- Model yachting is flourishing in San Francisco, centered around Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park. Despite being only six months old, the San Francisco Model Yacht Club has gained such popularity that the city allocated $22,000 for a dedicated new lake.
Model Yachting in California. CALIFORNIA, with its beautiful climate, bays, lakes and rivers, atfords the boat loving population great sport. San Francisco Bay and the artificial lakes of San Fran- cisco are a central attraction for many yacht clubs. One unique club, called the San Francisco Model Y. C., gives great pleasure not only to its members but to hundreds of interested spectators. This club has been in existence only six months, but in this short time the city has donated $22,000 for the construction of a new lake for the use of this club. On Sundays and holidays the banks «ot Stow Lake, a lake in Golden Gate Park, are crowded with people eager to see the racing of the models. The club has 148 members, 50 of whom have models: some ot the models are very valuable, considering the work put upon them: they value from $10 up to $350. The yachts are in two classes; yachts with a 28in. tu a 38in. waterline are in the small class, while yachts from a 38in. to a 54in. waterline are in the large class. Among the boats of the large class are the Imp, Flirt, Austril, Kingfisher, Annie, Hobo, etc. ‘he Imp, owned and built by Commodore London, is very fast, having taken many races and having done great credit to its owner. The Flirt and Hobo, designed, built and owned by the Collier Bros., are excellent pieces of workianship, especially the Flirt. Her dimensions are 62in. cover all, 18in, beam, goin. waterline, 22in. draft. She is built of one-sixtcenth inch planks of sugar pine, with a double skin. Over 2,000 brass screws were used in build- ing her; she weighs only 9 pounds and carries a 14 pound bulb on an aluminum fin; there are 3,000 square inches in her mainsail and jib. She is the model of the Challenger, designed by Mr. B. B. Crowninshield, a very fast boat belonging to the California Y. C. The Annie, Hobo and Lark are built on the scow plan, and also prove to be very fast. Rockners Annie, a beautiful little crait, carried off the blue pennant, while the Hobo came in Rudders are not used. The sails are balance each other, in the respect that mainsail from bringing the boat into quently the boats attain high speed. second. made so that they the jib keeps the the wind, conse- In racing, the yachts are started 15 seconds apart; they tack up a narrow neck of the lake, a man on each side turns the boat with a pole as she nears the land and starts her on the next tack, Most of the yachts are sloop rig, but some of them cerry a club topsail and a flying jib. The lake is very rocky along the banks, and it is hard work towing the boats back with poies. Commander Gerung has, however, solved the problem by simply at- taching a spinnaker and turns his boat loose, and she simply scoots. San Francesco, Cal, March 4. CHESTER CHAPMAN,
