate,
and only six men before the mast.
Messrs. George Steers, James Steers
and young Henry Steers were the pas-
sengers, and these, of course, lent a
hand when required. But there were no
more cats aboard than could catch mice.
Duty and Discipline Afloat. 185
The Sappho, a much larger schooner,
sailed from New York to Falmouth in
July, 1868, the time of her passage be-
ing fourteen days. She was in charge
of Captain T. P. Baldwin, a retired
merchant skipper, two mates, and six
men before the mast, none of whom
were yacht sailors. Judging from the
logs of these two representative schoon-
ers, no difficulty was experienced in
handling them, and both made excel-
lent passages, the America reaching
Havre in seventeen days and a half, in
spite of the retarding circumstance that
she carried only the small sails of the
pilot boat Mary Taylor, a wonderfully
fast schooner built by Mr. George
Steers.
Mr. E. F. Knight, the English yachts-
man, has some very sensible things to
say on this subject, and, as he speaks
from wide experience, my readers will
be interested in his remarks. He says :
" It is my opinion that there should
not be a single yacht sailor on board
the foreign-cruising 5o-tonner. It is
difficult to get the right ones, and it
will be bad for the owner if he fall in
with the wrong ones — men who have
been spoilt by foolish employers, for in-
stance ; a numerous class, I fear. We
all know them. Smart-looking fellows
enough, maybe, but shirkers of honest
work. They prefer to ship on show
yachts belonging to owners who like to
exhibit themselves and their vessels in
the fashionable yachting ports each sea-
i'86 Yachting Wrinkles.
son, but who are not sailors in any sense
of the word, and have no real love of the
sport, following it only for the swagger
of the thing. Men who have served
such owners would prove a great nui-
sance on an ocean cruise, and would not
be likely to go far. I have heard such
hands grumbling on a friend's yacht
because they had to pass one night at sea
instead of in some port where they hap-
pened to have friends. They look to
frequent tips from the 'governor's ' vis-
itors, and to other less legitimate per-
quisites. These they cannot get in
mid- Atlantic, so it is not the place for
them.
" Hands from fishing-boats, sailing
barges and small coasters, are the best
men for the foreign cruiser of small
tonnage. Among these, one is not likely
to come across spoilt and pampered
mariners, and they are accustomed to
roughing it, and to the shifts of short-
handed craft. But were I undertaking
a lengthened! tropical voyage I think I
should ship my English crew simply for
the run over to my first West Indian or
South American port, and there engage
a negro crew. These blacks are excel-
lent fore-and-aft sailors, easy to man-
age, and always happy and ready for any
amount of hard work, if kindly but
firmly treated ; while they are, of course,
far better fitted than white men to with-
stand the debilitating influence of sul-
try climates, an influence, which, as
everyone knows, has caused the ruin of
Duty and Discipline Afloat, 187
many a good British sailor, driving
hitherto sober men to injure their health
by excess whenever they get shore
leave."
Sir Edward Sullivan, Bart., who saw
the America win the cup that bears her
name, over the Cowes course in 1851,
and has been a devotee of the sport
ever since, says : " Yacht sailors, as a
rule, are sober, honest, obliging, good-
tempered, original. During the many
years I have yachted I have had crews
from north, east, west, and south, and I
have almost without exception found
them the same. A man must be hard
to please, indeed, if after a three or four
months' cruise, he dees not part from
his crew with regret,and with a genuine
wish that they may meet again. Amongst
yachting skippers I have come across
some of the most honorable, trust-
worthy, honest men I have met in any
class of life, men who knew their duty
and were always willing and anxious to
do it. The chief peculiarity of all the
seafaring class that I have been brought
into contact \\ith, is their entire free-
dom from vulgarity. They are obliging
to the utmost of their power, but never
cringing or vulgar.
"The winter half of their lives is
spent in fishing-boats or coasters, or
sea voyages, where they have to face
dangers and hardships that must be ex-
perienced to be realized. As a rule they
are religious, and their preparations
for the Sabbath, their washings and
1 88 Yachting Wrinkles.
soapings and brushings, show with what
pleasure they welcome its recurrence.
Yacht minstrelsy, with its accordion, its
songs of twenty verses, its never-ending
choruses, its pathos, is a thing of itself.
Some day, perhaps, some Albert Cheva-
lier will make it fashionable. Such as
they are, I know of no class of English-
men superior, if any be equal, to the
sailors who man our yachts. Of course,
there are sharks, or at any rate dogfish,
in all waters, but where the good so im-
mensely outnumber the bad, that man
must be a fool indeed who gets into
wrong hands."
With these sentiments I most cordi-
ally concur.
' The yacht owner will engage his cook
and his steward to suit himself. Some
seagoing chefs of steam yachts get
bigger pay than a commodore in the
navy, while many stewards have grown
wealthy out of their perquisites. With
these men I have nothing to do. They
belong to the owner exclusively, so let
him deal with them as he may see fit.
The ship's cook, however, is a most im-
portant functionary, and every canny
skipper tries to ship a thorough "tip-
topper," who will feed the boys "high,"
while at the same time taking care of
the owner's interests by guarding against
waste. A cook of genius will on a pinch
" create " a savory dinner for all hands
out of what may appear a most unprom-
ising batch of materials, and I am glad
to say that cooks of genius are by no
Duty and Discipline Afloat. 189
means scarce. The Japs make excel-
lent cooks, and so do the Portuguese.
Hungry sailors go in for hearty fare.
Beef and beans, pork and peas, clam
chowder, roast joints, and plenty of
fresh vegetables are their principal
dishes, but they by no means despise
the ice cream and the cabin delicacies
which fall to their lot on cruises when
there is a heavy sea, and landsmen feel
more like throwing up their commis-
sions than taking in ballast.
"The internal economy of a yacht,"
says Sir Edward Sullivan, "constitutes
oneof itsgreatest charms. Yourcookwith
only a little stove for which a shore cook
would scarcely find any use will send
you up an excellent dinner cooked to
perfection for any number of guests.
And the steward ! who can describe the
work of a yacht's steward ? I doubt
whetherBriareus with his hundred h.ancls
could do more than a steward does with
two. At seven in the morning he is
ashore for the milk, and the breakfast,
and the letters, and the flowers ; he val-
ets half-a-dozen people, prepares half-a-
dozen baths, brushes heaven knows how
many clothes, gets the breakfast, makes
the beds, cleans theplate, tidies the cabin,
provides luncheon, five o'clock tea, din-
ner, is always cheerful, obliging, pains-
taking, and more than repaid if occasion-
ally he gets a petit -mot of compliment or
congratulation. When he ever sleeps or
eats I never can tell ; and far from
grumbling at his work he often resents
196 Yachting Wrinkles.
the assistance of any shore-going serv-
ant."
I have quoted the above at length be-
cause it is in my judgment the best de-
scription of a good cook and a good
steward ever written. What yachtsman
cannot testify to the truth of every
word ? I have sailed with a bad cook
and an utterly worthless and incompe-
tent steward, and my imperfect knowl-
edge of the English language does not
permit of my adequately describing the
inevitable horrors and discomforts at-
tending the martyrdom of my ship-
mates and myself. Therefore let us
draw the curtain down on the unsavory
subject. But nevertheless let us resolve
in the interest of our brother yachtsmen
never to give a misleading recommenda-
tion or certificate of character to either
a bad cook or a worthless steward. If
the first-named is a " grub-spoiler "
masquerading under the guise of a chef,
and the other is a sham and a fraud,
hesitate not to brand them correctly
and thus prevent them from imposing
on others. Have backbone !
In England there isa regular schedule
of racing wages — a system which has
not been adopted as yet in this country.
The skipper gets five per cent, or ten per
cent, of the value of the prize won, while
every member of the crew is given $5
if you win and $2.50 if you lose. In
addition to this expense, bounteous sup-
plies of beef, soft tack and beer are gen-
erously dispensed on race days, while
Duty and Discipline Afloat. 191
on other occasions the crew supply
their own rations.
The life of a yacht sailor is by no
means hard. From twenty to thirty
dollars a month and good grub should be
attractive to the foreigners who, for the
most part, man our pleasure fleet, and
who would earn considerably less than
half that sum in the vessels of their
native mercantile navy. There are so
many smart and deserving men in the
market, that a yacht owner has no diffi-
culty whatever in engaging a satisfac-
tory ship's company.
VI.
A DOWN-TO-DATE YACHT RACE,
IN WHICH MAY KK FOUND SOME NOTEWORTHY
EXAMI'LES OK THE SEA-JOCKEY'S ART.
SAILING as a visitor on a racing
yacht is delightfully exciting-. Let
me transcribe from my log-book
the yarn of the contest between the
Ghost and the Phantom, two modern 51-
footers. Stowed away between the lines
may be found a wrinkle or two of value
to the novice. So here goes :
The bell on the PJiantoni was striking
eight as the gig rounded her graceful
stern and brought up at the starboard
gangway. The cutter had been com-
pletely "skinned " for the fray, as she was
to compete for a valuable prize offered
by the club. Everything had been taken
ashore that the racing rules permitted,
including books, cabin fittings, the cook-
ing stove, deck scrubbers, buckets and
brooms, mops, and other impedimenta
comprised in the equipment of a prop-
erly fitted yacht. The cabin was bare
— "cleared for action," as the owner ob-
served.
" All you will get to eat to-day won't
trouble your digestive organs," he con-
ip4 Yachting Wrinkles.
tinued. "The steward has made a box
of corned beef sandwiches, and that will
be our plain and simple fare, with a
toothful of grog to wash the grub down,
and a pipe to settle everything. To-
day all hands fare alike, forward and
aft, for we shall have no time to waste
in devouring luxurious kickshaws. We
must win that cup."
From the critical view of an expert
yachtsman, everything was in ship shape
tashion for the race. There wasn't an
ounce of superfluous weight aboard.
The very crew seemed to be character-
istic of the vital elements of the vessel,
namely, strength and lightness. Their
muscular agility was displayed to ad-
vantage a few moments later, when,
manning the throat and peak halyards,
they spread the superb mainsail to woo
the wind, which, at this time, wasn't
particularly strong. I noticed that the
skipper did not "sweat up" the hal-
yards too taut, but prudently reserved
that process for a few minutes before
weighing anchor, allowing the soft,
warm breeze to expend its influence on
the sail and stretch it evenly and gently
before the final pull was given.
The skipper sent the mate aloft to
pass a preventer lashing round the gaff
and masthead, so as to be prepared for
the unfortunate contingency of the part-
ing of the throat halyards. This is a
precaution seldom taken, but Captain
Marlin's custom is to take no risks, and
to be ready for every possible mishap.
A Down-to-date Yacht Race. 195
Judging from the appearance of the sky
at that time, it did not seem probable
that the halyards were to be subjected
to any heavy strain ; but the weather
cannot be relied upon, and the carrying
away of the throat halyards has lost
many a race which a preventer might
have saved.
The club-topsail was handled next, in
seamanlike style. It is a difficult sail
to set properly at any time, and, when
spread or dowsed in a fine sailing
breeze, has made many a lubber use
strong language. This particular piece
of duck was mast-headed cleverlv and
silently, as is always the case in a yacht
commanded by an able skipper and
manned by a competent crew.
Speculations are indulged in as to the
outlook. Yachts about to compete in
other classes are criticised, and many
sage observations, made by the sailors
concerning wind and weather, find their
way aft to the quarter-deck, where the
owner and his amateur tars are smoking
their pipes and discussing and prognos-
ticating the coming events of the day.
The parting drag is given to the hal-
yards, the head-sails are made ready,
and the anchor is hove short.
It is half an hour before the time an-
nounced for the start, and we know that
the Chairman of the Race Committee is
no trifler and that the preparatory gun
will be fired sharp at the hour ap-
pointed. The outlook is promising. A
fine sou'wester blows, ruffling the blue
196 Yachting Wrinkles.
waters of the bay and making the small
craft dance to the merry music of wind
and wave. There is a goodly fleet at
anchor and a large throng of visitors
is seen on the veranda of the club-house,
on the green lawn that almost kisses
the water's edge, and on the float, which
is nearly surrounded by steam and
naphtha launches, gigs, dinghies and
other tenders. From a look aloft at the
fleecy clouds and straggling mares' tails
that sail along in the cerulean sky, the
breeze shows every sign of freshening as
the day grows older ; and the inevitable
weather prophets, one or two of whom
can be found in every yacht's crew,
talk sagely of single reefs and coming
squalls.
Our yacht is a down-to-date 51 -footer,
fitted with all modern appliances for
the winning of cups, including a fin
keel that would scrape the bottom at
a depth of more than ten feet, and
frightens many a flounder from his feed-
ing grounds. Witch-like she looks, as
she tugs at her anchor eager to be off.
Everything alow and aloft is taut and
trim. Her standing rigging is set up
as tight as bars of steel. Not a wrinkle
shows in her well-cut mainsail, set just
as it ought to be, with no abnormal
strains visible in throat, peak or after
leech, and not a symptom of bagginess
in the whole symmetry of the sail.
Above this the huge club-topsail is
spread, stretching ambitiously skyward,
and this, too, is a choice example of the
A Down-to date Yacht Race. 197
sailmaker's skill. The head- sails are
ready for hoisting. The big jib-topsail
is set in stops ready for breaking out as
we cross the line, for the first leg of the
triangular course is a reach with the
wind abeam, and we shall have to carry
on sail like a China clipper to get to the
first mark before our antagonist, the
Ghost, whose best sailing point is reach-
ing or running.
Our boat, the Phantom, though built
from the same design as the Ghost and
carrying the same amount of sail, is the
better at beating to windward. Once
get her sheets trimmed in close-hauled
to a breeze, and she will look up as high
as any yacht afloat, and, what is more,
you can rely on the saucy jade to fetch
and weather any mark she points for.
The Ghost, though phenomenally fast
with the wind free, is not quite so good
at windward work as we are, judging
from her behavior in four former races,
when we have given her a good dusting
with the breeze dead in her teeth. But
once get the Ghost a-going \vith the
wind anywhere from abeam to right aft,
and the way she slides through the sea
is exasperating to her opponents on the
Phantom, who have often had to con-
template with annoyed admiration the
shapely contour of the beauty's counter.
Who can satisfactorily account for the
difference in the speed of the two boats ?
They are like shoes made from the same
last, of the same material and finish.
Why is it that one boat beats to wind-
198 Yachting Wrinkles.
ward better than the other, and that the
other reaches and runs faster than her
rival ? Nobody has yet offered a satis-
factory explanation of this peculiar
state of affairs, which yachtsmen know
to exist in all classes of one design.
But here we are, aboard the Phan-
tom thirty minutes before gunfire. Our
sportsmanlike owner and our seaman-
like skipper are well qualified for the
coming strife. They know the course
like their A, B, C. They are acquainted
with every tide-rip and current likely to
be encountered. The sailing directions
are explicit. The crew, amateur and
professional, are old hands at the busi-
ness, and if the Phantom doesn't win the
cup and the -side bet from the Ghost,
why, all hands will be down in the
dumps at the end of the race.
But there is no mention of that das-
tard word, defeat. Owner and captain
and crew have an abiding confidence in
the yacht and in each other, and all
hands are imbued with enthusiasm and
zeal. This is apparent in every ani-
mated glance, in each cheery "Aye, aye,
sir," in response to orders, and in every
active movement of body and limb.
All hands have been through the
mill before and are accustomed to pull
together. The skipper knows the " hang"
of the boat ; he fully understands how
to trim sail to the best advantage — just
how much sheet to give to induce the
highest rate of speed. The boat herself
is balanced like a druggist's scales, and
A Down-to-date Yacht Race. 199
is responsive as a sentient being to the
slightest touch of the helm. The gear
is of the best.
