"STROKE'S" REPLY.

Evening Star, Issue 8720, 12 January 1892, Page 2

"STROKE'S" REPLY.

00 KB! BDDfOBi Sib,—Mr Paterson hju thought fit to defend himself against what be it plowed to oall an attack made upon him in my, note of the 28th ult. The note in question was simply a fair criticism >of what actually took plaoe. The Muretai's aotion on the day in question was the subjeot of muoh talk and unfavorable comment from all and sundry. Mr Paterson says: " I emphatioally deny having attempted to jockey either the Ripple or any other boat out of the race," Quite so; no one supposes that he will admit it, but the fact remains that he did not give the Ripple fair play, nor art ap to the rales, and what is that but " jockeying?" Further on Mr Paterson says that I assume his conduct to have arisen from ignorance, and says: " Seeing that the role is clearly laid down in the programme, his ("Stroke's") assumption as to ignorance is somewhat rldioulous." I am sorry indeed, for Mr Paterson's sake, to find that I have been too charitable in asoribing his mistake to ignorance, and that he erred deliberately and with a full knowledge of the rules. Mr Paterson quotes Dixon Kemp, totheeffeot "that his boat should have given way or put about"; and this is exaotly what I said should have been done on the occasion I mentioned, and which the Muretai did not do. It is true that in the second time they met in the same position. In response to loud outcries from the Ripple's men, the Muretai did act up to tho rule, but not in time, and the Ripple had again to give way to avoid a collision. As regards what Mr Paterson is pleased to oall my second complaint, he quotes as a reason for his aotion Rule No. 12, which says: ] " A yaoht overtaking any other shall keep out of the way of the overtaken yaoht, and a yacht may luff as she pleaseß to prevent another yaoht passing to windward, but mußt never bear away out of her course to hinder the other passing to leeward—the lee Bide to be considered that on which the leading yaoht of the two carries her mainboom. The overtaking vessel, if to leeward, must not luff until she has drawn clear ahead of the yaoht she has overtaken." And this, as in the previous occasion, Mr Paterson has again clearly proved my case, and Bbown himself in the wrong, as on the homeward run to the finishing post the Ripple overtook the Muretai; and if the Ripple had attempted to go to windward of the Muretai the latter, according to the rules, would have been quite justified in luffing to prevent her doing so. But this the steersman of the Ripple did "not do, but went to leeward, and it was then that the " jockeying " took place, as the Muretai bore slightly out of her course do wn on to the Ripple, and this in spite of the rule that Mr Paterson quotes—namely, "That a yaoht must never bear away out of her course to hinder the other passing to leeward," Mr Paterson also wants to know why no mention was made of a collision between the Leader and White Wings, and the Ripple and Premier. As regards the first, if such a thing took plaoe I heard nothing about it; and as regards the seoond I refer my readers to a letter underneath. lam also accused of playing " the man on the wharf." If Mr Paterson had heard the remarks of all the men on the wharf and flagship he would have been far from pleased, Mr Paterson Euts the finishing touch to his effusion when e says: " I should have left so unworthy and sneering a paragraph unnoticed had I not felt that some of the IeBS-experienced iiaohtsmen might be misled by ' Stroke's ' nterpretation of the rules." In all charitableness, I must suppose this is a slip on Mr Paterson's part, as he must surely forget that most of the yachtsmen are his senior both in years and experience.—l am, etc., Stroke. Punedin, January 12.

We, the undersigned, having read Mr Paterson's letter, have no hesitation In stating that the facts as written by " Stroke " in his notes are correct, and furthermore, that the statement made by Mr Paterson to the effect that a collision took place between the Ripple and the Premier is totally untrue.—We are, etc., O. Chaixis, P. Sutherland, G. Hogan, H. G bah am, F. Davis (the crew of the Ripple).