Yachting Volume Ii Part 21

_Over the New York Yacht Club Course_

By a resolution pa.s.sed at the second general meeting, July 13, 1847, it was decided by members, not yacht-owners, that on the second Tuesday in October, a regatta should take place for a prize made by their subscription, the yachts to be manned and sailed exclusively by members, allowing each boat 'yacht' a pilot.

The following gentlemen were appointed a committee to regulate the regatta, with full power to postpone if the weather should prove unfavourable.

EDWARD CEUTER.

LEWIS M. RUTHERFURD.

NATHANIEL P. HOSSACK.

_October 6, 1846._--_Corinthian Regatta of New York Yacht Club--Club Course Entries and Record of the Regatta_

+--------+-----------+------------------+-------+--------+--------+--------+-------+-------+ | | | | | | S. | L. | S.W. | House | | Rig | Name | Owner |Tonnage| Start | Island | Island | Spit | stake | | | | | | | | | | boat | +--------+-----------+------------------+-------+--------+--------+--------+-------+-------+ |Schooner|Gimcrack |John C. Stevens | 25 |10.00.00|12.19.23| -- | -- | -- | | " |Dream |George L. Schuyler| 28 |10.02.00| -- | -- | -- | -- | | " |Spray |Hamilton Wilkes | 37 |10.04.00|12.04.55|12.12.10| -- |4.28.28| | " |Cygnet |John R. Snydam | 45 |10.06.00|12.06.35|12.13.52| -- | -- | | Sloop |Una |J. M. Waterbury | 59 |10.08.00|11.40.11|11.47.00|1.28.43|3.43.40| |Schooner|Siren |W. E. Miller | 72 |10.10.00|12.07.02|12.14.22|2.02.05|4.23.00| | " |Cornelia |William Edgar | 94 |10.12.00|12.21.11| -- | -- | -- | +--------+-----------+------------------+-------+--------+--------+--------+-------+-------+

'The Dream,' 'Gimcrack,' 'Cygnet,' and 'Cornelia' did not finish.

The 'Una' won the prize--a Silver Cup. Wind fresh from the West during the race.

_October 12, 1847._--_Corinthian Regatta of New York Yacht Club--Club Course Entries and Record of the Regatta_

+--------+-----------+------------------+-------+--------+--------+--------+-------+-------+ | | | | | |Fort Wa-| | | Actual| | Rig | Name | Owner |Tonnage| Start |shington| Narrow |Finish | time | | | | | | |Point | | | | +--------+-----------+------------------+-------+--------+--------+--------+-------+-------+ | Sloop |_Maria_ |John C. Stevens | 160 |10.58.20|11.54.00| 2.38.10|4.02.45|5.04.25| | " |Lancet |George B. Rollins | 20 |10.00.00|10.54.00| -- |4.36.09|6.36.09| |Schooner|_Siren_ |W. E. Miller | 72 |10.21.40|11.17.00| 2.48.55|4.24.20|6.02.40| | " |Cygnet |D. L. Snydam | 45 |10.10.45|11.05.00| 2.38.00|4.26.15|6.15.30| | " |Spray |Hamilton Wilkes | 37 |10.07.05|11.01.00| 2.40.00|4.28.31|6.21.26| | " |La Coquille|John C. Jay | 27 |10.02.35|10.58.00| 2.45.00|4.29.12|6.26.27| +--------+-----------+------------------+-------+--------+--------+--------+-------+-------+

This was 'Maria's' first race.

The tide at starting was at the last of the flood, tide turning ebb at 12 m. Wind strong from S.W. The 'Maria' won, beating the 'Siren.'

{ GEORGE L. SCHUYLER.

Sailing Committee { ANDREW FOSTER, JUN.

{ WILLIAM E. LAIGHT.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Model Room of New York Yacht Club.

(_From Photograph sent by J. V. S. Oddie._)]

The formation of the New York Yacht Club was followed by a rapid augmentation of the yachting fleet, and general interest seemed to be suddenly awakened in the sport. The attention of designers and builders became centred on pleasure craft, so that in the first five years of the life of the club several new builders and designers came into public notice. Foremost among them was George Steers, who showed marked ability in designing; indeed, it is not too much to say that his ideas in naval architecture and construction were a guide in the art for many years. Some of his best known yachts of this period were 'La Coquille,' schooner, 1842, length 44 ft. 6 in.; 'Cygnet,'

schooner, 53 ft. 2 in., 1844; 'Cornelia,' schooner, 1847, length over all 74 ft.; 'Gimcrack,' before mentioned.

