The New York herald., 1870-10-30
YACHTING.

ODI1W wv AOsOs " -
! YACHTING.
The Tidal Wave and Her
Sailing Qualities.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
1 am glad that Mr. Stewart M. Taylor has finally
unearthed himself and allows us poor mortals 70
know VINO "Devoted Yachtmanu Is. shall, therefore
address myself to him as Mr.. 8. M. Taylor In this
communication. Mr.. Taylor In his letter in the
Spirit Of the Times last week attempted to answer
my question put TO him IN tho HERALD OF the 10th
OF October where stated that the Tidal Wave had
made the best race twenty miles to windward out
side Of Sandy Hook, and had shown herself o supe-
rior sailing craft. By saying "Tidsl Wavc you
spread more canvas than you can carry;
you can sail like racehorse In . light
breeze, but when IL comes on to blow
you bury. What TO any other yacnt Is or would be
a three knot breeze to them IL equal to ten Knot
breeze 70 you, DO; and from your faulty model you
would wauow In heavy ses-way. As to your CON-
paris0n OF time made under different circumstances,
taxing the Dauntiess and the Sapphe the basis Of
your calculations, had always rated you - gen.
tleman Of too much good yachting sense to draw
any such conciusion.n Now, Mr.. Editor did not
intead 70 detracs the reputation Of either the
Sappho or DauntIess for their sailing merits stand
too high before the yachting world for to do that
but merely to show that u the Tidal wave could
make ~ good q race twenty miles outside Of sandy
Hook as those two splendid yachts she was not
the failure Mr. Taylor attempted TO make appear In
o communication, some three weeks before In tho
spirit Of the Times and in his answer as above you
will see that he has nor touched upon ono single
point made In my communication and question. He
does not undertake to show that the comparison of
time s incorrect and that my statement was erone-
GUS, but says the Tidal Wave has too much canvas
tempted answer, but merely two declarations-that
she cannot carry her sail and that her model "
canvas, canvas Mr.. Taylor has no other means Of Judging
except her performances In the earlier part Of the
season. when was sailing her with only twelve
tons or ballast when she should have had twenty
tons and viii venture the assertion that there Is
not schooner yacht IN the New York squadron OF
the tonnage oil the Tidal Wave that would carry sail
better than she did with twelve tons OF ballast. At
that time she was new and light, and every practf.
di1ercnce In ballast between . new vessel aud one
that has been in the water one year. She has at
present but twenty tons OF ballast while other yachts
Of her size carry about thirty to forty tons,
and believe she carry her sail twenty tons
OF ballast well as other yachts OF her class can
ter than Mr. Taylor. who has not seen her uIi Ter a
strong breeze since she has had twenty tons OF
her, % %sds Mr. TayHr
to Judge OF the size OF fish Ut the bottom of the
ocean, for the sailing qualities OF q model are mostly
the NEW YORK HERALD OF the 2ist OF October he
does attempt to answer my question Of the 10th OF
isi Mr. Tayors rss point sas Claimed to have
made dead beat to wndward. II he will look more
closely he will find that made no such statement.
merely stated that the Tidal Wave sailed twenty
miles to windward IN shorter time than any other
yacht by four minutes and six seconds the Daunt-
yacht and beating the Sappho In her race with the
Cambria twenty miles to windward by thirty.seven
wave aa no ea
windward, leaving your readers to infer that the
sappho did have dead beat, whereas all ac-
counts Of tho race stated that the SapphO
able as the Tidal wave. The HERALD says
I'm fact, the beat to windward consisted of one long
leg and two short ones" MIR. Taylor admits that
from forty-seven minutes past eleven O'Clock
one hour and thirty eight minutes, the Tidal Wave
had dead beat to wlndward. So much for that
point Mr. Taylors next point is. that the Dauntess
and Sapph0 are deep boats and sail through the
water while the Tidal Wave Is q light draught boat
and sails over the water, rather than through It,
cover the Tidal Wave light draught. centre-board
boat, going over the water rather than through 1t,
rass Ia sasa n sa @nS by Dsatsn aS large
| keel boats. the Dauntiess and the SapphO
sequenty oner more resistance than II 1t had been
| driftr Then we would have known the drst boat
in was not sailing on her merits. Now we must
i ascrlbe superior sailing to two neavy draught Keel
boats In light breeze the greater part OF the race,
as compared with smaller and light draught cen.
/ treb0arders.
My answer as to the light and heavy draught boats
| is simply this-The Tidal wave is as deep boat
either the Dauntless or Sappho and sails as much
through the water as either OF them in proportlon
to ronnage-a fAct which Mr.. Taylor seems entirely
Ignorant of. l will explain for his information, SO
take. The Tidal Wave has as much dead rise
as either the Dauntless or Sappho. and II
Qa1 IVA faKn nrf oft hQ
less or Sappho they would not draw any more water
than the Tidal Wave, In proportion to their tonnage.
The Tidal Wave draws seven feet OF water without
| false keel and the Dauntless or Sappho, without
their extra keels, would not draw more than eight
feet or eight feet Six inches OF water. Now, when
the Tidal Wave has her centreboard down she draws
sixteen feet or Waterthat Is, when she Is going to
windward; and when sailing with the wind free she
steady her, and the Tidal Wave centreboard Is
inches thick. SO that Mr.. Taylor is not correct IN
his statement, or comparison, between cenreboartl
boats and keel boats. This statement, think Will
hold good with the Palmer Madeleine and Tidal
Wave. cannot speak of the Idler, Madge or
Josephine, winch were IL the race not having seen
| them out Of the water. Again. Mr. Taylor seems to
think that q smaller yacht than the Dauntless or
Sappho should sail faster In moderate breeze than
they Now, think not. In my Judgment where a
large yacht such either the Dauntless sappho,
| tion to their size as q smaller boat; and
man tnat either the Sappho or Danntless
| carries as much, II not more sail, including
their light canvas than the Tidal wave or any other
/ schooner yacht in the New York squadron and
ought to Outsall any of the smaller yachts IN light
\ breezeS.
Now, as to the Sappho sailing the time seven min
tes shorter than the Tidal Wave that cannot be taken
In the account; for my statement Lnat the Tidal
Wave had sailed the race In shorter time than any
yacht on record except the Dauntiess, and 1t was
true. for the Sappho s not ON record In tnat race
nave only Mr.. Tayors assertion as to the time she
she started alter the whole feet some time and II,
| as Mr.. Taylor asserts the wind changed more favor
able after the start, then she had the advantage.
the Sappho had started with the feet we could then
| Judge more correctly
| MI. Taylor says next, a really fast centreboard
boat ought to have beaten the keel boats that day.
! Does he mean to say that the ldler and Palmer
| not fast centrebOard boats2 And yet they were
| behind the Tidal wave and did not beat the
keel boats. As to the Alarm making quicker time