Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 6th June, 1894-Accepted, 7th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New Game.
WILLIAM BROOKS of 107 Strand London, England Sauce and Pickle Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A game of skill, played with suitable blocks of wood, or metal which represent
boats or yachts, on a chart placed on a table or other plane surface. The boats
carry distinguishing flags which also serve to show at a glance which tack they are
on; & they each have two spikes on the bottom to fix them in their various
positions on the chart.
The other requisites for the game are a six-inch rule marked to in. & in., &
a parallel rule marked to in. a tee-to-tum marked N. NW. W. SW. S. SE. E.
NE. Also 2 packs of 20 cards each, numbered 2, 3, 4, 5, 6: four cards of each
number in each pack. The size of the boats, to be 1 in. long in. wide. The cards
are the motive power: each unit on a card equals a boat's length. The number of
units on a card played, represents the number of lengths, which the player's boat is
to be moved on her course. The game may also be played with dice which makes
it purely a game of chance.
1804
WILLIAM BROOKS, of 107, Strand, in the County of London, Sauce and Pickle
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention relates to a.new game which I term "No-Karms" or "The New
Queen's Course," such game being particularly adapted to be played by yachtsmen
or boat-sailors.
The game is played with suitable blocks of wood or metal representing boats or
yachts which are moved over a chart placed upon a table or other plane surface.
The boats carry distinguishing flags which also serve to shew at a glance which
tack they are on and they are each provided with spikes or pins to fix them in
their various positions on the chart.
The other requisites for the game are a foot-rule advantageously graduated to
shew an eighth of an inch, a parallel rule advantageously graduated to a quarter of
an inch and a tee-to-tum marked with the principal points of the compass N. NW.
W. SW. S. SE. E. NE.
Two packs of twenty cards each are also employed each bearing one of the
numerals 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or the numbers may be indicated by "pips" as in ordinary
playing cards; four cards of each number are included in each pack.
beam.
The size of the boats is advantageously one inch long and three eighths of an inch
A chart which I have found to answer well in practice for playing the
game is shewn in the annexed drawing, but it will be obvious that the construction
of this chart may be modified.

page_text: 1. The chart is first fixed upon a table or other plane surface and the players
choose their boats which are supposed to be of equal rating.
2. The course to be sailed is next decided upon; and also whether the wind
shall shift during the race, and if so at what time. The best time is at the end of
a deal.
3. The tee-to-tum is then spun to decide the direction of the wind at the start.
The top bearing is the one to be taken.
4. The captains or players then draw from the cards for positions on the starting
line. The highest draw has first choice of position. Should it happen that the
starting line is at a place where all the boats competing cannot be placed abreast
then those that draw lowest must take up their positions astern of the others unless
one of the first drawers has elected to take a back berth, in which case one of the
lower drawers may take a berth ahead of him, providing always that there is room
to do so without being across the line.
5. The boats start in the order of their drawing, highest first.
6. The boats are moved along according to the number indicated by the
numeral or "pips' upon the card played, that is to say, one boat's length for
each unit.
"
7. The cards are then dealt round equally. The players may look at their
cards and play them according to their own judgment, in turn; but they may not
miss a turn.
"
8. Before a boat is moved her captain must declare his course without previous
measurement; and when tacking he must declare whether he will "come round
or "stand on.' If, before he can complete the full distance of a move, he touches
the ground, or fouls a buoy or vessel, he stops precisely where he is when the
grounding or fouling occurs until his next turn, when he is allowed to go clear of
the obstruction on whichever tack he chooses; but the amount by which he would
have run over the obstruction (had he continued his course) is to be deducted from
the following card he plays.
9. The full distance represented by any card played must be moved in a straight
line, except in case of a collision or grounding, as above provided for.
10. No boat may sail closer to the wind than four points off it; thus with a
N. wind she must not sail closer than NW. or NE.
11. A boat when tacking uses her lee-bow as the pivot on which she turns (to
allow for leeway).
12. Boats may luff one another, but not closer than four points off the wind.
13. The rules of the road at sea, and the rules of Y.R.A. are to be observed as
far as possible.
14. When a boat crosses the winning line the other players are allowed to
complete the round of cards then being played so that all shall have played an
equal number of cards; and the boat which is farthest across the line at the end of
the round wins.
15. If a boat on port tack has to give way to a boat on starboard tack, she is
moved back straight astern, sufficiently to give room for boat on starboard tack to
pass ahead of her.
16. A boat sailing close hauled along a lee shore may hail a boat to windward of
her for " water in the usual way in which case the latter must keep clear on her
next move.
17. A boat going off the chart at a point where there is no land, or a boat
fouling a mark vessel is disqualified.
The reason for settling on four points off the wind as the limit of close hauled
sailing is that four points on either side of the wind make a right angle, and as the
boats are built with rectangular bows, they can therefore be run along the rule
on their new course, without having to lay out the course each tack from the
compass by parallels, which might interfere with the other boats and also cause
delay.

page_text: If in order to make the game more complicated the tide is to be taken into
consideration, the players must before the commencement of the game determine
amongst themselves the direction in which the tide is to set and for how long it.
shall do so.
They must also determine how much (in consequence of the influence
of the tide) is to be added to or deducted from their respective scores during each
portion of the course to be sailed.
Difference in rating (like the tide) is not advisable but may be managed by
measuring off the course from point to point and noting the number of inches it.
amounts to. The players then agree as to the allowance to be made for instance,.
say, a 60 rater moves 1 inch to a 20 rater's 1 inch.
Then supposing the course to amount to 60 inches the 20 rater's allowance is.
60 inches, i.e., 74 inches which she may take in one straight move in addition to
the card played immediately after the 60 rater has crossed the line.
Although I have described my game as played by the use of cards in the
manner hereinbefore described, it will be obvious that it might be played by
means of dice, in which case it becomes purely a game of chance instead of a game-
of skill.
The proper playing of my game as hereinbefore described will be found to be a
simple and easy method of acquiring a complete knowledge of the much disputed.
points in the rules of the Y.R.A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
The manufacture and use of the new game hereinbefore described, such game-
being adapted to be played in the manner herein before described by means of a
chart such as that illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in combination with the.
cards, boats and rulers as described.
Dated this 6th day of June 1894.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.