In 1846 Winde & Clinckard, of New York, built 'Coquette,' schooner, length 66 ft.; she made the pa.s.sage from Boston to New York in 29 hrs., and returned in 28 hrs. 'Brenda,' schooner, was turned out by the same builders in 1845; she was 48 ft. over all. She visited Bermuda in May 1849, and on the 14th of that month sailed there a match with 'Pearl,' beating her 55 secs., this being the first international race found in any American record.

The schooner 'Spray,' was built by Brown & Bell, of New York, in 1844; her length was 49 ft. 8 in. over all.

Commodore Stevens contented himself with 'Gimcrack' for three years, during which time he was evidently acc.u.mulating strength for a great stroke in yachting, which in the autumn of 1847 culminated in his last and by far the most famous yacht, the sloop 'Maria,' the largest pleasure craft of her cla.s.s ever built in this or any country. George Steers a.s.sisted the Commodore in designing, and during the winter of 1847 and 1848 she was built by William Capes in Hoboken. Sloop 'Maria'

was originally 92 ft. long on water-line, she had the full round entrance and gradually tapering after body, a style popularly known as the 'cod head and mackerel tail,' a form that prevailed generally in all vessels up to about this date. After two years Commodore Stevens became tired of the full round bow of 'Maria,' and in 1850 she was lengthened forward, so that she became 110 ft. on water-line, and 116 ft. on deck.

'Maria' was such a departure from accepted rules, and became so well known in all yachting circles, that a full description of her is deemed worthy of record in these pages.

Her beam was 26 ft. 6 in., 8 ft. 3 in. depth of hold, 5 ft. 2 in., draught of water at stern, and 8 in. forward. She had two centreboards, a small one near the stern to aid in steering, and the large board 24 ft. long in the usual position; this main board was of iron and lead, weighing over seven tons. When first launched 'Maria's'

centreboard was not pivoted, but worked in a vertical line, both ends being dropped to the same depth.

The great weight of this board was partly balanced by two large spiral springs, one at either end, which were extended when the board was lowered. Length of mast 92 ft., 2 ft. 8 in. in diameter at deck, and 1 ft. 11 in. at hounds; it was a hollow spar, being bored out, for the first 20 ft. having a hole 12 in. in diameter; for the next 20 ft. 10 in., and above that the bore was 7 in. Her main boom was 95 ft. long, 2 ft. 7 in. in diameter and 2 ft. 4 in. at the slings; it was built up with staves like a barrel, inside it was a system of truss-work with long tension-rods reaching nearly to the ends. Length of main gaff 61 ft., with a diameter of 2 ft. 2 in. Her bowsprit had an extreme length of 38 ft., with a diameter of 2 ft.; it entered the hull of the yacht below deck, leaving the deck s.p.a.ce above all free and clear; there was also a jibboom which materially lengthened the bowsprit, so that the point where the jib-stay was attached was 70 ft. from the mast. Area of mainsail, 5,790 sq. ft.; the cloths of this were placed parallel to the boom, the bighting running fore and aft instead of vertically as usual. It was thought by the Commodore and his brothers Robert and Edward, who were equally interested with him in the ownership of the yacht, that a sail thus constructed offered less opposition to the pa.s.sage of wind than a sail made in the usual style; but the plan was open to objections, so that it never became popular. Her jib presented 2,100 ft. of surface, leach 69 ft.; its foot, 70 ft.; foot of mainsail, 94 ft.; hoist, 66 ft.; head, 60 ft.; and leach, 110 ft.

'Maria' had a working topsail, but it was rarely set.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 'Black Maria,' Sloop, beating 'America,' Schooner, in Test Race, New York, 1850.

