YACHTING.

THE yachting season of 1893, now in full swing, is destined to be the most illustrious in the annals of the sport. The fact that five big racing cutters have been built to compete against British cracks is sufficient to arouse popular enthusiasm. Indeed, it is certain that there is far more interest taken in international yachting this year than was ever before known.

Farmers from the West, who have never even seen the ocean, and would not know a pleasure craft from a street-cleaning scow, have been reading up the literature of the subject and talk learnedly of "fin-keels" and centerboards. If the Earl of Dunraven should happen to win the America's Cup they will feel "sicker than a yaller dorg."

It is really marvelous what intense excitement pervades the American people when any great international contest is about to come off. On the occasion of the Volunteer-Thistle contest thousands of people from the interior of the country, the majority of whom had never had a "whiff of the briny," came to New York at all hazards, bent on seeing the race.

The American yachtsman has been a keen and close observer of the Valkyrie, and as pretty full accounts of her early races have been cabled over, he is quite competent to form an opinion of the merits of that redoubtable craft. That she is fast there can be little doubt. In her maiden race over the course of the Royal Thames Yacht Club she was defeated by the Britannia, the new cutter built for the Prince of Wales. This result is claimed to have been due to the carrying away of her topmast and bowsprit on her way back, when twothirds of the distance between the Mouse lightship and Gravesend had been made. The race up to that point had been close and exciting. The Britannia on the run out to the lightship beat the Valkyrie only by seven seconds, and on the lively thresh to windward both yachts were quite evenly matched. The wreckage on the Valkyrie was cleared away in remarkably short time, and although she could not carry either her gaff-topsail or her jib she worked quite handily under her foresail and mainsail. The smartness of Capt. Cranfield was universally commended, and he handled his disabled yacht in such a superb manner that she was only defeated by 7m. 34s.

Many experts, judging from the behavior of the two racers in their maiden contest, conclnded that the Prince's craft is the better allround boat. That Designer Watson should have exerted himself is not unreasonable, but that he should bestow more pains on the design of the Britannia than on that of the Valkyrie is not believed by those who know him intimately. The great ambition of his life is that the America's Cup shall go back to Great

Britain in a cutter of his own design. When he failed to accomplish this with the Thistle, he was probably the most disappointed man in the country, though, to do him justice, he concealed his chagrin beneath an imperturbable

exterior.

Another interesting feature of this race was the maiden appearance of the Scotch cutter, Calluna, designed by William Fife, jr., of Fairlie, for a syndicate that intends to sail her against the American yacht Navahoe. The behavior of the Calluna (which is Latin for white heather) was not what was expected. She at no time seemed to be "in it" with her rivals. She got ashore at Lower Hope Point, and the Iverna beat her quite handily.

The dimensions of the Britannia have been authoritatively declared to be as follows: Length over all, 125 ft.; length on the load water line, 85 ft.; extreme beam, 22 ft. 6 in.; extreme draught, 15 feet. The length of the main boom is 90 feet. She is commanded by Capt. John Carter, who sailed the Genesta against the Puritan.

The dimensions of the Valkyrie were given in these columns last month. The general opinion is that she will prove about 20 minutes faster over a fifty-mile course than the Iverna, owned by Mr. Jameson.

On June 3d, in a race from Southend to Harwich, the Valkyrie in a light wind and smooth sea beat Britannia nearly 13 minutes and the Calluna 16 m. 50s. The Iverna came in more than half an hour after the Valkyrie. Mr. A. D. Clark's Satanita which is larger than the Britannia won the second prize. She finished 10m. 5s. after Valkyrie. From this performance it will be inferred that the challenger for the America's cup is quite formidable in light winds and smooth seas. In the races of the Royal Thames Yacht Club which were sailed in a good breeze the Britannia was easily victorious. So far, therefore, we may arrive at the conclusion that Valkyrie is a capital lightweather craft.

