The New York herald., 1876-07-19
THE COUNTESS OF DUFFERIN.
INCIDENTS OF THE VOYAGE AND HISTORY OF
THE YACHT.


THE YACHT.
At about hafpast nine O'Clock yesterday morning a
vessel with black hull and floating couple of nags
unfamiliar In these waters rounded Governors Island
and came sailing the bay to an anchorage OFT
Vanderbilt Landing. The blue British ensign,
with crown in the field, which she carried
at her stern, and the triangular burgec
of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club streaming from her
foremast at marked her out to sgb,scers ahoat
and shore the long expected Countess of puNerin
At that early hour very few yachts cruising about
and only occasional coaster pilot boat dropping
down the bay recognized and saluted the stranger As
she abreast the house of the New York Yacht
Club however the vessels lying 10 by fired their
guns aud dipped their coors and when the flag Of the
Royal Canadian Yacht Club was run up the staff
on the club house Vanderbilt Landing echoed with the
discharge of To these saues the Countess OF
Duneriu replied by firing her gun and dipping the blue
ensign. and when she had come To anchor boat was
lowered to carry the gentlemen aboard her to the
club house, where committee OF the members were
awaiting them. After some little time spent in the
exchange Of courteses the party started
for New York. and on their arrival were
taken to the New York Yacht Club House, at
Madison avenue and Twenty seventh street Meantime
a HERALD reporter went aboard the Countess OF DUFF
ferin and scrutnizcd the stanch, plain and somewhat
ungany looking craft which, in spite Of the unpleasant
weather she has passed through, has smart appear
ance, indicative OF good management, and seems built
for hard work rather than for pleasure The
popularity in her which first strikes an
ego familiar with the shape OF New
York yachts consists in her great breadth OF beam
abalt the mainmast Apart from that, she differs in
only few points from most vessels Of her size and
kind Her Dimensions have been already published in
the HERALD with the exception Of additional measure
mcnts according to the Royal Mersey Yacht Club
which make her out To be exactly 200 tons.
Her hull is painted black, and wherever the
inside is painted whlio has been The color
used Altogether she seems vessel likely TO
do good work, Everything has been made to sub
serve her availability sailer, kind o cncum
brarcc that could interfere with her management has
been avoided and all attempts at decoraton or fanciu
fitting have been eschcwod. She is plain, rough YES
sell adapted for any kind or weather for any kind
of work and is without ornamena,ion above or below,
that would indicate her being used for sport
alone At her ioremast the Countess of DuE
fern carries tho Royal Canadian Yacht Club hurgcc,
which is a triangular blue flag divided by white st.
Geo &c cross tho upper angle enclosing crown, me
lower beaver. At the nainmast hangs the burgce
OF the vice commodore-a white flag with a.cro"n in
the centre.
The Canadian yacht is now lying of the New York
Yacht Club house at Staten Island, and she will
at her anchorage In! some ll,le repairs
reropcd AS the Madeleine, with which she is to sail
for the Queens Cup is now OIL on ten days cruise,
the Countess of DufIern will await her return in the
bay or perhaps JOIN the annual cruise of the Brooklyn
Yacht Club, which an Invitation has been rendered
her.
