The morning call., 1893-05-07

The opening day of the yachting season
was celebrated yesterday by the San Fran
cisco Yacht Club at its headquarters at
Sausalito. The CorinthIan Yacht Club of
Tiburon and the Encinal Yacht Club Of Ala
media were guests of the San Francisco Club
and came over in their boats.
The day was superb one, but the wind
was very light, which caused the boats of
the Corinthians and Encinals to be rather
late in arriving. In fact the Encinals. who
left Alameda at A. NJ, did not get over
some Of them until p. NJ
The fleet of yachts anchored off the club
house was the largest which has been seen
there for long time. They we're: The
ChsDa, Commodore |. Cutie; Jessie, ex-
Commodore j. Macdonough; Ramona, w.
n. Mccarthy; Truant. John Pew; May,
Gus Newell; Whitewings, Charles Chitten-
den; Froiic. Commodore C. Ii. Harrison;
Caprice. George Story; Wave, w. Let's
Oliver; Folly, George Davidson; Oracle
Or. Hill; Sappho, Messrs. Eugelberg and
Thomas; Edwina, r. A. Eddy; Bob. John
Lee; Memo, Ben Stickney and DIR. Davis;
Gypsy. Ed Bartlett; Onyx, j. L. Eekley:
Seven Bells, Captain w. n. Shelley; Flora.
DR.. Tisdale; Dulce, j. A. Landsberger;
Little Annie, Commodore Joseph A. Leon
ard; Mist. H. NJ. Landsberger; Dart, Cap
tain COOt; Vixen, Neal and Swain; Edna,
J. Lancaster, and the Clara, Freda and
Volunteer.
Ali The craft were at anchor off the club
house and gayly decorated with the bunting
of the signal codes. Boats loaded with
merry parties went from yacht to yacht,
and it was really ladies' day, for there was
no stray flying or wind blowing.
But most OF the fun was on the balconies
or in the clubhouse, where dancing was
kept up by the younger guests all the after
1Oon, though 1t was rather warm for exer-
else.
The ladies departed about o'clock and
at O'clock a supper was served by Charles
Dexter to the yachtsmen. This consisted
Of fclani chOwder. baked beans, hard tack,
etc. The boys had q canoe fixed up like a
Government cruiser with sandwiches for
upper works and beer-bottles for guns
During the evening there was links"
After the formal programme there was vol
Gnteer speeches, toasts, ETC., and the beer in
tie man-of-wer was broached.
Tomorrow the whole feet will sail about
the bay under sailing orders of Senior Com.
modore Cutie of the Sap Francisco club.
The Encinals will be escorted to Goat Island
and then the San Francisco club will escort
the Corinthians to TiburOn before retur n
ing to Sausalito. The boys expect lots of
fun with such a large feet sailing under
flag signals.
The Opening day" Of yacht club Is
like that OF milliuer's store In one fea-
tnre-the ladies are expected 10 come In
the case o the mllliner no man goes, and il
isn'tmuch different with the yacht open
ing, for every man who can decenty stay
away does so-tEat is. every yachtsman,
though the young fellows. who are fond of
dagcing and nautical uniforms, cut swell
then that they are not apt to when spray is
flying a nd the yacht rail to.
For while the opening day is supposed to
mark the cOmmenc cement of sailing for the
season, II is the one day OF the season when
no sailing at all is done.
The yachts are expected TO look pretty
and be admired and visited, all of which
means work for the officers and crews. The
paint must be fresh and unstained; the
brass Furnished; the brightWork shining;
the flags flying and the cabin in tiDtop
order, with all the covers of the cushions
and the best carpet down. So the opening
day really becomes social function to be
'dofged," like o'clock tea.
Somebody inaugurated the opening
day feature many years ago and 10 yacht
commodore has had tie courage TO break The
custom by taking everybody sailing to
open its sailing season. It seems to be
necessary to dance the season open and eat
and drink il open.
Another thing II costs a yacht club from
$500 10 $500 to open a season at it's club
house and invite its friends; il would not
cost six bits TO take them sailing if the same
crowd came. for those who always take
in" this occasion il put afoat on a breezy
day wouldn't eat much, and half OF them
would not come anyhow.
The San Francisco Yacht Club can make
no complaint. however, concerning the Gus
tom, for this club started it on this bay and
has always kept 1t up when there was any
money In the treasury. In fact, 1t often ran
In debt TO 10 the polite and invite its friends
to see how il commenced sailing No friend
has ever seen this though, for, as stated, on
that day no sailing Is done.
While the San Francisco Yacht Club
made no exception to this rule on the occa-
sion oil It's opening day yesterday, its yachts
all lying at anchor off the clubhouse as
usual. some of Its guests did sail. The Co
Tlnthan and Encinal Yacht Clubs had been
Invited to participate, and did so in hand
some manner with yachts, members and
guests.
Commodore Pew came leading the Corin-
thians over from the safe harbor of Thu
ron. where nothing is ever wrecked. except
In winter, and Commodore Leonard of the
Enclnals, after working all the week to keep
hls fleet In water enough 10 float In, came
from that delightful harbor in ths Alameda
Mats where everything is wrecked in win
ter, except the clubhouse itself.
But they got there. ana when they arrived.
anchor and prepared to be visited while
they were visiting. If wine-lockers were
locked they were unlocked, and those who
mad none set out bottles of beer and sand
Wiches and tried to look happy, while peo-
PIE they didn't know got away with them.
For sucn are the customs amoBg yachtsmen
on these occasions
1t may not be generally known, but 1t is
nevertheless fact, that a very large pro-
portion Of the members of a yacht club are
NdpltsmPn a a w
hundreds OF them never go on the water
except on ferry-boat; once aboard six
out oil ten never learn the difference be-
tween the mainsail and the maInsheet. If
you tOid them one was piece Of rope and
the other piece of canvas they couldn't |
tell tother from which" even then.
gun, no club can flourish without the nom
yachl-owner. he is the most numerous in
the cIuo and its maiu financial stay and
support. He runs the club and its social
features and lets the others run the yachts.
vi course The theory of natural selection
comes IN here; for some few get enthused
ahu become yacbt-owners themselves. Those
Win natural taste for saltwater pleasures
soon learn to handle boat, are invited out
on cruises, and soon form part of racing
crews. But in all yacht clubs the yacht
oWheTs form a very small minority. club
Win lOO members may have ten or a dozen
yacnts, ana one with $50 members NAV have
twenty or thirty yachts In lis feet. In fact.
there Is one yacht club in this bay with GOO
OF lOo members, which has only three or four
sailing yachts which fly its nag exelnsiveIv
80 In all the crowd who clustered on the
wharf oil the San Francisco Yacht Club
yesterday, and went about in handsome
rowboats among the gayly decorated yachts
oil the feet, few could tell one much ahont
the pleasures of yachting. True, there
was general nautical air among them all.
but thrash 60 windward in a lumpy sea
would have wilied down a larger number
than might be supposed.
ba anhfc
rienced on these occasions. Those who are
fobd of sailing and salt water enjoy old
clothes better than uniforms; quiet party
better than crowd.
The racing yachtsman likes to see the
cabin stripped of its carpet and decorations
and filled with LIGHT sails and ropes ready