Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/789

 YACHT 761 200, 51 between 200 and 300, 19 between 300 and 400, 3 between 600 and 600, and one each of 606 and 730 tons. The larger of these are steamers, the number of steam yachts having greatly increased since 1870. The first yacht club in the United States was organized in 1844 at New York, with nine members and as many yachts. The late John 0. Stevens was the first commodore. By 1845 the club numbered 17 yachts and 171 members, and a commodious club house was provided by the commodore at the Elysian Fields near Hoboken, on the Hud- eon. The first regular regatta in the United States took place in New York harbor, July 17, 1845. The course was from Bobbin's reef around the southwest spit buoy to the light ship, and return. Seven schooners and three sloops took part, the- Cygnet being the winner. Since then the regattas have taken place an- nually with one exception (the first year of the civil war), and the regatta day of the New York yacht club is one of the important aquatic events of the year. Newport, K. I., is the fa- vorite resort of all yachtsmen. The first match race between yachts ever sailed in the United States took place on Oct. 10, 1846, the course being 25 m. to the windward and return, from the light ship off Sandy Hook. The contes- tants were the sloop Maria, 154 tons, owned by John C. Stevens, and the schooner Coquette, 74 tons, owned by J. H. Perkins, stakes $500 a side. The Coquette was the winner. The ap- pearance of the new sloop Maria did much for the success of yachting. Since then numerous contests have occurred. In June, 1858, the course was round Long Island, for a sweep- stakes of $800. Races from Sandy Hook light ship, to and around Cape May light ship and back, were inaugurated in September, 1865. Since the America's visit to. Europe in 1851, 14 American yachts have crossed and recrossed the ocean. Of these trips, the race between the Henrietta, Fleetwing, and Vesta in 1866, from Sandy Hook to Cowes, is the most mem- orable. It was for a sweepstakes of $90,000, and was won by the Henrietta, she making the run in 13 d. 21 h. 55 min. English yachts- men have also visited this country in their ves- sels. Prominent among them is James Ash- bury, who in 1870 and again in 1871 entered the port of New York in the schooner yachts Cambria and Livonia, as representative of his countrymen to win back the queen's cup. In the visit of the Cambria she sailed a match race with Mr. James Gordon Bennett's schooner yacht Dauntless from Queenstown, beating the latter to Sandy Hook about one hour, a con- test which has no parallel. The races that fol- lowed the arrival of the English boats were among the most important yachting events on record, and the victories of the Americans were very decided. Among the remarkable runs made by the modern yacht is that of the sloop Magic in the first race for the queen's cup, New York harbor, Aug. 8, 1870. She went over the course, about 43 m., in the actual sailing time of 4 h. 7 min. 54 sec. Thia was from an anchorage off Stapleton, Staten Isl- and, around the southwest spit to Sandy Hook light ship, and return. In the annual regatta of the New York yacht club, June 6, 1878, the schooner Madeleine, with a flying start, made the run from a point abreast of Forts Wads- worth and Lafayette, over the regular course, about 40 m., in 4 h. 1 min. 20 sec. In the last trip across the Atlantic, from New York to Cowes, the schooner Sappho, on April 28, 1872, when three days out, in a westerly gale, and with canvas reduced to a three-reef fore- sail, made the run of 318 m. in 24 hours. Yachting has greatly increased within the last quarter of a century over the whole United States ; and in all cities with sufficient water there are prosperous clubs. In 1875 there were 34 regularly organized clubs, most of them incorporated, with a registry of 692 ves- sels, of which 116 were schooners, 394 sloops, 3 cutters, 145 cat-rigged, and 34 steamers. The keel boats in this list number 171. The New York club in 1875 registered 38 schoon- ers, representing 5,566 tons; 27 sloops, 924 tons; and 13 steamers, 1,000 tons. As repre- sentative craft of the New York club, may be instanced the Sappho, keel (sold into a foreign club, December, 1875), and the Mohawk, cen- tre-board. They are the largest of their re- spective classes afloat. The Sappho is 133 ft. 9 in. on deck, 120 ft. on the water line, 108 ft. on keel, 27 ft. beam, 10 ft. hold, and 12 ft. 6 in. draught of water, and measures 310 tons. The Mohawk is 117 ft. 6 in. length of keel, 121 ft. on the water line, 144 ft. on deck, and 150 ft. over all, 30 ft. 4 in. beam, and 9 ft. 4 in. depth of hold ; length of centre board, 30 ft. ; draught of water, 6 ft. She has 18 ft. over- hang and 14 ft. rake of stem, measures 380 tons, and is fitted out with 32,235 sq. ft. of canvas. The schooners are almost universally fore-and-aft rigged, i. e., not carrying square topsail yards on the foremast. The cutter dif- fers from the American sloop in carrying a sail, termed the foresail, on a stay from the masthead to the stem, the jib and flying jib being set on a long running bowsprit. The cutter in fact substitutes two head sails for one used in the sloop. The yawl differs from the cutter in carrying a slightly reduced mast and boom, the latter leaving room for a small after- mast stepped close astern, whereon to set a lug- sail sheeted home to the end of a running boom. By acts of congress, Aug. 7, 1848, and June 29, 1870, yachts are licensed on terms which authorize them to go from port to port of the United States, and by sea to foreign ports, without entering or clearing at the custom house; and yachts belonging to a regularly organized yacht club of any foreign nation which extends like privileges to the yachts of the United States, have the privilege of enter- ing any port of the United States, without en- tering or clearing at the custom house, or pay- ing tonnage tax. But yachts, like coasting