Page:The history of yachting.djvu/35

 Rh, which hitherto have escaped the attention of historians of yachting.

Yachting may be termed the poetry of the sea. No other sport or pastime has been so interwoven with romance and countless memories of daring deeds and glorious achievements. Further, it is among the most ancient, as well as the noblest, of sports; and as mastery by fair means is the essence of every sport, no other can compare in interest and excitement with mastery upon the sea.

In every age there have been men to whom sea-faring has been a recreation and a delight. Indeed, yachtsmen may be regarded as the patricians of the sea; free from its hardships and privations, though amenable to its written and unwritten laws, and participating in its dangers and delights. By degrees, yacht-racing has become the popular feature of yachting, though early history shows that yachts enjoyed a flourishing existence for nearly two centuries before racing came into fashion. Even at the present time, it is safe to say that for every mile sailed by yachts in races during a season, hundreds of miles are sailed by cruising yachts, whose owners enjoy their contests with wind and wave as keenly as if they were sailing over prescribed courses for prizes. Still, racing is, and must always be, the most popular feature of yachting, as it affords opportunities for the display of skill and courage, and composing those beautiful marine pictures, of which not only yachtsmen, but vast throngs of people who know little about yachting delight to form a part.