Yachting Volume I Part 22

10-, 5-, and 2-1/2-raters consequently became known as the 'Solent Cla.s.ses,' and the limits on S.A. in mainsail and on L.O.A. were quashed, no objection being raised by vested interests.

_The 10-Raters, 1888._

The 10 cla.s.s racing this year mainly consisted of a duel between Mr.

Clarke's new 10, the 'Dis,' and Mr. Arabin's 6-1/2-rater, the 'Lollypop,' built for cruising, but a very fast and capable boat (see table opposite).

The lengthers 'Verena' and 'Frolic,' each about 7-rating, tried their luck on a few occasions, but they were soon proved to be outcla.s.sed under the rating rule. 'Little Nell,' 'Raven,' 'Ina,' and 'Jenny Wren'

also competed. 'Dis' finished the season with the excellent figure of merit 52.2, and 'Lollypop' with 34.6. This figure of merit is found by the formula proposed by Colonel F. J. Smith, R.E., in 1890, viz.:

M = 100P (N + [V]N + 2)

where M is the figure of merit N is the number of starts P is the number of first prizes,

all referring to cla.s.s races only. Colonel Smith subsequently elaborated the formula by allowing points for sails over, and for second prizes when three boats started; but it is practically impossible to get such records with accuracy, and the resulting order of merit is the same whichever figure of merit be adopted. Hence it is best to employ the simplest formula in which first prizes alone count, as in the one just given, which will be adopted in these pages.

Further details of the 10-rater racing will be found in a tabulated form on p. 488 of 'Land and Water,' Oct. 20, 1888.

_The 5-Raters, 1888._

Mr. L. M. Ames attempted to start the 5-rating cla.s.s by building 'Fair Geraldine' (see table of dimensions), but the cla.s.s received but little encouragement from the clubs this year, and there were very few purely cla.s.s races. The 'Flutterby,' 4-rater, designed by her owner, Mr. Fred. Hughes, Mr. Farmer's 'Chittywee,' and Mr. Newton-Robinson's 'Rose' were the only compet.i.tors available.

_The 2-1/2-Raters, 1888._

Mr. Waller's 'Lady Nan,' Mr. Manning's 'Ada,' and the late Mr. Sidney Watson's 'Chipmunk' were the new boats in this cla.s.s, the first named being a great success at a moderate cost, the usual oak timbers, bent ash frames, and pine planking being used in her construction. Her lines are given in Mr. Dixon Kemp's 'Yacht Architecture,' second edition. 'Madcap,' her chief opponent, had been slightly lengthened during the winter, and a counter added; thus improved, she was able to turn the tables on 'Thala.s.sa' (see following table).

_Racing Records, 1888._

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | Prizes | Figure | | 1888 | Starts |-------+-------+-------| of | | | | First | Other | Total | merit | |-------------------------+--------+-------+-------+-------+--------| | _10-Rating Cla.s.s_ | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Dis | 29 | 19 | 6 | 25 | 52 | |Lollypop | 17 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 34 | | | | | | | | |_2-1/2-Rating Cla.s.s_ | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Lady Nan | 31 | 19 | 9 | 28 | 49 | |Madcap | 24 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 26 | |Tottie | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 19 | |Thala.s.sa | 34 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 7 | |Fairy | 21 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | |Minnow | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+

The feature this year was the birth of the heavy lead fin-keel. Mr.

Payne tried it in 'Lady Nan,' and Captain Hughes had a similar keel placed on 'Fairy,' thereby improving both her speed and power.

Another excitement was caused by Mr. Simpson very gamely sailing his 'Tottie' (4.5 feet beam) round from the Thames, so as to try the Solent 2-1/2-raters. 'Tottie' was designed by Mr. G. L. Watson for a special cla.s.s, 21 feet L.W.L. and 500 S.A. She won easily in this cla.s.s on the Thames, but only scored on the Solent in light weather, and soon found it expedient to return to her muddy headquarters.

'Minnow' also won a few prizes in light weather by means of her time allowance; but 'Chipmunk' 12 starts, 'Ada' 4, 't.i.tu' 2, and 'Cormorant' 1 start, failed to score for their figure of merit.

The season's racing was good, and the cla.s.s evidently established itself in public favour. The Castle Club, then at Hamble, gave a number of races for the cla.s.s, and several members of the club agreed to build 2-1/2-raters for the coming season.

For the results see the record table for 1888 (p. 231).

CLa.s.s RACING, 1889

_The 10-Raters, 1889._

The owner of 'Lollypop' being encouraged by her performances in 1888, commissioned Mr. Arthur Payne to design a racing 10-rater; whence it came about that the swift and handsome 'Decima' was launched from the Belvidere yard in the following spring. She was a few inches shorter than 'Dis,' but in every other respect a more powerful boat--more beam, draught, and displacement, also a larger mainsail.

The 'Drina' was built at Cowes about the same time, but she was designed simply as a 32-ft. L.W.L. day boat, and her owner, Prince Batthyany Strattmann, only decided to race her when she was already in frame. The lead keel was then dropped 1.8 foot and the sail increased 400, to 1,800 square feet. Unfortunately for 'Drina' it was a windy summer.

Mr. Ratsey tuned up his fine square-sterned yacht 'Dolly Varden' with a lovely suit of sails. Captain Montagu lengthened 'Lil' and converted her into the 9-rater 'Nety'; and Mr. Clarke brought out 'Dis' from her padlocked abode and did all that he could to make her win--but in this he was disappointed, though when beaten he stuck to the fight as only a true sportsman can.

Towards the end of the season the attention of Clydesiders was drawn to 'Decima's' long string of successes, and the sporting owners of the old 'Doris' and the new 'Yvonne' sailed them round to do battle in the Solent lists.