which was sailed last fall the lakes and her history
is necessarily very brief IT appears that for some
on Lakes Ontario Huron and Erie for the champion cup
OF tho lakes This cup has all along been held by
American yachts from Detroit and the late cities, and
the Canadians naturally exerted themselves OF late
bear tho prize. Last fall the Goodwin Cup was won
from the Cora by tho Annie Cuthbert at the Putin Bay
owner, Captain Alexander Cuthbcrt with the idea of
building Canadian yacht to compete with some of the
more pretentous American saers, and IN furtnerance
his purpose he built the Countess OF Dufcrn. Her
keel laid on the 18th OF February and work on her
was CARED on rapidly but Mr. Cuthbcr realizing that
enterprise beyond his means, solicited the
cooperation Of shareholders. In this way Vice Com
modore Clifford was brought into partial owner
ship. He encouraged Cuthbert in his inten-
tons, disposed by his personal excrtons of a
considerable amount of the stock, and became
himself the heaviest shareholder Az present he rep
the stockholders, and has, consequently the
largest interest in the venture Captain Cuthbert was
thus enabled to complete the yacht and at the end of
May she was cruising about Lake Ontario. or course
fair estimate be formed Of her sailing capacity as
it has not yet been put to competitive test; but is
understood that she Is capable OF making good time
and bearing as much bad weather as Is possible for
crafts OF her size and buIlu
From several OF her passengers with whom he con-
verscd the reporter made acquainted with the Z
principal incidents of the passage From the time OF
her departure from the lakes till the date OF her arrival
in New York she was constantly cncountering by
gales and calms heavy logs and rough and
in this way the voyage was considerably heightened
up under heavy winds on the passage proves her TO be
very seaworth. One OF the passengers told the follow
ing story OF The voyage:-M sailed 'qr Queeec and and
Warden and the underwriters al the Insurance COM
pancs came aboard and the ma:nmast was declared un
sale On tho trip IT had 'buckled' very much.
and examination punk knot was dis
covered about eight feet above tho deck which
IN ght cause the mast snap in gale,
and SO 1t be taken out and tho present spar
put iu THIS last is almost as heavy as that Of man
ofwar, but it IS sill regarded as too light On June
o. LOTT ahps nd f.Nnr 10
breeze was blowing We made good headway down the
81. Lawrence. AT the towns along the banks which
had oi our departure numbers OF the inhabitants
saiutcd US as we passed, anu aitcr peasant
run we reached Father FONT at 1880 next evening,
We had mado lao miles in good time, and were
graduating ourselves on the prospect OF speedy voy
age. when suddenly the wind fell and VIC lay upon the
water for whole day in dead calm. On the morning
OF the 3Oth breeze sprang up whch increased until
il blew a heavy gale We we're standing along the
south shore when tue gale struck and keeping
up before it, when the canvas all sudden
Ting down aud lot OF hoops and ropes were
scattered about The cause OF this hubbub
,oupd TO bc tho looscnipg of the hook of tho uppcr
block OF tue main halyards, which carried away
in the gale, as also Was quantity OF the gear. This
compelled us run or Point Dement'S on the north
shore. We remained there ut anchor all day, with
a heavy rolling around us In the morning
lett anchorage and passed The mouth OF the Made
lcinc River at i've T. NJ, reaching Cape Roster at
twenty minutes past SIX next morning ON the 4th Of
July sighted the east end OF Prince Edward Island
and at eight 7. H. we entc cd the Gut of Canso. Here
met several American fishing schooncrs. The event
which being celebrated mt home seemed TO be well
remembered by these poor scamcn and to receive from
them tribute, humble. perhaps, but certainly
hearty. We exchanged salu,es With three vessels
aud, passing through the Gut, anchored
Tor the night After taking board some fresh pro-
Visions left Canso AT twenty minutes past eleven
O'Clock A. ". on July 5. sighted Little Canso light at
fifteen minutes OF two O'Clock L. NJ. and made good
headway before light breeze until July g. when
running between Little Canso and White Island,
storm arose. The WIND blew hard and the led
heavily. but kept course under close recied
vass and made such way we could strong "a
gale At last heavy sea washed away the whiskers,
ana then alter taking the jb aboard. the yacht
placed under easy canvas anu we lay TO- Next day
sighted land stood alon, the shore of Nova Scotia
close hauled and With light breeze blowing We were
making fair headway, too but the hard usage had
received in tho storm was lett severely, and II was
thought prudent about and for
Halifax We anchored there ten L. NJ
remaining all night. and the day
the ROYAL Halifax Yacht Club invited ashore and
some of tue aboard the yacht visit us
In their company VIC spent day IN sight-secing and
at i've O'Clock Sunday morning we weighed anchor
hi Laia hssa.