The New York herald., 1869-01-18
YACHTING.


The Proposed International Ocean Contest.
[From the Spirit OF the Times.l
THE HOPED FOR YACHT RACES.
find an article upon this subject written In toler-
ably fair spirit but open TO comment and correction
on one or two points We should reprint this article
entire only it would be mostly reproduction Of
statements that have been already made and dis
cussed in these columns II is quite true a. the Post
and rlrred schooneryacnt America beat ali the Eng
llsh yachts OF any account every point OF sailing
and taught the amateur blue jackets and builders
OF "the tight little fslando thing or two they
had not then deemed even possible The cup then
won by the America has been often deemed to have
been one q the cups given BY ne - Queen s o.
TO the New York Yacht Club, published IN our paper
q few weeks ago, proposing an ocean race between
heats for that cup around Long Island. II is how
ever now established that the cup In question was
not given by the Queen, and that foreign yacht
could not have entered for the royal cups. Well so
much the worse for the winners OF them. They
would be worth more as mementocs OF honor, II
race horses are; but this cup now held In America,
no matter by whom given, Ia trophy OF signal VIC
tory won In the British waters and we shall think
no less OF II, though It may he said:-
Behold this cup, this cup OF gold,
Which freeman for a freeman msdei
In regard to the terms upon which this cup is held
BY the New York Club, we must state, for the In
imposed That journal to be OF the belief that
the cup was presented between the date OF Mr.. Ash
ss re q see re Il
ana the reply, IL says:-"In the meantime, the first
owners OF the celebrated yacht America wrote to
ferred 10 the spirit OF December IL, II would have
seen that instead OF this letter having been written
a few weeks ago II was dated July 8, 1857.
we now come to the observations OF the Post con-
cernng the defeat OF tine Sappho at Cowes last year.
II saws the Sappho never had the ghost OF chance
and came n last. II IL true that she In last but
unless the contemporaneous English reports were
nearly oil false she had pretty good chance until
she carried away spars and sails. We know that
some OF the newspaper reporters declared that
she was outsaled rom the start; but from them we
and TO the opinions advanced by the seafaring men
on the south coast OF England, who saw the race.
They declared that she had very good chance until
after she carried away her head sails aud spars and
affirmed that the race was not OF all satisfactory
test The Hants Telegraph, a paper published right
upon the coast aud read BY nautical men, added
these pregnant words, which we quoted In our
paper OF september 1o:--"A general opinion pre-
vailed that had the Sappho been entered In ocean
match, with more canvas, the result In all prooa.
that Is, that In the judgment OF the men
OF the coast and channel the Sappho would have
been first instead OF last in an ocean race
10 concede the fact that the sappho Of the best
American yachts; and We are quite willing TO admit
that the Cambria Is very fast and weatherly
schooner and her owner q frank, public spirited
gentleman. We trust that he may accept the pro-
posal made by MIR. James g. Bennett, Jr., TO sail the
Dauntless against the Cambria from Cowes 70 New
York or nom Cowes around the Azores and back.
The Ipst thinks the last named course decidedly
preferable 10 that straight across the Atlaptc, II
belpp much more likely to test the different points
az saing.n This inciines us TO the opinion thai the
writer In the Post knows but little p'Dout ethel
course II that person viii ask the sailors to be me
with in q walk from London Bridge 10 Blackwell b
will ind that In passage to the Westward, straigh
scross the Atlantic vessel undsr canvas Il nearly
sure TO have every point Of sa,alns tested grea
nunbcy of times.