" GHOST."
" Now, Captain Marlin," says the
owner, " we'll get up the anchor and take
a short trial rpin across the bay, just
to limber things before starting."
200 Yachting Wrinkles.
" Break the anchor out, boys," says
the skipper, "and stand by to hoist the
headsails."
In a few minutes the anchor is on
deck and the foresail and jib are hoisted
to the fast-increasing breeze. Away we
go on the starboard tack, heeling over
till the water boils up in the lee scup-
pers and an occasional spray comes in-
board on the weather bow.
As we pass through the fleet at an-
chor many admiring eyes examine us
critically from quarter-deck and bridge ;
and many binoculars are leveled in our
direction as we swiftly glide toward the
open bay, where we shall feel the true
force of the breeze and see whether the
club-topsail will be too much for her
with sheets flattened in.
Captain Marlin is at the helm, with
the owner beside him. Both view the
sails with expert glances, quick to dis-
cover imperfections in fit or trim. The
mainsail retains its shape admirably,
because it has been beautifully stretched
by a sailor and not " monkeyed with "
by a countryman from an inland vil-
lage. The jib is pulling magnificently,
and the foresail is attending strictly to
business.
As soon as we reach the bay, away
from the shelter of the protecting head-
land, we get the full strength of the
wind, which, indeed, pipes high. A
squall strikes us, and we careen under
its influence till the lee rail — a mere
batten — is almost awash. The skipper
A STEKN CHASE.
A Down-to-date Yacht Race. 203
luffs a little until the fore leech of the
mainsail quivers, but this seems to dead-
en the Phantonis way very little. She
is off, with a gleaming white bone in
her teeth and showing a great burst of
speed.
" Ready about ! "
" Helm's a-lee."
The boat swings into the wind like a
top, and before you can say Jack Robin-
son she is filled and away on the other
tack. But only a yachtsman can ap-
preciate the smart handling of the craft.
The setting up of the topmast-back-
stay while the vessel is in stays is work
for men who are actually alive and
haven't a lazy bone in their bodies. The
same remark applies to trimming the
head-sheets. Of course there are " be-
laying marks " showing where they are
to be made fast, but smartness must
prevail first, last, and all the time in
these days of rapid-spinning boats.
And so back we fly through the
squadron, most of them now under
way. We luff up in the wind's eye for
a minute or so and get another pull on
the jib halyards, sweating them up quite
hard. We see the jib-topsail clear for
breaking out from the stops ; and while
we dodge about with head-sheets hauled
to windward, waiting for the preparatory
gun, we see the Ghost making for us and
realize that if we are to secure the ad-
vantage of the windward berth and
first away we must keep our weather
eyes skinned.
204 Yachting Wrinkles.
And mighty pretty our sleek-looking
rival appears, with the sun shining on
her creamy sails just new from the loft,
but bearing the impress of artistic de-
sign and splendid fit. The only dif-
ference between Ghost and Phantom is
that the first-named is painted black,
while Phantom is resplendent in a snow-
white garb. Captain Spike, the Ghost's
skipper, a bronzed, bearded man of
massive build, is steering, and as he
passes under our stern we wave our
hands or doff our caps in courteous
salute. For although both ships are
manned by sturdy fighters, yet we
heartily respect each other, as gallant
and honorable foes are wont to do in the
domain of yachtdom.
" Bang ! " goes the preparatory gun,
which conveys the information that our
class will start in five minutes. Our
owner had timed his watch by the
chronometer on the club boat early that
morning, and both timepieces agree to
a fraction of a second. It is to be a fly-
ing start, and the two rival skippers,
Spike and Marlin, are equally famous
foi getting away with the gun, and
both are past masters in the art of sea-
jockeying for a commanding position
on the line. It is most interesting to
watch the manoeuvres of the two cap-
tains. The yachts circle round and
round each other like two kittens at
play, while the owners, with watches in
hand, call out the time
" One minute gone ' says our owner.
A Down-to-date Yacht Race. 205
" One minute gone,' repeats the alert
skipper ; " hard-a-lee ! " About she goes
once more. " Two minutes gone," is
soon heard, followed by another tack.
" Three gone ! " Then an anxious
pause. " Four gone ! " says our owner.
We are at this time some considerable
distance from the line, but fast ap-
proaching it, although our foresail-sheet
is hauled to windward. To leeward,
and a dozen lengths astern, is the Ghost.
" Four minutes fifty seconds," says
our owner.
" Let draw the foresail ; break out
the jib-topsail," are the skipper's next
commands, and for the ten seconds that
follow we are all on tenterhooks. If
we cross the imaginary line between
the committee's steamer and the mark-
boat before the signal is given we shall
have to go back and cross the line again.
It is indeed an anxious moment.
"Fifty -five seconds, fifty-six, fifty-
seven —
" Will they never fire ? " think I.
"Fifty-eight, fifty-nine "
" The gun ! "
" Hurrah, hurrah ! you gauged her
beautifully," says the owner to the skip-
per, on whose mahoganized mug there
grows a gratified grin.
" Ghost is ten seconds after the gun,"
observed the owner, "but I guess she'll
pick that up and more too, on this leg,
alone."
The Phantom is now hissing along
with the wind on the port beam, the
206 Yachting Wrinkles.
main-boom well eased off, the jib-topsail
doing gigantic work, and the other sails
contributing their share toward impel-
ling the fairylike fabric onward to the
next goal, six nautical miles away. Not
a quiver or a wrinkle in all the vast ex-
panse of muslin extended to the breeze.
The yacht's sharp cutwater cleaves the
blue sea, making little or no disturbance,
but the fleecy foam travels aft with the
speed of a mill-race and leaves a glitter-
ing wake astern. All the crew have
come abaft the mast, and are lip to wind-
ward as far as they can get. The yacht
heels over in the puffs at times until the
lee rail is under, and the water occasion-
ally threatens to bubble up to the sky-
lights, but never gets there. It is indeed
glorious racing. Nobody has the slight-
est idea of shortening canvas. What she
can't carry she must drag.
The skipper keeps his eyes on the
sails and on the compass. He never
dreams of looking astern to see how
his friend Captain Spike, of the Ghost,
is coming along. No yacht-racing skip-
per ever does look astern while he is
steering. It would be a breach of an
old tradition unpardonable in a profes-
sional. Our owner, however, watches
our opponent quite carefully, and con-
fides to me in a whisper that he fears
she will overhaul us and pass us to wind-
ward before we reach the mark at the
end of the first leg. " It is in the beat
back from the second mark that we shall
have him at our mercy. We are con-
A Down to-date YacJit Race. 207
siderably faster to windward in a blow
like this, and if it pipes any harder he
will have to take in his club-topsail, and
then he is our meat, sure," he added.
But there is no sign of shortening
canvas on the Ghost. Captain Spike
will hang on to the great sail until the
topmast goes over the side rather than
be beaten at " cracking on " by Captain
Marlin. As a matter of fact, Ghost
stands up to her work very well indeed,
heeling over to the pressure of the puis-
sant breeze only a mere trifle more
than Phantom.
Other boats are competing in the re-
gatta— a number of crack schooners and
some of the new-fangled knockabouts —
all of which carry single reefs in their
mainsails and small jibs. It is evident,
too, that even with this moderate sail
they have as much as they can stagger
under. We, however, have too much to
do in the way of paying attention to our
own craft and our immediate opponent
to particularly regard the doings of the
rest of the fleet.
One thing that strikes me exceedingly
is the splendid way that Phantom steers.
One of the old-time racing boats would
have been yawing about in rampant
style in a breeze as potent as is now
blowing. The helmsman would have
all he could do to keep her on her course,
the prevailing tendency of the ancient
type being to gripe to windward most
damnably. Yacht architects have made
great progress since then, and the modern
208 Yachting Wrinkles.
craft are balanced so exquisitely that they
show little or no proneness to gripe, even
with the wind abeam or on the quarter.
Phantom carries her rudder nearly amid-
ships, only taking a spoke or two of
weather helm.. Captain Marlin steers
her with one hand, and keeps as cool as
a cucumber.
Meanwhile Ghost crawls up on us, inch
by inch and foot by foot, her aim being
to pass us to windward and 'to blanket
us. This we will never permit without
a hard fight.
We are now half way to the first mark,
the wind continuing true and strong — an
ideal breeze for racing. The sea is not
steep enough as yet to do us any harm
when we trim in our sheets for the final
beat ; but before this shall come to pass
we have a leg to sail with the wind dead
aft, and even now the men are making
sure that the spinnaker gear is all in
readiness for setting that enormous sail
immediately after rounding the first
mark. We are going to do our prettiest
to get the better of Ghost at the turn,
and the yacht that gets the spinnaker
boom down first and the sail broken out
most quickly has a big advantage.
I can't help remembering how a mis-
hap to her spinnaker caused Valkyrie II.
to lose her last race with Vigilant, and I
express a silent but fervent hope that
nothing untoward may occur to stop the
smart setting of our own good sail.
But now the sly and swift Ghost is
crawling up, pointing her bowsprit for
A Down-to-date Yacht Race. 209
our weather quarter, with the intent, if
possible, of establishing an overlap and
a consequent blanket. This leads to a
luffing match which is mighty interest-
ing while it lasts. The more we luff the
faster we fly, and at last we get so far
ahead that we are able to bear away on
our course again and still maintain the
lead.
Now, what do you think is the next
artful move of the skipper of the Ghost f
That fellow is as cunning as a wagon-
load of monkeys. Seeing that he cannot
pass us to windward, he eases his sheets
a little, and, with a great spurt of speed
which fairly took our breath away, walks
through our lee like lubricated light-
ning and tries to luff up across our bows
and so get the weather gauge.
But it isn't Captain Merlin's watch
below exactly. That ancient and tarry
one has his eyes wide open and his wits
all about him. He also luffs in time to
establish an overlap, and so he balks
the blanketing dodge of Captain Spike,
who is thus hoist with his own petard.
This skirmish shows the advantage of
getting the lead at the start. Had Ghost
crossed the line first we could never
have caught her, but as it is we are able
to prevent her from passing us. And
to the undying fame of our sterling skip-
per, by the exercise of all the devices
known to the sea-jockey, we actually
round the mark first !
As we whirl round the raft from whose
flagstaff the club burgee is noisily flap-
210 VacJiting Wrinkles.
ping, the main-boom is eased off hand-
somely by the owner and myself, while
the rest of the boys busy themselves
with the spinnaker. As the boom is
lowered, the sail neatly done up in stops
is smartly hoisted to the topmast head.
The after guy is hauled aft, the outhaul
is manned, and with three tugs on the
sheet the big sail bellies to the blast
and pulls nobly.
Now a more powerful puff than ever
smites the Phantom. Its force makes
the spinnaker boom up-end and the
spinnaker itself puff out like a balloon.
But both spar and duck are of the best
and no misfortune befalls them. The
balloon jib-topsail now takes the place
of No. 2, so that if the wind shifts we
shall be ready for it. When this is done
all hands lie aft so as to lift her bow as
much as possible, while not burying
her counter, and, standing up so as
to catch every breath of wind that is
going to waste, are regaled on beer
and sandwiches, which the steward
passes round. He, like the willing and
zealous fellow that he is, has been pull-
ing and hauling with the rest of the
crowd, and is puffing like a porpoise
after the unusual exertion.
In planning the day's campaign it has
been settled that we shall steer a direct
course from the first to the second
mark. We know that we have no
chance to run before the wind so fast
as the Ghost, which is now only twenty
seconds astern of us, and is bound to
A Down-to-date Yacht Race. 211
pass us in spite of everything. Thus,
we waste no time in jockeying.
And glide past us she does, silently
and slowly like the ghost that she is,
her spinnaker and main booms forming
the base of a lofty pyramid of canvas,
arched out to the swelling breeze. The
lapping waves break in milky foam
under her counter, the spray sparkling
like diamonds in the golden sunshine.
Her crew look proud and exultant at
their victory.
But the demon of despair affects us
not. We know what our stanch and
noble craft will do when we haul on a
wind for the final homeward thresh.
So we light our pipes, and grin and bear
our temporary defeat like the stoics of
old. Meanwhile, we recollect that we
shall have to gybe round the next mark
and realize that this will be quite a
ticklish job in so stiff a breeze. , To luff
round a stakeboat is easy as eating, but
to swing over a main -boom as long as
ours from one quarter to the other with
the huge club-topsail aloft requires cool-
ness, skill and judgment. Besides, we
want to make as clever and close a turn
as possible, so as not to be swept too far
to leeward before flattening in sheets
and starting on our long windward beat.
All has been provided for, however.
We see all hands on the Ghost taking in
the balloon jib-topsail and getting ready
to dowse the spinnaker, for now the
stakeboat looms mighty near and the
great struggle of the day is at hand.
2i2 Yachting Wrinkles.
"Take in the jib-topsail ! " cries our
skipper, and this is an easy task, for the
enormous sail is almost becalmed. It
is soon spilled, stopped up and bundled
below. Foresail and jib are neatly set
and their sheets trimmed down to the
marks.
" See the spinnaker gear clear for
taking in," is the next command. And
this being done, there is silence for
the next minute or two. All hands
gather round the mast. One hand
stands by to let go the outhaul, another
the halyards, while all get ready to
grapple with and spill and smother the
bellying duck and bring it into sub-
jection to the deck.
We are almost on top of the mark
when the skipper sings out : " In
spinnaker ! "
As the outhaul is slacked, the men,
grabbing the foot of the sail, lug it in,
and, spilling the wind out of the flapping
canvas, wrestle with it and victoriously
overcome it, until it lies an inert mass at
their feet. The boom is then topped up
and all hands lie aft to tend the main-
sheet, which is stretched along the deck
to rally in quickly. The jib and fore-
sail are set already and trimmed down
to the marks. A couple of men stand
by ready to " come up " the topmast-
backstay and get it set up on the other
side before an undue strain comes on
the spar.
" Now, boys, haul in the main-sheet,"
says the skipper as he shifts the helm
A Douin-to-date Yacht Race 213
so as to bring the wind on the other
quarter. Hand over hand the men
drag in the boom, pulling as if for dear
life. The wind pipes so breezily that
the skipper has as much as he can do to
gybe the boat so as to make a close turn
round the mark and carry away nothing.
The boom comes over with a whirl
and a rush, and is checked by a turn
round the cleat. The yacht flies up in
the wind, but is met with the helm and
the head-sails, and there we are, close-
hauled on the port tack, with three
strakes of the lee deck under water and
a devil of a strain on the topmast. The
yacht, as she comes to the wind, takes a
header into a big green sea and floods
the deck. This is her first fault of the
day, and we cheerfully forgive her, not
minding the wetting, and making up
our minds for a hard tussle home against
wind and sea.
Now that we have fairly settled down
to windward work, we have time to look
after our opponent. We see that she,
too, has rounded without parting a rope-
yarn. She is ahead of us, and a wee bit
to windward. We notice that she is be-
ing "nipped," the luff of her mainsail
shaking all the time. She isn't quite so
stiff as we are, and her immense club-
topsail will bury her if her skipper will
only give it a chance. He is afraid to
take it in, for he knows that before he
could get his " thimble-header " set we
should work out half a mile on his
weather, so he sails her close, and prays
that the wind may lull.
2i4 Yachting Wrinkles.
