The Pensacola journal., 1920-03-29
No. 6-COntinued From
Page One.

Thomas Upton, has presented to the
s. " c. as a perpetual challenge
trophy, for inter-c1ub races between
sloops of the fish class type
AS a result, the opening wedge for
this extension of Capt DeBuys plan
will be driven in with the first series
of inter-club races between crack
crews of the Pensacola Yacht Club and
the Southern Yacht Club, on dates in
next September, yet TO be determined
probably about the same time Sir
Thomas challenger, C h a m C X, w
races off Sandy Hook for the Americas
Cup.
In order that the p. Y. G. yachts
men may become familiar with the
fish class sloops mad proficient In
the handling of them, and for the
further purpose of establishing the
nucleus of a fleet OF such craft, the
p. Y. c. is to purchase from the ;.
Y. C. three or four of the sIoops, which
will be built at the same time that the
additional boats for the local fleet are
constructed. AS the Pensacola sailors
can, with these three or four boats,
have many practice sails mad races
among themselves, they should, by
September, know them as well as do
the saiIols of the s. X. c., and the
crack crew selected for the big event
so will be at no disadvantage whatever
when they come to New Orleans in
September to sail in the first challenge
series for the Upton trophy.
All of the fish class" craft being
identically alike in every essential par
ticular, and as, therefore, there will
be no difference at all between the
boats of the 8. Y. c. fleet and those
sold to and used in their home waters
ID q Pensacola
challenge crews will have no necessity
for bringing their own craft to New
orleans for the championship races,
hut instead, will draw lots with the
8 Y. c. cres for boats of the local
clubs fleet, thereby being given an
aauaI chance all around in this respect,
since no skipper will know in advance,
which particular craft he is to sail
While every feature of Capt.DeBuys'
one-design class plans is powerfully
calculated to increase, rapidly and sta
bly and to broaden intellectually, in
ferest and enthusiasm in the splendid
science and sport along inter-club
lines, if there is any one feature which
will do more than any other in this
direction alike, crews desiring to par
ticipate in fnter-club races will not be
nut to the necessity of taking the
craft of heir own club o the race course
of anoher, perhaps distant, club in
order to do so with an equal advantage
with all other crews.
Had there been, away back in 1906,
a DeBuys to conceive and actualize
such a plan as this, the Gulf Coast
Watching A s oci a t. (which the
writer, with the late Daddy of Yacht
ing in the South ex-Commo odore
Emie j. Obrien, and f. Duval Arm
lengthy labor-would not have gone
out of commission. or, rather, would
not have been crushed out of existence
by the motor boat craze which invaded
this section with syclonic~ velocity
about that time.
u required a deal of hard work, ex-
tending over a considerable period of
time, nmerous visits by the three of
us. to the several gulf coast points,
many earnest talks to the yachtsmen
of those points, and no end of news
paper propaganda, skipped by the
writer and Capt Armstrong. before
the association was finally formally,
organized. chartered and gotten under
way. But once it was under full sail.
it bowled along, fair wind and a fol-
loa ing sea, for several seasons. There
were eight clubs in the organization,
viz: Southern Yacht Club. BayWave-
land (Bay st. Louis Yacht Club, Pass
Christian Yacht Club, Gulfport Yacht
Club, Pascagoula Yacht Club, Mobile
Yacht Club, and Pensacola Yacht Club. |
The seasons circuit of regattas was
begun on the Fourth of July, the date
for which there was invariably a
scramble, going to a different club
each season.
Barring the working schooners the
$. Y. c., alne and always, furnished
all of the larger craft for the races of
the association regattas and furnished
most of the model craft in the more
consequential of the smaller classes.
the other clubs contributing only the
catboats and one or two machine
sloops. As a consequence, something
more than the lions share of the
seasons honors invariably went, per
force, to the S. Y. c., because of which
fact, naturally enough, interest in the
races could not be of a very stable
nature.
1t is true that interest was keen
enough at the beginning and during
those later periods when one of the
other clubs of the association would
bring out new small craft shrouded
In mystery and rumored as a "sure
winner" but il still was not of the
enduring kind, because ii had nothing
sufficiently material to sustain it. In
consequence when the motor boat
craze took hold. interest in the sail
races was more like the man without
= good constitution when attacked by
an Illness. it had not sufficient
strength and entrenchment to combat
the new craze, and so began to dwindle
rapidly. One by one the clubs of the
association lapsed into inactivity, in as
far as the association circuit regattas
were concerned, until, finally, the or
ganizauon passed into total oblivion.
Such would not have been the fate
of the association had there been i'm
operation such a one-design plan as