The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-27

ton with what 1 am going to say, but
take II from me that neither schooner
nor sloop will be sent over If the
Royal Ulster Yacht Club gets that cup.
A 9O-foot catboat will be the great
thing. Many may throw up their hands
and say that the suggestion is a pet
associate of a barrel of whiskey and
vivid imagination; but l feel salts
fled from what l have seen of the
marvellous evolutions in yachting with
in the last five years that the 90-foot
catboat is not only possible but just
the thing for speedy racing.
Mast Is the Problem.
1T is beyond gainsay that we can
build any kind of hull in the world.
The only problem that attaches to the
question of a 90-foot cat-rigged yacht
is the ability of the builders to proper
ly stay the mast. Now, it is not inn
possible, If one looks at the type of
yacht at present around him. Who,
ten years ago, would have dreamed of
a racer like the second Shamrock, with
her enormous pole mast and mountain
Gus spread of canvas? The mere sug-
gestion of such a gigantic rig would
have been received with derision, as,
perhaps, my catboat theory may be
greeted by some.
If it be possible to securely stay
this cat-rigged mast and to make it
proof positive by means of superior
wire rigging that it will not go over
the sides with the first blow, the plan
is assured. / don't say that 1t will
be done, but it has been talked Of 1t
is well-known fact among yachts
men that a boat without any head
sails will be closer to the wind than
anything in the jib line. The Ameri-
can catboat is famously known all
over the world, though 1t has not
been generally adopted. The type of
boat has shown in hundreds of ways
her superiority to outpoint and outfoot
anything of her size afloat. A big cat
boat equal in size to the Constitution
or Columbia would be those boats 20
minutes over a thirty mile course.
Easy to Handle.
Il contend that the handling of
9o-foot catboat. even with the i'm
mense main boom that would be re-
quired, is entirely simple work. Look
at the way that Capt Charley Barr
handles the Columbia. He wears her
in half circle and can fling her about
from tack to tack inside three-quarters
OF her length. He guides her as easily
as II she were a Cape Cod catboat.
Now, II the Columbia hadn't any sails
forward of her mast to knock her off
the wind and otherwise handicap her
movements in forereaching as we'll as
staying, what a wonderfully fast ves-
sci she would be-"
The question of sending a schooner
abroad to reclaim the cup is ridiculous"
said the ex-commodore after a pause
In the first place, where there is
subdivision of sails, as on a schooner
there cannot be the greatest possible
speed. That has been demonstrate
time and time over. For this very
reason the sloop of equal load water
line has invaribly beaten the two
sticker. 1t stands to reason, then, that
the fastest boat will always be avail
able in Americas Cup races, which
are supposed to be contests represent
ing the best of everything aquatic
Still another reason, though, why a
schooner would not be sent over to
bring back the cup, in the event of it's
going abroad, is that we never split
lacks. so to speak. A schooner won
that prize, of course, but since the
Genesta-Puritan series of sixteen years
ago the fight has been over the supre-
macy of the single masted craft. 1t
would be most humiliating for us to
say in case of defeat: Well, you have
beaten us with your cutter Now let
10 SEC Nbdb yOu Ndil 10 III IIle schooner
line. 1t would be practically a second
acknowledgment of defeat
OF course we have the privilege of
challenging with a canalboat, provid-
ing she be propelled by sails, above a
certain size and enrolled in a recognized
yacht club, but we'll cast the def with
single sticker, most likely the Con-
stitution, and Wen get the preference
Notwithstanding the fact that Boston,
through the Eastern Yacht Club, is
likely to make a bid for the honor of
bringing 1t back if the cup ever leaves
the New York Yacht Club hands.
"Reviving the question of speed,
above all things the cat rugged ninety
footer is the thing. Some may suppose
that the immense boom required would
demand a crew list of seventy or a
hundred men. instead of fifty or sixty
as now. Nothing of the kind, however.
There would be readjustment of main
sheets and blocks whereby several
parts of a rope would do what is now
done by four or more parts. This main
sheet could be controlled with compar-
alive ease and with satisfactory dis
patch by as many If not fewer men
than are now used on cup defense
craft. In a tremendous mainsail the
work of the men would be centralized
and greater speed result. There would
be no headsails or skyscrapers to take
care of. The challenge party could
naturally reply to a catboat challenge
by putting a bowsprit single masted
vessel against her. but that would be
unlikely, as the desire for supremacy
really means type against similar type.
Besides. / do not think that cutter
with her excessive and unnecessary
sail area could give a giant catboat
the time allowance and a beating. The
question of an ocean trip for a ninety
foot cat is small matter Jury rig
will do wonders"