Captain Marlin, on the contrary, gives
it to Phantom hammer and tongs, let-
ting her go clean through the water
with the sails ramping full. The decks
to leeward are wet, but little does that
concern us, for we know that when we
go about on the other tack we shall be
able to cross our rival's bows, unless
she also goes about. And so it comes
to pass. The next " board " assures us
that the race is ours, unless we get
crippled. We plant ourselves on the
weather of the Ghost and stick to her,
tack and tack. We keep her jammed
under our lee, in chancery, as it were ;
and there she remains until we cross
the line, a winner by 2m. 428.
. We come to anchor, furl the sails,
send in a certificate that we have com-
plied with all the sailing rules of the
match, and hoist another winning flag
to join our already long string. Then
the steward is sent ashore, and he quickly
returns with a fine feed for the crew,
which is vastly enjoyed by thein, after
drinking a " horn " apiece to the further
success of the Phantom and her owner.
VII.
RACING RULES AND THE RULE OF
THE ROAD.
SOME IMPORTANT POINTS THAT AMATEURS AND
PROFESSIONALS SHOULD BEAR IN MIND.
IT is gratifying to all lovers of the
sport that race committees now are
in the habit of starting the yachts
exactly at the time advertised — that
is if wind and weather permit. The old
custom of waiting half an hour or so for
lazy laggards to reach the line is happily
going out of fashion. As a general rule,
there is no plausible excuse for a yacht
being late, as under ordinary circum-
stances arrangements can easily be
made for arriving on the scene, either
in tow or under sail, in good season for
the start.
Nothing adds more to the popularity
of a yacht club than a race committee
that knows its business, starts the race
punctually as advertised unless pre-
vented by the weather, takes the time
accurately of each craft as she crosses
the line, sees that the racing rules are
obeyed, and after the race is finished
promptly posts up a list of the winners.
Above all, the committee should make
2 1 6 Yachting Wrinkles.
sure that all mark-boats are in their
places before the starting signal is given.
I once knew a race committee — but
there, I won't tell tales out of school.
I hope it will not be held as presump-
tuous on my part if I ask the race com-
mittees to treat yachting reporters with
courtesy. They are sometimes seasick;
they generally would feel much happier
ashore. They may sometimes appear
too eager and zealous for information;
but their motive is good, they are anx-
ious to "file early copy" and thus avoid
their editor's wrath. The members of
the club like to see good reports of their
races in the public press, and this end
is rarely achieved by insulting or snub-
bing a newspaper man, who after all is
a human being, if not of such high de-
gree as a haughty member of a race
committee. Besides, the newspaper man
dissembles his wrath, bides his time; and
when his opportunity arrives doesn't he
just roast his insulter ?
Members of race committees should
keep their eyes open all the time. They
should try to become familiar with the
general appearance of each competing
yacht so that she may be identified
without the aid of her number. They
should be quick to detect any breach
of the rules and should unhesitatingly
punish offenders. Punctuality with the
gun is a cardinal virtue, and strict im-
partiality is another. In this country,
up to 1898, the decision of the race com-
mittee has always been final, there hav-
Racing Rules. 217
ing been no court of last resort like the
Y. R. A. of Great Britain to appeal to.
I am proud to say that very few unsat-
isfactory decisions have come under my
notice.
As yacht racing is a gentleman's sport,
it is needless to lay stress on the yacht
owner's obligation to live up to its eth-
ics, to observe the racing rules in spirit
and letter, to be sparing in the iise of
the protest flag — indeed never to dis-
play it unless he is convinced that there
has been an undoubted violation of the
rules. After he has made his protest he
should not withdraw it, but allow the
race committee to adjudicate upon it.
The protest must be made in writing.
A writer in the Yachtsman some years
ago, while discussing the whole subject
of protests, suggested that a good way
of checking the unsportsmanlike habit
of hoisting a protest-flag without suf-
ficient cause, would be to compel a com-
petitor displaying the flag to deposit the
sum of ;£i with the sailing committee,
which should be forfeited to the club
fund in the event of the protest being
withdrawn, and only be repaid in the
event of the protest being decided in
favor of the protesting party. This, in
my judgment, is a capital suggestion
and should be adopted whenever the
time is ripe for it. The upholders of
the maxim, "When in doubt, hoist a
protest-flag," should be brought up with
a round turn. A better maxim is, " Be
sure you are right, and then go ahead."
218 yachting Wrinkles.
There is, however, one point which I
wish to make. Not so long ago it was
common report that the owner of a
yacht in a class where shifting ballast
was prohibited, habitually carried bags
of shot in his cabin and when the breeze
was heavy placed them on a shelf to
windward, so as to increase the boat's
stability. The charge was never inves-
tigated. Whether true or false, I know
not. If true, the offender should have
been expelled from the club and from
the society of gentlemen generally. If
false, the same justice should have been
meted out to his calumniators. In my
opinion, the case called for the fullest
inquiry.
The practice of being measured with
three light men aboard as crew and sail-
ing the race with three heavyweights,
was begun by certain unscrupulous
tricksters. This was, however, stopped
summarily by a hard and fast rule, de-
fining the limit of live weight to be car-
ried.
The race committee, if it sees any
transgression of the sailing rules, should
disqualify the offender, whether a pro-
test is made or not. For the honor of
our yachtsmen be it said, that, generally,
if they commit any breach of the rules,
such as fouling a mark, they voluntarily
report the incident to the officers and
thus there is no need of an accuser.
An owner above all should make it
his business to see for himself that the
taxable length of his yacht is never
Racing Rules. 219
increased. Remembering the unhappy
Dunraven episode, he should not make
charges against his opponent which he
is not prepared to substantiate by most
convincing evidence. A gentleman is
as chivalrous concerning his antago-
nist's honor as he is about his own. If
not, he ought to be. At the same time,
if he observes any " sharp practice " on
the part of a competitor, it is his duty to
expose it in the interest of true sport.
A racing skipper should have the rac-
ing rules at his fingers' ends. For in-
stance, if his yacht is sailing in the an-
nual regatta of the New York Yacht
Club, he must take care that the vessel's
private signal and her number are dis-
played according to the rule ; that no
more persons are on board than permis-
sible by Rule 8 ; that a boat and two
life-buoys are on deck.
I remember having been a guest on
the cutter Mayflower in her race against
the Volunteer for the Goelet cup, when
a mistake was made about a boat, which,
if it had not been rectified in time,
might have led to our disqualification.
We carried a small boat on deck, but
finding it rather in the way when work-
ing ship, we passed it down the skylight
into the main saloon. One of Commo-
dore E. D. Morgan's guests pointed oiit
that the rule stated plainly that the boat
must be carried on deck. In a jiffy the
offending boat was lugged up out of the
cabin and placed where it rightfully be-
longed.
220 Yachting Wrinkles.
The skipper must study the sailing
instructions with critical care ; he must
not forget that, the preparatory signal
once made, the yacht is amenable to the
racing rules until the end of the con-
test ; that a yacht going free keeps clear
of a yacht close-hauled ; that a yacht
close-hauled on the port tack keeps clear
of a yacht close-hauled on the starboard
tack ; that when going free on opposite
tacks, the yacht with the wind on the
port side keeps clear ; that when going
free on the same tack the windward
yacht keeps clear ; that a yacht with
the wind aft keeps clear of all others ;
that when yachts which overlap are
rounding a mark or passing an ob-
struction, the outside yacht must give
room to and keep clear of the inside
yacht.
He should remember that a yacht on
the port tack can be disqualified if she
strike or be struck by a yacht on the
starboard tack, also if the latter luff,
tack or bear away to avoid being struck.
This is a most important rule, because
if a breach of it occurs, the yacht re-
sponsible for it is not only disqualified
but is liable for any damage that may
result.
When yachts approach an obstruction
close-hauled, and the leeward yacht
cannot tack and clear the windward
yacht, the helmsman of the leeward
yacht should hail for room and the two
yachts must then tack together. An
overtaking yacht must keep clear of an
Racing Rules. 221
overtaken yacht, which may luff but
must not bear away out of her course
to obstruct the passage of her competitor
to leeward. If a yacht runs ashore, or
fouls a vessel or other obstruction, she
may use her own boats and gear to get
clear, but she must take them aboard
again, and is forbidden to accept help
except from the crew of the vessel
fouled. This rule is, however, qualified
by another, which declares that when
accidents occur competing yachts must
assist to save life.
A yacht must be propelled by sail
alone after the preparatory gun. If she
is late and is being towed toward the
starting line when the preparatory sig-
nal is given, she may be disqualified.
Tardy owners and skippers should keep
tab on this. A yacht may anchor dur-
ing a race, but she may not slip. She
must not warp or kedge, or make fast
to a buoy, pier/vessel or other obstruc-
tion. The government regulations re-
garding lights and fog signals, shall be
observed by day and by night.
These are the principal rules which
the skipper should never forget if he
desires to achieve or maintain a reputa-
tion. One thing I want to impress upon
him is that in any emergency W7hen his
vessel may be in peril, it is his impera-
tive duty to follow the regulations of
the rule of the road at sea, as prescribed
by international law, and disregard any
racing rules that in the slightest degree
conflict with a literal interpretation of
222
Yachting Wrinkles.
this rule. If he fails in this duty his
owner is responsible for any and all
damage incurred by his vessel or by the
vessel he collides with. In an admiral-
ty court the racing rules of a yacht club
or a yacht-racing association are disre-
garded. The case is judged by standard
rules of law that prevail among all sea-
faring nations. Those who break the
law must pay the penalty thereof. I
cannot impress this little legal maxim
too strongly on both owners and skip-
pers.
VIGILANT.
VIII.
EVOLUTION OF THE RACER.
HOW TONNAGE AND MEASUREMENT RULES HAVE
AFFKCTED FORM IN AMERICA AND GREAT BRITAIN.
THE growth of the English cutter
from its cradle, on the south and
east coasts, where the fantail
stern was created, is an interest-
ing study. From the Pearl, designed by
Sainty, the smuggler, for the Marquis of
Anglesey, down to the modern yacht of
1899, it is apparent that the evolution of
the craft was slow and gradual until
about 1 880, since when strides of unprec-
edented length have been taken. Up
to 1880 yacht designing advanced slug-
gishly, both here and abroad, but the
progress of the art could be marked by
the intelligent student, even as a trained
forester can tell the age of an oak from
a section of the trunk. The more closely
you observe, the more clearly are you
convinced that the naval architects of
both countries have for some time been
converging to a common goal. This
goal they now seem to have attained.
In order to give an intelligent sum-
mary of the development of the racing
yacht of to-day, it is necessary, as we
226 Yachting Wrinkles.
progress, to take note of the measure-
ment or tonnage rule which caused the
change in the form of the yacht.
The yacht of the early part of the
century was an apple-bowed craft of
about three beams to length, ballasted
with stone, gravel, or old iron. Compe-
tition was restricted to matches be-
tween two yachts, the bigger craft,
other things being equal, usually win-
ning. The first rule was derived from
the mercantile marine, and had been in
force since 1794. It was one in which
length of keel and fore-rake, and the
breadth at broadest place, were the only
dimensions that were measured. It did
not matter how high or how low the
vessel was in the hold, half-breadth was
taken to represent the depth, in calcu-
lating tonnage. The tendency^ of this
rule was to make vessels high, narrow,
and flat-sided, in order to get as large a
carrier as possible with the smallest
registered tonnage. This was called
builder's tonnage, and was in vogue
until 1854 in the mercantile marine. It
was applied to yachts simply as a guide
for building them or for their purchase
and sale. Up to 1854 there was no time
allowance whatever. Big and little
yachts raced together indiscriminately,
and, of course, the larger boats had the
advantage. It struck Mr. Holland
Ackers as being somewhat of an anom-
aly, so he proposed a table of time al-
lowances between large and small
yachts, the basis being the difference in
Evolution of the Racer. 229
size, as measured by the merchant-ship
tonnage rule, as given above, and the
length of the course.
To evade the heavy harbor dues, etc.,
to which merchant vessels were liable
under the 1794 tonnage rule, shipbuild-
ers naturally reduced beam, which was
penalized twice over, and increased
depth, which was not taxed at all, thus
creating a vicious type of vessel. Yacht
builders followed suit, gradually in-
creasing draught and decreasing beam.
Then came the raking sternpost, intro-
duced about 1850 by Wanhill, of Poole,
which gave on a given length of keel a
much longer water-line. Outside lead
followed.
In 1854 the "Thames Rule" was
adopted, by which the length on deck
was measured and from this length the
whole beam was subtracted.
This system did fairly well till heavy
lead keels were introduced. Then
builders and owners found that with a
lot of length and depth yachts could
carry sail enough to make them faster
and more powerful vessels than their
predecessors, the reason being because
they were far larger in reality, carrying
about 25 per cent, more sail and ballast,
whereas if the actual draught of water
had been used as a factor in defining1
the tonnage no such abortions as this
rule encouraged would ever have been
built.
The apple bow and barrel-like bottom
flourished in England until 1851, when
23°
Yachting Wrinkles.
the schooner-yacht America created a
revolution in British yacht naval archi-
tecture. Then, following the shape of
that memorable craft, the long, hollow
bow became the fashion.
In 1878 the Yacht Racing Association
decided that the length should be meas-
ured on the load water-line instead of on
deck. This was principally owing to the
NOW " COMETE," EMPEROR OF GER-
MANY, OWNER.
circumstance that designers, in order to
cheat the rule, had adopted such devices
as a ram bow and an immersed counter.
The yachts continued to get longer
and narrower and deeper until, in 1882,
the Yacht Racing Association adopted a
rule a trifle easier on beam; and in 1887
a rule was formulated in which length
Evolution of the Racer. 231
and sail area alone were penalized, beam
being- left free from any tax whatever.
It is interesting to note that the first
yacht built that took advantage of this
rule was the Thistle, which challenged
for the America's Cup in 1887 and was
defeated by Volunteer. Thistle's beam
was 20 3 feet, while that of Genesta and
Galatea was 15 feet. A comparison of
two crack English craft and two smart
Yankee yachts of the year 1893 shows
how close Mr. Herreshoff and Mr. Wat-
son were coming:
Length
L. W. L.
Feet.
Britannia 87.8
Valkyrie II 86.8
Navahoe, C. H 86.93
''igilant, C. B 86. 19
Beam.
Feet.
23 66
22.33
23.00
26.25
"VOLUNTEER."
232 Yachting Wrinkles.
Still more significant are the measure-
ments of Valkyrie III. and Defender,
both keel Craft : Length L. W. L. Beam.
Feet. Feet.
Valkyrie III. 88.85 26-2°
Defender 88.45 22.20
It will be seen that not only did the
American designer discard the center-
board, but he gave his craft less beam
than the British boat. I remember when
both vessels were hauled out in the Erie
Basin, Brooklyn, the American yacht
was generally mistaken for the English,
and vice versa ; this, too, by experts look-
ing on from a distance too remote to
distinguish the names on their sterns.
In 1892 the leading yacht designers of
Great Britain, realizing the rating rule
then in vogue, wrote to the Yacht Racing-
Association suggesting that the rule be
so modified that a type of vessel having
more body be evolved. In the same
communication they said, defining what
the general public requires in a yacht :
"That she shall be safe in all conditions
of wind and weather, that she shall com-
bine the maximum of room on deck and
below with the minimum of prime cost,
and that she shall be driven as fast as
may be, with the least expenditure of
labor, i. e., that she shall have a moder-
ate and workable sail area. Therefore,
as but few men can afford to build for
racing, and for racing only, and as the
racer of to-day is the cruiser of a few
years hence, any rating rule should, by
its limitations, encourage such a whole-
some type of vessel."
Evolution of the Racer. 235
The Yacht Racing Association, on the
other hand, held the view that what the
yacht-owning public want in a racing
yacht is speed first, last, and all the
time, no matter what the cost. The only
change made at that time was in the
measurement of the fore triangle and
marking the load water-line forward
and aft.
