- Prospect Park Model Yacht Club Wins Eagle Cup. Any series of races for the historic trophy known as_ the Brooklyn Eagle Cup would prove interesting to model yachtsmen, but add to that the innovation of team races and model racing is given an entirely new impetus with real sport ahead.
Prospect Park Model Yacht Club Wins Eagle Cup A* Y series of races for the historic trophy known as_ the Brooklyn Eagle Cup would prove interesting to model yachtsmen, but add to that the innovation of team races and model racing is given an entirely new impetus with real sport ahead. Through the Model Yacht Racing Association of America and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle the deed for this cup was altered. This was done at the suggestion of the Prospect Park Club, which held the trophy, to remove it from an individual challenge prize and make it emblematic of the best in American clubs. It was therefore placed under the mile in pointing and footing ability. Meantime Starlight and Rainbow on the port tack were way off the course and had considerable diffculty beating to windward. Fantasy, with her unusual windward quality continually gained on the leaders. Polka Dot was first around Then as Fantasy apthe mark. proached it her mast went by the board. It was some breeze. Dauntless won the mark from Starlight, but it was give and take all the way with them until StarThis light’s headsail carried away. was the second Central Park boat to become disabled and left only one possible finish for that club, so ev- and won the mark with Dauntless a IJmp and Fantasy close second. were next, followed closely by Polka Dot. Then Starlight rounded after finding the one soft spot in the bay. She looked to have a first division place until she lost the wind on that first leg; but what seemed even more trying was the soft spot Rainbow found at the second mark. She had improved her lead on the second While drifting leg, a close reach. around the mark all the others ex cept Starlight came up on her During the broad reach home Fantasy took the lead from Daunt- less, while Imp overtook her and finished first. Fantasy won the race jurisdiction of the Association to be competed for annually and to be held by the winning club throughout the following year. Each club in the Association may be represented in a series of three races by three model yachts of the second class un- der the old rating, or classes B and C under the new or Universal Rule. The first races held under these new conditions were sailed on Flushing Bay Sept. 30 and Oct. 7. The Central Park Model Yacht Club acted as host to the representatives of the Prospect Park club and an enthusiastic gallery. Although other clubs in the Association had entered, only these two had teams ready to start. Both clubs sailed “B” class boats and it is an interesting fact that all three from’ Prospect Park were from the same lines as Polka. Dot, the winner of the International Race of 1922. First Race There was a hard breeze all day Sept. 30th but a race was finally called at three o’clock. Dauntless (P. P. Y. C.) was first over the line on the half-mile leg to windward and return. She was _ followed closely by Polka Dot (P. P. Y. C.) and Starlight (Central Park Y. C.) The two former lay a course well up into the wind, while the latter footed considerably faster but did not point so high. Rainbow (P. P.) and Imp (C. P.) were next across, almost together. Finally Fantasy (C. P.) started with everything before her, as usual. They were all over the line within one minute and it was not long be- fore the gallery began to get thrills because the breeze, which had been softening, started to freshen and the entire fleet scattered to avoid collision. Everyone was intent watching Battey sail the Jmp. on She was the feature of that first half 4 ‘ v The Eagle Cup and the three boats which won it for the Prospect Park Model Yacht Club. Left to right: Dauntless, F. H. Tucker; Polka Dot, E. A. Bull; Rainbow, J. B. Ketcham. eryone was wishing her remaining Rainbow’s boat, /mp, good luck. difficulty was a broken stay, and bringing her to the finish was a nice piece of handling on the part of Ketcham. It hardly seemed necessary for Starlight to withdraw for only the loss of a headsail on a straight run home. Bull and Battey gave a wonderful demonstration of good seamanship in the hard wind and rough sea. Polka Dot was well in the lead and took first place, followed by Jmp, Dauntless and Rainbow in the order given. The races were then postponed for one week on account of the heavy weather. Second Race A one-mile triangular course was laid out on October 7, which was an ideal day