Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1912-07-05

laugh at you; but after a little
while 1t viii dawn on you that the only opinion in
the world that really matters is that of other
singlehanders, and even then only to the extent
that 1t agrees with your own. A sin5ie-hander is
always an opinionated man; and before you have
been year at the game you will be as opinion
ated as the rest of them.
Fancy working hard for two seasons in an open
boat and dreaming all the while, as you will be
dreaming, of the little yacht you mean to have
when you can trust yourself to handle her and feel
that at last you can do her justice-and then
sharing her with hireling!! Wouldn't you rath-
er wait even another season, if necessary and
have her all to yourself? One more seasons care
full planning will do your prospects no harm There
will be thousands of things to think of-not least
OF them is the rig and the tonnage OF your yacht
NO one can advise you on those two points, be-
cause no two single-handers think alike
But although no singlehander ever took any
ones advice regarding the type size of yacht
that he should purchase there are certain broad
rules that may be laid down for the guidance of
the beginner And the first of them is: Never
buy yacht of any kind without first of all SUBJ
hitting her to the examination of Independent
expert Later on you will become an expert your
SELF but as you intend to trust your yacht with
your life 1t would be. an unseamanke and lub-
berly thing to do to buy one without taking every
reasonable and possible precaution
The next thing to bear in mind is that the last
thing that you want for your purpose is a yacht
OF the racing type. You going to live on board
your yacht, possibly for weeks at time You
need yacht that will be dry and warm and COM
Portable. You want head-room down below and
room to cook and stow your stores and spare sails
And large water tank Is an absolute necessity.
yacht of the cruiser type is what you must look
out for Whatever her rig, she must have long.
straight keel, so that she will heave to- and stay
hove to, and take the ground, when necessary or
in case of accident, even bottom.
One more rule must be emphaticaly laid down
he hxOin u3tida 4bo& l. 49,
er in any shape form, electricity petroleum.
steam or gasoline, is something belonging to the
DEVIL TO be dabbled with perhaps by yachtsmen.
but to be eschewed-along with all other con-
trivances of the devil-by the sngle-hander
Knowing what you know now of seamanship,
you can cross the Atlantic if you want to- and
pick up the Bishops Rock Light on the other
side some fine morning! Doesn't that appeal to
you? Never forget, as you lie there in the bosom
OF the sea, to pray for the unhappy landsman, who
has to make his bed on dry land and has yet to
taste mis- freedom, and the feeling Of unmitigated
bliss that belongs only to the singe-hander
But he must be a selfish man, this single-hand
err this hermit of the deep who keeps to himself
on his little yacht is he? Ask the other fellows
the men that know. The does not breed self
ish men. The singlehander has looked alone at
the broad Atlantic, racing foam-topped before
shrieking wind and laughed in the teeth of it.
His heart is too bold for meannesses. Out on the
sea there he has learned to know himself and he
knows now to look over and beyond the weak
nesses of others. The only thing that could make
single-hander mean would be to take his yacht
away.
Go. then, and be a singlehander! You will
never forget 1t as long you live. In health and
strength and peace of mind, and everything that
counts for happiness. you will be better off; and
you will meet with some new adventure every day
you live Show me a singlehander and l will
show you good citizen, that will fight for his
country if need be. a man who when the horizon
looks gray and ugly, will know that there is blue
water somewhere out beyond it. and viii set out
with matches battened down and sails double
reefed and with proper and seamanlike caution to
find it
He's not what you would call spectacular On
board his yacht he usually wears a sweater that
once was clean, and an old pair of flannel trousers
his feet, which are usually bare, are unhandsome
from hard use and sun and salt water He is
as much unlike the fashionable yaehtsman as any
one you could imagine And he doesn't talk much
Bat he is a man who has formed a habit of get
ding there. and though the place he wants to get
to is seldom much good from a business point OF
view, he is none the citizen for that It's
the getting there in the teeth of the weather tina,
counts, not the reward at the other end
Go and be single-handerl