The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-27
FINE POINTS IN YACHTING.
THE COMMUTER TELLS OF THE RARE
SPORT ALONG SCUM.

Experts who Have Rarely Been on n zach,
Clubs Float-Debates That Sometimes
Lasted n week-A Crew, Two OF Whom
Couldn't See and Ono CouIdn't TnIE,
Good morning. gentlemen" said the com.
muter with the glossy. pink complexion. as he
took the vacant seat at n card table in the smok-
or. and prepared 10 take q hand al whist. "I
notice that since the last Americas Cup chol.
lenRe was accepted our friend Dakota has
been wearing a yachting cap to business.
Him.. / never happened to see him aboard any.
thing more ynchty than the club float: but IL
Is really wonderful the interest a challenge
for that cup always arouses. Whv. l know
lots ot people have known them for years
who. L find. are enthusiastic yachtsmen. un.
d~erstanding all the fine points OF the game
thoroughly. though until Sir Thomas Lipton's
challenge was accepted | was in entire igno.
rance OF the fact, and did not ever know 49,
had ever set foot aboard n yacht. or course.
! don't know much about the sport myself,
having learned to sail rather late in life: but,
fortunately. have learned enough to appreci.
ate knowledge In others aud am, therefore,
able to absorb n good deal OF useful informa.
ton from listening TO their conversation.
Il strayed down TO the yacht club last Sun.
day to see IL any Of the boats remained in
commission. The anchorage was deserted,
the perfume boats had all been tax en- away,
and the dories were bottom up in the back
yard and covered with canvas: but there were
moro members In tho clubhouse than | ever
saw there before except at a Saturday night
hop. and any one could learn from their talk
just how to sail any kind OF q sailing vessel in
any kind OF weather. There was the Com
modore. who sailed his launch to Glen Cove
one day last summer during n storm that
made even the working schooners reef: tho
tinn. Tnmpnndnra who NINA .pavnr lpo,, a.
bring home n full bottle or an empty guest
and whose boat has been introduced to every
rock between Sands Point and Execution
lights. The Rear Con: modore was there too.
He won 80 many OF the dory races tyou know
what a fine debater he is that the other mem.
berg thought something was wrong, and had
and measured. unfortunately for him. when
they pulled the roach out OF his sail and figured
was two.thirds Of ifpS a foot Il larger ' than i the resi-, T.
ished second to him. His conteptfon that the
Measured Under AZ" the rules ales did not avail avail SSH ims'
The majority was against him.
dozen Of ths, members bought ,dorfes oithS
sailed during the season, the one scoring the
largest total number OF points TO take the
Sunday srl Z i a4d it r toos u Hsfe the slM nsxt s saflfd Q? On
decide who had won. Everybody In. the club,
especially those who had meyer sailed at ali.
fouls. o~yerlaps. right Of way. dc. II was very
instructive. learned more about Yachting
have done during the last ten years
Didn't some OF the members have an excit-
ing time IN an open race last summer" asked
"oh; yer" " replied the narrator. You see. it
the greatest debaiers In the club decided to
silence forever those earning critics who cast
asBersi9ns upon their practical knowledge OF
50 they started in, one Of the /. 7. c. rosattas
in i a small GatP%2'St, Two Of them were very
right. but suffered: terribly. He was put ny
in the bow to act as lookout. Well. the wini
and they had their work cut out for them 10
! Eeep the r. craft right side up: Halt way
80 foot sioop, the stem Of their boat dropped
out. and she sank in about n hundred feet Of
E Sut Was I Unable IHiof re ie,i Ss tSe the 6,be danger sSGd in i timNeI
he could do on the spur of the moment was 10
wave his arms and the others couldn't see that.
sion came: and then. with rare presence Of
mind. made q flying lean. grabbed the sloop's
roundered around and drank salt water
HILL { The eomMi,ttee,s t'Hs, zane along ,aDd
awhile. The captain Of The tug tur5rr"fseamnss rk as2u'
Vel, III be gosh darned II that amt the
Of EN- can't see see ana the S otR. T' ean z s q eoss''
club belonged TO bought a small, schooner.
80" - 10y ~ bAANttSt tNsii w utE
Vas plenty Of sea room. One evil day he sailed
IN, and anchored among tho rest OF the fleet.
where the room liz much more limited. The
next day he went aboard. intending to take a
A fresh wind was blowing of shore, and
the tide was running out. so. OF course. ths
bow pointed az the clubhouse. Hs
in after awhile and stood around on ons
!eg without saying anything for some timo.
Then he az courage to ask
the Janitor how to sail out. The Janitor told
him that was easy. All he had to do was 10
hoist his sails. tie the end Of the main sheet TO
he mooring. east Off the bow line. and the
boat would then swing around and almost sail
herself OUT. So back aboard his boat he went.
and followed directions, but forgot. or didn't
enough. to make the main sheet fast 10
! cieat or something on the stern before fas-
cning its. loose end to the mooring line. SO
%hcn the boat swung around and started Of az
!, lively rate IN the brisk breeze that was hlo":..
ng: The strSin on the main sheet pulled I
trough the blocks and trimmed the mainsail
md wouldn't bulge, the main sheet wouldn't
break. and the Commodore was too excited 10
mink OF cutting IT, SO there they hung for a
perfectly helpless.
Then that schooner acted like a crazy horse
hat takes the bit In its teeth and bolts. Sho
allied in a circle around the .mooring. crash;
ng into every boat within a radius OF a hundred
the various mooring lines got nfoul NJ
Ter. and before her career was stopned she
vas towing ffteen or twenty naphtha launches.
ailboats. and rowboats. all more or'less tnt-
cred and disflRured. around THAT 200. foot
lrcle. while the Commodore was making fran.
ic ,apDenls TO shore for help. Yes. indeed,
'achting Is a sport that is fun OF yicissitldes."