YACHTING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume V, Issue 249, 2 May 1895, Page 3

YACHTING.

The weather is now becoming rather unreliable for yachting, and owners are already arranging for winter quarters. The May and Kestrel arehauled up at Logan Bros.’ yard, where a larger number than usual will be housed at the end of the season.

The leading subject of conversation among yachting people in England at the present time is of course the coming contest for the America Cup, but a considerable amount of interest has been centred in the building and launching of a new yacht, the Ailsa,for Mr Walker, designed by Fife. She is 3ft 6in longer on the water-line than the Britannia, and has a great deal more beam, with a tremendous sail plan; in fact she is a kind of cross between the Britannia and Vigilant. The new flyer left England on a cruise in the Mediterranean, and arrived at Gibraltar after a very rough trip through the Bay of Biscay. Later

reports say the Ailsa has met the Britannia inthe Mediterranean regattas, and although hampered with a weak topmast and unreliable rigging she proved herself superior to the old champion. Thus the English Yachtsman :—“ It is freely mentioned that the new America Cup-defender now building for the Morgan-Iselin syndicate will be the only one turned out by the great Rhode Island firm, and that she is to be a keel boat, as we had expected, but so arranged that a small centre-plate may be afterwards fitted, a statement which we regard as being apocryphal. That the vessel will have, a considerably greater fixed: draught than that of Vigilant is indicated by the fact that excavations are being made in the groundboth inside and outside the shop, which were not necessary in the case of the last champion. The yacht will be built of Tobin bronze. The difference between the cost of a centre-board Cupdefender and a keel-boat is said to be 5,000d01. Capt. Terry has been appointed master of the new vessel.”

It is stated by the Boston G-lobe that the new Herreshoff Cup defender will be more machinelike than her predecessors. There will not even be accommodation for her crew, who, the journal says, will be berthed in a steam tender.

The N.Y. Yacht Club have decided that theyachts competing in the International Cup race should be entitled to carry three men to each sft of their racing length. This would give the Valkyrie a crew of 62 men, according to the measurements already indicated. The recent gale used some of the yachts a bit roughly down at Wellington. The new halfraters were a good deal knocked about, and the Atalanta, which has not returned to Napier since the regatta, had her stern considerably damaged..