The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-10-10
DERN RACING YACHT.
Cups INFL UENCE ON DE-
SIGNING,
: the Racing Machine of To-day
! Been Developed since the Days
Inc America.

e International cup races, just COM
ID, render of especial interest an
lie in Outing by w. j. Henderson
he Influence of the Americas cup
esigning." Writes Mr.. Henderson,:
hen the Americas cup races be-
the American sloop was a wide,
I, shallow vessel, depending
nv on her breadth for her stability,
wing her small amount of ballast
le, and having a centerboard, which
supposed to be absolutely essen
to smart windward work. Her
II mast was long and her topmast
short. She showed a great hoist
ainsail and a long, but not highly
led gait. She carried a single big
and jib topsail She was very
in moderate winds and smooth
pr. When the water was lumpy she
a not go, and when it was rough
stayed at home. The typical Brit
yacht was long and narrow and
Y. She had no center board and
led most of her ballast outside.
had comparatively short lower
II and a long topmast. Her main
showed less hoist than ours and
Y peak. She invariably had dou-
head rig, and she steered with a
einstead of with wheel. She was
In very light airs, but not in mod
e breezes. We could run away
her in our own weather, but when
began to blow she could drown us
To-day the models of the two
tries are so nearly alike that only
expert can tell the difference. We
made our yachts narrower and
Ter. abandoned the centerboard and
)ted out side ballast, while the Brit
have made theirs wider and have
IN other ideas from us.
ies cup was won by the famous old
Ioner America in 1851, and for thlr-
lears not a single vessel was turned
for the express purpose of sailing in
contest for that cup except James
lbury's second venture, Livonia. an
slish schooner yacht, built in 1871.
las not. however. till 1885 that the
Sgning Of yachts to fight for the cup
fly began. In 1881 the first race be-
IN sloops had taken place. the con-
ANTS being the Canadian sloop Alta
Hi and the New York iron slQop
thief. But before this race there
Il entered into yachting, elements
ch had no little influence on the de-
ting of American craft. The iufiu-
n had not yet had time to work out
N full results, however, and Mischief
\ not far from the typical model of
sloops. She had perhaps little
X ballast. She was sixty-seven feet
4inches over all, sixty-one feet on
water line, nineteen feet ten inches
IA, and seven feet nine inches draft.
ne her advent, however, the siren
Il advocates of the deep and narrow
lei model had begun to make them
es heard and seen along the Allan
lie next announcement of challenges
the Americas cup came in the Win
sof 18S4-S5 from Sir Richard Sutton
he cutter Genesta, and Lieutenant
Ia Of the cutter Galatea. The latter
ming that Sir Richard had preceded
in the intent to challenge gave
Y and said that he would come the
/ YEAR. So there we were confront
With the fact that two great cutters
he ninety foot class were about to
g the sea In search of the now his
L cup, and that we had no single
kers of their own size to meet them.
lething had to be done, and the men
q not wanting who should do it. A
dictate Of Boston men. headed by j.
colin Forbes and General Charles j.
ne, Entrusted to Edward Burgess a
mission to design for them nine
DOT sloop to compete for the honor
defending the cup, and James Cor
Bennett, then commodore of the
v York Yacht club, and William l..
glass, the vice. commodore. en-
ed IA. Cary Smith to design a yes
for them. Mr. Burgess created the
,ous sloop Puritan and Mr.. Smith
led ont the excellent iron sloop
,cfiIa, which would have been re-
led as q remarkable production If
other yacht had not existed. The
NJ down OF the lines Of these Two
sells marked the beginning of direct
pning of yachts to defend the
erica's cup Therefore let us exam
in what respect the chosen champi-
Uttered from the previously accept
type of American sailing yacht.
celia may be left out of the ques-
. for 1t was conceded that she was
,lassed at her very birth. She was
d out in Goelet cup race in nasty |
.tf1er off Newport and again in for
trial races off Sandy Hook, and in |
save one trial, the Boston creation |
we'd her superiority.
mere was no haphazard work in the
Darations to meet Genesta. We had |
I'd our lesson from Madge We |
one out to meet her with ''any old |
with canvas setting, as Captain |
i Justly said, like a purser's shirt |
handspike," and with a craft fit |
holiday sport, but not for hard |
lshing to windward in seaway.
Y we had to meet yacht confessed |
BE IN out-of-doors weather, and 1t |
bowed us to be ready The sequel
we'd that an ounce of preparation
indeed better than pound of cure I
reat deal of nonsense has been writ |
about the races Of Puritan and Ge-
"a, but I, who watched them closely. |
hit that we had no walk-over. The |
rt British cutter took lot of beat
and In the snal race, in a thirty
hrea.e rising at one time TO forty, !
Va fortunate shift of wind made |
nv certain for us. If we had been |
ng with one OF our old fashioned
|els. we should have been beaten.
used to smile at the extremist |
VS. of such men as Roosevelt |