Thistle was the first big English rac-
ing cutter with a clipper bow. Her
Designed by Watson, 1894.
" ELLEN " — 2O- RATER.
advent caused much critical comment
among the experts, whose eyes had be-
come so accustomed to the " cutter stem"
that they fairly blinked when they first
gazed on the new Clyde craft.
Mr. Watson, writing about the defeat
of the Thistle in 1894, says : " Her sur-
face was so cut down that sufficient
236 Yachting Wrinkles.
lateral plane was not left to hold her to
windward, and although she sailed the
water as fast as the American cham-
pion, the Volunteer \ she drifted bodily
to leeward."
After Mr. Watson had realized the
superiority of Vigilant1 s model over that
of Valkyrie //., he designed the 2o-rater
Ellen, which I reproduce from a pho-
tograph. It will be noticed that her
form is strikingly similar to that of
Vigilant. Of a verity, imitation is the
sincerest form of flattery !
With the long overhang forward, the
running bowsprit was abolished. The
modified cutter rig thus resulting is
practically the same in both America
and England. Bobstays are now bars
of steel or iron, and bowsprits are com-
paratively short when compared with
those that used to project from the
bows of the straight-stemmed cutters.
The clipper bow was gradually al-
tered and modified until the present
stage was reached.
That sterling old British racing skip-
per, Captain Tom Jay, talking about
the modern cutter, with her cutaway
forefoot and raking sternpost, being an
awkward craft to handle in a seaway,
said : " Believe me, sir, it's not always
so much the craft that's awkward as the
people that's in her. Of course, being
so easy to drive, they reach faster than
the old - fashioned vessels, and that
makes them drive harder into the seas ;
but that is mostly a matter of the can-
Evolution of the Racer. 237
vas you set. Of course, the worst time
is when you're sailing a point or two
free, because they go their ten knots,
and that means that they throw it
about a bit."
In our own country the measurement
BOW, 1892.
rules have also had a dominant influence
on the form of our racing craft as they
appear in 1899.
Monstrosities with fin-keels now mo-
nopolize the races in the larger classes,
while scows and ingenious nondescripts,
STERN, 1892.
which sailors would never mistake foi
boats, control all the sport in the smallei
classes. How to give the owner of the
honest boat a fair show, while at the
same time dealing justly with the owner
of the racing machine, is a problem that
REVENUE CUTTER.
1830.
" MOSQUITO,'
1848.
' 'VANESSA," 1873.
" JULLANAK,"
I875-
" CHITTYWEE,'
1882.
MIDSHIP SECTIONS OF FIVE ENGLISH CUTTERS.
PURITAN AND
" GENESTA."
1885
MAYFI OWER
AND
" GALATEA,"
1886.
" VOLUNTEER
AND " THISTLE,
1887.
" VIGILANT
AND
VALKYRIE II.
1893.
" DEFENDER
AND
"VALKYRIE III
I895.
THE CUP CONTESTANTS.
The lower lines are approximately those of the Knsrlisn cut
ters. except in the ciian of " Valkyrie III ." which la wider and
shallower thun " Defender "
240 Yachting Wrinkles.
seeks for solution at the hands of con-
stituted yachting authorities. The pres-
ent fleet of " freaks " is due in the first
instance to the want of foresight dis-
played by the clubs in not legislating
against them when they first made their
appearance. Naval architects are only
human, and they cannot be blamed for
taking advantage of any and every ill-
considered rule adopted by the clubs.
For instance, when beam was taxed in
Great Britain the result was the long,
deep and narrow craft which so long
prevailed across the Atlantic. The tax
was taken off beam in 1886, and the
consequence was the practical abolition
of the narrow British cutter and the
adoption of a beamier type of craft. At
the present time beam as a factor is util-
ized in much the same way both in this
country and in Great Britain. Until
some sage discovers what is absolutely
the best type of yacht, we shall continue
to go beating about the bush.
There is no doubt that a rating rule
can be so framed as to make any par-
ticular type come into vogue, and in the
end that type is bound to be pushed to
extremes. Experience has shown that
when this stage arises in an acute form
the standard of rating is altered. This
has been the case in the United States
ever since the sport became established.
When the New York Yacht Club was
organized in 1844 the yachts were rated
according to Custom House tonnage,
first-class sloops allowing 35 seconds a
242 Yachting Wrinkles.
ton and second-class sloops allowing 45
seconds a ton to their inferiors. This
system was in force for only two years.
In 1840 a startling innovation was made.
It was neither more nor less than get-
ting the actual weight of the yachts,
which was computed by the revolutions
of screw-jacks placed under the keel of
the boat when in dry dock. Here is an
example culled from the club's archives :
YACHT "SYREN."
Weight of boat 115,776 Ibs.
Weight of keel 3,400 Ibs.
Weight of rudder 219 Ibs.
Total 110,395 Ibs.
Racing measurement, 53 tons 6 cwt. 9 Ibs.
From these data the allowances were
computed. This queer rule was in
vogue until 1852, when a widely differ-
ent regulation was adopted. Sail area
alone was taken into account, the fol-
lowing being the allowance :
First class — Over 3,300 square feet sail area, i second
per foot.
Second class— Between 2,300 and 3,300 feet, ij£ sec-
onds per foot.
Third class— Less than 2, 300 feet, ij^ seconds per foot.
The natural result of this rule was the
adoption of the light-draught boats vul-
garly designated as " skimming dishes."
It was found that it took less canvas to
drive this type of yacht through the
water, and the consequence was the
biiilding of many curious craft whose
models may now be seen on the walls
of the New York Yacht Club. Here is
a striking example, which shows how
the rule affected the sail area of the
yachts. The schooner Rebecca, which,
VALKYRIE II.
Evolution of the Racer. 245
before the rule was made, used to carry
a sail spread of 3,303 square feet, was
cut down to an area of 1,306 square feet.
This absurd rule was in force with a
few modifications until 1871, when yet
another sweeping change was made.
This time the elements consisted of the
yacht's displacement in cubic feet and
the length of the water-line. In 1873 the
rule was changed so as to take into ac-
count the cubic contents of the whole
hull. In 1883 a plan was adopted taking
" VALKYRIE III."
into account, as a function of the new
system, twice the water-line length and
once the sail area. In 1890 the present
rule was adopted by the New York Yacht
Club.
Personally, I am opposed to any sys-
tem that restricts or taxes sail, and I am
glad to be able to quote the veteran
Scotch yacht designer, Mr. William Fife,
Sr., as being on my side of the fence.
He wrote, in January, 1895 : "I am not
a believer in restricting sail ; every
u
Evolution of the Racer. 249
yacht should get what she can carry. I
know this idea has many opponents,
although I never saw a valid reason
against it ; a yacht can be spoiled with
excessive spars and sails, and sail area
may therefore be left to take care of it-
self. To satisfy those, however, who
fear that, in the absence of any tax .on
sail area, excessive sail areas might be
introduced, a maximum allowance of so
many square feet per ton might be speci-
fied."
We are, however, confronted by con-
ditions and not theories, but I could not
help putting myself on record as being
against the taxation of sail. I am al-
most alone in this. But to resume.
Madge, Clara and other imported British
cutters had considerable influence, and
caused our designers to modify the
shallow underwater bodies and beamy
tops, the Puritan in 1885 being the first
successful compromise vessel built in
the United States. Mayflower and Vol-
unteer followed.
Under the British tonnage rule in
vogue in 1886, a po-foot yacht of 26-foot
beam would have been an impossibility,
but as soon as the penalty was taken off
beam the British designers took ad-
vantage of the circumstance and fol-
lowed in the footsteps of the Americans,
until, in the days of Valkyrie III. and
Defender, the national types were prac-
tically the same, Herreshoff being a
trifle in advance of Watson, as the vic-
tory of the British craft demonstrated.
250 Yachting Wrinkles.
Meanwhile, the only way I see out of
the difficulty between racing machines
and honest boats is to sail them in dif-
ferent classes. The plan is good to draw
up tables of scantlings and rules for the
construction of all racing yachts to be
built in the future. As for the " freaks "
unhappily now in existence, it is con-
solatory to be assured that they will all
fall to pieces very soon. It is a great
wonder, indeed, that some of them did
not succumb at the close of their first
season.
The photographs of Valkyrie III.
and Defender, in dry dock, which,
through the kindness of my friend Mr.
J. C. Hemment, I am able to reproduce
in this chapter, show the remarkable
similarity that exists between the two
yachts. Both were taken as the vessels
appeared in the Erie Basin when, on the
eve of the first race, they were docked
to receive the final touches for the fray.
Defenders hull is of metal, as I have
previously mentioned, and she was sub-
jected to a very thorough polishing-up
above and below the water line. I had
an opportunity which I did not allow to
escape me of closely examining the hull
of the saucy Yankee craft and compar-
ing her lines with those of the British
boat. Defender, when after a little while
you came to appreciate the wondrous
symmetry of her underbody, exhibited
a fairy-like form when contrasted with
the less perfect shape of her rival. I
make this criticism while at the same
Photo by J C Remmcnt
" DEFENDKK" UNDER KKOOKLYN BRIDGE.
Evolution of the Racer. 253
time having the profoundest respect for
the genius of Mr. Watson, whose talent
as a naval architect nobody admires
more than I do.
But after my visit to the Erie Basin
in Brooklyn I formed the opinion that
the America's cup was, barring acci-
dents, perfectly safe for another year.
Defender exhibited all the grace of a
thoroughbred horse, while Valkyrie was
a clumsier but apparently a more power-
ful creation. Defender, in point of fact,
was as highly finished a product of the
skillful naval architect as was the Scotch
cutter Minerva when compared with
some of the " brutes " that were built to
beat her.
I had plenty of time to examine both
vessels, and I need not say that each had
a wondrous attraction for me. I saw
Captain Cranfield mix his famous black
varnish for Valkyrie 's bottom, a com-
pound whose two principal elements are
coal tar and " turps," but which gives a
surprising gloss and sleek finish when
mingled in correct proportions. I saw
this applied to the wooden planking of
the English clipper, and thought to
myself that something more potent and
speed-compelling would be necessary to
plaster her with if the cup were to be
carried away. My friends on the staff
of OUTING remember that on my return
to the office from the Erie Basin I told
them my views of the rival yachts, and
predicted an easy victory for the Yankee
craft.
254 Yachting Wrinkles.
My sympathy was with the British
boat. I realized that in the interest of
true sport it would be a capital thing
for the America's cup to leave our
shores for a while, because it would put
our yacht designers on their mettle, and
produce something wondrous in the
yacht line so far as speed is concerned.
But it struck me that Valkyrie was
scarcely good enough to accomplish the
task for which she was constructed.
Now I am neither a prophet nor the son
of a prophet, but I simply relate facts as
they occurred. I am convinced also
that Mr. Watson, after examining De-
fender in dock, realized that his work
had been in vain, and that Valkyrie,
admirable as she was and is, was a wee
bit inferior to the peerless Bristol flyer.
The photograph of Defender passing
under Brooklyn Bridge, which her top-
mast truck barely cleared at the top of
high water, shows the tauntness of her
mast, and is a splendid object lesson,
worthy of preservation for all time. The
spirited photograph of her crew tailing
onto the throat halyards of the mainsail
shows the light but strong rig forward,
the stumpy bowsprit, the batten-like
bulwark, and the other modern features
of the beau-ideal racing vessel of 1895.
Whatever developments there may be
in store for us with regard to hull, rig
and sail plan, I know not. But if within
the next ten years as great progress is
made as has been made during the past
decade, the racing machine of that epoch
'PEFENDER" UNDER SAIL.
Evolution of tkc Racer. 257
will indeed be a marvelous scientific
product. Personally, I am quite willing
to endure my earthly burdens for a
while longer if only for the pleasure of
gratifying my curiosity about the yacht
of the future, which has more charms
for me than the evolution of the new
woman, fascinating as this study doubt-
less is.
During the many years in which I
have been interested in yachting I have
seen many eventful changes in the
yachts, their rig, their sail plan, and also
in the rules that govern their races.
Speed has perhaps been developed at
the expense of seaworthiness, but yacht
sailors have also become more expert at
their calling, having progressed with the
times. Skippers have learned to handle
craft like Valkyrie or Defender, with
main booms of steel 105 feet long, in
half a gale of wind ; and there is no
doubt that, properly rigged and under
capable charge, they are as safe for an
ocean voyage as any other kind of craft.
I will not say a word about the comfort
or the accommodations to be found in
one of the big racing cutters ; but sailors
are accustomed to hardships, even as eels
to the knife of the cook that skins them.
Much stress has been laid upon the
superior advantages that Defender had
over Valkyrie III., inasmuch as the
challenger was built more strongly and
heavily, as she had to cross the ocean to
race for the cup. 1 don't think that the
mere circumstance of a transatlantic
258 Yachting Wrinkles.
voyage would induce a modern yacht-
designer to add a single superfluous
ounce ot weight to a racing craft. Luck
is depended on to a certain extent, but
the bold and skillful skipper is relied on
most of all.
I remember reading the other day of
a valiant sea captain whose steamer was
disabled in a hurricane and lost her
funnel. What did this brave fellow do ?
Give up the ship and take to the boats ?
Not he ; he came from a different breed.
He rigged up a jury funnel of timber,
barrels and canvas, and by playing the
hose on this improvised smokestack and
keeping it continually drenched with
water managed to keep up a good head
of steam and eventually reach port. He
came of the great Anglo Saxon race,
which has done many heroic deeds afloat
and will continue to achieve daring
actions just as long as Old Ocean en-
dures Thus, while I am writing about
the evolution of the racer, permit me to
pay my humble tribute of praise to the
brave seamen who man the racing
yachts and have made as much head-
way in handling the marvelous pieces
of mechanism as their designers have
done in "creating" them.
" VALKYRIE III."
IX.
THE ETIQUETTE OF YACHTING.
WHAT IS CONSIDERED i'O BE "GOOD FORM" IN
CRAFT, OWNER AND CREW.
EVERY yachtsman should be con-
versant with the etiquette of his
calling. If ignorant of the many
nice points pertaining to his own
personal behavior afloat, or of the proper
conduct of his craft at anchor or under
way, he may become the subject of a
certain amount of ridicule, which is, to
say the least, annoying in the extreme.
There are many commodores who would
rather forgive a man for breaking the
majority of the Ten Commandments be-
tween dusk and dawn than for commit-
ting a breach of nautical etiquette as
handed down from the days of the
fathers of the sport and added to infini-
tesimally year by year
In Great Britain yachting etiquette is
modeled largely after that of the Royal
Navy, and the same is true in a meas-
ure of our own code of yachting man-
ners.
It ought to be unnecessary to urge
that a yacht should always be clean and
bright as a new pin ; her decks white as
262 Yachting Wrinkles.
a hound's tooth ; her brass work gleam-
ing, and her polished or varnished
woodwork with a mirror-like burnish.
Her masts should be correctly stayed,
her standing rigging set up to the point
of rigidity, her running gear hauled
taut and snugly coiled down, her flags
mastheaded right up to the truck, no
" Irish pennants " towing overboard,
but everything from truck to keelson
ship-shape and Bristol fashion. A yacht
kept in good order is a credit to all
aboard from owner down to the cook's
mate. Not only is she a credit to those
who man her, but also to the club whose
burgee she flies. In this respect all
yachtsmen, but especially racing yachts-
men, should aim at perfection, and not
be satisfied until they make a clear
bull's eye.
