ki^P^ ...:.mrM^ A 6 W '^IV^^j^'' "HUunnn//r,H}//,^„, ,,^)i///r/// '/////''; » ' <» A ' •v/ < 1^^' '.%.* FEB -2 D 1 B MAY 3 ^ JAN 9 THE MAYFLOWER-GALATEA CONTEST, 1886. {Tke artist has chosen that part of the race of September <^ nth, rvhen Mayflower^^ set her balloon Jib immediately upon rounding the Lightship.l YACHTS AND YACHTING WITH OVER ONE HUNDRED AND TEN ILLUSTRATIONS BY FRED. S. COZZENS AND OTHERS CASSELL & COMPANY, Limited, 739 & 741 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. Copyright, 1887, By O. M. DUNHAM. All Rights Reserved. CONTENTS. The History of American Yachting. By Captain R. F. Coffin. I. Early Days of the New York Yacht Club, . n II. From 1859 to 1870, . ... 27 III. The International Period, . .43 IV. From 1871 to 1876, . 58 V. From 1876 to 1878, . .73 VI. From 1878 to 1885, 117 The Mayflower and Galatea Races of 1886. By Charles E. Clay, 103 American Steam Yachting. By Edward S. J affray, . 115 British Yachting. By C. J. C. McAlster, . 141 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Mayflower and Galatea Contest, Frontispiece. PAGE. Adrienne, ..... 66 Fleetwing, 27 Aida, . 131 Fortune, ^3 Alpha, ^3 Frolic, 53 America, 22 Galatea, 106, 141 America's Cup, The, 108 Gertrude, 158 Atalanta, ..... 119 Gimcrack, 15 Athlon, ' 74 Gitana, 82 Atlantic, ..... 93 Gracie, 39 Bedouin, ..... 87 Grayling, . 62 Bianca, ..... 44 Halcyon, 32 Buttercup, .... 153 Hassan Steam Launch, 117 Camilla, ..... 117 Henrietta, 20 Carlotta, 147 Hope, 56 Clytie, . 61 Hornet, 17 Constance, .... 149 Intrepid, 55 Comet, ..... 34 lone, 151 Corsair, ..... 116 Irex, M3 Course, The (Mayflower and Galatea Isis, 59 Races), .... 104 Julia, 19 Crocodile, .... 78 La Coquille, 14 Cygnet, II Lorna, 158 Dawn, ..... 148 Lucky, 25 Diagram of Yachts, 105 Madeleine, 28 Diane, ..... 152 Madge, 75 Dreadnaught, .... 33 Maggie, 88 Egeria, ..... 156 Magic, 48 Electra, 122 Maria, ,38 Enchantress, .... 40 Marjorie, 150 Estelle, 60 Maud, 38 Fanita, 67 Mayflower, 107 Fanny (sloop). 47 Miranda, . 144 Fanny (Boston), 51 Mischief, 69 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. i'Ai;ii. PAGE. Mist, ...... t6 Sappho, . , . .31 Montauk, 70 Sentinel, . 121 Namouna, 135 Shadow, . 76 of tlic, Spray, Deck 134 • 13 Nooya, 126 Stiletto, . 133 " Deck View, . 127 Stranger, . 91 Nourniahal, 135 Sunbeam, 129 " The l^ridge, 137 Sybil, 12 Working Drawings, 136 Tara, 154 The Officers' Room. 132 Thetis, . 54 Orienta, . 131 Uledia, . 146 Oriva, 92 Una, 21 Painting- the Boat, 130 Utowana, 118 Palmer, 52 Vesta, 36 Pastime, . 120 Viking, 125 Polynia, . ^?>?, Vixen, 35 Priscilla, . 95 Wanda, 126 Promise, . 128 Wanderer, • 37 Queen Mab, 145 Water Witch, 157 Radha, . -^z?. Whisper, 135 Ray, White Wing, 24 . 45 Rebecca, . 30 Yacht Stations of the British Isles, 142 Samoena, . 155 Zoe, 80 THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN YACHTING. THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN YACHTING. BY CAPTAIN R. F. COFFIN, Author of "The America's Cup," "Old Sailor Yarns," etc., etc. but it was not until the Brooklyn Yacht Club was organized in 1857, that there was any- EARLY DAYS OF THE NEV/- YORK YACHT thing like a yacht club, in the present signifi- CLUB. cance of the term, in all the United States. It had its head-quarters at the head of history of the York Yacht The New Gowanus Bay, and was naturally an asso- Club, for the first sixteen years of its ex- ciation of the gentlemen who had, for sev- istence at least, is practically the history eral years previous, made this the anchor- of American yachting. For the first five age for their pleasure craft. This locality years it was the only yacht club in the was then, and for a long time afterwards United States. The Southern yacht club, continued to be, the principal place for with its head-quarters at New Orleans and boat sailing in the city of Brooklyn. The its racing course on Lake Ponchartrain, Brooklyn was from the first a real yacht was the second club organized, but it was purely a local organization ; its yachts were small open boats, and it had no real national influence. The third club was the Neptune, at the Highlands, organized in 1850, one year later than the Southern; but it was rather a fishing than a yachting club, and like the Southern, its boats were for the most part open centerboards of small size. It may have had an occasional race on the Shrewsbury River, but it was simply a summer organi- zation, and, except in name, had none of the character- istics of a regular yachting organization. The Carolina club, with head-quarters at Wilmington (if I am not mistaken). North Carolina, ranks fourth in point of age, but was of no importance