_Racing Records, 1889._

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | Prizes | Figure | | 1889 | Starts |-------+-------+-------| of | | | | First | Other | Total | merit | |-------------------------+--------+-------+-------+-------+--------| | _10-Rating Cla.s.s_ | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Decima | 39 | 28 | 6 | 34 | 59 | |Yvonne | 32 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 33 | |Doris | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 26 | |Dis | 28 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 8 | | | | | | | | | _5-Rating Cla.s.s_ | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Lollypop | 10 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 33 | |Thief | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 29 | |Thala.s.sa | 12 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 28 | |Fair Geraldine | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 | |c.o.c.k-a-Whoop | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | |Blue Bell | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | | | | | | | | |_2-1/2-Rating Cla.s.s_ | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Humming Bird | 38 | 25 | 4 | 29 | 54 | |Queen Mab | 12 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 28 | |Cosette | 19 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 15 | |G.G. | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | |Nadador | 21 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 7 | |Madcap | 26 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | |Thala.s.sa | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |Thief | 16 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+

'Yvonne,' designed by the famous son of Fife, was narrower and shorter than 'Decima,' and had 45 square feet more sail, which placed her in the van in light weather. But 'Decima' beat her five times in eight starts, and beat 'Doris' eleven times in fourteen starts.

The results for the season are given in the record table.

It was a red-letter year for the 10's on the Solent, nothing like it having occurred either before or since.

_The 5-Raters, 1889._

Energy in one cla.s.s is often accompanied by stagnation in another, and the 5's were certainly slow enough during 1889 to satisfy the most exacting Puritan.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 'c.o.c.k-a-Whoop,' 2-1/2-rater. Designed by A. E. Payne, M.I.N.A., 1889.]

The clubs did their duty, as fifteen races were given to the cla.s.s on the Solent. 'Lollypop,' cut down to a 5, was the most successful boat.

Next came 'Thief' (of which boat more anon); then 'Thala.s.sa,' 'Fair Geraldine,' 'c.o.c.k-a-Whoop,' 'Blue Bell,' 'Gleam,' 'Ada,' 'Dorothy,'

and 'Tar Baby' made up the motley crowd--the four last-named scoring a 'duck' for their figure of merit. 'Gleam,' however, caused a little excitement by capsizing in one race, pitching her owner, Mr. Clayton, with several of his friends, into the sweet waters of Southampton, from which they were fortunately rescued with much prompt.i.tude by the blue gig carried on board her Majesty's letter-bag boat, which was steaming past at the time of the accident. The cla.s.s was nothing more nor less than a harbour of refuge for outcla.s.sed boats; and, as the yachts differed in their ratings, the race officers were ever busy calculating their time allowances, and growling inwardly at 'those confounded decimals.' 'Fair Geraldine' was the only boat built for the cla.s.s, but, curiously enough, when she tried conclusions at the end of the season she found herself 'between the devil and the deep sea,' the 2-1/2-rater 'c.o.c.k-a-Whoop,' with extra sail to qualify for the cla.s.s, beating her in light weather on September 14, and the cruiser 'Lollypop' beating her in a breeze on the 21st.

The broad results of the racing can be seen in the table of records for 1889.

_The 2-1/2-Raters, 1889._

Now began small yacht-racing in earnest, and a determined attempt was made to lower Mr. Payne's colours. Mrs. Schenley, the Earl of Dunraven, and Mr. T. B. C. West all joined the cla.s.s, all cared but little what it cost to win, all sailed their boats well, all engaged good crews, and all went to Mr. G. L. Watson for the designs. He gave them enlarged 'Totties' (one with a C.B.), excellent boats in their way, but distinctly inferior to the type developing on the Solent under the motto, 'Payne and Pleasure.' Such a boat was 'Humming Bird,'

often called the 'Hummer,' nearly 3 feet longer than 'Lady Nan,' and about 17 inches longer on W.L. than her Watsonite compet.i.tors, but with little O.H. at either end. The fin-keel became more p.r.o.nounced, the M.S. and scantling were further reduced, and the lug sloop rig was adopted--a combination which made her wonderfully fast on all points of sailing in any but light winds. She was sailed faultlessly by her owner, Captain J. W. Hughes, and made the excellent M. of 54 at the end of the season (see table of records).

Another boat of the year deserves mention--the 26-ft. C.B. sloop built and designed by Stephens of Southampton. She was purchased by Mr. Garrett of plunging boat fame, and named the 'G.G.' She had 10 feet beam, and did best on courses where she could avoid a tide by sailing over the shallows. 'Thala.s.sa' was raced in the cla.s.s during June and July, after which she raised her R. and joined the 5's. She had been lengthened 2 feet aft during the winter, and greatly improved thereby, her speed now being equal to 'Madcap' and 'Lady Nan' (see record table for 1889, p. 233).

[Ill.u.s.tration: 'Humming Bird,' Payne, 1889.]

'Heathen Chinee,' a yawl of peculiar design, and 'Minnow' and 'Chipmunk' raced on a few occasions, but failed to win any first prizes.

SOLENT SAILORESSES.

This year was noticeable for the activity of ladies on the Solent.

Miss c.o.x continued to race 'Madcap'; her sister, Mrs. Rudston-Read, purchased 'Lady Nan,' and raced her under the new name 'Nadador'; Mrs.

Schenley raced her new 2-1/2 'Thief'; Mrs. Sidney Watson, Miss Harvey (now Mrs. A. Heygate), and the Misses Hughes occasionally steered in the races, and the daughters of 'Thala.s.sa' helped to work their father's boat, and sometimes steered her.