Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-31
PURITAN AND GENESTA.
YACHTSMEN OF BOTH NATIONS
ON THE ANXIOUS SEAT.

Great Confidence of Victory Expressed
by the Yankee Sailsmen-ReIative
Dimensions of tho Two Crafts and the
Time Allowance Which Will be Given
the EnglIshmRn.
| NEW YORK. Aug. 2S.-Never has there
been in this country so general and in
tense an interest In any yachting event
as in the approaching contest for the
Americas cup. Preparations for the
event are now proceeding rapidly. 1t is
evident that an enormous crowd will wit
ness the contests. Not only have the
various yachting associations chartered
steamers to carry their members and
friends over the course, but many gentle
men have arranged private parties Of six
or seven and chartered tugs for the occa-
sion. A number of great excursion boats
will accompany the races for the accom-
mediation Of the general public. There
are three races arranged, to take place
Sept. Z, and IL. The first will be
20 miles to the windward outside
Of Sandy Hook; the second
over the regular course Of the New
York Yacht Club. and the third a
40-mIle sail over triangular course out
side of Sandy Hook. The contest is the
result of challenge from the Royal Yacht
Club of England, of which Sir Richard
sutton, owner OF the Genesta, and Lieut..
! w. HEM, II. N, owner OF the Galatea,
are members. These two yachts, both
| designed by Mr.. j. Beaver Webb, are the
/ actual challengers, though the formal
challenge came from the association to
| which they belonged. The race will be
| for the Americas cup, as it is called. 1t
| Is in reality cup that was offered by
the Royal Yacht Squadron In 1851,
! to be contested for by the yachts of all
nations, and which In the famous race Of
1851 was won by the United States yacht
America, whose owners retained it till
| 1867, when they transferred il to the New
| York Yacht Club. The cup has been sue
cessfully defended against all challengers
| for a period OF thirty-four years, and the
American yachtsmen will strain every
nerve TO prevent it passing back into the
hands Of the English club at the coming
contest.
| AS soon as Il became known that the
| Genesta would contest for the cup, the
New York Yacht Club set to work to
build yacht that could beat the famous
| English racer. James Gordon Bennett,
commodore. and the other flag officers Of
the New York Club, Immediately gave or
ders for the building of the Priscilla,
which was constructed in seventy
days by the Harlan & HOllngswOrth
| Company, of Wilmington, Del, on designs
| by Mr.. A. Cary Smith. AT the same time
j. Maleomb Forbes and other Boston gem
| tlemen directed the construction of the
yacht Puritan, which was built by
| George LaWley d Son at South BOs-
ton on designs by the Burgess Broth
ers, and launched May 26.
THE PURIrAN's DIMENSIONS.
1t is said that the committee having in
charge the international races were unani-
nous in their choice OF the Puritan to de-
fend the cup.
The dimensions Of the Puritan, as fur
nished by Mr.. Forbes, are; Length over
all, 90 feet; length on the water line, 80
feet; beam amidship, % feet incnes;
draught, feet. Her mast is 78 feet ia
height; topmast, "A; length of bowsprit
QutboaFd, 30 feet; length Of boom, 76 feet;
length of gatf AZ feet; length of spinnaker
| pole, 64 feet. Her boom is a larger spar
than is to be found on any
flush deck, with rail about 1
foot in height, and her skylights
and batches are constructed with the
greatest possible saving Of weight. Be-
low deck the Puritan is an exceedingly
rOOmy boat. Her saloon is a spacious
apartment about fifteen feet square, with
two upper and two lower berths on
each side. There are two staterooms
| forward of the saloon on each side, and
one double stateroom with four berths aft
OF il. Forward of the stateIooms on the
! port side is the galley, and forward Of that
the fOrecastle.
We don't know but that 1t is a misnomer
! TO call the Puritan a centreb0ard slOOp.
She Is almost as sharp on her bottom as
! Bedouin Is, and, with few trifiing alte-
rations, would be full cutter rigged. We
get, from time 10 time, queries as 10 what
this boat Is, whether sl0Op or cutter.
Certainly, she has little in common, so
fara shape of hull Is concerned, with the
old-fashlOned centrebOard slOop. and In
rig she is cutter. We cannot, there
fore, call her slOOp, and IL Is entirely
proper to call her a enter. Still, If cut
ter she is not a British cutter; she Is Yam
kee in all things, from the patent noise
less grind5tOne wiudlass to the snap hoops
OF her topsail. and should she be chosen,
we think IL would be demonstrated that
the Yankee cutter was superior to the
British cutter.
THE GENHsTAs DIMENSIONS.
J. BeavOr Webb, the Designer OF the
Genesta, has given her Dimensions and
RIG as follows: Length over all. So feet;
lthAliA az kuG iFAA hestfA tAANg % i1Fss -
treme beam, 10 feet; depth Of Mold, llH
feet; draught, 1871 feet; height of mast
from deck % hounds, ~ feet; tOpmast
from fid 10 sheave. AZ feet length OF boom,
10 feet; Ran, a feet; bowsprit outboard,
80 6-10 feet; spinnaker pole, "a feet; club
topsail, ~ feet.
IL will be- observed that the Genesta is
one foot longer than the Puritan on the
water line, but her spread Of canvass Is
considerably less. Her t0pmast, having
been shortened three feet, 10 now only AZ,
instead OF AZ, and her total height OF mast
is only Us feet, against the Puritan's ~
feet. Then again her boom Is only 20 feet
long, while the Pufitau's is 10. The furi-
tan will, therefore, have 70 allow hcr
time. What G. % allowance Is cannol DO
stated until the Gonesta has been officially
measured. and this will not be done until
tho latter part OF next week, probably on
SATURDAY., SEPT. .. II f. sale 20 say, how
ever. that ~ will not be much above OF be-
low minute.
The cutting down Of the Gonesia's top
mast almost on the eve Of the races has
given rise 20 no end Of conjecture. The
reas0n assigned by her friends IL that her
sails have stretched ia this atmosphere
and rendered such an alteration ncces-
snry. but the general opinion ~ that tne
chief object IL 10 secure larger time al
i0waHce. On this yiow ~ the matter - n
argued tnss no better evidence can be- had
that the knglshmsn are doubtful ~ their