New-York tribune., 1890-08-31
TAXATION OF SAIL AREA.
VARIOUS SYSTEMS OF YACHT MEASURE
MENT.
NONE HAS SOLVED TIE vEXED PROBLEM OF
TIME ALLOwANcE-rENDENcY ON BOTH

SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC.
The Larchmont Yacht Club Will classify by
1ncing length in the fall regatta of the CLUB
This is regarded by the best and most thoroughly
informed yachtsmcn as large and long step III the
right direction. The taxation Of sail area has row
become a factor in the rules OF measurement
adopted by the important clubs of this country
Only one large club, the Atlantic iacht Clup, mas
refused to recognize this principle. There never
,.ss been since the Royal Charles sailed the irst
Corinthan yacht race on the Thames against MS
brother who was then Dukc of York. system
Of measurement and time allowance invented by
the ingenuity of man which met the requirements
OF the situation. In no system does tie allowed
time make up for TIE difference of size and hahdi-
cap the elements of speed SO as TO place al
yachts on an equal footing or rather, on an equaI
bottom. IT was long ago recognized thaC nhgtn
was the principal clement of speed. This was
carried TO such an extreme in England by a rule
OF measurement which taxed beam only thai such
abortive yachts the Excelsior were built, ana
proved 10 be the most utter and complete failures.
On this side Of the water power has always peeh
The motive which actuatcd yacht designers lntre
arc two elements which give sall-carrylng aolh'S
in q yacht and soil is power in yacht as much
as the engine is power in 4 steamer. AS has pecn
said often by the advocates OF taxation ol soii
area the sails are the engines OF the null
The result of the idea of power was the build
ing of the American sltmming-dish" Inc
harbors of Long Island Sound which harpofS
were those most frcquented by New-i orK yach!s-
men, were shallow and the eXigcncies OF 'he
situation did not admit the application 10 hiieri
can Yachts of the quality of depth TO insure
power. There was nothing left but beam' anu
this came to its legitimate end In the capslzlng
+I,o Il nprnV
fall of the "skimrng-diSh" idea III this coun-
fry and two extreme types brought about IN
ENGLAND the death of the beam taxation since
then there has been only one tendency, ana 'hao
has been toward the taxation of sail area only.
All the leading clubs of Great Britain ana most
of .bc leading clubs of the United States nave
edoptcd system OF measurement which taxes
sail area in part. They have only got so iar rs
taking in the square root of the sail area III the
general consideration hut this is enough to snow
the tendency.
Tic claim Of the more advanced yach'smch IS
this. Tho designer should be allowed to eXpend
his encr.ics on the hull. untrammelled by any
system of measurement In races the power
which is rcouircG 10 drive his model through the
water should be taxed. That power is sail area
The orposcis of this system ar-ne that yacht
sbouM be allowed 20 carry all the sail which her
model will admit, and that the taxation 0i saA
area alone would reduce yachting 10 canoeing, as
the model Of the canoe is the one winch can DC
driven through the water fastest with the least
pIOpulsivc force.
In reply 10 This it is said that there are more
clements than one to he taken into Consideration
in the building Of yacht. II Is TACT ana
NOT a theory that .or yachts there can never be
an abortion of tho canoe model IN" boat mHSI
possess various qualities, Of which speed is only
,l,' I'll ff. win IN "a IL
way qualities of reaching and running. and. in
short. she must he yacht, and not canoe.
The Minerva ard many other 40-lootcrs have
crossed the ocean on their own bottoms. Any one
who has crossed the ocean knows that when
boat 40 feet long crosses the Nor'h Atlantic sue
is indeed a Yacht i'm the full and true accept&tlon
or the term As 10 the other Objection, the claim
that a Yacht should he allowed 10 carry all th'
sail which she can. the reply, Of the advocates
of the taxation OF sail area only Is that the true
and cSOtcric quality Of yachting Is LOST sl2t OF
in this scheme They maintain that Yachting
means something more than the mere ability OF
n boat to 90 between two given points IN the
shortest space OF time. /; means tie dcvciopmcnt
of the best type of hull They declare that
power is TO yachting brute force. which rides
down and Ovcrwhclms all other considerations
considerations which should in yacht he the
principal elements. In short, they revert 10 thelf
original proposition. Tax sail area and leave the
il sail area alone is taxed they say, that great
clement of speed length IS left Tree ana M
of the Yacht The best model. thcy say. meeting
the opposition on their own grounds Of speed, IS
The model which vii! hc driven through the water
fastest with the least proppsiyc force. The Brit.
isl Yacht Racing Association, under the rules ot
which all the great rcgattas of England are held,
cama within few votes of adopting a taxation
OF sail area only last year. Ii was rather too
radical change for yachting people who have
until within few years. been taxing solitary
quantity of the hull ana wa" lost in the meeting
of the association, the present system OF partial
tayation of sail area being adopted instead OF the
one proposed. On this side Of the water the aG-
vancement has about kept pace with that on the
other. The only drawback is that the greatest
and Oldest yacht club in the country. the New
York Yacht Club, still persists in classifying ny
tbe old load-watcrlnr measurement. while 1t OBJ
tains the calling length of the yacht by system
which. In part taxes sail area. ,.e
by racing length. then the dawn OF nc Gay
when sail area only shall be taxed Is near Since
Yachting first began hundreds Of systems OF meas,
urement for time allowance have beer trica' ana
ali have proved unsatisfactory. The system OF iaNa
rion of sail area only has never been trled' DuC
n is the legitimate outcome Of the long strU@ee
for some systcm of equalization for racing bOats'