The reason for this is that a racing
yacht invariably attracts more attention
than does one of the purely cruising
kind, and any carelessness, however
minute, aboard her is generally sure to
be magnified to a high degree by the
microscopic eye of criticism.
Racing crews should always be clean
and smart as paint. Untidiness should
never be allowed.
In the matter of guns, Young Amer-
ica, particularly when afloat, is apt to be
a trifle too demonstrative. It need
hardly be said that the indiscriminate
discharge of cannon from a yacht is,
like the screeching salute of a steam
whistle, opposed to good yachting man-
The Etiquette of Yachting. 263
tiers. There are only a few occasions
when it is necessary to waste good gun-
powder on a yacht. The custom in this
country is for all the yachts to salute
the flag officer in command of a squad-
ron when he joins the fleet, every boat
that carries a gun banging away when
the flagship drops anchor. This is a
picturesque sight when the fleet is a big
one. When the squadron of the New
York Yacht Club used to rendezvous at
New London for the annual cruise a
big crowd of sightseers used to sally
forth from the quaint old city to see the
flagship join the squadron and receive
the salutes. The bang of the big guns
from the mighty steam yachts and the
diminutive din from the pigmy popguns
of tiny but pretentious craft made a
rare noise in the harbor, especially when
the fleet, as it often did, numbered more
than one hundred sail. This saluting
of the commodore is considered obliga
tory, and for the use of yachtsmen who
do not care to include a brass cannon
in their outfit some ingenious pyrotech-
nist invented a giant cracker, whose
discharge is as earsplitting as that from
the biggest yacht cannon ever carried.
To hear such a threatening bang ema-
nate from so small a yacht creates some
thing akin to awe ! When a squadron
or part of a squadron is at anchor in a
roadstead the flag officer in command
or the senior captain present fires a gun
at eight bells in the morning watch
making " colors, " the fleet taking the
264 Yachting Wrinkles.
time from the flagship. The same proc-
ess is gone through at sundown, the
fleet at the sound of the gun hauling
down the ensign and the club burgee
and hoisting the night pennant.
The commodore, when in command
of a squadron, when hoisting a signal to
get under way or perform any other
nautical manoeuvre, calls attention to
the signal by firing a gun. The yachts,
in order to show that the signal has
been observed, hoist the answering pen-
nant of the commercial code of signals.
Saluting by means of the gun when
yachts meet under way is obsolete, al-
though not forbidden by the code. Craft
now content themselves with dipping
the ensign, junior captains saluting
first.
No firing of guns is permissible on
Sunday.
Owners when not aboard should fly a
blue rectangular flag from the starboard
spreader (the main spreader of a schoon-
er). In order that visitors may not in-
trude when the owner is at meals, a
white rectangular flag is displayed from
the spreader as above. A red pennant
from the port fore spreader of a schoon-
er or the port spreader of a single-
masted craft denotes that the crew are
at a meal.
If I may make so bold as to give a
hint to a real live commodore, I venture
to suggest that he shall try his level best
to appoint a fleet-captain of tact, good
temper, sound judgment, discretion — in
The Etiquette of Yachting. 265
fact, a gentleman as well as a man of
the world. I have been on a cruise with
a fleet-captain possessing all the sterling
attributes above enumerated, and I
have also sailed with one his direct op-
posite. Thus I speak from experience.
A fleet-captain may do much to make or
mar the pleasure of a cruise.
Single-masted vessels display the
private signals of their owners when
cruising ; when at anchor they fly the
club burgee.
In making colors, salutes, etc., the
yacht always represents the rank of the
owner, whether he is aboard or not.
Yachts in' commission should hoist
their colors at 8 o'clock A. M., and haul
them down at sunset, taking time from
the senior officer present.
Before colors in the morning and after
colors at sunset, the ensign and distin-
guishing flags should be shown when
entering port, and should be hauled
down immediately on coming to anchor.
At all other times yachts should fly a
night pennant at the main, from colors
at sunset until colors the next morning.
On Decoration Day and occasions of
national mourning, the ensign only
should be half-masted. On the death of
the owner of the yacht, both the club
flag and his private signal should be
half-masted, but not the ensign. When
mourning is ordered for the death of a
member of the club, the club flag only
should be half-masted. This rule applies
to yachts both at anchor and under way.
266 Yachting Wrinkles.
Flags should always be mast-headed
before half-masting them, and should be
mast-headed before hauling them down.
Saluting with the ensign at half-mast
should be done by mast-heading first.
The senior officer present should be in
command of the anchorage, should give
the time for colors, make and return sa-
lutes, visits, etc.
His yacht should remain the station
vessel until a senior to him in rank ar-
rives and assumes the command of the
anchorage.
Flag officers should always fly their
pennants while in commission.
From colors at sunset until sunrise
the commodore should show, when on
board, two blue lights, perpendicularly,
at the stern ; when absent, one blue
light should be shown. The vice-com-
modore should show lights as provided
for the commodore, substituting red
lights instead of blue. Captains, when
on board, should show a white light un-
der the main boom ; when absent this
light should be extinguished.
All salutes should be returned in
kind.
Yachts should always salute vessels of
the United States Navy by dipping the
ensign once.
The commodore, on entering port to
join the squadron, should be saluted, on
coming to anchor, by the yachts present.
On all other occasions the commodore
should be saluted, on coming to anchor,
by the officer in command.
The Etiquette of Yachting. 267
Junior flag officers should be saluted,
on coming to anchor, by the officer in
command, unless the latter be a senior
in rank, in which case they should salute
him.
Captains should, on all occasions, sa-
lute the officer in command.
The salute from yachts entering port
should be made by dipping the ensign
once, or by firing a gun on letting go
anchor.
The senior officer, when leaving the
anchorage, excepting temporarily,
should indicate the transfer of command
to the next in rank by firing a gun on
getting under way. All other yachts
should salute the officer in command.
All visits should be made according to
rank.
Yachts, passing one another, should
always exchange salutes by dipping the
ensign once, juniors saluting first. Steam
whistles should never be used to make
salutes.
The salute to yachts entering port,
entitled to a salute, should be made by
dipping the ensign once, or by firing a
gun when they let go anchor.
An official salute to a foreign club
should be made by firing a gun, with
the flag of the foreign club at the fore on
schooners and steamers and at the main
on single-masted vessels, or, in the ab-
sence of such flag, by half-masting the
club flag and firing a gun. When the
salute has been returned, or a reason-
able time for its return allowed, the flag
268 Yachting Wrinkles.
should be hauled down and the club
flag- hoisted again.
The salute from or to yachts arriving
after sunset, or on Sunday, should be
made immediately after colors on the
following morning.
When a flag officer makes an official
visit, a gun should be fired, with his pen-
nant at the fore on schooners and steam-
ers, and at the main on single-masted
vessels, while he remains on board.
A yacht, acting as judges' boat, should
not be saluted during a race.
The quarter-deck should always be
saluted by lifting the cap on coming on
board or from below.
Yachts should report to the command-
ing officer on joining the squadron, and
should obtain his permission before leav-
ing it.
When under way with the squadron,
firing guns and signaling should be
avoided, except when joining or parting
company, or when repeating signals.
When squadrons of different clubs
meet at sea, salutes should be exchanged
only by the commanding officers.
Salutes from single yachts at sea
should only be answered by the flagship.
Single-masted vessels should fly the
private signal of the owner when under
way with the squadron; when at anchor,
the club flag.
When a foreign yacht arrives, the
senior officer present should send on
board, without regard to rank, a tender
of the civilities of the club.
The Etiquette of Yachting. 269
Yachts should salute on entering port
in the home waters of a foreign club,
where any of its fleet are lying. After
the tender of civilities has been made,
owners of the entering yachts should
visit the officer in command of the an-
chorage. All other visits should be
made according to rank, visits to their
equals in rank being made by the own-
ers of the entering yachts.
The time for colors in the home waters
of a foreign club should be given with
its senior flag officer present.
The term " foreign " should be under-
stood as applying to all clubs outside of
the waters of the Gulf of Maine.
Flag officers and the fleet-captain
should fly their pennants, and captains
their private signals, when in their
boats ; members, the club flag. After
sunset a white light should be shown at
the bow.
Passing one another, juniors should
salute seniors by raising the cap.
Following are the words of com-
mand used in the handling of rowing
boats :
Give Way. — To begin rowing.
Hold Water. — To stop the boat's prog-
ress by keeping the blades of the
oars in the water in a vertical posi-
tion, and at right angles to the keel.
In Bow. — To cease pulling the bow oar
and to lay it down fore and aft
within the boat, the blade forward.
Let Fall. — To let the oars drop from the
vertical to the horizontal, the loom
270 Yachting Wrinkles.
resting- in the rowlock, the blade
held out of the water and hori-
zontal, the oar itself at right angles
to the keel.
Oars. — To cease rowing, and to main-
tain the oars in the same position
that they are in after executing the
order " Let Fall."
Ship Oars. — To lift trailing oars out of
the water alongside and hold them
as described for " Let Fall."
Shove Off. — To force the boat away
trom a vessel's side or from a wharf
or float.
Stern All. — To row the boat backwards
—the opposite to " Give Way."
Toss. — To lift the oars out of the water
and lay them down within the boat,
fore and aft, the blades forward.
Trail. — To throw trailing oars out of the
rowlock and allow them to trail
alongside by their lanyards.
Up Oars. — To raise the oars to the verti-
cal, the blades kept fore and aft — a
preface to the order " Let Fall."
\V ay Enough. — To cease rowing, and to
lift the oars out of the water and
boat them, at the coxsuain's word,
" Toss."
When visiting a yacht at anchor, steer
for the starboard gangway. The port
gangway is the "back door" of a yacht
and is reserved for sailors, stewards, etc.
When boarding a yacht under way, or
hove to, go to the lee side, no matter
whether port or starboard.
Don't forget to "salute the quarter-
The Etiquette of Yachting. 271
deck " on reaching it by touching your
cap in naval style.
As soon as you get aboard pay your
respects to the owner. If you don't see
him on deck send your card to him im-
mediately.
A young yachtsman, when about to
embark in a boat from a yacht, should
go over the side first and should take a
modest seat. The owner of the yacht
is last to leave and takes the post of
honor at the tiller lines.
When disembarking at a landing, re-
turning to the yacht, or going aboard
another vessel, the owner leaves the
boat first, the modest youngster last.
§*!'_: • . .^-••».V-:
Photo by R. B. Burchard.
DEFENDER
-STERN.
X.
YACHTING INSURANCE.*
ALSO A FEW LEGAL WRINKLES ON THE STATUS
AND RELATION OF OWNER TO CREW.
UNDERWRITERS, as a rule, seem
not particularly anxious to run
foot-races after the owners of
small yachts who navigate their
own craft. For some reason or other
the amateur skipper is looked upon by
them with suspicion and disfavor. Why,
I do not know, for considering the im-
mense number of pleasure craft in
commission every year the ratio of loss
through wreck, collision, or fire is re-
markably low. I think, if underwriters
took this circumstance into considera-
tion, they would find it in their interest
to offer more attractive inducements to
owners of yachts to insure their floating
property.
The vast number of pleasure craft in
commission on the Atlantic and Pacific
seaboards, on our great fresh-water
lakes, and on the large sheets of water
that, like the Great South Bay, are di-
vided from the ocean proper by a strip
* The author is indebted to an eminent marine jurist
(commonly known as a sea lawyer,) for all the in-
formation contained in this chapter.
Yachting Insurance. 273
of sand, more or less narrow, should I
think excite interest in marine under-
writers, and induce them to offer at-
tractive terms to yacht owners.
The most dangerous fire risk in New
York or any other great city is eagerly
sought for by the lynx-eyed agents of
insurance companies. No tenement is
too flimsy ; no habitation exposed to
the accident of a mouse and a nest of
matches is too perilous for the competi-
tion wallahs of the gigantic corpora-
tions.
Bearing this in mind the owners of
small craft have frequently tried, in the
lack of aid from the large companies, to
start a co-operative scheme of their
own, but because of the want of an en-
terprising and intelligent organizer the
project has always fallen through.
Early in the present year I was asked
by a friend of mine to try to get a
policy of marine insurance on a 35-foot
yacht which is worth at least $4,000 as
she floats — lead keel and all the latest
improvements. I had the greatest dif-
ficulty in effecting the deal. As a mat
ter of fact no insurance company jumped
out of its shoes with alacrity to accept
the risk. Had it been some ramshackle
old schooner, rotten in hull, deficient in
sails and rigging, and manned by a
scanty crew, I was told there would be
little or no trouble in consummating the
transaction. Pleasure vessels' are viewed
with suspicion that they do not deserve.
I allude principally to the smaller
274 Yachting Wrinkles.
classes of craft, which underwriters
steer clear of as though they were af-
fected by a hoodoo worse than that of
Friday and the thirteenth day of the
month.
Marine insurance, so far as applicable
to yachts, seems to be in a mixed and
muddled condition. The owner of a
steam yacht, commanded by a duly qual-
ified master, and with the machinery in
charge of a licensed engineer, has no
difficulty in insuring his vessel at ordi-
nary rates. As the risk is, generally
speaking, not so hazardous as that of
ships engaged in freight-carrying both
summer and winter, underwriters, as a
rule, give steam-yacht owners quite
favorable terms, provided the yacht is
seaworthy and well-found. A large,
steel, steam yacht run under the fore-
going conditions was insured up to her
real value at a premium of three per
cent, against losses by fire, collision, or
the perils of the sea, the risk being di-
vided pro rata on the vessel's hull,
tackle, apparel and furniture, and the
machinery and boilers.
The policy, in this instance, protected
the yacht against the "perils of the seas,
men-of-war, fire, enemies, pirates, rov-
ers, thieves, jettisons, letters of marque
and countermarque, surprisals, takings
at sea, arrests, restraints, and detain -
ment of all kings, princes and people, of
what nations, condition, or qualitysoever,
barratry of the master and mariners, and
all other perils, losses and misfortunes
Vachting Insurance. 275
that have or shall come to the hurt,
detriment or damage of the said ship,
etc., or any part thereof. And in case
of any loss or misfortune it shall be law-
ful for the assured, their factors, ser-
vants and assigns, to sue, labor and trav-
el for, in and about the defence, safe-
guard and recovery of the said ship, etc.,
or any part thereof, without prejudice
to this insurance ; to the charges where-
of the said insurance company will con-
tribute according to the rate and quan-
tity of the sum herein assured.
" Each voyage to be subject to gen-
eral average, particular average to be
payable on each valuation separately or
on the whole, if amounting to three per
cent., or the vessel be stranded, sunk,
burnt, on fire, or in collision. With leave
to sail with or without pilots, to tow and
to be towed, and to assist vessels and/or
craft in all situations and to any extent,
to render salvage services, and to go on
trial trips. With leave to dock, undock,
and change docks as often as may be
required, and to go on slipway, grid-
iron and/or pontoon, and/or to adjust
compasses, including the risk of launch-
ing.
" In case of any claim for average the
repairs to be paid without deduction of
one- third, whether the average be par-
ticular or general.
" General average and salvage charges
as per foreign custom, payable as per
foreign statement, and/or per York-
Antwerp rules, if required ; and in the
276 Yachting Wrinkles.
event of salvage, towage or other as-
sistance being rendered to the vessel
hereby insured, by any vessel belonging
in part or in whole to the same owners,
it is hereby agreed that the value of
such services (without regard to the
common ownership of the vessels) shall
be ascertained by arbitration in the
manner hereinafter provided for under
the collision clause, and the amount so
awarded, so far as applicable to the in-
terest hereby insured, shall constitute a
charge under this policy.
