The New York herald., 1878-10-28
YACHT CREWS.

Although tho yachting season In the northern
waters the United States is about Tor the year.
tho following IRON the Land and tater, London
October g. Will be read with interest by all yacht
owners:-
The pleasure and comfort OF yachting, whether
cruising or racing, is without DOUBT largely depend
tho good conduct Oi the crew, ior n they are
sober, owl and o0iiging, lilo ON board yacnt will
be anything but enjoyable. Living IN so connnoa a
space as largest yacht must necessarily bc
tue and his irionds are brought Into constant
and contact with anu all oil his servants,
so tina. tneir faults ana backsdIngs cannot easily DO
hidden, and " mny Ds owing TO TINS that often
hcar complaints OF yacht crews. Daring last win-
Tor anu spring lengthy correspondencc took place
Ia the pages oi contemporary, when Tho haDs ana
customs Of yacht sailors were exhb,ted IN Two very
different lights. On the one side they said
10 isc;, svsiy,hIos @ sSa, IS bad, % Wh.e "Du, on
The other sido they were represented as being
the mos, psrieo. p Of frau, weak Dor',ls
truth Is that yacnisnen arc much Tho same any
other class OF servants. beng composed Of good and
bad, wltn We honestly believe, The good largely
dom mating wc can, however, easily understan nd
why somc should think otherwise, aud Tor a very
simple reason. House servants navo from time I'M
memorial been called the greatest plaques In LIE,
perhaps muon Tor the same reason that yacht sailors
are dsliked oy some Both arc brought directly un-
der masters eye, and u one bad amocg
tncm presence Is surely and quickly discovered.
This one piece OF evii ieaven also does harm
Il "a likely 10 do on shore, because whca afoat tho
men are constantly together aud are qaits dependent
one another Tor socicty III " Is tfuc thai satan
slll evil hnds Tor idio hands 10 doo Satanic
Majesty must find ample opportunity Tor exercising
his skill IN yacht; for alter The usual mornings
routine OF Washing down decks and cleaning up gen.
orally is com mpe,ed there Is but llo TO be done 10
lnc weather, and "the Idle hands" twas Dr. Watts
thinking Of sailors when he wrote the " at iIb-
erty 10 ic on tue forecasts and gossip Undof such
circumstances one bad spirit can do much nafn.
In racing vessels there - no, 80 much ideness; but
10 compensate for this, as II we're, the men
on shore, the yachts being In harbors nearly every
night, and as they aave good wages and plenty OF
prizc money, II III lucky vessel, they nave more
to spare than s, perhaps, quite good Tor them.
Wnen they go ashore they meet their companions
and Trends, begin taking 0i their rival vessels ad-
journ 70 have '.giass, aad perhaps end In taxing
more than they should DO Now, without doubt, TINS
IL very wrong and We have no desre TO defend Il !;
but II such thing aoes oceas onally occur IL can.
not be matter Tor surprise, nor do we think u
Just condemn whole class tor the mIsdeeds Of n
lew individuals That drunkenncss Is common
amongst yacht sailors s wc think, quite erroneous
idea and. In point OF act, 10 is almost Impossible
that u ever'can be so, for any sailor who mas been
guilty oil 80 misbchaving himself moro than a very
few times would be dismissed, aud would soon
cease TO be a yachssmau. Occasionally men are
found who are indoient aud insoient, but We
believe they are not numerous, aud that
thNir existence Is Ia most duo 10
want Of proper discipline. Our opinion IN this
respect Is borne out by Mr. Dixon Kemp, who, In
dealing with the SUBJECT IN hts exceient book, "a
Manual OF Yacht ana Boal sailing" ays:--"Now we
are inclined 10 wholly blame the crews Tor this.
In the nrst place, they are almost entirely untutored
In anything like dscpiinc or the discipline they
used Of the most slipshod eharacter There is
restraint their habits, ana u they exhibit
like insuboroin inaton, the master, perhaps ignorant
as they are, has no code or system TO guide him IN
restraining IT. To this might pe added that IN
too many instances the owner oi the yacht Is like
sailing master In his Ignorance OF all system OF
strsni, and sometimes sets Dad example by behav
ing In manner which, ~ he were JACK instead oil
Jonn. woulJ insure his immediate dismissal Sailing
masters are nearly always men VINO, by smsrtness as
soamen. have risen IRON very lowiy posi,Ion, and