Accidents marred what should have been close struggles between the British yachts Valkyrie and Britannia. On June 10th the Prince's flyer beat Valkyrie 16 seconds. On June 14th both yachts were remeasured at Dover, and an error was found in their rating. Corrected rating makes the Britannia lead in the race of the 10th only 3 seconds instead of 16 seconds, as originally figured. Britannia's rating is now 151, and Valkyrie's 149.67. In the first race of the series off Dover, June 12th, Valkyrie broke the jaws of her gaff, and did not finish. Britannia won. In the second race, June 13th, Britannia, Valkyrie and Vendetta collided, throwing the Prince's yacht and Vendetta out of the race entirely. Valkyrie started a long distance behind the other competitors, but managed to finish second.

Some absurd nonsense has been printed in the New York and London newspapers suggesting that as the Britannia is likely to turn out a faster yacht than the Valkyrie, the Prince's craft should sail for the America's Cup instead of Lord Dunraven's boat. course, this is out of the question.

Of

Mr. Royal Phelps Carroll, ever since the Navahoe was launched, has worked most actively to get her into racing "fettle." She is far stiffer now that the twenty tons of inside lead have

been added to her keel. She carries her big rig quite well, and on her arrival in England

should be fit to race for a man's life.

I am in receipt of a private letter from a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron who tells me that British yachtsmen are a trifle scared of the Navahoe. The way in which the imported Herreshoff 21⁄2-raters romped away from everything in their class last season has made them feel a certain amount of respect for the Rhode Island yacht-builders. They have not forgotten Gloriana and Wasp, those two aquatic surprises. The Navahoe sailed on June 11th from Newport for England and was towed into Boston on the 15th for repairs, having had her starboard bow stove in above the water line, her topmast carried away and bowsprit sprung, in a collision on the southern edge of George's banks with a New York pilot boat.

The Cup defender Colonia, designed and built by the Herreshoffs for what is known as the Rogers' syndicate, was successfully launched at Bristol, R. I., on May 15. Mr. Archibald Rogers thus spoke of her characteristics on the day when she glided into the water: "She is as light as it was deemed best to build her; yet she is a powerful craft-in fact a good, wholesome, sensible specimen of a keel vessel, without attempting to introduce anything of the freak order in her construction."

There is much rivalry between the two New York syndicates, and no money has been spared in the construction and equipment of their respective vessels. In fact, the Herreshoffs have had carte blanche so far as price is concerned. The Morgan-Iselin yacht may be described as similar in shape to the Colonia, except that she has two feet more beam. Her dimensions are: Length over all, 128 feet; on the load waterline, 85 feet; extreme beam, 26 feet; draft of water, 12 feet 6 inches.

Her sail area will be much larger than the Navahoe or the Colonia, and her designer thinks she will have no difficulty in carrying her heavy rig. He refuses to say how much outside lead will be bolted to her keel, but I fancy she will carry a good deal more than either the Colonia or the Navahoe. The Tobin bronze, of which the yacht below the water-line is constructed, was burnished with steam emery wheels until its surface is smooth as a mirror. I don't suppose that any yacht ever started in a race with a bottom so free from roughness as will the Morgan-Iselin craft. Hollow spars and mighty big ones, too, will be used, and all her sails will be made of Sea Island cotton duck.

Below, her accommodations will not be very ornamental, everything being sacrificed to speed.

There are many yachtsmen of high standing who regard both the Boston Syndicate cup defender and General Paine's vessel in the light of marine "freaks" scarcely worthy the name of yachts. And should either of these purely racing machines be chosen to sail against the Valkyrie, the America's Cup Committee will come in for a more than fair share of hostile criticism at the hands of conservative yachts

men.

Their point of view is that it will be positively unfair to enter a "fin-keel" craft against a yacht like the Valkyrie that has no pretensions at all toward" freakdom "of any kind. This ar

gument seems to me to be unsound. The America's Cup Committee can be depended upon at all times to do its duty and act with the best interests of yachting in view. If one of the "freak fins" should appear to be the best allround boat, no foolish sentimentality will stand in the way of her being picked out to defend the cup. The committee is thoroughly representative and thoroughly competent.

