The Portland daily press., 1870-07-08
The Ocean Yacht Race.

For the past few years, ever since the event
full ocean race between the Henrietta, Fleet
aoing and Vesta, our American yachtsmeI
have been very anxious to arrange an interna.
tiopal yacht-race with some Of the flyers of the
wave that cruise under English colors. After
considerable newspaper discussion, Mr. James
Gordon Bennett, Jr., late owner Of the Henri
eta, succeeded in arranging race for his new
yacht the Dau1ltiess, with the Cambria, own
ed by Mr.. Ashbuly, a very prominent English
yatchsman. The late races between the Amer
lean yacht Sdppho, owned by Mr.. Douglass,
and the Cambria, in which the stars and
stripes were triumphant three times in sue
cession, are matters of history. The Daunt-
less and the Cambria arrived at Queenstown,
Ireland, on the 2Sth of last month, and their
owners have been the guests Of the Royal Cork
Yacht Club. They arranged to start on the
4th, at 2 O'Clock, from Daunt Head buoy
about thirteen miles east of the old Head oil
Kinsale, and sholt distance from Queens
town Harbor. In order to give ocean steam
ers every chance of recognizing them at night
the DauntteSs has arranged to burn blue lights
at her bow and stern, and fire three blue rock
cts, and the Cambria will do the same, but
with red lights. Capt. Martin +. Lyons, who
sailed the Henrietta in her ocean race, left
Dauntless. 1t is generally believed that Mr.
Ashbury has secured the services of well.
known Liverpool merchantcaptan, who is
well acquainted with the various currents and
winds of the Atlantic. II is hard to say which
yacht will be successful, but both Mr.. Bennett
and Mr.. Ashbury are thorough yachtsmen
and will spare DO canvass to come in ahead
In our opinion if the yachts encounter stiff
breezes and rough weather the Dauntless will
be first at the lightship, but should there be
light head winds and fair weather, the Cambria
will be likely to be the first to sight American
shores. There has been very little specula-
ton up to the present on the result, but the
Dauntless has decidedly" the call" in the opin-
ion of yachting men, as the performance oi
the Cambria in the races with the SdpphO has
rather weakened the general opinion of heI
sailing qualities. The following is a short
sketch OF the two yachts:
The Dauntless was built by John Forsy th
at Mystic, Conn. Herdimensions are: Length
over all, 127 feet; water line, III feet; depth
of hold, 10 IL feet; breadth of beam, 26 feet
measurement 26S tons by New York Yacht
Club rules; her mainmast, 80 feet; maintop-
mast, 60 feet, making $50 feet from deck to
truck; foremast, 50 feet; foretop, AZ feet or
III feet from deck to truck; main boom, 73
feet, and main gaf, SO 12 feet. She spreads
about 2,SS9 square feet of canvass, and is man.
ned by captain, sailing-master, mate, boat
swain, two quartermasters, and twelve men
before the mast. She will probably carry more
men during the race, as the club rules entitle
her to carry thirty-seven. The DduHtteSs is
well-known as one of the best sea boats in the
New York Yacht Club, which was manifested
in the cruise of the squadron in 1868.
The Cambria is keel schooner, built ol
oak, with teak topSides. Her interior fittings
are remarkably rich and beautiful, and in good
taste. She has twenty-one tons of ballast
smelted and run into her timbeIs, aud has al
so four tons of lead bolted to her keel. Under
sail she spreads a vast area of canvass and
works i'll the wind with the ease and facility
OF weathervane. Her best points are being
sharp and quick in stays, lying close to tn,
wind, and being fast in light breezes. By th,
| wind-that is, close-hauled-she has gafi-top
sails bent to the ordinary spars but in sailin;
free she has much longer and lighter and NOR
flexible yards aloft, and the sail of lighter can
vass, OF course, clubs out a Considerable dis
tance. Her bowsprit is a very peculiar spal
and with the jibboom and flying jibboom is a
in one stick, and rigs in and out at the optic
OF the sailing master. She is 24S tons, Ne,
York Yacht Club measurement. and 1So ton
Royal !hames Yacht Club measurement, an
wa Was built by Ratsey, of Cowes, at the Isle {
wi mISnt, IA nooS. She is fine type of the dee
..nn ano a Nv English model, and in extern;
| apPeaIaHGe bears resemblance in stifnes
ana stapllity to Cunard steamer. 1t ca
hardly be said that the Cambria is as graceful
and charming in her pose upon the water a
the majority of the American schooners, an
this is simply because the English are willin
to sacrifice anything to secure the full embod
ment OF their ideas as to speed. Her dinner
slons are: Length (frem stempost to stern
post los feet; beam, 21 feet; mamma:
hounds to deck,) 61 feet; foremast, SO feet,
inches; main boom, G1 feet; main gaff SO fee
inches; fore gaff, % feet; bowsprit, font
board stem,) 35 feet; maintopsail, So feet,
inches; foretopsail, 80 feet, inches; maintop
sail yard, 80 feet; toretopsail yard. 80 feet.
| Judge Bedford, Wright Sanford, and Alder
man Lawrence jerome will be on board th
Dauntless and Mr.. Ashbury, i. is said, has
cargo of London reporters.