_132 tons._ _Built 1848._ (_Commodore Stevens, N.Y.Y.C._)

(_Contributed by E. A. Stevens, of Hoboken, U.S.A._)]

Commodore Stevens with his famous craft took part in many races and matches during the first six years of 'Maria's' life; she usually beat all her compet.i.tors, the few failures she suffered being attributable to the failure of one or other of some new devices in her rigging or fittings; for her owners were for ever trying something new in way of experiment.

At one time the ballast of 'Maria' was disposed in a layer on the outside of her planking, the lead being about 2 in. thick at the rabbit and tapering to a half-inch about half-way out to the turn of the bilge. 'Maria' had several test matches with the schooner 'America,' just before that vessel departed on her eventful voyage to England in 1851; 'Maria' usually beat the schooner easily, particularly in smooth sea and moderate wind. It is related of 'Maria'

that on one day when conditions favoured her she sailed three times completely around 'America' in a comparatively short distance, which performance forms the subject of a spirited picture here given.

After the death of Commodore Stevens, and when 'Maria' was the property of his brother Edward, the yacht was lengthened about 6 ft.

or 7 ft., and finally rigged as a schooner. She was then sold and used in the fruit trade, making voyages to the coast of Honduras; but in October 1870, as she was bound to New York with a load of cocoa-nuts, a storm overtook her when in the vicinity of Hatteras, in which she succ.u.mbed, and vessel and crew were never more heard of.

James Waterbury was also a prominent yachtsman in those early days.

The sloop 'Una' was built for him in 1847 by George Steers, 64 ft.

long, lengthened in 1851 to 68 ft., and again in 1854 to 71 ft. 9 in.; tonnage, 70. The sloop 'Julia' was built for Mr. Waterbury in 1854 by George Steers, and designed by Nelson Spratt; her length was 78 ft. 8 in. extreme, and 70 ft. on water-line. This wonderful vessel seems to have sprung into existence by chance; her designer was a quiet, obscure man, whose ideas of naval architecture appear to have been far in advance of his time.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 'America,' 170 tons, 1851 (Commodore Stevens, N.Y.Y.C.)]

'Julia' was one of the handsomest yachts of her day, and the fastest when proper allowance for difference of size was made. It is true that 'Maria' nearly always beat her, but in those days the system of allowance favoured the larger vessel, which error exists in allowance tables in use at present. The sloop 'Rebecca' was built in 1855 by William Tooker, a brother-in-law of George Steers, for J. G. van Pelt.

Her length over all was 72 ft., 65 ft. on water-line, 19 ft. 2 in.

beam, 5 ft. 8 in. deep, 6 ft. 3 in. draught, 3297.62 sq. ft. of sail spread, tonnage 77.6. The schooner 'America,' the most famous yacht of her day, was built by George Steers and W. H. Brown, designed and superintended by George Steers, launched May 3, 1851, for John C.

Stevens, Hamilton Wilkes, George L. Schuyler, James Hamilton, J.

Beekman Finlay, and Edward A. Stevens, brother of Commodore Stevens.

The 'America' was 94 ft. long on deck, 83 ft. water-line, 22 ft. 6 in.

beam, 9 ft. 3 in. depth of hold, 11 ft. 6 in. draught; her mainmast was 81 ft. long, 76 ft. 6 in. foremast, her main topmast was 33 ft. 6 in. long, no foretopmast, 58 ft. main boom, no fore boom, 28 ft. main gaff, 24 ft. fore gaff, 17 ft. bowsprit outboard, 170 tonnage. After 'America' finished her brilliant career in England in August 1851, she was sold there to Lord De Blaquiere and remained in foreign waters for ten years; she then fell into the hands of the Southern Confederacy, and when the U.S.S. 'Ottawa' visited Florida in 1862 'America' was found sunk in St. John's River. She was raised, pumped out, and sent to Port Royal, thence to Annapolis, Maryland, where she remained in Government service for several years, and was finally sold to General B. F. Butler. She still remains in yachting service as staunch as ever, and by no means the least handsome nor slowest of the national pleasure fleet; in fact, she is to day a monument to the skill of her designer and excellent thoroughness of her builder.