Some yachtsmen are quite sore on this point. One of them, in discussing the matter, said: It will be a low-down, mean trick if we oppose the Valkyrie with a 'contraption' that is no more like a boat than a bladder with lead ballast to steady it. I wonder how General Paine or George Stewart-both of whom are good sailors would like to cross the ocean in such marine abortions as those they have designed. Now, the Volunteer was an able craft that one could cross the ocean in with perfect safety; but ballast fin freaks,' when caught in an Atlantic gale, could only survive by a miracle. The Valkyrie is an honest boat, capable of riding out a hurricane. So is the Navahoe, and so are the other two Herreshoff boats; and I hope that we Americans shall not disgrace ourselves to such an extent as to choose a 'freak' craft to defend the old cup with."

My only excuse for reproducing this argument is that it has never been printed before, and I know that many yachtsmen feel strongly

about it.

Ex-Commodore James D. Smith, chairman of the committee, has invited Lord Dunraven to meet himself and his associates at a dinner, to be given soon after Lord Dunraven's arrival in this country. The owner of the Valkyrie, in a courteous letter of acceptance, made the characteristic remark that "the racing will be so interesting over here that I do not think I shall be able to tear myself away early."

There is no fear of any friction between the earl and the committee. The correspondence between them shows that fair play is what each is after.

The first Eastern yacht to arrive at Chicago was the auxiliary steamer Wild Duck, John M. Forbes owner. This craft is remarkable in that she is the only steam vessel afloat that is fitted with a centerboard. She was designed by Mr. Burgess for the shallow waters of Florida and is thoroughly well adapted for that purpose. Talking about Chicago, it is a cause of much regret that the contemplated breakwater for the protection of the fleet of pleasure craft has not been constructed. Experts say that sailing yachts that visit the Fair are always exposed to danger in the open roadstead, and they advise steam yachts to keep their fires in such a condition that they may be able to get under way at any moment.

Memorial Day is always an anniversary that yachtsmen make much of. It is generally looked upon as the formal opening of the season, and festivity reigns supreme at every club that has its habitation on the water front. The opening sail of the Atlantic Yacht Club was rendered especially interesting by the maiden spurt of J. Rogers Maxwell's new schooner Emerald. The schooner yacht Iroquois, Mr. Ralph N. Ellis. which is being used as the drill-ship of the crew of the MorganIselin cup defender, came down from New Rochelle for the express purpose of having a

brush with the Emerald. And the tussle was quite exciting. The Emerald with unstretched sails, gear all out of sorts, and a green crew did capitally against the Iroquois with everything in splendid order and a well trained racing crew that almost made her talk. In the beat down to the Southwest Spit the Emerald almost held her own with the Iroquois, but on the homeward run was handicapped by having no spinnaker aboard, and was consequently defeated by a trifle over two minutes. This maiden performance of the Emerald augurs well for her in the future, when she shall have been fully prepared for racing.

About fifty yachts took part in the opening sail, and festivities were kept up in the clubhouse until nearly midnight.

On the same day occurred the annual regatta of the Harlem Yacht Club, a spirited affair, inasmuch as the puffy southeaster that prevailed transformed some of the trim little craft that are raced with such zeal and vigor into lame ducks. Many spars were carried away.

Mr. Archibald Rogers is the owner of the Wasp, the crack_yacht of last year. With the stout old cutter Bedouin, designed for him by John Harvey, he won the Goelet cup for sloops. He is one of our best amateur yachtsmen. The Colonia possesses many of the remarkable characteristics of the Wasp, and experts prophecy unusual speed. Mr. Rogers and the gentlemen associated with him are popular in yachting circles, and should the Colonia be chosen as the cup defender it would meet with the seal of public approval. The veteran Captain Haff, late of the Volunteer, has charge of the Colonia.

The famous English forty-rater, Queen Mab, has been bought by Mr. Percy Chubb, of the New York Yacht Club. The Queen Mab is a centerboard cutter, designed last year by George L. Watson for Mr. T. B. C. West, of Glasgow. She was singularly successful last season, having started forty-six times, out of which she won twenty-four first prizes, eleven seconds and one third, winning in cash £1,187. She is 59 feet on the load water-line, with a beam of 16 feet. Her registered tonnage is 41 tons, and she spreads 4,035 square feet of canvas. The Queen Mab came near challenging for the America's Cup. Her owner had asked the Royal Alfred Yacht Club to take the initiative in the matter, and the secretary had already drawn up the challenge when Lord Dunraven's letter to the New York Yacht Club was made public. This, of course, put a stop to the negotiations. The Queen Mab is fast and pretty, but there is no real racing craft of her approximate dimensions in this country for her to sail against. It is not at all unlikely that the Wasp could get away with her in spite of her being a bigger boat. It is rumored that an American boat will be built for the special purpose of trying conclusions with her. I hear that although she has a centerboard, it is of doubtful utility and is rarely used. It will be remembered that when the Iverna first came out she had a centerboard, but it was rather a detriment than a benefit to her.