ex- cept, perhaps, locally. It was organized in 1854, MR. w. Edgar's "cygnet. I I 12 THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN YACHTING. I MR. C. B. MILLERS "SYBIL. club, as was also the Jersey City, which had grown large enough to put out an off- was organized in 1858, and which was the shoot, and a few of its members withdrew natural associating together of gentlemen from it and organized the Atlantic, which who were in the daily habit, during the is the eighth yachting organization in this summer, of sailing their boats from along country, having been organized in 1866. the shores of Communipaw Bay. From In 1867, the Columbia club was organized this time on, for seven years, New York on the West side of the town, having its was the home of yachting, no club being head-quarters at the foot of Christopher organized in any other waters; but in street—if I remember aright—and, like 1865, the Boston club was organized, and the Brooklyn and Jersey City, it was a nat- this is the oldest club in the New England ural association of gentlemen who had States. By this time, the Brooklyn club been in the habit of keeping their boats THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN YACHTING. 13 there, and sailing thence on the Hudson American yachting ; for down to the year River. Its boats were open centerboards 1885 no other club ever attempted any- for the most part, but it has always been a thing more than mere local effort. Each respectable and, with some few exceptional organization had its club house and an- years such as occur in the history of most chorage, its regattas, or more properly of the yachting organizations, it has been speaking, matches, over its regular course, prosperous. It has a nice club house and one or more times a year, and that was all. excellent anchorage now, at the foot of Very few had yachts large enough, in West Eighty-fourth street. It was organ- number sufficient, to essay a squadron ized in 1867, and in the same year the cruise previous to 1870. I doubt if any of San Francisco club, at the Golden Gate, them except the Brooklyn had, and as for came into existence. The South Boston ocean races, or private matches, for valua- was started in 1868, the second in New England, and the Bunker Hill and Port- land in 1869—a total of but fifteen yacht clubs in all the United States. In that year Mr. Ashbury, with the British schooner Cambria^ came to race for the America's Cup, and this gave an impetus to yachting, which, aided by other causes, has continued to the present time, and has caused the multiplication of clubs, so that there MR. H. WILKES' are now over one hundred and twenty of ble prizes, all that sort of thing was left these organizations, and they are increasing alone to the New York club, which from rapidly in all parts of the country, each of the first has displayed an enterprise and a the great lake ports having its club; while boldness worthy of the great city of its in the New England States they are more home and name. numerous than in any other section of the I don't think that the early history of country, and Boston, to-day, is more of a the club events has ever been written. I, yachting center than New York itself. certainly, have never seen or heard of any- Still, the history of the New York Yacht thing of the kind, and then I think a brief Club is to a great extent the history of sketch will be of interest. In no other ; THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN YACHTING, manner can the early history of American forty-five tons ; about sixty feet long per- yachtinj^ be as well told. haps. Organized July 30, 1844, the New York Evidently the schooner was the favorite Yacht club had its first regatta July 16, rig, as it has been ever since, with some 1845. Its first rating for allowance of exceptions, and as it will probably be time was per ton, of custom house meas- again, unless the steam yacht take the urement, and the allowance was forty-five schooner's place and the sailing yacht, kept seconds per ton. Its first course was from purely for racing, be confined to the single- MR. JOHN C. JAY S LA COQUILLE. a stake-boat off Robbins Reef, to a stake- stick boats. The schooner rig, however, is boat off Bay Ridge, L. I. ; thence to a stake- so much handier, that it is sure to be pre- boat off Stapleton, S. I.; thence to and ferred for a vessel kept solely for pleasure around the Southwest Spit buoy, returning sailing. over the same course. Presumably, every Let us see who the starters were in this yacht in the club started, for it was the first regatta, and who owned them : first regatta ever sailed in this country.