Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-11-29
INTERNATIONAL YACHTING.

Dunraven's Article In the North
American Review-Value of the
| English Pleasure FIeet-Wants q
Commission 10 Revise the Yachting
/ Rules.
NEW YORK, Nov. 29.-The North Amer
loan Review for December will contain ar
article by the Earl of Duuraven on the
subject of international yachting. Re
| ferring to the fact that this sport has its
chief vogue among English-speaking men,
| he estimates the value of the English
pleasure feet at nearly fifty million
dollars. 1t finds employment, he
| says, for six thousand or seven
thousand men at sea and for many thou
sands more engaged in various industries
upon shore. Of the tonnage and value of
yachts sailing under the stars and stripes,
and of the number of hands employed in
them, have no means of forming an &C.
curate estimate, but no country is SO rich
ly endowed by nature with facilities for
yachting as the United States, and in none
has the sport established itself more firmly
in public estimation.
The earl, however, declares that "y acht
racing in the large classes is dead in Eng
land and America, or let us hope and say,
is in state of suspended animation"
Lord Dunraven considers that to avert
a deeadence of the big cutters, something
is wanted to make 1t worth mems while to
build. This must be a blue ribbon
of the sea and to international yacht
racing he looks to cave the day. Lord
Dnnraven considers the America cup and
its relation to the yachting of to-day and
of the future. He deplores the fact that
the cup should have produced 60 little
serious competition, the reason for which
he finds in the fact that "the difficulty of
devising satisfactory conditions and the
insured have never been sufficiently recog-
nized by the present holders of the cup"
The cup, he says, was not originally in
tended to be an international challenge
cup. That the donors erected the trophy
into an international cup under conditions
adapted to an open race shows that they
gave little thought to the matter. The err
ror was perceived after one had taken
place and was rectifed, and since then two
deeds of gift have been framed for regulat
ing contests for the cup. Lord Dunraven
points out that for many reasons these
deeds of gift have been objected to by
yachting men in England-the last deed
being especially open to criticism on &C
count of the dimensions clause. No chal-
lenge, he says, ever has been made or ever
will be made under the terms of that
deed. If the views of the New York Yacht
club are interchangeable, international racing
Is, as far as America aad England are con-
oerned, at a deadlock. Lord Dunrsven
considers the conditions to be- fulfilled
in laying down fair rules for an
international yacht race and suggests the
cooperation of English and American
yachtsmen in establishing regulations that
would be everywhere recognized. He
would invite, say, three Englishmen and
three Americans, representative yachts
men and members of the foremost clubs,
to meet in New York, London or Paris
and discuss the matter thoroughly and
draw up definite rules. Their labors hav
of papers, one marked, into a hat and
request the members of the drafting COM
mittee to draw lots. The nationality of
the drawer of the marked lot should deter
mine the waters in which the first race for
the cup should be sailed and he should
nominate the yacht club in whose charge
the cup should be first placed. The earl
says he does not know whether it would be
possible to apply the principle here indi-
Gated .--ee America cup, but he de-
clares it thousand pities to let that cup
fall into oblivion. He says 1t has a posi-
ton that makes it singularly the trophy to
be held by presumably the best racing
vessel in the world. That it has not pro-
duoed more frequent and keener con-
tests is much to be regretted and he would
rejoice if 1t should come to be recog-
nized for all time as the blue ribbon of
| the sea.