'Spruce's' record includes her Solent races only. She won numerous prizes in other waters.

CLa.s.s RACING, 1892

began, so to speak, with a conference of club delegates under the hospitable roof of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club, on the last Sat.u.r.day in February. An amicable meeting agreed to encourage as many open races as possible by withdrawing the restriction that owners and helmsmen should be members of the clubs.[9] It was also decided that the cla.s.ses 'not exceeding 1/2-rating,' and 'exceeding 1/2-rating but not exceeding 1-rating,' should be added to 'the Solent cla.s.ses,' and be supported by the yacht and sailing clubs on the Solent. Dates for match days were agreed to, and the meeting separated.

[Footnote 9: The Royal Portsmouth Corinthian Yacht Club, however, still continues to give races only to those owners who are members of the club; and the Royal Southampton adheres to the condition that the yachts in the small cla.s.ses shall be steered by members of the club.]

The result was satisfactory, as better sport in the small cla.s.ses was seen on the Solent in 1892 than in any previous year.

_Racing Records, 1892._

+-------------------------------------------------------+ | | | Prizes | | | 1892 |Starts|-----------------|Figure of| | | |First|Other|Total| merit | |--------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+---------| |_5-Rating Cla.s.s_ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Dacia | 31 | 23 | 4 | 27 | 59 | | Cyane | 12 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 34 | | Windfall | 9 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 29 | | | | | | | | |_2-1/2-Rating Cla.s.s_| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Gareth | 9 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 36 | | Faugh-a-Ballagh | 49 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 26 | | Polynia | 25 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 22 | | Papoose | 41 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 20 | | Hoopoo | 44 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 17 | | c.o.c.katoo | 40 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 14 | | Molly | 41 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 10 | | Stork | 36 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 9 | | Bud | 33 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 5 | | | | | | | | |_1-Rating Cla.s.s_ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Doushka | 23 | 13 | 3 | 16 | 44 | | Nansheen | 32 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 38 | | Pup | 23 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 23 | | Rogue | 45 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 20 | | Mahatma | ? | 12 | 18 | 30 | ? | | Barbet | ? | 1 | 12 | 13 | ? | | | | | | | | |_1/2-Rating Cla.s.s_ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | No complete records| | | | | | +-------------------------------------------------------+

_The 10-Raters, 1892._

An attempt to revive the 10-R. cla.s.s was made by Mr. J. Gretton, jun., who built the 'Doreen' from a design by Mr. W. Fife, jun. She forms a startling exponent of the modern racer.

Her mainsail, a lug, contains 1,061 square feet of canvas by Y.R.A.

measurement, her total S.A. being 1,572, her L.W.L. 38 feet, and her L.O.A. 56.5 feet (see table for 10-raters). A fine, seaworthy craft, fast in a breeze, but not so good in light winds owing to the absence of a sky-sc.r.a.per. She has the divided skirt forward, but the forestay is taken through the deck some distance inside the stem-head, this having an O.H. of 8.2 feet. This arrangement was used for a similar reason on the cutter yacht 'Margaret,' 265 tons, ill.u.s.trated in the 'Field,' 1853.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 'Doreen,' 20 (J. Gretton, Jun., Esq.). Designed by Fife, 1892.]

The present owner of 'Dis,' Mr. Sparks, came forward very pluckily to battle for some of the cla.s.s prizes on the Solent and the South Coast, and scored on a few occasions in light weather; in a heeling breeze, however, 'Doreen' romped away from him.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 'DACIA'

_5-rater (Earl of Dudley). Designed by C. Nicholson, jun., 1892._]

Although the 10's form one of the 'Solent cla.s.ses,' they do not flourish. If men built to the cla.s.s they would get plenty of racing, as in 1889, but Lord Dunraven's letter, already quoted on p. 241, gives ample reasons for the 5- and the 20-raters being preferred.

_The 5-Raters, 1892._

This may be termed 'Dacia's' year, when a young and comparatively unknown designer succeeded in lowering the colours of Mr. Payne where others had so signally failed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Lord Dunraven's 'Cyane,' 1892.]

'Dacia' was built at Gosport for Mr. R. H. Langrishe from a design by Mr. C. Nicholson (jun.). For her dimensions, &c., see table for 5-raters (p. 274). She carries her sail well, but is probably built too light. In the middle of the racing season she had to lay up for a time and have a new stem fitted, presumably because the bow was straining. She carries a _deep_ fin-keel, which draws about 8.5 feet.

