The morning call., 1893-05-28

From the navy-yard back TO San francisco is
| about twenty-elght miles, and as soon as Maga-
zine Point is passed the white-capped waves
and strong sweeping wind OF pablo" are met
There Is a long beat dead to windward down
that bay. With solid water tumbliDg over the
bows and masses OF spray flying aft to the
cockpit so that old clothes are In order and the
best helmsman takes the tIller or wheel. Light
sails are slowed, everything made snug below
and preparations made tor several hours rough
sailing.
Now. the racing yachtsman comes TO the
'front.' for the commodore has set the signal
TRY rate OF sailing" and every boat in the fleet
little and big, has a contest on hand. The
tmid boys wish they had made up their minds
TO come home by rail and the more venture
some join with the old hands in congratulations
that Pablo is In one of its "rusties" and there
VIII. be all the wind they want. This, by the
way. is what the yachtsman seldom finds. No
matter how hard 1t blows he usually wants a
little more wind to make his boat do Its best.
1t is not often that those on the deck OF a
sailing yacht can make the passage down San
Pablo Bay OF IA summer afternoon with Dry
jackets The seas are short high and white
topped; the opposing wind rushing along at
twenty-five or thirty mile rate, and the ebb tide
current, with Its Increased burden of the waters
OF the TWO great rivers of he State. helps to In
crease the roughness OF The water. As the
yachts get down toward Point Pinole the wind
! freshens. and it is apt to get even stronger at
the Brothers Islands and Red Rock, where
sudden pufs or squalls keeplhe helmsman an.
Win tat,f
walls. A patch of comparatively smooth water
reaches from there to Angel Island and then
the strong wind and cross seas of the channel
are encountered.
During nearly the whole of this trip the Ice
rails are buried In foam and everything on deck
is water-soaked, including the crew. The
yachts are urged to their greatest speed by
every device. and sail Is carried as hard as the
boys know how or dare. To the genuine racing
yachtsman this Is the height OF enjoyment but
10 those who are not accustomed to rough
water sailing yachting under such conditions
seems dangerous and unpleasant.
No accidents nave ever happened on this
cruise as many times as it has been made by
boats OF all sizes. The smaller yachts with no
hope OF getting home within TWO hours of the
oiS ouoS, CdTTt sail just as nara ana S0uSe Into
the heavy head seas with as much relish as if
there was chancA OF winning.
Tie secret OF this IL, aside from the enthusl-
asm and general excitement of a race, that
there is some other small yacht of equal size In
the feet which must be beaten at all hazards.
Aud after it Is all over they hold "post
mortems" With all the ardor of an old whist
sharp after the game is won and lost Any one
on the shore would hardly recognize these con-
tests as races unless familiar with sailing, for
In half an hour after the start from M gazine
Point the feet is scattered and strung out. each
taking its favorlte course, the speedy vessels
getting to the front while the slower or smaller
ones bring up the rear.
Ii the racing yachtsman has his pleasures
what of him who owns a cruiser? A cruising
yacht by the way. is one not fast in its class
and with no chance for prizes. The cruisers go
In the races usually 10 fill up" and tile racers
can always race when cruising; SO there il. of
course, brotherly feeling among all yachts
men,
The cruises here are generally from Saturday