New-York tribune., 1919-05-11
New York Y.C.
Will Not Hold
Race or Cruise
Declining of Upton Chal.
lenge Expected to Restric,
Activities of the Club

Although the New York Yacht Cluh
has issued no official statement. !,
seems highly improbable that the or
ganization, the most important one ~
its kind in the country if not in tho
whole world, will go on cruise or ho,a
any races this summer. There ;s
feeling among the flag officers tha,
the club should be consistent and live
up to the answer given to Sir Thomas
Upton when the Irish baronet in.
CURED about cup race this year.
AT that time the New York Yacbt
Club informed the owner of the Sham
rock ~ that it did. not think the pres
ent summer the proper time for an in
ternational cup race 1t pointed ort
that the reconstruction of the world
was Of more Importance than a race
for yachting trophy, and that the mon
interested in international yacbtino
would be entirely too busy solving
problems of grave Importance to de-
vote any time to yachting.
Although all hands believed that j.,
ternational yacht racing was ont OF the
question. many hoped that the New
York Yacht CLUB would take some stems
toward reviYing the sport this summer
If it was impossible to hold a crnise
1T was suggested that the club resume
the races that it formerly gave eacb
summer on Long Island Sound. 1t was
thought that the Glen Cove Guns tho
annual regatta, the summer regatta
and the Autumn Cup races could ha
neld' even if they brought only small
feet to the starting line.
Races for Members ONLY
or course, these races are only for
members of the New York Yacht Club
IN tact, the Grub gives no open races.
Also, the organization recognizes no
saiIlng yacht that is smaller than the
popular thirty-footer of the club II
means, therefore, that only large vachfs
race IN the regattas of the club A
careful canvass Of the owners showed
that few If any of the yachts viii be
III commission this summer
rake as an example the fifty-footers
Dulit IN 1913 for the members of the
new York Yacht Club. Among the
owners of this interesting division are
some of the richest and most imnor.
tant men in the country Commodore
.; a. +. Morgan owns the GrayIing. Rear
Commodore George Nichols. bis som
law, owns the Carolina. Former
Commodore George F. Baker. ir.. owns
the Ventura. Then there are the Acnsh-
Ia, which now belongs to L. G. Ham
ersley; Samurai, which w. Earl Dodge
formerly sailed; Harry Payne Whit
neys Barbara; Spartan, which was
owned by Henry B. Plant, and Iroquois
H. the property of Ralph Ellis.
recently the owners of the class
! nao d meeting and took up the aues-
eion OF gong into commission and
resumlng their former championshin
racing. When it was discovered ,vhat
~ would cost, it was quickly decided
That the. fiftyfooters would not take
TO the water as a class. Regardless
o1 the fact that the owners included
several OF the richest men in the coun-
,ry, all decided that the racing of a
l1ty-1ooter this summer was out of all
proportion to the enjoyment or benefit
,ecelved from the sport In round
1gures it would cost about $4,000 to
Keep a fifty-footer in commission dur
ng the summer months.
Even the owners of the thrty-footers
ire up IN the air regarding class rae
ng. Although they have had no meet
ng, there seems to be little or no pos
'loie cnance Of the yachts racing as
division. Although the thirtv-foot
owners are wealthy men, the majority
ire not in the same financial class as
he yachtsmen who race the fffv.
ooters. Naturally they also are being
ut by the high cost of Yachting.
High Cost of Sailors
Ihe owner of a thirty-footer gen
rally has one and some times two
'aid hands. Back in 1914 you could
ngage all the sailors you wanted for
80 or $40 month, clothes and found.
o-day the same men are DEMANDING
19O and 5000 a month. clothes and
ound. One can hardly blame the men.
hey contend they are making that
money on shore in the shipyards and
n the commercial end OF the world
poats. BE that as it may, the in
rease IS SO large that several of the
hirty-foot owners have thrown mn
heir hands and have decided not to
o into commission this summer.
IN these circumstances, the out
'ok for the racing of large yachts
'oks very slim this summer. A prom
rent owner of ffty-footer stated the
ther day that he was thinking of
uying into the Star class, providing
could purchase one of the little
pats. 1T IS no easy matter to either
NY or build Star boat these days.
ne Seawanhaka -Corinthian Yacht
iuo, an organization which is the
lome club" of the exclusive north
lore colony of Long Island, thought
lat it would add to its feet another