The age-herald., 1899-10-08
PAYING FOR THEIR SPORT
Just What Big Yacht Race Costs It's
 Promoters

From the Philadelphia Times.
 Few branches of sport yield less in conn., parison with the sums lavished on them than yachting, which of necessity Is a mo- nopoly of men with wel-Iined purses. The initial cost of a yacht may range from $500 to $5Oo,OOO, and the annual outlay from $500 to $5O.0O0.
 The man who buys a 50-ton yacht for pleasure purposes alone, and without any of the added cost of racing, must expect her to cost him $2500 a year. For 100- ton yacht he will have to disburse from s3,5OO to 5000 a year, without counting de- preciation, or the interest on the $10000 or $15,000 he has sunk in her purchase. When a man aspires to the luxury of a steam yacht of hundreds of tons he ought to have the deep purse of a millionaire, for he may we'll spend on his hobby the annual income of a cabinet minister of the first rank while the interest alone on the money his floating palace represents would pay the annual stipend of bishop. These estimates, based on the evidence of an expert, are for pleasure yachts only, as distinguished from racing yachts; for the owner of racer must expect to add materially both to original outlay and yearly expenditure.
 It is estimated that the cost of building and racing the Shamrock and Columbia for this season alone cannot be much less than $1,000,000.
 The thrty-nine sailors on the Columbia will receive $35 a month; so that for a sea- son of five months their wages alone will absorb $6,S ,S25 Their food will bring this sum to at least $10,000 and to this total for wages and food must be added the skip pers salary of &,000.
 These items, although they amount to nearly $6,000 only represent part of the seasons expenses. At least once a week the yacht will have to be taken out of the water to have her bottom polished The manganese bronze, of which her hull Is built, accumulates seaweed rapidly, and this and all other aceretions must be cleared away at short intervals if her speed Is not to suffer.
 To say that the Columbia will cost her owner $25000 for the seasons racing Is probably an underestimate; while the cost of racing the Shamrock will be greater If the Shamrock Is successful in bringing back the cup to England the trophy will cost her generous owner no less than S325,- 900 in addition to all other normal expendi- lures; for this Is the sum which will be re- quired to pay every member of the winning crew the promised s a week for life.
 To race a yacht like the Britannia, the Meteor, or the Rainbow for single season cannot cost less than s15,000 apart from accidents and depreciation; while if we consider the short racing life of one Of these "greyhounds,' and distribute her or-
 
 the annual price paid for the brief luxury of owning her must be increased by many thousands a year.
 Certainly 1t is safe to say that no man should think of owning racing yacht or this class who is not prepared to spend $95, 900 to $30, 900 year for the indulgence.
 Even the gift of $500 prize is largely re- moved by the extra expenses of racing and winning. It Is usual for the owner of g. winning yacht to pay her crew $5 each in addition to their wages. On boat like the Britannia this liberality would entail an extra cost of nearly s200 for the day. To this item in the balance sheet must be added $50 gratuity for the skipper, and a. smaller fee for the pilot, together with an- other s25 for provisions and beverages. Thus against the prize of $500 must be set an additional charge for the day of about $30O
 If the yacht. instead of winning, loses. a sum of about half this amount must be spent on the race and added to the nor nal cost of maintenance. It is thus clear that even a boat as successful as the Meteor has been this season can reduce her expenses very inappreciably by the prizes she wins, and, as a general rule, they are a negligible factor in the annual balance sheet.