This section is from "The American Cyclopaedia", by George Ripley And Charles A. Dana. Also available from Amazon: The New American Cyclopędia. 16 volumes complete..
Yacht (Dutch Jagt; Ger. Jacht From Jagen, To Chase), a vessel for excursions of pleasure. The prophet Ezekiel referred to pleasure galleys of Tyre when he spoke of "thy benches of ivory," the " fine linen with broidered work from Egypt which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail," and the "blue and purple from the isles of Elishah which covered thee." Caligula's yacht was of costly cedar, the stern studded with jewels and the decks inlaid. - Yacht clubs are associations to promote yachting. The oldest of these was organized more than a century ago; but it is only within the last 50 years that they have obtained the prominence which has caused the more important to be recognized and fostered by government through peculiar privileges. These consist of exemption from port charges and light dues, and comparative independence from customhouse formalities. The United States, the United Kingdom and several of its colonies, Holland, France, Belgium, and Russia have their clubs. The first of these was started in Ireland in 1720 as "the Cork Harbor Water Club," and is now called the "Royal Cork Yacht Club." Its commanding officer is styled admiral, though most clubs call him commodore, while in the yacht club de France he is called president.
Among the many clubs in Great Britain with the prefix " royal" are the following: The royal yacht club, founded in June, 1815; royal Victoria yacht club, May 24,1845; royal Mersey yacht club, Liverpool, 1844. It was a yacht of the last named club, the Queen of the Ocean, Commodore Littledale, that saved the lives of 32 of the passengers and crew of the emigrant ship Ocean Monarch of Boston, burned Aug. 24, 1848, in Abergele bay. In Great Britain during summer regattas are frequent, the sea bordering the coast and the few navigable rivers and inlets being alive with fleets of pleasure vessels. Yet the English yachtsmen were beaten at the Cowes regatta of 1851, when the schooner America, of the New York squadron, won the first prize, the queen's cup, in a match open to all nations. The practice of lacing the mainsail in cutters and schooners to the mainboom, universal in the United States, was scarcely known in England at that time, though it undoubtedly facilitates a closer hugging of the wind by offering to it a flatter surface. As a general rule, English yachts are deeper and draw more water than American, and the centre board or sliding keel is not in use among them; but they are for the most part excellent sea boats.
In 1875 the number of British yachts was 1,764, of which 610 measured 10 tons or less, 913 between 10 and 100 tons, 147 between 100 and 200, 51 between 200 and 300, 19 between 300 and 400, 3 between 500 and 600, and one each of 606 and 730 tons. The larger of these are steamers, the number of steam yachts having greatly increased since 1870. - The 'first yacht club in the United States was organized in 1844 at New York, with nine members and as many yachts. The late John 0. Stevens was the first commodore. By 1845 the club numbered 17 yachts and 171 members, and a commodious club house was provided by the commodore at the Elysian Fields near Hoboken, on the Hudson. The first regular regatta in the United States took place in New York harbor, July 17, 1845. The course was from Bobbin's reef around the southwest spit buoy to the light ship, and return. Seven schooners and three sloops took part, the Cygnet being the winner. Since then the regattas have taken place annually with one exception (the first year of the civil war), and the regatta day of the New York yacht club is one of the important aquatic events of the year. Newport, R. I., is the favorite resort of all yachtsmen.
The first match race between yachts eyer sailed in the United States took place on Oct. 10, 1846, the course being 25 m. to the windward and return, from the light ship off Sandy Hook. The contestants were the sloop Maria, 154 tons, owned by John C. Stevens, and the schooner Coquette, 74 tons, owned by J. H. Perkins, stakes $500 a side. The Coquette was the winner. The appearance of the new sloop Maria did much for the success of yachting. Since then numerous contests have occurred. In June, 1858, the course was round Long Island, for a sweepstakes of $800. Races from Sandy Hook light ship, to and around Cape May light ship and back, were inaugurated in September, 1865. Since the America's visit to Europe in 1851,14 American yachts have crossed and recrossed the ocean. Of these trips, the race between the Henrietta, Fleetwing, and Vesta in 1866, from Sandy Hook to Cowes, is the most memorable. It was for a sweepstakes of $90,000, and was won by the Henrietta, she making the run in 13 d. 21 h. 55 min. English yachtsmen have also visited this country in their vessels. Prominent among them is James Ashbury, who in 1870 and again in 1871 entered the port of New York in the schooner yachts Cambria and Livonia, as representative of his countrymen to win back the queen's cup.
