, 1891-08-02
NEW YoRK Yacht CLUB.
Something Regarding Its Coming Annuu

Something Regarding Its Coming Annual
Cruise.
The history of American yachting is thu
history OF the New York Yacht club, and,
with the exception of its internationa
matches, the most conspicuous events in
the history of this club nave been its an.
nual cruises to the eastward on the waters
OF Long Island ound. 1t is no wonder
then that each year yachtmen should look
forward from the opening of the season.
which has been fixed by tradition at Mem
Orial Day. to the New York Yacht clubs
annual cruise in anticipation of great
pleasure.
The early cruises of the club were en-
joyed more han anything else 1t could
give. Indeed, It was to bring the yachts
men Of those days into closer fellowship
that the club was organized in 1874, and in
no way could the members have such en-
1oyable sport as in cruising together. Rae
ing from port to port was a natural result.
wherever American yachtsmen are found
sailing In company will be evidenced a
fond desire to crowd on sail, and it may
here be said that the natural love of the
American for large sail spreads was en-
Outraged more by the late Edward Burgess,
of Boston, than by any other yachtsman
this country has produced.
The cruises OF the New York Yacht club
Hhfo hINAiCltu Lut dlOtuLlOu Oh
yachtsmen all over the world. They have
revealed the progress of American yacht
ing in all OF its branches. From the big
schooner down to the 40-footers-the small
est class OF sailing craft recognized by the
club; from the Vanderbilt steam yacht
Alva, n regular ocean steamship, 2S5 feet
long over all, to the handsome little naph-
tina launches with which all. the larger
craft are provided, the results of the enter.
nrfaa and fnaanutNYv - r,.-s.-
builders and inventors are shown all at
once, and in looking over the fleet one can
not help being impressed with the field for
men who supply in business the demands
OF wealth.
Every year brings some new feature to
the cruise. Last year there was a question
of supremacy in the 40-foot class to be de-
cided. The little Scotch cutter Minerva,
designed by young VIII Fife, of Fairlee,
had defeated the year before more than a
dozen American boats and had proved a
harder problem to solve thar even the
famous Thistle, which was beaten by the
Volunteer.
The Burgess boat Gossoon had been built
in Boston to meet the aggravating little
foreigner, and yachtsmen were intensely
interested in the outcome of their races.
Then there were other additions to the
fleet, one being E. d. Morgan's foreign
built steamer Catarina. formerly owned by
the Duke of Sutherland. In all there were
about $50 yachts in New London harbor
the night of the rendezvous, and over a
hundred sailing craft drifted out of the
harbor the next morning before a light
northerly breeze, with light sails set and
all making one great bank of snowy can
vas-a sight once seen never to be for
gotten.
These few facts may perhaps give an idea
of the significance of the New York Yacht
club cruise from a yachting standpoint.
This seasons cruise, which begins Aug. 8,
will be no exception to others in point of
interest. The chief racing features will be
in the 90-foot schooner class and 46-foot
class of sloops and cutters. In the former
General Charles j.. Paine's old cup de-
fender Volunteer will appear, If she can be
fitted out in time as a schooner to dispute
the title of champion with the Burgess
schooners Merlin any Mayiower, and the
Sea Fox, designed by ex-Commodore A.
Cass Garfield, of the Seawanhaka Corinth-
ian Yacht club. z
The Mayfiower is another Americas cup
defender turned into a schooner. The Vol
unteer has been heightened from eighty
six feet to just under ninety feet, having
received an entire new forebody, and her
performances as a schooner will be watched
with interest. 1t is said that in lengthen-
ing the Volunteer General Paine has had
In mind the possibility of turning her into
a sloop again In case there should come a
challenge to race for the Americas cup,
but yachtsmen in the east turn their blind
eye to this view in the hope that, with the
Volunteer being considered by English
yachtsmen as out of the way, they will
make another effort to get back the cup
won by the old schooner America in 1851.
The 46-foot class, built up this year, has
resolved itself into u contest with the
Herreshoff boat Gloriana, owned by Vice
Commodore E. d. Morgan, and the rest of
the fleet. The Gloriana has beaten the
Burgess boats Sayonara and Mineola, the
Fife boat Jessica, and Wintringham boat
Nautilus, and on the cruise will try the
Alborak, designed by General Paine for
his son John; Oweene and Beatrix, both
Burgess boats, and the Barbara, designed
by Fife. The Beatrix is the only center
board boa in the lot. The Alborak is
built on the theory that brute force, with
reasonable amoun of shape, will win, in
accordance with the laws of nature. She
will be handled by the famous Hank Half.
who sailed the Volunteer to victory in 1877.
The Oweene will be sailed by Captain
Charles Barr, the Minerals old skipper.
The yachts nave been instructed to rem
devious at Glen Cove on the morning of
Aug. 3. The first run will be to Hunting
ton, L. l., that afternoon, from which
point they will go to New London Then
they will sail to Newport, where the
Goelet cup races will be sailed, and will
make Martha's Vineyard and New Bed
ford, returning to Newport for disband-
ment. The cruise will last about ten days.
and will be followed by special races at
Newport before the fleet is finally scattered
over the sound.
GEORGE CARD PEAsE.
The GIoriana's Beautiful Trophy.