The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-29
H0ME-BUILT BOATS
HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT
OF YACHT BUILDING IN THE
NORTHWEST.
IMPORTED BOATS NOT IN 1T
WITH THOSE BUILT BY THE MINNIE.
TONKA AND WHITE BEAR
BUILDERS.
THREE WINNERS OF THIS YEAR
Were All Constructed in Minnesota
Interesting Story of the DeveI-
Opment of the Work.

Everybody in ST. Paul and nearly
everybody in Minneapolis who is in
terested, to say. nothing Of the dele
gates from the inland lakes in this
Northwestern territory who were at
the interlaken regatta just ended,
knows or ought to be told that in the
fleet at White Bear are some of the
fastest sailboatS on any inland lake in
the world, the property of the White
Bear Yacht club. Nobody will more
promptly admit this fact than the gal
liant shippers from the big lake past
Minneapolis, for after enjoying the
name of having the best club and the
best boats in it for many years, the
Minnetonka club completely and in a
true sportsmanlike manner lowered
their colors to White Bear, her boats
and their builders and shippers. St.
Paul people may not appreciate the
fact Immediately, but it should not re-
quire much argument to make plain
the significance of the statement that
this year White Bear has more than
asserted her superiority to the cham
pionship of the world-on inland lakes.
A glance at the history of the Mime
tonka club will show that conclusively.
loyal members first imported crack
sloops Of one kind and another, as
conditions changed, from the East.
These boats were in some cases victors
over all they had met in their classes.
Others were later designs and improve
ments on their predecessors.
Enthusiastic yachtsmen spent large
sums of money to be able to sail crack
cracks. In some cases they were sue
cessful, but their success was tenn
poral, however, for the first thing any
body knew home-built boats began to
spring up, and finally the home-builts
sailed around some of the cracks which
had swept all before them on the shores
of Long Island sound and other places
where fast boats are built and sailed.
The interlaken regatta has proved the
undoubted superiority of the st. Fat
home-built boats over those built at
Minnetonka. The boats at Minneto1ka
have during the past few years gained
decisive victories over all the foreign
designed and built boats which have
put in an appearance. These foreign
boats have been built and imported
without regard to expense, and may be
said to have represented the best and
most advanced type of boats in the
Eastern waters. A little retrospective
glance will show these facts more in
detail and will be read with some in
terest by some Of the later members
of the White Bear Yacht club, which
should by all means derive an impetus
from the wonderful success achieved
in downing the cracks from Mime
tonka in each class, as was done this
past week.
The Minnetonka Yacht club began to
be prominent as far back as 1880, when
it's best boats were those imported from
Long Island, including Gen. Ton?
Thumbs Peerless, and a second TWEEN
ty-three- foot slocp from New Haven
called Modesty. They were both of
the same type of boats as the famous
old White Bear Nushka, sailing on the
old water line length, with absolutely
no sail area restriction.
These boats were twenty-three feet
long actually from stem to stern, about
twelve feet beam, and carried all the
way from 1000 to 1900 feet of sail.
These boats were Stubby, with no over
hang at either bow nor stern, as now.
The club finally got Capt. Brooks, the
then best boat builder on Long Island
to come West, and he liked it so well
here that he remained, and during five
or six years designed and built all the
fast boats owned on the big lake. Then
the type changed, and the overhang
came into vogue, and such builders as
Dyer, Moore and others built boats OH
the new plan.
The first Herreshof boat in 'Tonka
waters was Bird, with which Capt
"Billy' Peet was able to win for two
or three seasons in both the sloop and
cat classes. 1t was this Bird that really
started the development of the present
fine type Of sloops only to be later out
classed Dolphin, designed and con-
structed by Maj. Mcleod, of Mime
tonka, was able to make a record in
1892 by her victory over the Newport
beat Shark.
In 1893 Capt. Peet sent away and Sc
cured the noted Kite, and just about
the same time Capt. Phelps, of Mime
tonka, purchased the celebrated sloop
Alpha, credited with being, when she