iS6-
BRITISH YACHTING.
"snobs." The former, with the Prince of
Wales at their head as commodore, are
generally smart yachtsmen, but* the latter,
unfortunately, preponderate, which probably accounts for the curious manner in
which the affairs of the club are managed.
The Royal Squadron appears to be regarded rather in the light of a joke by the
members of the exclusively aristocratic, but
more enterprising associations. Sir Richard Sutton belongs to this club, but the
Genesta is the only boat out of the entire
fleet that would have the faintest chance in
a race open to all comers. Cowes is gay
enough during regatta week. To the right
of the bay is the club-house, a queer little
gray, ivy-clad building, that looks as if it
had been built as a model for some important establishment, and proved a failr
ure. Across the Madina River, on the
summit of some high, wooded land, is the
royal residence of Osborne, and out across
the Solent—which is blue, occasionally,
when the weather is clear—are the low,
level shores of the Hampshire mainland,
and beyond Southampton Water. The
Solent is frequently well filled with merchant steamers, men-of-war, and sailing
vessels, making their way up or down the
channel ; but as there is plenty of room,
the races are seldom interfered with by
their presence. A description of the Solent
—written eighty odd years ago—describes
it as being occupied by a very different
A
GO
iS6-
BRITISH YACHTING.
"snobs." The former, with the Prince of
Wales at their head as commodore, are
generally smart yachtsmen, but* the latter,
unfortunately, preponderate, which probably accounts for the curious manner in
which the affairs of the club are managed.
The Royal Squadron appears to be regarded rather in the light of a joke by the
members of the exclusively aristocratic, but
more enterprising associations. Sir Richard Sutton belongs to this club, but the
Genesta is the only boat out of the entire
fleet that would have the faintest chance in
a race open to all comers. Cowes is gay
enough during regatta week. To the right
of the bay is the club-house, a queer little
gray, ivy-clad building, that looks as if it
had been built as a model for some important establishment, and proved a failr
ure. Across the Madina River, on the
summit of some high, wooded land, is the
royal residence of Osborne, and out across
the Solent—which is blue, occasionally,
when the weather is clear—are the low,
level shores of the Hampshire mainland,
and beyond Southampton Water. The
Solent is frequently well filled with merchant steamers, men-of-war, and sailing
vessels, making their way up or down the
channel ; but as there is plenty of room,
the races are seldom interfered with by
their presence. A description of the Solent
—written eighty odd years ago—describes
it as being occupied by a very different
A
GO
