Yachting Volume I Part 26

[Ill.u.s.tration: 'Molly.']

[Ill.u.s.tration: 'Dacia.']

The ability of a designer is legitimately employed in evading a measurement rule as far as possible, as did Mr. Edward Hammond Bentall in designing 'Jullanar' in 1875, but the experience that is found at the council table of the Y.R.A. should checkmate such evasions of the spirit in which their rules are framed.

'Gareth' is not so excessive in type as 'Molly' and 'Stork' by the same designer, which came out earlier in the season and won a good many prizes before Mr. Payne's boats of the 'c.o.c.katoo' type were launched. When this occurred, 'Molly's' keel was recast and lowered, after which she was less successful in any weather.

Mr. Payne built a number of 2-1/2-raters for this year's racing; three of them--the 'Papoose,' 'Polynia,' and 'c.o.c.katoo'--have a canoe-shaped M.S., and fin-keels which taper upwards--not quite bulb-keels, but nearly so. The lead was also shaped like half a dumb-bell in longitudinal elevation. They were beamy boats of small displacement and great stability, and beat the rest of the fleet easily in a heeling breeze until 'Gareth' appeared. In light weather they were generally beaten by 'Hoopoo,' 'Mynah,' 'Faugh-a-Ballagh,' 'Molly,' and 'Stork.' 'Faugh-a-Ballagh' perhaps possessed the highest _average_ speed of any boat in the cla.s.s, and seemed to go very much like the 'Babe,' which is high praise. At the end of the season her string of flags was the longest, but this is often rather deceptive--especially when better boats are launched late, and when contests are occasionally selected for winning flags rather than the highest cla.s.s honours.

'Hoopoo' was well raced; but the owner picked his weather, occasionally refusing to start in a strong wind when he thought he 'hadn't a chance.' No doubt this is correct if the 'Yachtsman's' medal be the object sought for; but few men possess the strength of mind to stand out with their boat at the starting line, crew eager for the fray, and everything all-a-taut-oh.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Design for 1-rater by J. M. Soper, 1892.]

'Mynah,' another fast boat, was well sailed by her owner, Lieutenant F. Elwes, of the 68th Light Infantry, whenever he could escape from the duties of camp life, inspections, and summer manoeuvres.

'Bud,' designed by Mr. Soper for the Earl of Desart, did nothing so long as she stuck to her heavy C.B. made of gun-metal. When it was discarded, and a triangular lead keel fitted, she went better and led the fleet at the finish on two occasions when the weather suited her.

'Calva,' a new boat by Mr. Payne, also 'Modwen' and 'Walrus' by other designers, were failures as prize-winners on the Solent.

There were no less than 66 races for 2-1/2-raters _on the Solent_ in 1892, and the records of the best boats are given in the table, 'Gareth' leading with a figure of merit, 36.

_The 1-Raters, 1892._

This cla.s.s had a half-hearted existence in 1890 and 1891, when Mr. T.

Ratsey's 'Pup' (see table) won most of the races, easily defeating the yachts' cutters of about the same rating, and generally succeeding in giving the time allowance to the 1/2-raters in the few mixed races open to her. The club conference, already described, having in 1892 added this cla.s.s to the 'Solent cla.s.ses,' a good programme and a full entry resulted.

'Pup' still competed, and went well in light weather. She is one of the 'Bairn' or C.B. dinghy type, with plenty of beam and little ballast, depending upon her crew for much of her stability. A good type, and much less costly than the modern 1-rater, as, for example, the crack 'Doushka,' built by Payne for Mr. Perceval. This boat is probably like 'c.o.c.katoo' in type. She stands up to her canvas well, and claws to windward in a wonderful way. The harder it blows the better she goes, but she fails in light weather.

'Nansheen,' another fast boat designed by the son of Fife for Mr.

Burrowes, is a good sample of the 'weighted centreboard' type. She was built in Ireland by Doyle, and is a fine specimen of sound work.

The C.B. is supported by a wire rope on a drum, worked by worm and wheel so that it is always supported in any position without keying, and can rise if it strike the ground with force.

The 'Rogue' was another good boat, designed by Mr. Ridsdale for Mr. R.

Vogan. At first she failed in windward work, but a bulb-keel was put upon her which quite cured the defect, and she then won plenty of prizes, her racing with 'Nansheen' being close and exciting.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Design for a centreboard 1-rater by J. M. Soper, 1892.]

'Mahatma,' designed by her owner Mr. Flemmich, also went well. She now belongs to the Ladies f.a.n.n.y and Blanche Stanhope.

The 'Argula,' built at Gosport from a design by Mr. C. Nicholson, was a fast boat, but proved to be over rating. She was similar to the 2-1/2-rater 'Molly' in general arrangement and appearance.

'Barbet' was a good boat designed by Mr. Payne for Mr. Wilson h.o.a.re.

All these boats have the fas.h.i.+onable rig, Ratsey's lug, and a small--very small--foresail. Dr. Hughes, of East Cowes, however, re-introduced the split lug in his 1-rater 'Cariad,' and she went well when this severe handicap is allowed for.

The 'Kitten,' built by Mr. Sibbick for the Hon. W. Ruthven, won a few second prizes; but 'Oretta' and 'Minuet,' built at Cowes for Mr.

Lancaster Owen and his son, were not so successful, and the other boats which occasionally started--viz. 'Query,' 'Anaconda,' 'Dorothy,'

and 'Tramp'--failed to score.

Nearly twenty 1-raters competed during the season--pretty good for the first year of a cla.s.s, and indicative that the cla.s.s is popular.