" And it is further agreed, that if the
ship hereby insured shall come into col-
lision with any other ship or vessel, and
the assured shall in consequence thereof
become liable to pay, and shall pay, by
way of damages to any other person or
persons, any sum or sums not exceeding
in respect of any one such collision the
value of the ship hereby insured, we, the
assurers, will pay the assured such pro-
portion of three-fourths of such sum or
sums so paid as our subscriptions hereto
bear to the value of the ship hereby in-
sured. And in cases where the liability
of the ship has been contested, with the
consent, in writing, of a majority of the
underwriters on the hull and/or ma-
chinery (in amount), we will also pay a
like proportion of three-fourths part of
the costs thereby incurred or paid ; but
when both vessels are to blame, then,
unless the liability of the owners of one
or both of such vessels becomes limited
by law, claims under the collision clause
Yachting Insurance. 277
shall be settled on the principle of cross
liabilities as if the owners of each ves-
sel had been compelled to pay to the
owners of the other of such vessels such
one-half or other proportion of the lat-
ter's damages as may have been properly
allowed in ascertaining the balance or
sum payable by or to the assured in con-
sequence of such collision ; and it is
further agreed that the principles in-
volved in this clause shall apply to the
case where both vessels are the proper-
ty, in part or in whole, of the same
owners, all questions of responsibility
and amount of liability as between the
two ships, being left to the decision of
a single arbitrator, if the parties can
agree upon a single arbitrator, or failing
such agreement, to the decision of arbi-
trators, one to be appointed by the man-
aging owners of both vessels, and one
to be appointed by the majority in
amount of underwriters interested in
each vessel ; the two arbitrators chosen
to choose a third arbitrator before en-
tering upon the reference, and the de-
cision of such single, or of any two of
such three arbitrators, appointed as
above, to be final and binding.
" This insurance also specially to cov-
er loss of and/or damage to hull or ma-
chinery through the negligence of mas-
ter, mariners, engineers, or pilots, or
through explosions, bursting of boilers,
breakage of shafts, or through any lat-
ent defect in the machinery or hull,
provided such loss or damage has not
278 Yachting Wrinkles.
resulted from want of due diligence by
the manager."
By the terms of the above policy no
damage under $100 could be collected.
Another clause allowed the yacht to
touch and stay at any ports or places,
and for any and all purposes.
Another clause made the liability
cover the hulls, spars, sails, boats, etc.
Yet another clause provided that a
fixed sum should be returned for every
fifteen days canceled and for a like
number of days laid up dismantling,
overhauling, repairing, etc. This, as
the intelligent reader will see, is to guard
against an usurious interest when the
yacht is not exposed to the perils of cor-
sairs or rovers on the deep green sea.
The collision clause generally pro-
vides that although the yacht insured
may be in fault the underwriters must
pay up to three-fourths of the value of
the policy toward the repair of the
damaged vessel or the general repairs.
For example, a yacht insured for $5,000
runs into another craft and damages
her to the extent of $4,000. In that event
the underwriters are responsible to the
extent of $3,750.
What is called the " racing clause" is
sometimes added, which makes the un-
derwriters liable for total or other loss
while the yacht is in the act of racing.
A policy for $1,250 covering five
months should cost no more than ten
per cent, if the yacht is in good con-
dition. Rates vary on laymg-up policies
Vachting Insurance. 279
covering risks from fire, falling over,
etc., while the craft is out of commis-
sion.
A yacht should be insured for her full
value. If insured for less the ratio
which that amount bears to the true
value will be deducted from the amount
given as compensation for damages.
Here is an English case in point. A
man insured a boat for ^200, her true
value, as declared by him to Lloyd's
agent at the time, being ,£250. She suf-
fered damages in a blow. The owner
agreed to accept ^25 for compensation.
He was tendered ^20, the explanation
being that he had undertaken a fifth
part of the risk on the craft himself, in-
asmuch as he had insured the boat for
^50 less than her real value ; also that
as he had agreed upon ^25 as com-
pensation for the damage sustained, the
underwriters could only be called upon
to pay £20. An appeal to the courts
resulted in a judgment for the under-
writers.
It may be mentioned that English
companies do the bulk of marine in-
surance, ^nd that the law with regard to
it is practically the same in the British
Islands and this country.
After mentioning all the dangers that
may cause total loss, which is fully in-
sured against, the policy states that
where only partial damage is sustained
the underwriters will pay an average
for the repair of such damage at the
rate of 3 per cent.
280 Yachting Wrinkles.
The $100 clause is advantageous to
the owner of a large yacht, for any
damage that the craft might meet with
while at sea, whether in the nature of
collision, or carrying away of gear by
stress of weather, would be more likely
to exceed than come within the $100
limit. With small craft it is different.
It would be a rather severe accident
that would necessitate $100 worth of
repairs. Some companies, realizing the
injustice of this $100 clause, have
lowered the amount to $50, but for this
a slightly increased premium is de-
manded. I would advise all insurers of
small boats to insist upon the $50 clause.
When taking out a policy on a sailing
yacht, whether for coasting or deep-
water cruising, no stipulation is made
as to the sailing master being provided
with a license. In fact, the law does
not make it obligatory for the com-
mander of a sailing yacht to pass any
examination whatever ; but the skipper
of a steam yacht, like the engineer, must
pass the regular examination and be
provided with a license. The reason
for this does not seem quite clear to the
layman.
The owner of a yacht, if he acts as
his own skipper and engages the crew
himself, has all the autocratic power of
a master in the merchant marine. He
can quell a mutiny with the pistol, clap
a refractory " shell-back " into irons, and
maintain stern discipline afloat. But
happily the yachtsman is never called
Yachting Insurance.
281
upon to exercise any severe measures
such as those mentioned. If, however,
the occasion called for the exercise of
stringency the law would protect the
yacht owner.
If a sailor is discharged for miscon-
duct he forfeits the outfit provided for
him by the owner. Few yachtsmen,
however, insist upon this, and the dis-
charged seaman is allowed to take his
" dunnage " ashore with him, but the
outfit is legally the property of the
owner.
XI.
THE COST OF YACHTING.
CAUTIONARY AND ECONOMICAL HINTS TO TYROS
ABOUT TO EMBARK IN THE SPORT.
IN a witty essay Mr. \V. L. Alden,
author of " The Canoe and the Fly-
ing Proa," points out that the most
reckless woman is vastly inferior in
wild extravagance to the ordinary yacht
whose owner has enrolled her in a yacht
club. It is with yachts as it is with
women, he argues. A man who pro-
vides himself with a pretty .wife,
equipped with a sufficient quantity of
clothes, might keep her very cheaply if
he did not permit her to go into society,
which Mr. Alden conceives is about the
same as introducing a yacht to the so-
ciety of other fashionable yachts. He
declares that when the once modest
schooner or bashful sloop has once
tasted the pleasures of a regatta, she
proceeds to lavish her owner's fortune
with frightful recklessness. During the
racing season she splits her sails as
though they were lace flounces, and
sheds topmasts and booms as though
they were hairpins. At the close of the
season he has to call in the aid of the
shipbuilding profession, and to lavish
The Cost of Yachting. 283
upon her costly tonics of hemp and iron
and other expensive remedies pre-
scribed by skillful yachting specialists.
When spring returns she is not satis-
fied with the position of her masts ; she
insists upon being provided with a new
and more graceful stern and a com-
plete wardrobe of new sails and signals.
After these are supplied she declines to
race unless her bow is lengthened ten
or fifteen feet. Next, she finds fault
with her figure and wants to be given
more breadth of beam. Mr. AMen
thinks that the owner of such a craft
ought to have an independent fortune,
or at least be counsel for an insolvent
railroad. A yacht that squanders money
like water all summer, undergoes elabor-
ate repairs in the fall, and is completely
remodeled every spring, is infinitely
more extravagant than any woman who
ever wore jzmo shoes or microscopic
gloves. Mr. Alden concludes that the
only way to be a happy yachtsman is to
buy a slow and plain-looking yacht that
rarely cares to go into society and care-
fully shuns the giddy regatta.
There is much solid substance in the
above, though at first sight it may ap-
pear to be somewhat fantastic. Unless
an owner takes a personal interest in
his yacht she is bound to prove a very
costly luxury. If he gives carte blancJie
to every Tom, Dick and Harry that has
to do with her he will be amazed at the
extent of the bills. The most expensive
luxuries in the world are said to be
284 Yachting Wrinkles.
racing stables and theatres run for the
pleasure of rich men without business
instincts. A large racing yacht con-
ducted on the same extravagant and
reckless basis might well hold the third
place in the list.
A prudent man, before investing in a
yacht, will make inquiries as to the prob-
able expense likely to be incurred, and
will cut his coat according to his cloth.
In this he will act as a sensible man
making any other investment. Before
purchasing a cottage at Newport, a
person of average intelligence calcu-
lates the cost, and decides whether it is
within his power to afford such a luxury.
He doesn't rush at it blindly like a bull
at a gate. Most of our racing yachts-
men have begun when mere boys,
generally with small craft, and have
gradually worked their way upward
tentatively, as it were, until they have
owned the largest type of vessel. Take
Mr. J. Rogers Maxwell, a representative
yachtsman, as an instance. He com-
menced his yachting career with a
mere cockleshell of a craft some fifteen
feet long. He has ascended by easy
stages, and knows the cost of building
and running all kinds of pleasure craft.
The result of his varied experience
would be valuable indeed, for he has
had a hand in the design of every craft
that has carried his private signal.
The life of the yacht owner, of course,
is not all rose-colored. There is an
occasional dash of bitterness in his daily
The Cost of Yachting. 285
draught. It is possible for him to hire
a sailing-master who knows his busi-
ness, to engage a temperance crew, and
even to secure the services of a steward
who is honest to the core. But there is
ever present with him, from the morn-
ing he goes into commission in the
spring until the chilly afternoon in the
autumn when he hauls into winter
quarters, the Yachting Parasite.
The yacht owner soon becomes pain-
fully aware of the existence of this ex-
crescence. Whenever a camel falls down
exhausted on the sands of the desert, a
vulture is sure to await him with raven-
ous appetite and murderous beak and
talons. So, too, wherever a yacht owner
touches, he is always sure to be beset by
some flattering knave eager for an in-
vitation, and longing to stretch his legs
under the cabin table and partake of its
hospitable fare.
This is the fellow to steer clear of, for
if he once manages to get himself do-
mesticated he becomes like a tame cat
He will flirt with the ladies aboard, if
they are so foolish as to permit it ; he
will rook your son at cards ; he will call
for and drink your choicest vintages,
and smoke your most fragrant weeds;
and all this with an insolent air of pro-
prietorship galling in the extreme. The
only way to rid yourself of his presence
is to burn the yacht, or to lash a couple
of cannon balls to his legs and make
him walk the plank. He is above tak-
ing even a broad hint to depart.
286 Yachting Wrinkles.
The Yachting Parasite has an abun-
dant feeding ground in America. Some
of our yacht owners are marvelously
susceptible to flattery. The Parasite is
wide awake to this weakness and avails
himself of it. He secures a season's
free board amid luxurious surroundings.
He lives on the fat of the land, and
the yacht owner hasn't moral courage
enough to kick him ashore. On the con-
trary, he seems to enjoy his sugary
speeches. The Parasite is found under
every flag, our American variety being
naturally jealous of any foreign rival.
Particularly objectionable to him is the
English or Irish interloper with parasit-
ical designs on what he regards as his
own rightful prey. The successful Para-
site thus lives a pleasant life during the
yachting season. He has more fun than
the owner, and neither expense nor re-
sponsibility. He sometimes is fortunate
enough to be retained in his master's
household all winter. His fawnings
have become indispensable to his pa-
tron's comfort. A queer creature, truly,
but he is one of our recognized yacht-
ing " institutions." Guard against him,
my brethren ; never let him play the
part of Old Man of the Sea to your
Sindbad the Sailor. He is too unwhole-
some and expensive a luxury for you,
and it is about time that he is abol
ished.
In times of serious financial depres-
sion, when a cold wave of economy per-
meates the land, owners of lar^e schoon-
The Cost of Yachting. 287
ers need be at no loss for substantial
reasons for tardiness in fitting out.
These spacious craft are expensive to
run. They are great gobblers up of
greenbacks, their voracity being inca-
pable of appeasement. As a matter of
fact, yachtsmen fall an easy prey to
land-sharks disguised as ship-chandlers
and merchants who cater to the needs
of those who take their pleasure afloat.
Monster steam vessels and unwieldy
schooners soon reduce the balance at
the bank unless their owners bring to
bear on the situation the same business
shrewdness that dominates their offices
in Wall street, where every little bill is
audited with lynx-eyed subtleness, and
the salary list, from the cashier to the
three-dollar-a-week office boy, is scru-
tinized with economical care every
week in the hope of cutting down ex-
penses by reducing the working staff.
My heart goes out to the man who
cultivates yacht racing not for ostenta-
tious and vulgar display, but from an in-
nate and hearty love of the sport If I
can give him a few hints on the way of
saving a dollar or two of his modest
store, I shall only be too delighted.
The carrying of large crews is obliga-
tory in racing yachts but is by no means
requisite. In another chapter I have
mentioned the small number of men
carried on the America and Sappho in
their voyages across the ocean. In the
Atlantic race of December, 1866, in
which Henrietta, Vesta and Fleetivtng
288 Yachting Wrinkles.
took part, each yacht carried a comple-
ment of four officers and twenty-two
men. This was a large ship's company
for a 200- ton schooner, but the season
was winter and the stakes $90,000, so no
risk was taken. The centerboard schoon-
er Montank, in her voyage to the West
Indies in 1884, carried a sailing-master
and a crew of thirteen. The Athlon, a
6o-foot sloop, is worked by a skipper,two
men before the mast and a steward.
Captain Henry Andruss of the Sasqua,
a smart 35 -footer, carries only one paid
hand, but then Andruss is a host in him-
self and his son makes his weight felt
when he tails on to the mainsheet.
That this question is considered of im-
portance in England is evident from the
following editorial which I transcribe
from the Yachtsman :
"One of the best features in the early
life of British yachting was that the
vessels then engaged in racing did not
depend so much as in these days on
professional aid for smartness and sea-
manship. We may smile at times when
we read the accounts of races sailed fifty
years ago, and at the yarns of 'the vet-
eran ' anent ' the good old days,' etc. ; but
there cannot be a doubt that yacht rac-
ing has since then drifted too much into
professional hands, and whilst we have
learned (small credit to us) to look for
greater smartness in the handling of our
racing yachts, we must not ignore the
fact that we pay for it right royally. In
proportion to the number of racing
Tlie Cost of Yachting. 289
yachts now afloat there can be no doubt
that good amateur sailors are lamentably
fewer than they were even twenty years
ago.
" If in the wisdom of the Y. R. A. it
should be so decided that paid hands
shall be limited in number for each class,
the change should be hailed with joy,
and to lessen the sorrow of the grumbler
it may be pointed out that the smallest
number likely to be assigned in every
case would be far in excess of what our
forefathers would have dreamed of. The
cost of crews is enormous nowadays, not
only from their numbers, but from the
excessive remuneration for their ser-
vices. This is a matter, indeed, which
cannot be regulated in any feasible way
that we know of, and therefore a limita-
tion in the number of paid hands is the
more desirable. To compare the wages,
or ' salaries,' of to-day with those of past
times, we may mention that when the
old Clyde clipper Clarence was in her
prime (about 60 or 65 )'ears ago) her
sailing master received £i per week,
and her ordinary hands ibs. They had
no outfits given them, and they were
grateful for a glass cf grog to celebrate
the winning of a prize. This was a typi-
cal case until the early fifties, \vhen the
scale of wages seems to have gone up.