for model yachting. Imp took the lead, followed closely hy Starlight, Rainbow and Dauntless, leaving Polka Dot and Fantasy to fight it out in the rear. This was an unusual course for Bull, who always takes the lead if possible. Rainbow got all the breaks on elapsed time, mainly through her ability to go to windward. Third Race Although the score at the beginning of this race was overwhelmingly in favor of Prospect Park the third race proved to be the most interesting because it belonged to any- one from start to finish and was a real test. The course was one mile, wind- ward and return, and all were off to a fair start. By the time Rainbow and Dauntless had turned the mark it was apparent that Fantasy and Starlight had found the soft spots, while Battey broke an oar. He quickly recovered and with only Imp to cover the team from Prospect Park he demonstrated her run ning ability to advantage. She held third position from mark to finish. The Brooklyn boats sailed as a team from start to finish. Battey held Jmp to her position behind Dauntless forcing Polka Dot to go around in order to take second place. (Continued on page 296) 295 > a “or . olen sl, In one picture she is seen being launched through the surf, in the other, One of the mvs Chaisson Surf Boats in use on the F lorida East incoast. on the crest. me i riding OF INTEREST TO THE SKIPPER Chaisson Surf Boats and Tenders We are indebted to George L. Chaisson, of Swampscott, Mass., for the wonderful pictures of a small surf boat which appear on this page. This boat was one recently built for use on the Florida coast where a flat beach makes a very heavy broken surf when the wind is high. The boat was built for the Cummer Lumber Company of Jacksonville, Fla., and Captain O. L. Schubert, late of the Coast Guard, writes about her as follows: “We received the surf boat from you in first class condition and immediately put same into service. We enclose some snapshots of the surf we have to contend with and to which your boat is admirably suited. Our beach is flat, and naturally during high winds, we have a very heavy, broken surf. We succeeded in launching through a heavy northeaster some weeks ago, a feat which has never been accomplished on this beach before.” Coot, A New Boucher Model Yacht A new model yacht has been re- cently designed and placed on the market by Boucher, Inc., of 415 Madison Avenue, New York, to fill the demand for a boat of moderate size designed on currect principles and able to sail or race with anything of her own length. The new model, which is called the Coot, is 25 inches over all, 6% inches beam and 6% inches draft. She is designed by a well-known naval architect and her form of hull and rig were finally adopted after repeated races against a number of other models of the same length. Another feature of this, and all late Boucher models, is that the sails are made by Ratsey & Lapthorn, of City Island, insuring a well fitting and setting suit of sails. Everyone knows the importance of ‘sails in winning races. The model is put out at the very moderate price of $18.50. Lawley Yard Active George Lawley & Son Corporation, of Neponset, Mass., report a very busy season ahead and several large steel yachts, and a number of wooden ones, already under construction and well along. lor fifty years this Corporation has been building yachts, and it has always been known as one of the Interior of the Lawley woodwork ng shop, where the smaller boats are built. 296 best equipped yards in the United repro The photograph States. duced here shows the five-ton electric crane recently installed, under which are building two, 120 foot steel yachts. The yacht shown on | the left is’ oil burning, equipped with Lawley steam engines which the company is building, and the yacht on the right is equipped with two Winton gasoline engines. The building shown on the left of the photograph is the shop in which the larger wooden yachts are built Under construction there at the present time are an auxiliary yawl and two 68-foot express cruisers. The small boat shop is busy, having several launches, yacht tenders and small boats under construction. Eagle Cup Race (Continued from page 295) It was a great race with miniature yachts, Dauntless taking first place Score by Points Race Boat and Owner Ist 2nd 3rd__— Polka Dot, Bull lL 2 2 Imp, Battey 23 3 Dauntless, Tucker 3 4 1 Rainbow, Ketcham 4 5 4 Fantasy, Weaver 0 1 5 Starlight, Bloomf’’d 0 6 6 Prospect Central Club Score Park Park Total Points 16 13 13 8 8 2 ………….. 37 points ….. . 23 points The new 5 ton electric crane recently installed at the Lawley yard. Two steel yachts are under construction here.
