f>2
THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN YACHTING.
p-ed .oCa^evrs
' GRAYLING.
secured the prize, beating the Peerless 7m.
10s. It was in this year, also, that the
sloop Meta was built by Mr. P. McGiehan,
at Pamrapo, N. J., for Mr. G. H. Beling,
and with Captain Ellsworth and his Bay-
onne crew on board, she took rank as the
fastest single-stick vessel in the country.
Mr. Beling, during the previous year, had
the sloop Kaiser Wilhelm built by Mr. McGiehan, and there was enough of suspicion
that during some of her races ballast had
been shifted, to cause her owner to be
black-balled in the New York club, and on
this account he adopted as his signal on
the Meta two black balls, and entered her
for all the races that were possible. July
23, 1872, the Meta sailed a match with the
Gracie from buoy No. 5, twenty miles to
windward and return. The Gracie at that
time was owned by Mr. S. J. Colgate, New
York Yacht Club, and was 58 feet 5 inches
long. Last year she was 79 feet 10 inches,
and this season is still longer. The Meta
was 61 feet. The race was sailed under
the rules of the Brooklyn club, and the
Meta beat the Gracie in actual time 31s.,
but on corrected time the Gracie won the
race by ira. 45 s.
I may mention in passing that beside
the Brooklyn and Atlantic clubs, there
had now come into prominence the Harlem
club, of which one of the ruling spirits
was Mr. Harry Genet, the brilliant politician of the Tweed regime. " Prince Hal"
he was called, and the house on the point
at Port Morris, now occupied by the
Knickerbocker club, was built under his
reign, which I may say was short and
brilliant. But in this year, 1872, the Sea-
wanhaka club was a year old. It had its
annual regattas at Oyster Bay on each recurring Fourth of July, and they were the
most enjoyable yachting events of the
year.
The Jersey City club, too, began to
loom up prominently. Their regattas were
social affairs, and used to take place at
Greenville, N. J., from a tavern called the
" Idle Hour." After the race of the yachts,
a banquet was served, ladies were present
in great number, and the affair wound up
with a dance in the evening. Apropos of
f>2
THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN YACHTING.
p-ed .oCa^evrs
' GRAYLING.
secured the prize, beating the Peerless 7m.
10s. It was in this year, also, that the
sloop Meta was built by Mr. P. McGiehan,
at Pamrapo, N. J., for Mr. G. H. Beling,
and with Captain Ellsworth and his Bay-
onne crew on board, she took rank as the
fastest single-stick vessel in the country.
Mr. Beling, during the previous year, had
the sloop Kaiser Wilhelm built by Mr. McGiehan, and there was enough of suspicion
that during some of her races ballast had
been shifted, to cause her owner to be
black-balled in the New York club, and on
this account he adopted as his signal on
the Meta two black balls, and entered her
for all the races that were possible. July
23, 1872, the Meta sailed a match with the
Gracie from buoy No. 5, twenty miles to
windward and return. The Gracie at that
time was owned by Mr. S. J. Colgate, New
York Yacht Club, and was 58 feet 5 inches
long. Last year she was 79 feet 10 inches,
and this season is still longer. The Meta
was 61 feet. The race was sailed under
the rules of the Brooklyn club, and the
Meta beat the Gracie in actual time 31s.,
but on corrected time the Gracie won the
race by ira. 45 s.
I may mention in passing that beside
the Brooklyn and Atlantic clubs, there
had now come into prominence the Harlem
club, of which one of the ruling spirits
was Mr. Harry Genet, the brilliant politician of the Tweed regime. " Prince Hal"
he was called, and the house on the point
at Port Morris, now occupied by the
Knickerbocker club, was built under his
reign, which I may say was short and
brilliant. But in this year, 1872, the Sea-
wanhaka club was a year old. It had its
annual regattas at Oyster Bay on each recurring Fourth of July, and they were the
most enjoyable yachting events of the
year.
The Jersey City club, too, began to
loom up prominently. Their regattas were
social affairs, and used to take place at
Greenville, N. J., from a tavern called the
" Idle Hour." After the race of the yachts,
a banquet was served, ladies were present
in great number, and the affair wound up
with a dance in the evening. Apropos of