In the Stella and Cymba days, sailing-
masters of renown got £\ 5$. per week,
and the men ^T, and then outfits and
prize-money firstbegantoappear, though
on a very small scale. McKirdy, skipper
290 Yachting Wrinkles.
of the Cymba, was the first sailing-mas-
ter, so far as \ve know, who received a
yearly salary.
" Those were ' the good old days,'
however, and in nothing have they gone
beyond recall more than in the lowness
of wages. That they are now beyond
recall may easily be believed by all
yacht owners, and, therefore, these
should hail with gladness any scheme
likely to stop one or two of the many
leaks in their purses. Some of those
leaks, however, might well be counter-
acted by the clubs through the simple
expedient of increasing the amount of
their prizes. To offer the ao-raters of
to-day the same sum as was offered as a
prize to the zo-tonners of 1870 is strik-
ingly absurd."
In general it may be remarked that it
is wise to ship no more cats than can
catch mice ; before making repairs to
your vessel to procure estimates ; to buy
your stores and provisions in the open
market and exercise judicious economy
in the running of the yacht.
It should be remembered that aside
from the first cost it takes very little
more to run a 3<>footerthan a i5-footer.
In the latter you have no accommoda-
tions whatever, while a 3o-footer can be
made quite a roomy little ship if space
is judiciously adapted. Three men can
handle a 3o-footer with ease, if the fingers
of the men are not all thumbs.
Before buying a yacht see that there
are no liens against her for unpaid wages
The Cost of Yachting. 291
or stores. If she has been libeled in the
Court of Admiralty you will probably
have to pay claim and costs. A creditor
can without trouble libel a yacht and put
an officer in possession. Your only course
then to pursue, if you dispute the claim,
is to give a bond for the amount and
fight the matter in the courts.
Following is the scale of wages for
yacht sailors now prevailing :
Captains from $250 to $5o per month
Mates
100
175
'25
IOO
125
y>
< folio1
Stewa
Sailor
Messn
5°
90
85
60
5°
25
kVS :
rd
Engineers on
small
Stewards
( ooks
Sailors
The cost of
OlltfitS
... $75
Mate.
s, each 35
jan 35
Engineer
Cook...
.. 60
CO
The expense of keeping a 40 footer de-
pends much upon the tastes of her owner
and whether used for racing or cruising.
Here, however, is an example. It will
be noted that the rates are lower, owing
to the size of the craft :
Captain $5o a month ; outfit $25
Two sailors 60 " 25
Cook ... 50 " " 20
Walter 35 18
The grub for the crew would cost 50
cents per day per man.
Hauling out three times during the season, $50
New mainsail 100
Racing money is paid as follows in
large yachts when a victory is scored :
Captains ... $25 | Mates .... $10 | Sailors.... $5
It is not usual in this country to pay
"losing money."
XIT.
THE LAST WORD.
FINAL HINTS TO TARS WHO WANT TO SAIL THEIR
OWN CRAFT.
THE small cruising and racing yacht
has now become so fashionable
that a vast number of recruits
have joined the already large
navy of yachting amateurs. In many
cases the owners of the craft new last
season have only a slight and superficial
knowledge of a boat, and will depend
on their professional skippers for the
navigating and general management of
her. This is as it should be.
There are, however, certain matters
relating to the internal economy of a
yacht which cannot be learned from the
average skipper, and this article is de-
voted to their exposition and discus-
sion. The hints given are practical,
and may possibly be of use to men just
embarking in the sport, as well as those
entering upon their second season.
The owner of a small racing yacht
taking part in the squadron cruise of
the New York Yacht Club, which some-
times extends as far as Bar Harbor,
Me., should take care that he carries
The Last Word. 293
along with him a sufficient " sea kit "
for all the emergencies of the voyage.
Certain social functions at Newport, for
instance, will render evening clothes
necessary, if not indispensable, to any
yachtsman desiring to participate in the
social gayeties of the Cowes of America.
A " claw-hammer " coat is my pet
abomination, and personally I would
never "hoodoo" a racing yacht with
any such luxurious superfluity. So
strong is my antipathy to this garment
of civilization that my will contains a
special clause forbidding my under-
taker to attire me for the grave in a so-
called dress suit, as is sometimes the
custom in this country.
But I am no prejudiced churl, and
will willingly give the benefit of my ex-
perience to those who would not " feel
at home " after sundown unless clad in
the regulation society garb. Now a
dress suit to look well must be kept free
from damp, otherwise it will speedily
mildew. The cabin of a little racer is
always exposed to the danger of moist-
ure, either in the form of rain or of
spray. Sometimes a veritable " green
sea" in an unguarded moment finds its
way below, and then woe to the nautical
dandy who has intrusted his shore tog-
gery to the untender mercies of a
leather portmanteau or dress- suit case !
No self-respecting girl will dance with
a young man whose evening clothes
have been made unsightly by sea water,
no matter how scarce the dancing
294 Yachting Wrinkles.
species of the genus homo may happen
to be.
To preserve " swell togs " in spick-
and-span condition the wise yachtsman
will provide himself with a metal uni-
form case, airtight and waterproof,
such as navy and army officers use when
on service in tropical climates where
humidity and cockroaches play havoc
with unprotected uniforms. In this case
the nautical dude may snugly stow his
dress suit and dancing shoes, his
"biled" shirts, collars, white ties, jew-
elry, and such other trifles as he may
see fit, including stationery, postage
stamps and whatever paper currency he
may have with him. I say stationery
and stamps advisedly, having experi-
enced the annoyance of trying to write
on paper damaged by spray and enve-
lopes gummed up by heat and humidity.
It might, however, be well to omit the
ink as an inmate of your uniform case,
as mishaps are rather more frequent
afloat than ashore, and ink stains are
difficult to eradicate from collars, shirts
and cuffs. This case may be stored
away in the most convenient location
possible, and its owner may rely on
finding its contents in good condition,
no matter how severe the weather the
little boat has encountered.
The remainder of the owner's ward-
robe maybe carried in a sailor's painted
duck bag, or, if this simple and inex-
pensive device is not " swagger "
enough, in an india-rubber bag, such
The Last Word. 295
as may be obtained of any dealer in
sportsmen's supplies. Woolen under-
wear is preferable to any other, and as
it can now be had in the lightest weights,
the old objection of heaviness and too
much warmth has lost its significance.
Serge and flannel clothes are best suited
for ordinary wear at sea, and flannel
pajamas will also be found more service-
able and comfortable than those of any
other material. Woolen socks and blue,
hand-knitted guernseys are also to be
recommended. These few hints with
regard to clothing must suffice, as every
man has his own peculiar ideas as to
the rigging and adorning of his person,
and is slow to adopt any other fellow's
notions or follow advice, no matter how
kindly offered.
Remember that it is not safe to put
to sea without a corkscrew and a can-
opener. In fact, these tools are so in-
dispensable when on the briny that they
should be duplicated or even triplicated.
When a thirsty tar needs a glass of
grog, medicinally or as a beverage, it is
very provoking to be told that the cork-
screw is mislaid. An old sea-crony of
mine used to provide against such con-
tingencies by always carrying, made fast
to a lanyard round his neck, a sailor's
knife, whose "other blade was a cork-
screw," so he was never at a loss to
tackle a rum bottle or a sardine can
whenever the emergency arose. Ship-
mates ! take an old sea dog's advice and
follow this most excellent example.
296 Yachting Wrinkles.
Matches should be carried in glass
jars with wind and water tight covers.
These are good receptacles also for to-
bacco, either in plugs or cut. Cigars,
too, may be kept in them without that
injury to their fragrance inseparable
from their absorption of sea-air, which
has ruined the flavor of the finest of
Havanas. If these glass jars are cov-
ered with canvas neatly sewn on, they
will run no risk of breakage.
The yachtsman must use his own dis-
cretion regarding medical supplies. I
recommend essence of ginger, extract
of witch hazel, absorbent cotton, rubber
sticking-plaster (which requires neither
heat nor moisture for its application)
rolled up in an airtight tin box, thread
and needles, muslin bandages, a forceps
for extracting splinters, vaseline, seidlitz
powders (in an airtight tin), and Hors-
ford's acid phosphate as among the most
pressing necessities to be taken along.
A mixture of baking soda and vase-
line in equal parts is a most excellent
ointment for the cure of sunburn. I
have known a landlubber's lily-white
skin to be so scarified by the burning
rays of the sun as to cause him excru-
ciating agony. An application of the
mixture mentioned above afforded him
quick relief.
A large stowing place for ice is in-
dispensable to health and comfort in
these latitudes. If you should, how-
ever, happen to fall short of this neces-
sary, it should not be forgotten that a
The Last Word. 297
canvas bucket filled with fresh water
and covered with cheesecloth to keep
out dust and flies, if hung up in the
sun, will afford a supply of agreeably
cold water. This is an old " wrinkle,"
much used in tropical climates. A por-
ous earthenware jar will also accom-
plish the same result, the effect being
produced by evaporation.
The cuisine of a small racing yacht is
necessarily limited. The solution of
the cooking-stove problem has not as
yet been accomplished. Gasoline stoves
are clean, convenient and efficient, but
they are dangerous. Oil stoves with
wicks, on account of their odor, smoke
and dirt, are objectionable ; cook and
cabin are covered with lampblack. Coal
stoves generate too much heat below for
true comfort in our summers. The sea
stove of the future will probably be an
adaptation of the wickless oil stove,
which is as cleanly as an alcohol stove
and equally free from dirt and odor, and
burns ordinary kerosene oil.
The good quality of the canned meats,
vegetables and fruits, as put up nowa-
days, renders a yachtsman pretty nearly
independent of a galley. With a capa-
cious ice-box, he can store supplies of
cooked meats and fowls, which, with
the aid of his stock of canned goods,
will keep him going. A stove on which
he can boil a kettle for coffee or tea and
fry a dish of fish or ham and eggs is all
that is absolutely necessary. He wants
all the available space for his racing
298 Yachting Wrinkles,
sails and gear, and cannot spare room
below for a Delmonico kitchen. Thus
the aesthetic epicure or even the ordi-
nary glutton (I guess there is but little
difference between them) must make
some notable gastronomical sacrifices
while in the pursuit of yacht prizes, but
he can easily atone for scanty fare
afloat when he reaches the shore, where
hotels with epicurean larders are within
easy distance. But, as a matter of fact,
the ordinary yachtsman will fare admi-
rably on such "grub " as he can carry
along from port to port, and he need
never be forced to seek the hospitality
of a caravansary.
Some cooks have a violent prejudice
against the humble and innocuous fry-
ing-pan. They denounce it until they
are black in the face. I have found this
culinary utensil invaluable in a small
vessel where an oil stove only was pos-
sible, and the use of a broiler conse-
quently impracticable. Procure not the
ordinary shallow pan, such as is com-
monly used in kitchens ashore, but a
deep pan with a tightly fitting cover
and a long handle, such as French chefs
affect. In this a great variety of food
can be prepared — savory stews, appetiz-
ing curries and soups. If you heat the
pan very hot before you put a steak or
a chop in it (omitting fat or butter), in
flavor and tenderness you can scarcely
distinguish it from a genuine grill. My
word for it, a frying-pan, intelligently
used, is a boon and a blessing aboard a
7 he Last Word. 299
small vessel. But mind and get a deep
one with a cover, as a shallow one is of
little use when the boat is pitching or
rolling, or even sailing in smooth water
but heeling over to the breeze.
If you happen to get hold of a good
"Jap " for a sea cook, he will be able to
boil rice correctly. Some fellows don't
like rice. The reason is because they
have never eaten it cooked to Oriental
perfection, when every grain is plump
and dry and separate from its fellow. It
is different when you get a mushy abom-
ination served up to you in lieu of a dish
pretty to look at and grateful to the
palate.
I learned to cook rice when a boy
plying on a schooner owned by the
Jehanum Jow Juldee Railroad, which
used to connect Negapatam with Mad-
ras. The native cook was my teacher.
First he placed his measure of rice in a
deck bucket, washing it repeatedly with
water fresh from the ocean. He ex-
plained to me in his Tamil language,
that unless this process was followed
the grains of rice would cling together
and coagulate and form into a porridge,
loathsome to look at and worse to taste.
After washing the rice thoroughly, he
placed it in a pot of furiously boiling
fresh water — no salt being added. Then
he would fire up like an infernal stoker
and keep the pot in a splendid state of
ebullition. And mark you, messmates
all, he never stirred the heated mass !
After boiling for twenty minutes, he
3oo Yachting Wrinkles.
reduced the heat, strained off the water,
carefully reserving it for drinking pur-
poses (for congee water isn't half bad),
and then let the rice swell and dry for
half an hour under a very moderate fire.
The result was RICE !
As a grateful accompaniment to this
staple comestible, his custom was to
prepare a curry, often of prawns, which
grow to perfection on the Coromandel
Coast. Now, far be it from me to decry
the luscious excellence of the American
prawn, whose toothsome delicacy has
often tickled my palate, but in the inter-
est of truth I must say that the species
which flourishes under the Stars and
Stripes must retire into insignificance in
the matter of size, plumpness, juiciness
and flavor when compared with the
prawns of Madras. Some of these at-
tain the length of nine inches. Par-
boiled in sea water, dexterously deprived ,
of their scaly armor, and then impaled
on thin strips of bamboo, they were ready
for the deft and scientific touch of our
Madrassee chef. In an earthenware
"chatty " he placed a sufficient quantity
of "ghee," or native butter. When this
reached the sizzling stage, he added a
little finely shred onion and a suspicion
of garlic, watching the stewpan with
the kindly care of a mother until it
reached the golden-brown stage. Next,
with tender solicitude, he put in the
prawns and the curry and watched the
product stew in its own juice until its
fragrance enticed all hands with water-
The Last Word. 301
ing mouths to cluster round his base of
operations.
About the curry ? Please don't ask
me for its ingredients. I was only a
hungry boy then and didn't know enough
to investigate its component parts. I
am sure, however, that it contained
chillies,turmeric, thepulp of green cocoa-
nut and a host of other Eastern condi-
ments, and that the result was gastro-
nomic joy. To make a dish of palatable
curry in a yacht's kitchen and in half an
hour is easy. In your deep frying-pan
place a chunk of butter as big as an egg.
When it melts and begins to smoke add
a large onion sliced and a tablespoonful
of curry powder and any cold meat or
cold fish you may have on hand, cut up
in small chunks. Let it cook for fifteen
minutes and fall to and eat !
Curry is like the true West India pep-
per-pot. It can be made of almost any-
thing. Fresh meat or fish, canned meat
or vegetables,will always taste good. All
that is actually necessary in the way of
condiments may be thus summarized :
Butter, onions (garlic to those who be-
lieve it to be the violet of vegetables,
always in a small quantity), red and
black pepper, curry powder and chutnee.
With these ingredients a palatable dish
is always at hand. No Asian or Eurasian
thickens his curry with flour. A squeeze
of lemon or lime-juice adds zest to the
dish.
In concluding these culinary hints I
may say that chops, ham and eggs, may
302 Yachting Wrinkles.
be prepared with facility in the deep
frying-pan already recommended. Let
the pan be blazing hot when your ambi-
tion urges you to serve up a sirloin steak
or an English mutton chop. Put no fat
in the pan. The object is to sear up the
fibre of the meat and keep in the juices.
When you think the meat is cooked put
it in a hot dish, butter it on both sides
and pipe all hands to dinner.
When you fry fish, oysters or clams,
place them in boiling fat and cook rapid-
ly. The best and freshest of fish is
ruined by letting it get soddened in luke-
warm grease.
