The New York herald., 1869-04-04
INTERNATIONAL YACHT RACING.

Letter from J. b. Van Deusen, Naval Archi-
tect-The Law Of Measurement-Relative
Tonnage of English and American Yachts
Time AIlowances-The Absurd Thames Rule.
To THE EDITOR OF THE hERALD:-
The importance attached to the proposed inter-
national yacht match, both In this country and IN
England has assumed such a magnitude that the
public greedily devour anything and everything
written concerning 1t. Discussions arising from
the unpleasant position In which Mr.. Ash
bury, the owner OF the British schooner yacht
Cambria, has been placed, since his gal
liant challenge to American yachtmen, growing
out Of the different modes OF measuring yachts,
for tonnage, have developed much OF interest 10
yacht owners and yacht builders. They have shown
that the old Thames measurement by which the
tonnage OF boat Is computed, Is singularly absurd
when compared with all other systems in vogue
having the same object In view, and these discus
sions have also demonstrated to every candid person
that the original proposition that American yachts
should visit England and sail matched races under
that measurement was particularly unfair In all
these controversies however, 1t has been pleasant
TO note the spirit OF prevailing courtesy with
which the matter has been treated, giving as they
do, and justly, praise to the gallant yachtman who
put forth such liberal challenge some three months
ago. IL was not unexpected In the premises that
when the owner OF the Dauntless, after mis- picking
up the gauntlet thus boldly thrown down, and the
subsequent refusal OF Mr.. Ashbury to race with
him, various propositions would be made for
revision of the whole subject OF the measure
ment OF yachts. 80 that boats of about the same
size, although OF different models, might not appear
on paper TO be or hfty or hundred per cent dif-
ference. Some there have been full OF errors
as the old system ITSELF and in London strenuous
objections are made by English yachtmen against
any change whatever. Under these circumstances,
1t IS extremely pleasant to observe the position
that the owner or the Cambria has recently taken,
avowlng that ne Is SATISFIED to submit the Thames
rule OF measurement "to the Commodore OF any
English yacht club, as TO the application OF that
rule to American yachts and II 1t is decided that
the rule is unjust to them, he VIII withdraw
That requirement. from his proposition to race"
handsome manner as il deserves such recognition.
Some few nautical Soomons, prone to prophecy,
who their notions with fitful and limiting
motions OF the head, ar c certain tnat after all the
Cambria and Dauntless will not come together in
friendly trial of speed Prophecy in this age, in its
soning faculty difruse IN our day. the article Is ad
mlred Tor ts novelty which Is only equaled by It's
understanding DT Of practical @ nature has setS been
arrived at, the interest in this nterna-
tional contest will increase day by day
and the daring perseverance OF all the gentlemen
connected with 1t will be extolled in many club
houses throughout the world Yet few yachtnen in
America, and but few interested in the construction
of yachts, have been enabled to obtain the exact
dimension details Of the saucy Cambria or those OF
her fair rival sisters that glide along the Thames
and to give such as they and the readers of the
HERALD generally an idea OF the relative size Of half
a dozen American yachts with two English yachts
the Cambria and the Aline-i have prepared table
OF tonnages and time allowance in accordance with
both the English and American rules respectively.
The results attained premise, are OF most inter-
esting nature and worthy OF the publicity which the
yachting journal OF America will give them.
BY the rules OF the New York Yacht Club, found
to be equitable and work satisfactorily, the allow
ance OF time given 10 yachts in race is based upon
distance OF forty statute miles and is variable
| as 10 time or speed. | have assumed q speed
| OF eight knots per hour-a good sailing breeze.
This distance and speed taken a basis, the club
has constructed table OF allowances OF time for
yachts over 1000 square feet area reduced to that
area. The speed OF eight knots Is assumed, as race
| OF forty miles is seldom accomplished in less time
Were the speed, however, to be increased, say TO
| twelve knots the allowance OF time would be almost
doubled; or again. II race OF this character were
made In eight hours or at five knot breeze, the
| allowances would be but fifty per cent of those
| given IN the annexed table. In a word the yachts
| OF the New York Yacht Club in their contests are
| allowed time pro rata Tor differences OF area OF
| hull, based upon distance, time and speed
| On the contrary, the Royal Thames Yacht Club in
| their adopted rules OF time allowances consider
| the tonnage OF yacht only. The length OF race,
the time or character OF speed is not referred to at
| all. yacht receives from or gives to an opponent
the same amount Of allowances OF time for differ
ences IN tonnage, whether the distance IN a con-
tested race be thirty hundred miles, whether
| the contending boats slip through the water
with five knot wind or bowl merrlly along under
| a piping twelve knot breeze. This acts unjustly
In many instances, unquestonably, OF so 1t appears
i To the minds OF American yachtmen. EX-Commo-
dore G. IL. Ackers, OF London, has prepared gradu
measurement, which he Gays Is "formed from obser-
vations made upon many former matches. with the
hope Of placing all yachts handicapped on as equal
terms as possible, taking the difference OF tonnage
as guide Tor the scale.h He assumes that 'cutters
or sloops can give forty-nye seconds per ton, hold
ing that to be good proportion Tor yachts OF the
smaller classes but In larger classes above sixty
eighty tons, the yachts cannot give nearly so much
allowance per ton; therefore the scale alluded to de-
creases in proportion as the tonnage ncreases.r In
looking over the table is observed that cutter OF
forty tons Is given the same allowance OF time as
|
| same allowance as schooner of $50 tons.
In the table annexed, calculated by me with great
| accuracy, the tonnages OF the several yachts
enumerated are given both by the Thames rule
and the New York Yacnt Club manner OF computa-
ton; the areas OF each by the latter and the time
| allowance by both methods, assuming an imagina-
tive race, including this eet TO be of forty statute
miles, with an eight knot breeze. The Cambria being
the smallest In tonnage calculated by the Thames
| rules, l have placed at Zero as she would receive
time from the balance excepting in the instance OF
| the Phantom, by American measurement.
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