The sun., 1903-05-12

deck to hounds, and her topmast'44 feet.
Her main boom was 10 feet Q inches in
length, and her sail area was just that
of a glorified catboat; namely, 1882
square feet.
The little Puritan accomplished her
purpose and kept the Cup at home in
1885. In 1900 9O-footers were still strug-
Cling for the championship of the seas,
and the Columbia, which is even yet
sliding about through the water and
giving yachtsmen nervous thrills by
her method of passing would-be Cup
defenders held the trophy against the
Shamrock l.. decidedly good yacht.
That was fifteen years after the deeds
of the doughty Puritan; and yet look
how Cup defenders had grown! The
Columbia was s986 feet on the water
line and l3l feet over all. Her beam
was "a feet and her draught 1915 feet.
From deck to hounds her mast measured
"a feet and her topmast was 64l@ feet
long, Her boom was 100 feet in length
and her comfortable spread of canvas
was l3,135.45 square feet Not much
catboat about that.
1t would be interesting to know how
much speed has been gained by the
addition of power in these racing 90
footers; but, unfortunately, it is not pos
sible to arrive at anything better than
an approximate result. Even that how
ever, has a certain value for what it
fails to show. In 1885 the Puritan sailed
thrashing race OF twenty miles TO
leeward and return in a thirty-knot
breeze in hours 3 minutes and IA
seconds. In 1893 the Vigilant sailed
against the Valkyrie H., fifteen miles
to windward and return, in some
what similar conditions The breeze
was one of fifteen knots, afterward
in squall to much more.
The Viglant, with a waterline length Of
SO 10 feet and a sail area Of 11,272 square
utes and 80 seconds. In 1909 the last
race between the Columbia and the first
Shamrock was sailed fifteen miles to
leeward and return in a twenty-knot
breeze, in which the defender did her
windward work under lower sails alone
She covered the course in hours 3s
minutes and IS seconds.
Discardng the odd seconds and ig-
noring the extra miles sailed in beating
10 windward-because the proportions
are not altered by so doing-it is found
hat the Puritan's average speed was
knots an hour. the Viglant's SIS,
md the Columbia's s28 knots The
actual speed of ea ch Yacht was oi course,
l little more, but the increase would not
'hange the relative differences.
These figures lead us to believe that
he speed of Cup defenders has not in
'reased in proportion to the growth Of
heir size; but the truth is, as every
-achtsman knows, that each succeed
ng defender has beaten her predecessor
vhen the two came together in the same
conditions. The Mayfower was unques-
ionably superior to the Puritan. and the
'olunteer to the Mayfower, and so on
lown the list till the Constitution broke |
he line Of succession by refusing to
lang her sails so that she could beat the |
Columbia.
The conditions Of the races selected
or comparison were not precisely the
anne, and. furthermore, it is not in fresh |
,lows, but in moderate winds and smooth |
cas-, that the superiority of the great |
all carriers of to-day is clearly shown.
those who saw the numerous failures Of |
he early sloops to complete their con-
ests in seven hours know that the mod |
rn racers could cover the distance !
within that limit in the same light |
,reeZes.