The racing of the 'America' in England 42 years ago has without doubt had more influence, directly and indirectly, on the yachting world than the performance of any other yacht, and both countries concerned owe to her designer and owners a debt of grat.i.tude that will remain uncancelled for generations; for it has been the means of bringing the two yachting nations together in many friendly contests, resulting not only in marked modifications in the form and rig of the yachts of both countries, but the social intercourse begun so many years ago has continued and increased greatly to the benefit of yachting, and has led to a more complete union of all interested in the promotion of close international relations.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Lines and midship section of the 'America,' launched May 1, 1851.]

In 1845 Robert and Isaac Fish (brothers) established themselves in New York as builders and designers of yachts and other vessels. On the death of Isaac, 'Bob Fish' continued the business and turned out many well-known yachts, sloops at first and later schooners. His yachts were generally successful as racers, and next to Steers his designs were thought to be best; but whilst his yachts were fast and usually successful in other respects, their form was not destined to live, for the system of shoal draught and wide beam is now obsolete, except in waters where the conditions require special features. Fish showed no tendency to change the model then in vogue, his last yacht being just like the earlier in form and in general proportions.

Mr. Fish had great skill in 'tuning up' a yacht for racing, and many craft owe their success to his ability.

A few of the best-known yachts by Mr. Fish were, sloop 'Newburg,'

1845; sloop 'Undine,' sloop 'Gertrude,' 1852; 'Victoria,' 1856--this last became a blockade-runner in 1863, was captured, sold, and afterwards wrecked. Sloop 'Eva,' 1866, afterwards a schooner, was capsized and lost on Charleston Bar. 'Meteor,' schooner, 1869, a large and fine vessel, was lost the same year on Cape Bonne, whilst cruising in the Mediterranean. Schooners 'Wanderer' and 'Enchantress' were both very successful vessels, and fast in their day. In 1869 Mr. Fish remodelled 'Sappho,' giving her wholly new lines and changing essentially her proportions, vastly improving the sailing qualities of the yacht, as was afterward proved by her successes in foreign waters as a racer. Another designer and builder of about this period was D.

D. Mallory, of Noank, Connecticut; he brought out many fast and otherwise successful sloops, but it can be said of him, as of Robert Fish, that his tendencies in designing were not in a direction toward improvement; the same wide, flat, shoal-draught vessels were adhered to from first to last.

Some of Mallory's best-known yachts were 'Mystic,' 1856, 'Richmond,'

1857, 'Mallory,' 1858, 'Haswell,' 1858, 'Plover,' 1859, 'Zouave,'

1861. In 1864 the Herreshoffs began yacht building and designing in Bristol, Rhode Island. They had inherited tendencies toward everything connected with marine affairs, and having been born and bred on the sh.o.r.e of Narragansett Bay, their attention was early turned to boating, and later to yachting. From the outset the Herreshoffs departed from old forms, and struck out for something better than the 'skimming-dish,' as the popular model was truly but irreverently called. Some of the best known yachts built in Bristol were 'Kelpie,'

1864, 'Qui Vive,' 1864, 'Clytie,' 1865, 'Sadie,' 1867, 'Orion,' 1870, the schooners 'Ianthe,' 'Triton,' 'Faustine,' and a great number of smaller craft of either sloop or cat rig.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 'Shadow,' 1872.]

In 1872 Mr. N. G. Herreshoff, the younger of the two brothers connected in yacht-building, and the designer, brought out the 'Shadow,' 37 ft. over all, a sloop whose fame is still fresh in the mind of every yachtsman in America. She has won more races than any American yacht, and even to-day can give the best of the new yachts a very hard pull. The 'Shadow' has the honour of being the first yacht built on what was afterwards known as the 'compromise model'; that is, a design that combines the beam of the American with the depth of the English yacht. From her earliest performance 'Shadow' showed speed and admirable qualities, but strangely enough, her form was not reproduced nor copied for nearly fifteen years, which may be accounted for in a measure by her designer having deserted the yachting field and turned his attention to steam engineering and to the designing of steam yachts. Mr. Herreshoff, however, did not wholly abandon his interest in sailing vessels, and occasionally put forth a sailing yacht, or more properly boat, one of which, the cat-boat 'Gleam,' was very famous for speed both in native and English waters.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Lines and midship section of the 'Shadow,' designed by N. Herreshoff, 1872.]