There was launched from the yard of C. & R. Poillon on May 18, the smart schooner Loyal, designed by Mr. Henry J. Gielow for Commodore B. F. Sutton, of the Brooklyn Yacht Club. She is 82 feet over all, and 60 feet on the load

water-line, with a beam of 19 fec. and a draught of 7 feet 6 inches. The yacht is constructed of wood. Her keel is of white oak, and to it are bolted twenty-two tons of lead cast in one piece. Her lines are graceful, and she is expected to sail well when "tuned up" to racing pitch. Commodore Sutton is the President of the New York Yacht Racing Association and a thorough enthusiast.

"two

J. Rogers Maxwell's new steel schooner yacht, Emerald, was launched on May 9th at Elizabethport, N. J. She was designed by Mr. H. C. Wintringham. She is 112 feet over all, 82 feet on the load water-line, with an extreme beam of 21 ft. 10 in. and a draught of 10 feet. She is fitted with a centerboard. The Emerald is intended for racing and will try conclusions with old craft like Sachem, Marguerite, Iroquois, Grayling and the new flying stickers" like Lasca, Ariel and Alcaa. Mr. Maxwell has been yachting since he was a little boy. He has owned many smart racing vessels -most of them of his own design. schooner Shamrock, altered from a sloop, was one of the unexpected surprises of last year, winning nearly every thing she started for. She is now the property of Mr. Willard P. Ward, and is a boat with a history, her sturdy tussles against Titania, Katrina and Bedouin in the 70-foot class being part of the exciting yachting history of this country.

His

The Morgan-Iselin syndicate craft, Vigilant. launched on June 14 by the Herreshoffs, will have her trial trip in a day or so. This is the yacht that is built of Tobin bronze below the water-line. She is fitted with a centerboard, and every exertion will be made to try and beat the Colonia with her.

The steel centerboard schooner yacht Ariel, built by Harlan & Hollingsworth from designs by A. Carey Smith, of New York, was launched on June 5th. She represents the modern idea of a cruising yacht fit to go to the West Indies and at the same time to be fast enough to win a club prize once in a while.

The dimensions of the Ariel are as follows: Length on water line, 79 ft. 6 in.; beam, 21 ft. 9 in.; draught, 10 ft. and length over all 109 ft. The Ariel has been designed for Mr. Geo. H. B. Hill, ex-Commodore of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Club, and will also be enrolled in the other prominent clubs. The interior will consist of one quarter room, a chart room and main cabin. Forward of this will be two state rooms on the starboard side and one state room on the port side. Forward of these will be the officers' quarters, galley and then the forecastle.

The workmanship of the hull and fittings is the result of twelve years' building of yachts by the company for Mr. Smith.

As there are some who will ask of what commercial use are these yachts, we can point to the steamboat Richard Peck built by the same company from Mr. Smith's designs. This vessel is built on yacht principles, and will carry as much as any steamboat of her length and at the same time go fast on a small coal consumption. The Richard Peck has attained a great reputation both for beauty and speed, and her powers are summed up by quoting from one not a friend of the boat during the late severe winter: "That boat can go better through the ice than she can through the water."

A. J. KENEALY.

The organization having especial charge of the regatta is the Chicago Navy, of Chicago. Illinois. Its officers are Messrs. De Witt C. Cregier, Jr., commodore; William Weinand, vice-commodore; John H. Hardin, and George M. Jemison, ensigns, and B. V. Johnson, secretary and treasurer. It is composed of all the boat clubs of Chicago and vicinity-is a boatclub" trust," as it were- and its members number about one thousand. It was organized in 1882, and holds regattas every year.

