Page:Yachting wrinkles; a practical and historical handbook of valuable information for the racing and cruising yachtsman (IA yachtingwrinkles00keneiala).pdf/221

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increased. Remembering the unhappy Dunraven episode, he should not make charges against his opponent which he is not prepared to substantiate by most convincing evidence. A gentleman is as chivalrous concerning his antagonist's honor as he is about his own. If not, he ought to be. At the same time, if he observes any "sharp practice" on the part of a competitor, it is his duty to expose it in the interest of true sport.

A racing skipper should have the racing rules at his fingers' ends. For instance, if his yacht is sailing in the annual regatta of the New York Yacht Club, he must take care that the vessel's private signal and her number are displayed according to the rule; that no more persons are on board than permissible by Rule 8; that a boat and two life-buoys are on deck.

I remember having been a guest on the cutter Mayflower in her race against the Volunteer for the Goelet cup, when a mistake was made about a boat, which, if it had not been rectified in time, might have led to our disqualification. We carried a small boat on deck, but finding it rather in the way when working ship, we passed it down the skylight into the main saloon. One of Commodore E. D. Morgan's guests pointed out that the rule stated plainly that the boat must be carried on deck. In a jiffy the offending boat was lugged up out of the cabin and placed where it rightfully belonged.