New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-09-21
llLlrEN lNn ALnnrS.

Tho yacht races ho tar tina year have proved
nothing in regard ~ tho relative superiority at thy
.loop aud Che cutter One reason ot this hu7 been
the battling weather. Many OF the rcg1ttls, hrsiu-
ming with the Iaco around Lonu Island and ending
with tho meet of the kuicNcrbpckcr cub
ON Friday last, have been sailed Ia pro-
vol,ing cams On tho othor hand, tho
great races oil Ncw London and Newport wero
hmdprcd hy fox aud rain. one OF tine finest fleets
thet ever assembled in Newport waited three day,
in smo,h herring mist for nm opportunity to race for
some annual prizes The GIdcic, Fanny Vixen
and Muclicf have met ihcr antlSou,t' the llccn.
Wruonah ana Bedouin. ON several occasions; but
no matter whnt boats carried oil tho
prizes, tho races cannot be said to
have proved anything, when half the time
tho whole fleet was drifting with tho tide. On scy-
cral occasions when the weather was favorable for
q ilir thai the sloops were not IN ,he race.
While it i, true that the cutter has gained in the
estimation of many owners within the last five
wears II i, also undcnablc tina. this type of boat
does not meet with general favor. The majority of
our amateur sailors believe that it is not suited
either to American waters or the objects for
which yachting is primarily undertaken. The
type grew up in England uGdcr "a set OF
circumstances different from those under which the
American yacht has been evolved The cutters
good qualities can be summed up in few words.
Being deep IT has stability. Bong narrow, Il has
spccd With ballast on the keel. 10 Is nou-caPsil-
able lis list of drawbacks. is a longer one The
cuttcr is Il drcadfuy wet boat. Few owners would
Ic hardy enough to venture across the Atlantic
in one of them. Those that have been iuI-
ported so far have come on the cccks OF
steamers The narrow beam does not allow
sufficient spread 10 the shroudS. Until the English
learned TO shorten the lower mast, their cutters
li-
Iany a cutter has been di>iaa,,ed twice and thrice
~ Il season. The deck-room Is contracted, and this
renders the handling of the sails difficult It is 10
joke to take in ~pinuai,cr weighing a ION ON
narrow deck. slippery with spray and standing at
an angle OF 80 10 the horizon. The visiting cOu!-
panv on board are dl-quictcd also by the manner
in which the cutter lays over under the breeze.
The cutter is not therefore all that fancy and the
enthusiastic edtoro OF Forest ami St,ean nave painted
II.
4 yact ia built primarily for cruising. Under
ordinary Circums aEce,, with the KIND of weather
tnat trmpts the lover of samGout foG spin down
Tie bay in" American -ioop and It's large sister the
schooner aye generally considered as of superior
excellence. The deck is dryer and moro level. There
+, more room aboard for guests. The lighter draft
its the vessel ioi ua,I.d.ug shallow waters. Aud
the bgoal beam j., sulnrlcnt security agaius, cap
sizing. wish ballast ON thc hcal tEc American
scoop and schooner are the most comfortable, a.,
they :lc Tie ll;ciic,t. things tlat feat.
lu the Interest t,iat &, taken 300 this counirJ pa
cutter, the America cup exercises great influence.
There has been no race 'oI this cup for yeats
Nevertheless the pi'lc stand tor perpetual chal-
lcngc, aud if England sails for th"
cup IT viii be- with q cutter The
schooner and the Savl have gone
out Of fashion IN England tor racing. the cutter