It proposes to hold an international regatta-which would properly be called The Columbian Regatta -some time in August next. The course decided upon is one laid out on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The water will be "still"-similar to that of Lake George. Races will be arranged for all classes of amateur boat clubs. There will be at least one special race for college crews, and it is greatly hoped that entries from the leading universities of the world will be received. Gold medals and cups will be the prizes to be competed for, in addition to a large amount of glory. All transportation from Chicago to the scene of the regatta, of oarsmen and boats, will be at the expense of the managing committee. The money needed to meet the legitimate expenses of the affair has been raised by subscription. Every endeavor will be made to insure perfect management and to make the regatta the greatest one ever held in the history of the world. Upon the latter point, Chicago's success thus far in carrying through the colossal undertaking of the World's Fair is somewhat of a guaranty that great things may be expected from her "Navy. The regatta will be confined strictly to amateur oarsmen.

So much for the plans of the organization. I wish now to point out to the Navy a few things which alone will secure attendance of college crews and genuine amateurs.

The line between professional and amateur oarsmen and organizations must be drawn with the utmost distinctness. College men in this country always fight shy of regattas." I would suggest adding to the committee of management several well-known college oarsmen, whose presence on the committee would, in a large measure, guarantee that the affair would be a genuine amateur international regatta.

An effort should be made to induce English clubs, such as the Thames and London Rowing Clubs, the Leander Boat Club, and others of equal reputation, to enter crews. There are several rowing clubs at Melbourne and Sydney in Australia that would doubtless be glad to participate if they could be sure of the class of their opponents. Invitations should be sent to French rowing organizations, such as the Union des Sociétés Française des Sports Athletiques, of Paris.

While the committee has had favorable replies from some of the American colleges, all

have not replied favorably. Harvard and Yale, doubtless, do not feel sure of the amateur character of the regatta. The committee is undoubtedly able to reassure them upon this point. I trust that the course has been selected with some reference to climatic conditions. People are in the habit of regarding Chicago as rather a warm place in summer. It would not be a bad idea to make known the average temperature of the place selected.

A set of rules governing the regatta should be adopted and published at the earliest practicable moment, in order that all may see the conditions under which the affair is to be conducted.

And now a word to the rowing public. There has been but one regatta of at all similar character in the history of amateur oarsmanship. That one was the regatta at the Centennial of 1876, at Philadelphia. The Chicago Navy is an organization of excellent standing; its officers are capable and energetic, and are doing all in their power to provide a tempting rowing treat. What is at present lacking in order that the Columbian Regatta may be a success, is the co-operation of all amateur oarsmen and boat clubs. With this secured, and a large entry from the leading universities and colleges of the world, from leading amateur boat clubs of all countries, and the actual participation of those who enter, there would take place, at or near Chicago, next August, an unprecedented feast of rowing which would be of the greatest possible benefit to the art itself in every quarter of the globe. It would tend to uniformity of style, to the adoption of the best style, and would settle long-standing doubts as to the merits of various methods of rowing.

If Har

As there is not to be a race between the winners of the two inter-university contests at Old and New London this year, why should not Oxford or Cambridge send over a crew? If the Leander or Old Etonian clubs would enter, a crew of either, in the absence of a light or dark blue representative, would afford an opportunity of testing English 'varsity oarsmen's ability to conquer all comers, as their membership is chiefly composed of old Blues. vard, Yale, and Cornell would enter, Cornell's standing here would soon be determined. No good reason why these various clubs should not enter has yet been advanced. If the amateur character of contestants is assured, it would seem rather small for the colleges to hold back. They would have over a month after New London in which to recover and get into shape, and would be uncommonly well treated during training and the regatta.

ROWING.

CHASE MELLEN.

The very generous offer of Mr. Joseph Pulitzer, editor of the New York World, to defray the expenses of a boat-race between Oxford and Harvard or Yale, has, as I anticipated last month, been declined by all three universities. Any other course would have been inconsistent with dignified college athletics. Support for all manner of legitimate inter-collegiate contests must, in the first instance, come from the inside." The following clipping from the Harvard Crimson well expresses what seems to me the right idea:

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"We feel that an international boat-race of