Now here is my recipe for fish chow-
der, and when you have once partaken
thereof you will cry like a child for
more. Procure a small codfish or had-
dock, while yet squirming from the hook,
clean him well and parboil him, reserv-
ing the water in which he was cooked.
Remove head, tail, skin and bone, and cut
him up into moderate mouthfuls. Place
an iron pot on the galley fire. When it
is hot throw in a lump of butter and six
onions sliced finely. When the fragrant
odor of the onion arises throw in your
fish. Cover the pot close so that the fish
may absorb all the flavor. Then add
potatoes in very small quantities and
some of the broth the fish primarily sim-
mered in, and wait till it is cooked and
then ask a blessing and eat it. One hint
and then I am done. Let each man flavor
his own dish. Don't you as sea cook
usurp a man's rights. Provide the usual
The Last Word. 303
condiments and sauces, pepper and salt,
etc., but otherwise allow the true disciple
of the goddess Gastronomia to reach his
goal by means of his own.
By using a little judgment and com-
mon sense one may easily avoid the
" grub-spoiling " stage, and be able to
boil a kettle of water without burning
it, and finally master the art of making
a cup of drinkable coffee, tea or choco-
late, and of cooking a few simple dishes,
which will agreeably vary the monotony
of canned viands, which are distasteful
to many of ourjeunesse dore'e under any
and all circumstances, sardines alone
excepted, wrhich seem never to clog on
even the most jaded palate.
Hardtack should be stored in airtight
canisters, or it will soon become " sog-
gy " and lose its dry crispness and
wholesome savor. A glazed earthen-
ware jar in the ice box makes a very
capital receptacle for butter.
With regard to beverages tastes will
differ. Bottled beer is rather too bulky.
California wines are wholesome and
moderate in price. Some of the growths
are equal to the produce of any foreign
vineyard. In making out your list of
liqui'd stores do not omit a bottle of old
brandy for medicinal purposes, and
take care to reserve it for a real emer-
gency, never opening it, no matter how
parched your throat may be or how
plaintively your chum may cry out for
a " nip." Brandy has often saved life,
and on general principles it is unwise to
304 Yachting Wrinkles.
divert medical stores from their proper
sphere of usage Some racing- yachts-
men quench their thirst with ice water
qualified with a drain of Scotch whiskey
or Plymouth gin. Both of these drinks
are recommended by many fleet sur-
geons of my acquaintance as being
wholesome when taken in moderation.
But it is as hard to prescribe a man's food
or drink for him as to induce him to
follow advice on how to dress. The fore-
going hints are, therefore, given with
good intent, and with no desire on my
part to ram them down my readers'
throats.
Beware, however, of the amateur
" grub-spoiler." He will play havoc with
your larder, and make you use lan-
guage which your spiritual director
would highly disapprove. There is
much truth in the aphorism that heaven
sends cooks and that "grub-spoilers"
come from "the other place."
With reference to remedies for sea-
sickness I can offer only one suggestion.
Ice bags for the spine, nitrite of amyl
to inhale, chloral to take internally, are
among the many nostrums recommend-
ed. Personally I have witnessed many
marvelous cures by judicious doses of
dry champagne, or, in default of this
beverage, brandy and soda taken ice-
cold. Sweet champagne seems to aggra-
vate rather than relieve the awful nau-
sea.
Do not fail to take a good supply of
lemons and limes with you when bound
The Last Word. 305
on a cruise. They are excellent for the
compounding of temperance and other
beverages.
Do not fail to include in your list of
necessaries a nautical almanac, which is
full of useful information. Among the
subjects are the time of sunrise and
sunset, lighthouses and lightships, the
moon's phases, compass variations, tide
tables, etc. Do not leave it ashore as
did the Dutchman his anchor.
Watertight sailcovers are great safe-
guards against mildew, but should not
be used to cover sails already wet. Dry
your sails thoroughly before you furl
them snugly. If wet, leave them in
loose folds secured with a stop or two.
If your boat is bigger than a Herres-
hoff thirty-footer, which has no accom-
modations at all, by all means get into
the wholesome habit of sleeping aboard
and thus avoid the temptations in the
way of dissipation which the shore has
extended to mariners since the days of
Jason and the good ship Argo. Re-
member that a windsail judiciously set
to catch every stray breath of air, with
its lower end down the forehatch or the
cabin skylight, will keep the air below
sufficiently cool for comfort, and refresh-
ing sleep will follow as a matter of
course.
It is quite the correct thing for the
owner of a racing yacht to invite a
friend or two to go with him on a cruise
and to accept their help in racing the
yacht in the daily runs from port to
306 Yachting Wrinkles.
port. For the benefit of those not well
acquainted with the etiquette ot yacht
racing the following suggestions may
be of use :
It is well for all hands to get aboard
in good time, so as to have ample
opportunity to prepare for the busi-
ness of the day. I will take it for
granted that you are properly clad for
the work ahead, that you have left your
frock coat and gafftopsail hat ashore,
where they belong, and that your ap-
parel is suited for the occasion. I am
no Beau Brummel, to act as arbiter ele-
gantiarum in the matter of attire afloat
or ashore, but I have seen some queerly
rigged specimens of amateur sailors in
my time, and have observed what an
amazing fund of fun they furnish to the
curious onlooker surveying the scene
from the outside. Gorgeous "blazers,"
silken sashes of variegated hues, acting
as soul and body lashings round the
midship section and supporting trou-
sers of spotless white jean, with the
accessories of an expensive straw hat, a
"biled" shirt, silken hose and pipe-
clayed deck shoes — all these may look
ornamental and captivating, but the
common-sense element of utility is lack-
ing. Such bright plumage may be
suitable for the deck of a steam yacht
with pretty girls aboard, or for the
casino of a swell seaside resort, but a
simple suit of flannel and a white duck
yachting cap is the sort of garb best
adapted for the work to be tackled.
The Last Word. 307
For prudential reasons, in this uncer-
tain climate a fellow should take his
"oilers" along. Even as I write I am
reminded of the advisability of this by
certain unpleasant rheumatic twinges
which rack my old weather-beaten hull,
and which might perhaps have been
avoided if I had kept myself drier in
my youth. Let no " freshie " take an
umbrella aboard, as it is a breeder of
bad luck, and if there happens to be an
old sea-dog in the craft, ten to one he
will seize an early opportunity of sur-
reptitiously heaving it overboard — a
proceeding which every right-minded
mariner will cordially approve,
Do not burden yourself with walking-
cane, field-glasses or camera, no matter
how devoted you may be to the art of
amateur photograph}*. There is a time
for everything, and your special duty
during the match will be to pull and
haul on ropes, to stick out to windward
as far as possible when the yacht is
close hauled, and to hop lively about
the decks as occasion requires, never
heeding salt sea water coming aboard
in showers of spray from the ocean, or
the drenching downpour from the open
heavens.
It will occur to you that the fancy
attire to which I have alluded above
will be inappropriate to any but the
calmest and sunniest weather. Enough
said ! If you wish to gratify the heart
of the yacht-owner you will invest in a
close crop and a clean shave prepara-
308 Yachting Wrinkles.
tory to reporting aboard, and will carry
nothing but a knife and a handkerchief
in your pockets, leaving your jewelry
and watch and keys and other personal
bric-a-brac ashore. If you should chance
to fall overboard during the race you
will not feel sorry if you availed your-
self of this valuable hint, for salt water
plays the devil with the works of a
timepiece, and but few watch-cases are
actually fluid -proof. Besides, every
ounce of superfluous \veight militates
against the speed of a craft, and " mony
a inickle makes a muckle."
One final word to the yacht owner.
Be careful of the guests you invite.
The sea frequently develops the harm-
less shore crank into a most detestable
nuisance afloat. When once he is aboard
the law does not permit you to heave
him overboard.
INDEX.
PAGE.
Ackers, Holland, 226
Alarm, First British Warship to be Coppered, . 68
Alarm. Cutter, 138
Albany, Ocean-going Sloop, 83
Alden, W. L., Quoted, 282
Aluminum as a Yacht Metal, . . . . 50 et seq.
America, Schooner, 19, 22, 38 ; Lines of, 30 ; 7, 81, 165, 184
America's Cup, 30
Argo, Captain Jason 14, 17
Ark, Captain Noah, 13, 14
Arrow, Cutter, 138
Athlon, Stormy Cruise on, . . . 91 et set/,; 288
Bedouin, Cutter, . 136
Bloodhound, Cutter, 150
Boa s, Yachts', Handling of, 269
Boatswain, Duties of, 176
Bow, Type of, 1892, 237
Britannia, Cutter, 45
Burgess, Edward, 81
Carlyle, Thomas, Good Sailor, . . . 27 et seq.
Center, Robert, 6?
Centerboard, Discussed, 78 tt sey.; Germ of, . 84
Charles II., King, and His Yacht, . . . 17,18
Chronometers, Care of 164
Clara, Cutter, 45, 64
Colonia, 136, 137
Columbus, Flagship of, 17
Cookery on Small Yachts, 297
Cooks, 188-9 i Wages of, 291
Compass, Hints on Care of, 156
Corinthian Yacht Club of New York, ... 37
Corsair, Steam Yacht, 22
Cranfield, Captain, 253
Crews, Selection of, 183 ; Wages of, . . .291
Cutter, Rig of, 139
Dad, Freak, 117, 120
Defender, 52-3 4, 177, 179; Mid-Section of, 239; Sheer
Plan of, 246
Dilemma, 83, no
3 TO I tide x.
PAGE.
Dominion, Double-Huller, ... 88, 122-3-4
Dorothy, Catboat, xot, 109, 113
Double-Huller of the Pacific, 128; Singhalese Type, 126
Dragon III., zo-Rater, 63,75
Duggan, Herrick, Designer of Dominion, . . 121
Duncan, Skipper of Madge, 157
Duty and Discipline Aflo:.t, .... i66etseg.
Ellen, Watson 2o-Rater, 235
Emerald. Schooner, 132
English Cutters, Mid-Sections of, . . . . 238
Ethel wynn, i5-footer, 152, 153
Evolution, 81 ; Lines of, 107
Fife, William, Sr 245
Fitting Out and Tuning Up, .... 130 et seq.
Flags, Proper Use of, 265 et seq.
Galatea. Cutter, 45, 231; Mid-Section of, . . 239
Genesta, Cutter, 45, 135, 231 ; Mid-Section of, . 239
Ghost, sr-footer, Race of, with Phantom, 192 et seq.
Gimcrack, Schooner, J. C. Stevens' Flag-
ship, 18,23,25,34
Gloriana, 79, 81, 83
Goshawk, Brig, Wreck of, with Author Aboard, 76
Gossoon, 4o-footer, 161, 163
Gracie, Sloop, 132,133
Guns, Proper Use of, 262
Haff, Captain, 178
Harvey, Designer John, 64
Havens, E. B., 91
Herreshoff, Nat., 45, 54, 81, 231
Hurkaru, East Indiaman, 126
Insurance, Yachting, -2-12 et seq.
Iselin, C. Oliver, ..... . . 177
Jay, Captain Tom, ....... 236
Johnson, Dr., Quoted, . . ... 27
Jubilee, Lines of. no; Dimensions of, . . 118
Jullanar, Lines of, 108; Dimensions of, . . .114
Katrina, . . 160
Kewaydin, Knockabout, 103
Kittie, Catboat, 105
Knight, E. P., Quoted 185
Lascar Crews, 181
Leeboard, Dutch, 84
Index. 311
PAGE.
Madge, Cutter, 45, 81 2, 159
Maria, Sloop, 18, 19, 34, 38
Mary, Yacht of Charles II., ... 17, 18
Mary Taylor, Pilot Boat, 185
Mates, Duties of, 172 ; Wages of, .... 291
Maxwell, J. Rogers 284
Mayflower, 45 ; Mid-Section of, .... 239
Measurement Rules, American and British, 240 it seq.
Meteor, Cutter, 45, 177
Minerva, Cutter, 45, 151, 163
Montauk, Schooner, 288
Mosquito, First English Iron Yacht, ... 62
Nameless, British Freak, m, 121
Niagara, Lines of, no ; Midship Section of, 114 ;
Under Sail, 115, 117
New York Yacht Club, 18, 21, 43
Noah, Captain, 13, 14
Norse Galley, 7, 20
Nyanza, First Composite Yacht, .... 63
Oriva, Cutter, 67
Ouananiche, 2i-footer, 71, 72
Outfits, Cost of for Crew, 291
Parasites, Yachting, 285
Phantom, 5i-footer, Race of, with Ghost, . 192 et seg.
Piano Wire for Rigging, 151
Postley, Commodore C. A., 136
Priscilla, 136
Proa, Flying, Described by Anson, . . .128
Protests, 217
Puritan, 45, 81, 136; Mid-Section of, . . .239
Race Committees, Duties of, 216
Racing Money, 291
Racing Rules, zi-,etseq.
Racing Yacht, The, 47 et seq.\ Evolution of, 225 et seq.
Randall, F. M., Cape Catboats of, . . . . 105
Rocket. Lines of, 112, 117, 121
Rorqual, Fin Freak, . . . . • . . 116
Rule of the Road at Sea -2-1$ et seq.
Sails, Cotton and Flax, 141 ; Proper Balancing of, 159-60
Salutes, Etiquette of, 263 et seg.
Sappho, Schooner, 134, 185
Sasqua, ... 288
Sea Jockeying, Examples 01, .... 157-58
312 Index.
PAGE.
Sea-lawyers, 182
Sea-sickness, Remedies for, 304
Shamrock, Sloop, 132
Skate, Freak, 118, 120
Smith, Designer A. Gary, 62
Spars, 142
Spruce IV., 154
Steel, Gaffs and Booms of, .... 143
Stephens, W. P., on Centerboards, . . . 86 f t seq.
Stern, Type of 1892, .237
Stevens, J. C., 18, 19, 31
Stewards, 188-89 '• Wages of, 201
Sullivan, Sir Edward, Quoted, .... 184
Thistle, 141, 231, 235 ; Mid-Section of, . . 239
Titania, 160
Trojans, Yacht Races of, 16
Turnbuckles, , . 142, 149
Uncas, Schooner, 70-1 ; Rig of, . . . 144-45-78
Valkyrie II., Mid-Section of, 239
Valkyrie III., 45, 52, m, 177 ; Mid-Section of, 239 ;
Sheer Plan of, 246
Vendenesse, Aluminum Cutter, .... 51
Vesper, Freak, 117,120
Vesta, Schooner, 85, 121
Victoria, Queen, Patroness of Yachting, . . 46
Vigil, Schooner, Rig of, 144
Vigilant, Sloop, 50 ; Mid-Section of, . . . 239
Vigilant, Revenue Cutter, .... 27 tt seq.
Viking Ship, 17, 20
Vindex, First American Iron Yacht, ... 62
Volunteer, Sloop, 136, 231 ; Mid-Section of, . . 239
Wainwright, Lieut. -Commander, ... 37
Wages, 289, 291
Wanda, Herreshoff Catboat, . . . 104, 106, 109
Watson, Designer George L.. . . 47, 67-8, 114, 231
Wire Rope, Flexible, 142
Yacht Racing as a Sport, i^rtseg.
Y. R. A. of Long Island Sound, 44 ; of Massachu-
setts, 44 ; of Great Britain, . . . 230, 232
Yachts, Type of, Discussed, 78 ei seg.\ Race, Down-
to-Date Described, 192 et seq.; Captains of,
166,168; Legal Status of Owners of, . . 280
Yachting, Etiquette of, 261 et seq ; Cost of, . 282 et sey.
Yachting Reporters, A Plea for, . . . .216
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