New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-03-30
THE NEW-YORK CLCB.
4 sKLIlH OF TIE OLDEST YACHT CLUB
N THIS COUNTRY.

N THIS COUNTRY.
The Nev-York Yacht Club /. the oldes, and the
largest Yacht club in the country. There are vague
Tradition, of an earlier organization in Boston hut II
there ever wss any such club it short-hved and Of
little importance In July 1s4i. there were anchored
of the Battery the yachts Gmcrack belonging TO John
e. Stevens: spray owned by Hamilton Wilkes; La
Coouille owned by John c. jay Dream belonging to
George J.. schuyler Mist owned by Louis l. Depau
Petrol bclonrinc 10 Geor.. Il Rollins Minna, owned
bv james NJ Waterbury; Ida. owned by james
Rogers: and Cygnet, owned by Willsm Edgar The
largest Of these yachts the Cygnc' Of fortyyo
tons and the smallest the Gimcrack. of twenty-five
IONS Tho owners of these vessels met aboard the Gin
track and after talking the matter over resolved to
form Themselves into q club 70 be called the NeW1 OK
Yacht Club John c. Stevens elected commodore,
and from thit day TO this the late owner OF Castle
Point has seldom been spoken of except as " Comno
nore" Stevens The work Of organizing and increasing
HE club wa, pushed energedcally. New members
were elected a committee appointed TO select club
house and flag and uniform adopted. The first flag
was a star composed of thirteen smaller stars Ii was
hoisted only few times and then gave place to the
present flag An effort was made 60 club-rooms
In CASTE Garden but falling in this clubhouse was
built in the Elysian Fields Hobnken. The house sun
stands and il used by the Ncw-Jersey Yacht Clnb.
On june IL ls45 the New-York Yacht Club held its
srst reg,ttn Commodore Stringham Of the Navy vas
one Of the Regatta Committee Th, the first regatta
held in America, and was general holiday The snip
ping along the docks dressed with flags anu crowds
fpeoplc watched the yachts from the shore VI the '
original yachts nearly all took part The start was
from of the clubhouse at the Elysan Fields down
around the Sandy Hook Lightshp After tins the fleet
and membership Of the club rapidly increased No
yacht 1udor twenty-five tons allowed 90 Joe e.
rolled in the club feet until 1863 when Mr. Living ton
built the White Cap of fifteen tons. The ftieea-t.n
limit was then established and ha, remained Us force
,i,ce that time The system Of time allowance which
Was used ot the first regatta ioItyYe seconds per
ton Tie clab remained the Eysan Field, until
1866 when q clubhouse bui., at Staten island
Up 10 the breaking Of the The regatta OF tAe
olub were occasions In which general interest
taken. and they attracted mach more attention than
they have SINCE. The United States then maritime
Nation and the day Of the regatta Of the principal yacht
club Of the country a holiday that observed
largely nv al classes of people.
The only period Of danger through which the club
passed was from 1916 TO lS4-, when nearly all the
large yacht, were bought by Boston people and for
time all The yachting Interests Of tho country centred in
the Hub The New-York Yacht Club got the
power back again. however, and fine feet Of yachts
was either bought built. Next to the New-lork
Yacht Club the oldest yacht club III the country l. the
Southern Yacht Club of New-OTloans, which was
organized In 1s49. The clubhouse at Staten Island
was given up S7l and the club removed 10 its pres
eut quarters at MadisOnsye. and entyseyenth-st.
WINNING AND HOLDING THE AMERICA CUP.
Some If tho. most celebrated in the history Of
vachtc have been sailed by yachts belonging to the
Hew-York Club. In 1857 the schooner yacht America,
then owned 10y Commodore Stevens aud others the
America Cup" At Cowes beating eight cutters and
scboone and brought the trophy 10 this country
IL 1866 tho Vesta Floetwine and Henrietta sailed an
ocean race from Sandy Hook 10 Cowes and in 1870 the
British yacht Cambria and the New York yacht Daunt
less raced from Queenstown TO this port The British
yaoht but II the Same year that the Sappho,
Of the New-IOTk Club, beat the Cambria In race on
the Isle Wight and sailed up and down the Channel
with q sign in her rigging challenging the world
The America Cup, often called tho Queens Cup,
which va. won by the America in ST. presented %
the New York Yacht Club by the nefz of The winning
yacht, to remain perpetual International challenge
Gun The club has been frequently called upon 70 de-
fend il from British yachts and 40 far has succeeded IN
kee,,nq the trophy this side Of the water No ne
ton except the British has ever Challenged ior OF
The cup four times Of the challenges coming from
Canadians. The club has spent money freely IN do
Tending the cup each race for 1t having cost from
$4,000 TO $4,000. Fifty thousand dollars were
spent the fonT sailed IL Its defence Inc biit
Isl Yacht Cambria sailed for the cup In 1870 and the
IGrania IN 1871. IL 1879 the Countess Of Dufferin
sailed for IT, and Ia 1881 the Atalsnta. Both OF the
latter yachts were from Canada In al these races the
euu was successfully defended and the club showed
great public spirit ID the lavish manner IN which the
iembeIs devoted labor aud money TO the defence The
only disaster Of any magnitude winch has occurred in
lie Yachting history Of the club the loss of the
yacht Mohawk in ls7eg The club has several 90
casions given dinness 70 distinguished foreigners The
Grand Duke AlexIi and Commodore Ashbury Of the
Royal Thames Yacht Club among th0se to whom Its
hospitality has been offered
IL age and membership alone were there no other
considerations would make the New York Yacht GIMP
the leading club In the country II Is known ABROAD,
ard all yachts when going foreign cruise want 10
ny tho flag Of the club The club Is conservative but
goes ahead steadily Ia 81 yachting matters The mem
bershp Is now 43o. and s feet nulnbers l3o yachts
The largest schooner In the fleet Ia the Abassadress
belonging 10 William Astor. She Is keel schooner.
Lac feet al and of 100 tons The largest sloop s
Seseph I. EsIles 8sr known s!0Qp GxseiA which Of