CHAPTER IX
THE CUMBERLAND FLEET
Tilt Boats—The yachts Royal, Charlotte, Dorset, and Plymouth—The Mandarin house boat—Lord Ferrer's yacht—First regatta (so-called) in England—The father of yacht racing, the Duke of Cumberland, 1775—First racing cup won by the Aurora—Foundation of the " Cumberland Fleet," 1775—Review of this fleet in 1778—The King's Fisher, Hawke, Cumberland, Caroline, and Eagle—Recovery of the Cumberland cup from a San Francisco pawnbroker's shop—The yacht Lively visits America and her owner entertains George Washington—Schank's sliding keels adopted by the British Admiralty.
IN 1727 the royal yacht Mary was built at Deptford; length of gun-deck, 76 feet 9 inches; keel, 61 feet 6 inches; breadth, 22 feet 4 inches; depth, 9 feet 8 inches; 164 tons. This yacht mounted 10 guns.
In 1732 the yacht Anne appeared in the London Custom House list. She was 30 tons, carried a crew of four men, and was the only yacht so registered at that date.
In March 4, 1734, the Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of the United Provinces, was married to Anne, Princess Royal, daughter of King George II; and on April 22d the Prince and his royal bride, attended by many personages of distinction, left London in carriages for Gravesend, where they embarked for Holland on board the royal yacht Fubbs. The wind being unfavorable, they came
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