New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-01
YACHTSMEN MAKING READY.
KEEL AGAINST CENTREBOARD.

THE OLD CONTROVERSY REvIvED-GRoUNDs
OF HOPE FOR THE CYTHERA.
Ex-Commodorc Latham @. Fish's Burgessed'
schooner Grayllng likely be tho first Of the big
yachts put In commission this 1t is expected
that she Will take to tho water time next week.
Mr. Fish intends get the hang OF her. thoroughly
before the racing season opens. No yaohtsman knows
better than he how get all tho speed Of boat
that in her, and he TO win, not merely for fun
Undoubtedly he will make things interesting for other
schooners Of the Grayngs class But as the science
Of yacht-budlng improves, yschtsman can reason
ably expect keep first place long unless his purse
is big his ambition and he is prepared always TO
Invest in a boat with the latest improvements
Work is being done on the transformed Priscilla and
Commodore Canfeld's schooner, which embodes bis
notions Of what schooner should be- These
three schooners with the Saohem, stretching
and carrying lead in her keel than ever be-
fore Will furnish racing that will be worth seeing
The first racing Of the will be that between the
Boston and Gloucester fishing scbooners which comes
of April s. While the contestants are yachts the
Is attracting much interest among NewEngland
yachtsmen. They doing excellent work in encour
aging such competition 1t must tend to improve
ments in the models of fishing boats and besides the
desrabllity Of getting fish speedily to market in these
days the presence Of Canadian cruisers Is apt to afford
additional reasons for making good time.
Seven hundred dollars have been subscribed to fur
nish the prizes The Carrie E Phillips designed by
Burgess Is Of course. the favorite but hnro some
stout fishermen who are not frightened By the spell Of
that magic name, and at least three other fishing
schooners the Merritt the McManus and the Roulette,
will sail against the Burgess boat for money and glory
THE MISSING YACHT PREPARED FOR STORMS.
It is yet too early DO alarmed about the safety Of
the big yawl Cyhera, which last spoken of Barne
gat bound for jamaica 1t is possible. probable,
that she has been driven out Of her by severe
weather and may fetch up at some West Indian port
avclc elO rha Cpfhs al
board her owner, ". A. W. Stewart, Q. Smith Leo,
owner Of the cutter Ovs, her sailing master, Captain
Phlpps, and a of six men besides cook and
steward Mr. Stewart and Mr.. Smith are both capital
yschtsmen, and Captain Phipps is good sailor. The
Cythera was at one time a famous racing cutter in
British waters. being trihe longer on the water line
than the Thistle, and has repeatedly given evidence Of
fine sea-golng qualities She hove to for
something Like three days during . tremendous gale
in ,he Bay Of Biscay In her yawl rig she was both
under spared and short of canvas and therefore in
good condition to face rough weather.
Two Of A. Cary Smiths schooners, the Yampa keel.
and the Iroquois centcboard weathered .ecent gales
after fashion that rejected great credit on their de-
signer and those on board.
A correspondent who leads editor into COM
hitting an injustice owes him an apology, and the
gentleman who signs himself @New-Yorker' should
lose time in Offering TO the yachting editor Of
Forest Stream In the last issue Of that journal
a
example of the preiudicod and superficial manner in
which the daily press Of NewYork deals with yachting
matters, let me cite THE TRIBUNE, which In recent
abored article bosterng the centreboard AYERS that
largs keels are not being built" Then follows some
sratuitous information spiced with sarcasm.
The article in question contained no such statement
The specifically and prejudice displayed by the
critic who draws conclusions from q gross misstao
ment. As for bolstering up" the centreboard,
body knows better than the yachting editor Of Forest
and Stream that 1t needs bolsterng up for he
was sorrowful witness OF that twenty mile thrash
wndw ard In which the Volunteer gained fourteen min
utes on the Thistle and he understood Its significance.
Decidedly @New-YorkerS owes Forest and Stream" an
apology.
NO CAUSE FOR LOSING ONES TEMPER
There Is no need to get "csniaDkerous" over this
centrebosrd controversy. What is best will ult
mately prevail and IL at present 1t seems that the cen
treboa has better Of IT, the heel men ought 10 give
evidence of the faith that is In them b. waiting pa
tlently, remembering that they laugh best who laugh
last And If II turns out, as many people believe It
WILL that keel boat Of the dimensions Of the folun-
teer can be built that will outsa her, they will at least
have the satisfaction of knowing that they have kept
their ,euiyc,s
Every fair minded student Of yachting must admit
that the American sloop has been wonderfully I'M
proved 10 years, and that many of the points
have been suggested by the models Of the British
cutters. II Is easy TO make that achno"lcogN
mem since our yschism always beitered the In
struction' and the cutters went back defeated.
the obligations arc mutual And now II Burgess can
pat the centreDoarJ below the cabin floor. as IN the
Marguerite, without making IT any less effective than
one which cuts cabin In two why, much the bet
ter II will remove the only serious ground OF "bjec-
ton to the celreboafd And II he can go further than
that and demonstrate that the centrebord is Utterly
superauous. that yachls sail Just fast without
u lac
more will II be much the better But walt till he
does H.