In the visit of the Cambria she sailed a match race with Mr. James Gordon Bennett's schooner yacht Dauntless from Queenstown, beating the latter to Sandy Hook about one hour, a contest which has no parallel. The races that followed the arrival of the English boats were among the most important yachting events on record, and the victories of the Americans were very decided. Among the remarkable runs made by the modern yacht is that of the sloop Magic in the first race for the queen's cup, New York harbor, Aug. 8, 1870. She went over the course, about 43 m., in the actual sailing time of 4 h. 7 min. 54 sec. This was from an anchorage off Stapleton, Staten Island, around the southwest spit to Sandy Hook light ship, and return. In the annual regatta of the New York yacht club, June 6, 1873, the schooner Madeleine, with a flying start, made the run from a point abreast of Forts Wadsworth and Lafayette, over the regular course, about 40 m., in 4 h. 1 min. 20 sec. In the last trip across the Atlantic, from New York to Cowes, the schooner Sappho, on April 28, 1872, when three days out, in a westerly gale, and with canvas reduced to a three-reef foresail, made the run of 318 m. in 24 hours.
Yachting has greatly increased within the last quarter of a century over the whole United States; and in all cities with sufficient water there are prosperous clubs. In 1875 there were 34 regularly organized clubs, most of them incorporated, with a registry of 692 vessels, of which 116 were schooners, 394 sloops, 3 cutters, 145 cat-rigged, and 34 steamers. The keel boats in this list number 171. The New York club in 1875 registered 38 schooners, representing 5,566 tons; 27 sloops, 924 tons; and 13 steamers, 1,000 tons. As representative craft of the New York club, may be instanced the Sappho, keel (sold into a foreign club, December, 1875), and the Mohawk, centre-board. They are the largest of their respective classes afloat. The Sappho is 133 ft. 9 in. on deck, 120 ft. on the water line, 108 ft. on keel, 27 ft. beam, 10 ft. hold, and 12 ft. 6 in. draught of water, and measures 310 tons. The Mohawk is 117 ft. 6 in. length of keel, 121 ft. on the water line, 144 ft. on deck, and 150 ft. over all, 30 ft. 4 in. beam, and 9 ft. 4 in. depth of hold; length of centre board, 30 ft.; draught of water, 6 ft. She has 18 ft. overhang and 14 ft. rake of stem, measures 330 tons, and is fitted out with 32,235 sq. ft. of canvas.
The schooners are almost universally fore-and-aft rigged, i. e., not carrying square topsail yards on the foremast. The cutter differs from the American sloop in carrying a sail, termed the foresail, on a stay from the masthead to the stem, the jib and flying jib being set on a long running bowsprit. The cutter in fact substitutes two head sails for one used in the sloop. The yawl differs from the cutter in carrying a slightly reduced mast and boom, the latter leaving room for a small aftermast stepped close astern, whereon to set a lugsail sheeted home to the end of a running boom. - By acts of congress, Aug. 7, 1848, and June 29, 1870, yachts are licensed on terms which authorize them to go from port to port of the United States, and by sea to* foreign ports, without entering or clearing at the custom house; and yachts belonging to a regularly organized yacht club of any foreign nation which extends like privileges to the yachts of the United States, have the privilege of entering any port of the United States, without entering or clearing at the custom house, or paying tonnage tax. But yachts, like coasting vessels, and under the same penalties, are prohibited from going to a foreign port with- such papers only.
A yacht belonging to an incorporated or organized club may be sent abroad without taking out an ordinary certificate of registry; but in such cases special application must be made to the treasury department, through a collector of customs, for a commission. This is in the nature of a sea letter, or passport, as evidence of the nationality of the vessel. A treasury circular dated Dec. 5,1874, gives the following rules relating to the lights to be carried by yachts, and no others shall be carried, in all weathers, between sunset and sunrise while under way or being towed: on the starboard side, a green light, of such a character as to be visible on a dark night, with a clear atmosphere, at a distance of at least two miles, so constructed as to show uniform and unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of ten points of the compass, and so fixed as to throw the light ahead two points abaft the beam on the starboard side; on the port side, a red light, of the same character and in all respects similar to the starboard light, and so fixed as to throw it two points abaft the beam on the port side.
The green and red lights shall be fitted with inboard screens, projecting at least three feet forward from the lights, so as to prevent them from being seen across the bow.
 
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