A 1-rater is, or ought to be, a good wholesome boat, costing but little more than a 1/2-rater, either to build or maintain.

Most of the clubs limit the crew to three hands--an excellent rule--to prevent the introduction of a racing canoe with the Malays' system of ballasting.[12]

[Footnote 12: This (and other limits of crew for the cla.s.ses of 5-rating and under) has since been embodied in the Y.R.A. rules.]

The racing in the 1-rater cla.s.s is not fully reported in the sporting press, and the records given in our table have been obtained from the owners.

_The 1/2-Raters, 1892._

This cla.s.s suffered from the attention bestowed on the 1-raters.

'Kittiwake' had been sold to H.R.H. Prince Henry of Prussia, and 'Eileen,' 'Jeanie,' 'Bairn,' 'Narua,' 'Spruce,' and 'Torpedo' dropped out of the racing from one cause or another. 'Coquette,' 'Dancing Girl,' 'Tiny,' 'Dee Dee,' 'Mosquito,' and 'Ladybird' continued, however, to race on the Solent, thus forming an 'exhibition of Old Masters' and young mistresses, only one having changed hands during the winter, and Miss Sutton replaced her with the 'Pique,' a new boat by Mr. Payne.

The late Mr. Sidney Watson also purchased a new boat from Mr. Payne, and called her the 'Lilliput.' She was the last boat he ever sailed in. He much enjoyed racing her, and not infrequently led the little fleet. His sudden death in the prime of life was a great shock to all his numerous friends on the Solent.

English men and women are born lovers of sport, and attached to the tools they employ: the huntsman to his horse and hounds, the shooter to his dogs and guns, the turfman to his thoroughbred, and the sailing man to his yacht. A real devotion may exist for inanimate pieces of wood and metal. Especially is there poetry, and plenty of it, in a boat--that dancing, playful, wilful thing that only obeys the skilful hand. Ask any old crab-catcher. Yet racing seems to blunt the feeling.

Many owners part with their boats and crews at the end of every season, and allow themselves no time really to care for any one of them.

Rather late in the season a new boat appeared designed by Mr.

Herreshoff. She belonged to Miss W. Sutton, and was named very appropriately 'Wee Winn.' She and her owner certainly did win, in even a more decisive manner than 'Wenonah' on the Clyde. There was no mistake about it. The boat showed a clean pair of heels to the rest of the cla.s.s in every sort of weather. She is a long boat, the true length being concealed in an excessive overhang--15.6 L.W.L., 23.9 L.O.A., M.S. like a canoe, small displacement, bulb-keel 3 cwt., draught under 3 ft. An approximate representation of her lines is given on p. 266, and the ill.u.s.tration on opposite page gives an idea of her appearance when racing.

Towards the end of the season Mr. Soper of Fay's designed and built a fast boat, 'The Daisy,' of somewhat similar type; about the same L.O.A., but longer L.W.L., and having more beam, depth, draught, and a heavier bulb-keel than 'Wee Winn.' They only met twice, and 'Daisy'

was beaten; but she got away from the rest easily enough, and these two boats are certainly the fastest 1/2-raters on the Solent at the present time.[13]

[Footnote 13: The 'Daisy' was exhibited at the Royal Aquarium in 1893, and sold to some gentleman in the Antipodes; so that her keel, instead of her stern, is now pointing at the Solent 1/2-raters.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Miss Sutton's 'Wee Winn,' 1/2 rater. Designed by Herreshoft, 1892.]

CLa.s.s RACING, 1893

The racing on the Solent (apart from the large cla.s.ses) during the season of 1893 will be princ.i.p.ally remembered by the advent of the 20-rater cla.s.s. It was not adopted at the Conference of Clubs held at the Club House of the R.P.C.Y.C, in February as one of the Solent Cla.s.ses, which remained at 1/2-raters, 1-raters, 2-1/2-raters, 5-raters, and 10-raters; but the 10-rater cla.s.s being practically defunct on the Solent during this year, the clubs were enabled to offer a capital programme to the 20-raters, for which cla.s.s the Earl of Dunraven built the 'Deirdre' (L. 46.2, S. 2,590) from a design by Mr. G. L. Watson, the Earl of Dudley built the 'Vigorna' (L. 46.7, S.

2,569) at Gosport from a design by Mr. C. Nicholson (jun.), and Mr. F.

C. Hill built the 'Dragon III.' (L. 45.3, S. 2,593) from a design by Mr. Fife (jun.); Mr. E. Jessop also purchased Mr. Hill's 'Dragon II.'

(L. 45.7, S. 2,624), and raced her on the Solent for the first half of the season under the new name of 'Molly.' The 'Maladetta' (L.46, S.

2,608), designed by her owner, Mr. J. E. McGildowny, also competed in a few races in August, but without much success. The most extreme boat, Lord Dudley's, proved a complete failure as a racing machine. In type she was similar to the 'Pilgrim,' built in America for the Cup compet.i.tion. 'Deirdre' was also a highly developed machine, but she was beaten by 'Dragon III.,' the more moderate design. However, both she and 'Dragon III.' generally found no difficulty in defeating 'Molly,' and on several occasions during the season 'Deirdre' was able to win the princ.i.p.al prize, as will be seen in the table on p. 268.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 'Wee Winn,' 1/2-rater. Designed by Herreshoff for Miss Sutton, 1892.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: 'Daisy.' Designed by J. M. Soper, 1892.]

_The 5-Raters, 1893._

'Red Lancer's' record of 11 first prizes in 13 starts is exceedingly good. The start for the Squadron race on Aug. 3 is not counted against her, as the first prize should have been awarded to her. She always won easily in light weather, and it required half a gale for 'Dacia'