The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-07-23 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

THE LATE REGATTA AT EASTHAM.

We would rather encourage regattas than horse races.
With the sports of the turf a spirit of reckless gambling,
and other kinds of demoralization, affecting both rich and
poor—notwithstanding all magisterial effterts—appear to
be the inseparable roncomitants ; and the only ostensible
advantage they claim, namely, the promotion of a tine
breed of horses, becomes daily more questionable,—first,
from the fraud practised on courses; secondly, from the
general knowledge of horses possessed by our country-
men, of which, from motives of gain, they will avail
themselves under any circumstances; and thirdly, that
from the establishment of railways over the kingdom, and
the comparatively diminished demand for those animals,
useful as they are, we need be under no apprehension of
the requisite supply, either as regards number or quality.
Regattas (especially as regards sailing vessels) are not only
free, or nearly so, from the objections stated of horsing.
but besides being equally healthful and truly national,
the) may conduce (and it is acknowledged have conduced)
in a high degree to our ascendancy on the ocean, by in-
ducing new experiments in the modelling and delicate
handling of vessels which, though comparatively small.
are the very germs of that perfection, in construction and
management, which it is desirable to attain, not only in
our ships of war, but, as far as possible, in our mercantile
marine.

With these opinions, we should exceedingly regret that
the unfortunate accident that occurred on Tuesday last
at the Eastham Regatta—and which naturally threw a
gloom over the proceedings, which has not yeidispersed—
should be the means of arresting the progress of aquatic
amusements on our noble river; and we would, therefore,
point out w bat in our opinion (bating those occasional ac-
cidents that occur in race or no race, and which cannot
always be averted even in our streets) would prevent the
recurrence of a casualty such as that we have now to de-
plore. " A Yachtman, 'in his letter to a contemporary,
has so hit the nail on the head, that we need do little
more than second his laudable protest—adding, however,
a few statistics.

It is but a few years since racing-gigs were introduced
on our river. They were originally, and are still, for the
most part, built in London, after the fashion used on the
narrower, more placid, and landlocked Thames. Our
Mersey is more properly an "estuary" than a "river",
and is subject, withal, to a short heavy sea when the wind
blows against the tide—often extremely dangerous far open
boats at certain places, both in mid-channel and in the
bights and bays. They may sail in comparatively smooth
water ?or a time on one shore or the other, and in a
moment get into (to them) an angry and treacherous sea-
way,
which a stout boat only can stand. The first gigs
we here observed were pretty good of their class. but still
not sufficiently safe in general construction and bearing-
Since then, it appears to us that they have been gradually
dwindling down finer, and lighter, and weaker,—and so
cut away between the rollocks, that they have but little
fide left to resist a wave. It was said of the two Kil-
kenny cats, that after their fight there was nothing left
but a bit of the tail of each ; and (though the subject is
really serious) we cannot help thinking that the rowers in
our river, in their anxiety for light and sleek craft, have,
before they contend at all, cut down their boats so that
there is little left but the keel. We have measured some
of them since the unfortunate accident alluded to; and
the safest we could find was about 45 feet long, 141
inches only (!) in depth of hold, and but 3 feet 3 inches
in extreme team for all that length, and as sharp fore
and aft as a needle. her timbers (if we may so call
them) were scarcely equal in thickness to our little
finger ; and it was deemed prudent—and prudent it was.
—to stretch upon her a forecastle of waterproof calico,
to keep her from going down by the nose. Her planks are
of deal, about ore eighth of an inch thick, and less at the
rivets. We put it to any nautical man whether he would
venture his carcase in such a veneer-built shell, which
would scarcely stand a puff of wind on dry land, much
less the trying, though small, cross- seas of the river
Mersey. As an instance, of the shallowness of these
boats, we may state that the height from the real level of
the gunnel amidships to the top of the rollock-pins is ten
inches. So slender, indeed, is their scantling, that re-
course is had to bits of brass wire (we cannot say rods) to
keep them from falling asunder. We would say of such
boats that they may be very well as race-gigs in a smooth
lake or canal, two feet deep, where the parties may, in a
misadventure, wade out ; but they ought not to be en-
couraged on the :Mersey. We have ourselves no desire to
report the coroners' inquests that will inevitably be the
consequence of their further use here. In April, 1842,
we had a lamentable instance of their inefficiency. On
that occasion, while some young gentlemen were crossing
our river from the villa of a highly respected townsman in
Aigburth, to the Cheshire side, the boat—though they
were not running a race and doing the best for them-
selves—went to pieces from under them near the Sloyne,
and three of them were drowned. We then entered our
protest against them, and our opinion is confirmed. We
will venture as far as any man in a good boat, but we
must have something substantial to bear us up, so that we
may trim our sails or pull our oars without the constant
dread of being swamped, or finding our vessel's back
broken by !.1 bit of a sea. _

To avoid all these misadventures we have only at re-
gattas to have boats of sufficient strength and bearing.
We saw a skiffat the regatta much better adapted for our
river than the best gig there; and though she did not run
a race, she proved herself—having a fine bottom and ample
bearings above—swifter than any skiff that ran, and per-
fectly safe. We also observed a larger captain's gig,
which ran in the women's race, and another fine boat

calcula'ed for almost any sea-way in which an open boat
can live, and she sprang from her oars like an eagle. The
general depth of our river (or boatmen's) gigs is two feet
four inches; and they are withal sharp, strong, and finely
proportioned. We should say that a racing gig for the
Mersey should be at least two feet in depth ; and if she
be propottionately and strongly built, we shall have no
accidents in regatta weather. It would be an easy matter,
too, to insist on every rower taking with him, appended
or attached to his person, a life-belt, in case of accident
by collision or otherwise. These life-preservers are now
made so that they may be used as cushions to sit upon,
and if attached to the person by a string, no fatality would
arise. Besides, if all plrties pulled in good roomy sea-
worthy boats, all would have an equal chance, and the
spectators (in place of being in constant terror of an acci-
dent) would enjoy the sport with more satisfaction. We
are glad to say the intended Mersey Yacht Club (noticed
elsewhere) will not permit row-boats to join in their days'
proceedings that are not built and regulated in a safe and
prober manner.
We shall probably return to the subject, and furnish the
dimensions, &c., of gigs that may be considered suitable
nha)rutoiucal friends.
our river, fter consulting some of our better versed