Morning journal and courier., 1885-09-28
SlOOp and Cutter.

To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 The Genesta has shown us the good A well
 as the objectionable qualities of the British
 cutter. In the repeated races there have
 been opportunities afforded to study the type
 of yacht that the English builders prefer and
 to form deliberate opinion as to it's merits.
 Public decision in the main is not favorable
 to the cutter hull. Nor is the skimming
 dish proper, or original American type, any
 better or more desirable as the model of the
 future. The Puritan is an example of the
 happy medium of s'leadmine" and "skim-
 ming dish" and combines many of the best
 qualities of each. In the evolution inevita-
 ply following time and experience it is safe
 to say that the model of the Puritan and not
 that of the Genesta will furnish the hasis or
 starting point from which other and superior
 flyers will be produced. Our centreboard
 type has received emphatic endorsement that
 will hardly be influenced by prejudiced and
 ignorant sneers from conservative English
 men. Our yacht owners look for room and
 comfort while cruising, and when they can
 secure at the same time as great or greater
 speed there appears no reason for continued
 use of the cutter model, for us discredited
 and discarded. The New York Herald of
 the 24th of September says: "The Gsnesta
 is good for racing, and that is all she is good
 for. The American yachtsman does not care
 to go cruising in diving bell while he can
 get as much speed as he wants and as much
 solid comfort and safety as are necessary to
 his happiness out of a staunch and speedy sloop with broad beam and g centreboard. The Genesta did well, but it was better to watch her behav- ier than to be on board of her." In de- sciption of the Brenton Reef race the New York Times of the same date writes that ''the Genesta at times plunging headforemost until her bswsprit disappeared clear up to the cathead, at times lying over on her port side until her main sail lapped the sea fifteen feet above the boom" and in editorial comment remarks that "a sharp and narrow and heavily bal lasted yacht is far from being comfortable or even safe craft to be on board of in a ] gale of wind" The French yachtsmen ac- cept the American model, and their special organ, Le Yacht, in literal translation says: "As for us personally who have contributed to introduce into France the American centreboard boat, we desire boldly it's success applied to sea- going vessels because this type responds bet ter than the English type to the necessities of navigation our seaboards by it's lesser draught of water, and that perfected, as it appears to be after the results obtained by l the Boston sloop against the English cutter, it seems to us to be the real model to follow" " | And again: eft is because we welcome the | double victory of the Puritan as the signal of
 new revolution in yacht racing, too dispos- 1 ed, in our opinion, to put ourselves in the ! Ran nf hv a10 Of | ated hull whose advantages of speed cannot | compare with it's dangerous inconvenience. /" It is probable that no cutter floats to-day that can compete successfully with the Puri- | tan and her descendants in series of races. Bravo! Boston, and continued triumph to the American type! The greatness of the victory of the Puritan in the decisive race with the Genesta is not fully understood by those who failed to notice that the close of the race the Puritan was a mile to | windward in the lead of the Genesta, and that l this advantage was lost to the Puritan by a shift of wind which transferred this carefully acquired gain to the Genesta; yet on | the stretch home the Puritan made up this | fearful loss and crossed the line as winner.
 Captains Samuels and Crocker have hardly ! received their need of praise and thanks, through attempted criticism of writers who have but recently learned the difference be- l tween a boom and a bowsprit. The Genesta challenge caught us in our weakest point, as | large sloops have been abandoned in this country for various good reasons. But in sehooners we strong. The Montauk, k, Crawling and Fortuna, not to mention other famous ones, have little to fear from any foreign vessel of their class, and if Sir Rich- ard Sutton had challenged us with a schooner it would not have been necessary to build a yacht to meet him. Those who live ts
 see next summer will be likely to enjoy yacht racing enough in the efforts of our yachtsmen to recapture the cups that Sir Richard Sutton has gallantly won, only the contest will be transferred to English waters. It would have been interesting if the Puritan could have raced the Genesta back to Eng land, as the result of the race found and left infatuated admirers of the cutter build of hull in the condition of ''the man convinced against his will" But we ought to be satis-
 fled with the glory of the year in yachting matters. The sloop Puritan, the schooner the reader may here supply the name he pre- fers from several schooners conspicuously to the fore, the steamer Stiletto, which is without doubt the fastest human contrivance that floats water, ought to satisfy the progressive salt water yearnings of any peo- pie. Now that such yearnings are aroused it is safe to say that we have as yet only made l good beginning. F. w. F.