The record-union., 1893-10-05
THE YACHT RACE TO-DAY.

LIE L ALL LGAOh 1O-OA4s
To-day the great international yacht
race takes place in the lower harbor of
New York. We stand a chance of being
beaten. If it comes to that, let us take
our punishment with a smile and yield
the cup that for nearly half century we
have so well defended. If we win, let us
not forget that we have a gallant COM
petitor. yacht owner who is every inch
q gentleman, unassuming and modest,
and whom wealth and title hava not
spoiled. Dunraven is as fine an opponent
as any American could wish to meet.
His pluck and breadth of spirit have had
great deal to do with developing fine
models among yacht builders every
where. So that, winner or loser, Ameri-
cans should have only smiles and cheers
for the plucky little Englishman who so
CALAMITY defends the yachting fleet of
old England.
The American Cup we took in England
in 1851. We went over with a deep
schooner model "a feet over all, 22.6
beam and u feet draught England
laughed at the boat, but we outsailed our
cousins with her, though she has never
since then been able to win race, or even
do herself much credit, seemingly being
content to rest on the laurels of 1851; she
fellinto foreign hands, became blockade
runner, was sunk and after time raised
and sold 10 General Butler.
In 1870 the Cambria came over to take
back the cup. She had abandoned the
pet baggy sail of the English, adopted
the fiat sail of the Yankee. and adhering
to the deep hull idea and outside ballast,
was whipped handsomely by our Magic.
So, too, in 1871 the Livonia fell short of
recovering the cup, being beaten by the
Columbia and the Sappho.
In 1876 our neighbors, the Canadians,
resolved to maintain the honor of the
Royal Jack in yachting matters, and sent
Us the schooner Countess of Dufferin,
which our schooner, the Madeline, out
sailed. In 1881 the Canadians tried again
with the sloop Atalanta from which our
sloop Mischief sailed away easily, win
ming by more than twenty eight minutes.
Four years later the English deep-cutter
yacht Genesta, 96 feet, 10 beam, 1876
draught, contested for the cup against our
broad, shallow Puritan, SO feet, 22.7 beam,
S.5 draught, and we still held on to the
cup.
In 1886 our cross-seas cousins sailed the
Galatea into New York harbor with the
declaration that this time they had come
to carry the cup away without fail, but
Mayfower prevented the threat being
carried into execution. Meanwhile we
had modified our type of yacht, deepen
ing our draught, and confessing the vir-
tue Of outside ballast, and narrowing the
beam, but clinging to the centerboard,
which the English had sneered at as un-
seamanlike. So, too, the English had
taken account of the lines of American
boats, and had modified their own so as
to broaden beam somewhat and get a
good part OF the boat forward up out of
the deep water, and carrying the center
board idea into deeper after keel.
Accordingly the Thistle came over in
1887 to take the cup. and to do it she had
broader beam and less keel forward. But
the Volunteer proved too much for the
English, and again they went home with
out the coveted plate.
In 1889 Dunraven came upon the scene
with Valkyrie number one, but terms as
to dimensions and the cup not being
agreed upon, he built Valkyrie numter
two and sent her across the ocean the
other day to contest with the Vigilant Il
is this struggle which will begin to-day.
This new English boat very much re-
sembles the American type of yacht that
has found most favor with US, and there
is, therefore, graver doubt than ever be-
fore whether we will win. This much is
conceded, that we have brought John
Bull to confession that our builders are
worth copying after, and that the Ameri-
can idea is nearer to the ideal than any yet
evolved by Yacht trials,