The morning call., 1893-10-05
THE GREAT YACHT-RACE.


ravens yacht Valkyrie and the Vigilant
for the possession of the America cup
will be sailed to-day. The cup has been
forty-two years in American hands. Dur
ing that period eight successive efforts
have been made by English yachJsmen to
recapture 1t, but all were failures, though
the English boats were good and fast.
Perhaps the best of them was the Genesta,
which was owned by Sir Richard Sutton
and came over In 1885. She was beaten by
the Puritan. Asbury's Cambria was not a
good type of her class and had no show
from the first, but Lieutenant Henn's
Thistle was fine boat and'a good deal of
money was bet that she would carry off
the trophy. How closely these craft ap-
proximated IN speed may be inferred from
the fact that on the last of the three races
between the Genesta and the Puritan the
Englishman beat the Yankee by 2 minutes
6 seconds on the run before the wind,
while on the homestretch. when the yachts
ran to windward, the Yankee beat the
Englishman by ] minute and 80 seconds.
In all these races the issue is between
keel and centerboard. our builders adhering
TO the belief that the centerboard is the
to the keel type. The length of both types
of yachts varies little. The old America,
which won the cup in 1851. was "a feet
over all, the Genesta 96 feet inches. the
Puritan SO feet. But the English yachts
stick to their knife blade build; while the
Americas beam was % feet inches and
the Puritan's % feet inches, the beam OF
the Genesta was only IL feet. Thus at the
water line the displacement CT the Amer-
can boats is one-third greater than that of
the English boats, in compen sation for
which the draught of the Genesta was 13
feet inches. while that of the Puritan was
only s feet inches. American yachts
skim over the water, relying upon their
centerboard for their hold, while English
yachts plow through it.
Few people are aware of the sums of
money which it costs to defend the cup.
1t was known last fall that the English in-
tended to try TO recover it this season:
accordingly four yachts were built in this
country by four eminent naval construct
ors. three by syndcates, one by spirited
Yachtsman of Boston, to defend the cup.
When they were completed a competitive
race was sailed between them, and the
four. at this time each of the boats had
cost its owners from $4,000 to $4,000.
When the competition was ended by the
triumph of the Viglant money was law
ished on her to make her perfect.
She was fitted out, at a cost of $4,000,
with suit of sails of a new material con-
sisiing of silk and fix. Her bottom was
sheathed with coat of bronze which cost
$4,000; bronze. 1T appears, can take a
smoother surface than any other material.
A crew of sixty-two men was engaged
and drilled daily. Every Improvement
that was suggested was adopted regardless
of expense; so that, to-day. she ia said to
represent an outlay of not less than
100000. bow much Lord Dunraven has
spent on the Valkyrie no one knows: but
he is rich and has probably been liberal in
his outlay.
The old America was a schooner, and
Ben Butler sailed her thirty wears after
her performance at Cowes with much sat-
isfaction. Modern racing yachts are sloops
and they can do nothing but race. turf
racer can at any rate reproduce his spe-
cies. Yachts have no such usefulness. If
the Vigilant saves the cup she will prob
duiy o6n loI aOOut Sl0,UUU W SOinc OU6
who is willing to 60 TO the expense of
converting her into a schooner and of
fitting her up as pleasure-boat.
The science of marine architecture owes
to the fashion of yachting invalua bic i'm
proyements in the build of bulls. But the
fashion is. after all. the dying flicker Of an
art which is doomed to expire. Sailing
yachts will soon be nothing but pretty
toys. Their place is being taken by steam
yachts which can steam their twenty
knots and can hold their own in a race
with tho nnaan urar hnnnda