In the course of two summers passed on the shores of the Gulf of Naples the writer had frequent opportunities of becoming acquainted with the details of the construction, fittings, and equipment of a very remarkable little yacht, whose white canvas for a couple of seasons was constantly to be seen on that unrivalled sheet of water between the months of June and October. He has thought that a description of the vessel in question may prove interesting, not only to such of the readers of these volumes as are devoted to the art of single-handed sailing—that most delightful, manly, and invigorating of all sports—but also to the general body of yachtsmen who, during the summer and autumn months, fill, in ever-increasing numbers, our various yachting ports with the most perfect specimens of the shipwright's craft that the world can produce.
'The Lady Hermione,' as the vessel whose qualities and characteristics it is proposed to describe is called, is the property of Her Majesty's Ambassador at Paris, his Excellency the Marquis of Dufferin and Ava. His Lordship, as is well known, has from very early days been a keen yachtsman, and though for some time past he has had no opportunities of indulging in his favourite pastime in large yachts, he has long been devoted to sailing in vessels in which he comprises in his own person the hierarchy of owner, master, and crew. During the last fifteen years, in whatever part of the world he may have been, provided sailing were possible, he has never been without a little ship specially constructed for this form of amusement. In each succeeding vessel some new invention or arrangement for her safer, easier, and more efficient handling has suggested itself, and been worked out under the owner's direct supervision. In the present boat the development of the single-handed sailing yacht seems at last to have reached perfection, and it would hardly be possible for the most inventive mind to suggest an improvement in her.
Fig. 1.—'The Lady Hermione.'
'The Lady Hermione' is a yawl-rigged yacht (fig. 1), built by Forrest & Son, of Wivenhoe, to the order of her owner. She is 22 ft. 9 in. long between perpendiculars, 4 ft. 2 in. in depth, has a beam of 7 ft. 3 in., and a registered tonnage of four tons. She is built with mild-steel frames, galvanised so as to resist the corrosive action of sea-water—a mode of construction which has recently been adopted for torpedo-boats—and is sheathed with East Indian teak and coppered. A novel feature in the hull of so small a boat is its division into water-tight compartments by transverse and longitudinal bulkheads, composed of galvanised steel plates riveted to the steel frames. These bulkheads form a large forward compartment, two compartments on each side of the cabin, and a compartment at the stern, thus rendering the vessel water-tight as long as they remain intact.
On the deck, forward and aft, are hatchways which give entrance to the bow and stern compartments respectively. The hatches to these openings, which are kept constantly closed at sea, are fastened down with strong gun-metal screws fitted with butterfly nuts, the screws being fastened to the deck and made to fold down on it with joint when not in use. The coamings of the hatchways, as well as the inner edges of the hatches themselves, are lined with india-rubber, so as to render the covers perfectly water-tight. Access to the side compartments is obtained by means of manholes opening from the cabin, and covered with steel plates screwed into the bulkhead. In the event of the yacht's shipping any water, it is removed by a pump leading through the deck near to the cockpit and within easy reach of the steersman's hand. The cover of the pump works on a hinge, and lies flush with the deck when closed. The pump-handle is made to ship and unship at will, and is in the form of a lever, which renders the operation of pumping more easy than in the ordinary form of pump usually employed in small boats (c, figs. 2 and 11).
'The Lady Hermione' is ballasted with lead, the greater portion of which is carried outside in the form of a keel, which weighs about two tons. On trial, it was found that the little craft was too quick on her helm—a quality which, however useful in racing vessels, is undesirable in a single-handed boat, where the operation of getting aft the sheets when going about naturally requires somewhat more time than it does when the crew is composed of more than one hand. In order to remedy this defect a deep oak keel has been fixed outside the lead keel, and has to a considerable extent answered its purpose. It has also added immensely to the boat's stiffness; and it is blowing very hard indeed when a reef requires to be taken down. In fact, owing to her deep build and her heavy outside keels, 'The Lady Hermione' is virtually uncapsizable, while her water-tight compartments render her unsinkable. It is impossible to overrate the value of these two elements of safety in a boat which is always worked by one person and is taken out in all weathers.
Stepping on board 'The Lady Hermione,' the visitor, however much he is accustomed to yachts, is struck by the number and apparent complication of the contrivances which meet his eye (fig. 3), the interior of the vessel looking, as a witty naval officer once observed on being shown over her, 'something like the inside of a clock'; but, after a few explanations, the usefulness and practical efficiency of the various devices become evident. The principle which has been adhered to throughout in the rigging and fittings is, that all operations connected with the handling and management of the boat shall be performed by one person without the application of any considerable physical force. It has also been laid down as a sine quâ non that everything shall work perfectly in all weathers and under all conditions of wind and sea. The result of the owner's ingenuity is, that the sails can be hoisted and lowered, the sheets attended to, the anchor let go and weighed, and the tiller fixed and kept fixed in any desired position, without the necessity of the one person, who composes the crew leaving the cockpit. The arrangements for carrying out these objects will now be described in detail.