Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-09-22
MAYFLOWER VS.. GALATEA.

A correspondent writing from Park
City asks us: "Will you please tell me
through your columns why it is that the
American yacht Mayfower had to allow
time to the English yacht Galatea, the
Mayfower being the smaller boat Of the
two?" Also. (Which of the models IS
now believed to be the better for racing
purposes ?" We have stated heretofore
in these columns that each model was
built to work best in the water it was
intended to encounter, and that the COM
ing of the Galatea to this country placed
her at disadvantage when in competl-
ton with broad and center-board vessel
like the Mayfower. We are now enabled
to give the following interesting history
of the races and description of the boats,
taken from the Scientific american of the
18th instant: "The theory has long held,
and has been justified in practice, that
deep vessel was better in seaway than
a shallow one. There is no question that
for rough weather the old American shall
low-draught racing boats were defective.
The laundering in the Gulf Stream of
the Black Maria was a sad proof Of
this. But having overcome this wrong
tendency, the point has been to stop
when sufficient depth was reached.
There is every probability that this has
been done in the Mayfower. A broader
vessel plunges less, and having higher
centre of gravity rolls less, and careens
less under sail, than does narrow one.
In these important respects, as affecting
comfort, she is the superior. Ii it can be
shown that this width is not inconsistent
with speed, it may be considered that
one valuable result has been attained.
The Genesta and Puritan, who COM
peted last year for the international tro-
ply, were somewhat smaller than the
present competitors, but were large
enough to represent the largest type OF
single-masted vessels. The general re-
suit of recent yachting trials has devel-
oped the fact that greater speed is to be
looked for from the single-masted vessel
than from the schooner. This is, to an
extent, unfortunate, as the schooner is
far the more practical type. In our river
and sound commerce for the last few
years, nothing is more striking than the
disappearance OF sloops and increase in
number of schooners. In old times,
sloops have been engaged in ocean
traffic to a certain extent, but now that
rig is being abandoned except for the
smallest class of vessel.
We give the table of dimensions of both
vessels below. The interesting features
are the relative displacement and lead
ballast carried. The Galatea, it will be
seen, is really 80 per cent larger than the
Mayflower, and carries nearly twice as
much ballast. Yet by the generous N.
Y. G. rules she receives a few seconds
time allowance from the Mayfower. The
exorbitant amount OF outside lead ballast
and large displacement certainly tend to
make her more nearly racing machine
than is her competitor.
They are nearly of the same length,
the Mayfower being two feet the shorter.
In breadth and depth they differ widely;
the Mayfower is much wider and shall
lower. Being wider, she carries more
sail than the Galatea, and is handicapped,
having to allow the Galatea SO seconds
over the inside course.