It is coppered. Her O.H. both fore and aft is extreme, and her sailing length is thereby considerably increased when sailing even at moderate speeds. But her success must also be due to a well-considered design as a whole, because her strongest point is clawing to windward, which she does in a marvellous way, blow high blow low, and her great length cannot a.s.sist her much on this point of sailing.

She cost no more than other boats of the same rating, but when the Earl of Dudley took a fancy to her, Mr. Langrishe sold her early in the season for 'four figures,' it is said; and she was worth it, for it is better to have one successful than two unsuccessful racers.

Early in September she raced a rubber of matches against the Clyde crack 'Natica,' Tor Bay being selected as the 'neutral water.' The stakes were heavy, and she won two out of the three races, being steered to victory by her designer.[10] During the season Lord Dudley generally steered her himself, but her designer steered at Tor Bay.

[Footnote 10: She subsequently lost the match on a protest, which was referred for settlement to the Council Y.R.A.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: 'Windfall,' 5-rater. Designed by A. E. Payne, 1891.]

The 'Cyane,' about the same L.W.L. as the 'Dacia,' was built from a design by Mr. Payne for the Earl of Dunraven, who, as commodore of the Castle Club, and one of the first supporters of 5-raters, takes a great interest in the cla.s.s. 'Cyane' started well before 'Dacia' and 'Windfall' were launched, but afterwards only succeeded in beating 'Dacia' once. She was laid up in the middle of the season.

'Squall,' a sister 5, built for Mr. A. F. S. Crawford, was not so fast, and failed to win pride of place in any race on the Solent.

'Windfall,' with her new owner, Mr. Gubbins, at the helm, did better against 'Dacia' than any other yacht on the Solent, but she left for the Emerald Isle early in the season.

'Savourna' was also raced by her owner, the Hon. H. L. Mulholland, M.P., before going to Ireland, but she did not succeed so well as when Mr. Perceval had her, or it may be that 'Windfall' went better than in 1891.

'Quinque' had been lengthened during the winter, and was greatly improved thereby, but she failed to score until in July her keel was lowered, after which she beat 'Dacia' twice in light weather, and won twelve prizes before the end of the season.

The full history of 'Quinque' during her four years' racing is most instructive to the student on account of her numerous alterations, each of which afforded more trustworthy information on some special point than it is possible to obtain from the examination of new boats, however successful they may be; but the story is too long for these pages.[11]

[Footnote 11: For further information and drawings of 'Quinque,' see the _Yachtsman_ of July 20 and October 5, 1893.]

The records of the Solent racing are entered in the table, wherein it will be found that 'Dacia' made the excellent figure of merit 59, in spite of first two prizes lost by minor infractions of the rules, before Lord Dudley raced her.

_The 2-1/2-Raters, 1892._

This year was full of surprises in the 2-1/2-rating cla.s.s, as indeed in all the small cla.s.ses.

These were mainly due to two gentlemen, Mr. Nat Herreshoff of Rhode Island, U.S., and Mr. C. Nicholson (jun.) of Gosport, G.B.

The success of their boats was largely owing to their long overhangs, producing a sailing length greatly in excess of the length measured for their rating.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 'Faugh-a-Ballagh,' 2-1/2-rater, 1892.]

Mr. Herreshoff also took full advantage of the power given by the bulb-keel to give great stability to a boat of very small displacement. He was therefore content to apply long overhangs to boats of moderate L.W.L. as compared with the English boats in the same cla.s.s.

Mr. Nicholson, however, placed his long overhangs on boats of long L.W.L., and used fin-keels. Complete success crowned both these types.

Unfortunately the 'Gareth' never met 'Wenonah,' and the crack 2-1/2 of the year is therefore still a matter of doubt.

'Wenonah's' elements, so far as known, are added to this list of boats, in order to facilitate comparison. She never raced on the Solent. She is sloop-rigged, with a very short gaff, and a fore-triangle, about the same as 'Faugh-a-Ballagh.'

[Ill.u.s.tration: Old Fashion.]

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

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

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

'Gareth' is 3 feet longer on the L.W.L., but 0.8 foot shorter than 'Wenonah' in L.O.A. She is, therefore, a fairer boat than 'Wenonah,' a greater percentage of her length being taxed for rating. It is an insult to the intelligence of a designer to suppose that any portion of the hull is useless. Consequently we must a.s.sume that all the 37.5 feet of L.O.A. in 'Wenonah' is useful, and, as the sailing length was that which the Y.R.A. intended to tax for rating in 1886, the 'Wenonah' cannot be regarded as a 'short boat.'

[Ill.u.s.tration: Old Fashion.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: 'Lady Nan.']

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