The San Francisco call. [volume], August 27, 1911, Image 12

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
THE GIRL AND HER YACHT
A
PAGE
for
MISSES
. .-a -rORTH northeast, three-quar
j\ I ters east; southeast by east.
I \j quarter east." The words fell
from the lips of a pretty
young girl who, with brows knit to
gether and gaze concentrated .upon a
chart, was endeavoring to "box the
compass" in the 'nautical college where
girls learn to "paddle, their own ca
noes," for this season it is the fashion
to add navigation and seamanship to
other feminine -accomplishments.
"No; oh, no; not like that!"^called out
the captain. "If you wish, to be truly
nautical, my dear young lady, say nor*
nor"east and sou'east by east. Sailors
have no time to waste like that," he
concluded whimsically.
For it was, you see, the first lesson
in yachting that 20 young girls were
endeavoring to comprehend, and in
which one of the number was so di
vided between a tendency not to" rob
the points of the compass of a single
consonant that belonged to It and her
new born determination to be truly
nautical that she fell under the cap
tain's censure.
Since deep sea , cruising and lake
yachting are indulged in by society, to
such an extent and to own a yacht is
as essential as possessing a motor car
it is, as may be concluded, up to the
young women of the family to learn
something of the mysteries of sex
tant and compass. Wedding trips, too.
are so frequently taken aboard pala
tial yachts that it is incumbent upon
the bride or bride to be to know some
thing of the theoretical as well as the
practical knowledge of sailing. Apropos
of this the captain will tell you some
interesting tales wherein the posses
sion of such knowledge led to very
romantic ends.
ONE young southern girl, for ex
ample. Invited for a cruise aboard
a millionaire's fine yacht, came to
the college to be coached for the occa
sion. Her first question was, "Which
end do' you steer, captain?" But her
progress was so rapid that at the end
of the cruise she announced herself a
sailor's bride to be.
Then, too, there, has been a steady
increase in yacht clubs having racing
events for women sailing their own
boats, both on the north and south
shores of Long island, and as hundreds
of yachts, both great and small, carry
pleasure parties up and down Long
Island sound, all run by women. It
shows the necessity of urate knowl
edge in navigation.
And so the class in marlinspike sea
manship and the handling of full rigged
yachts has been formed and its fair
members are about ready to get their
sailing papers. It is a . school where
amateur yachtswomen are made over
into experienced sailors, with desks and
other paraphernalia the same as seen
in any class room.
But here the'comparison ends, for
Instead of just books, pads and pencils
there are ships in miniature, from the
smallest catboat to the full rigged
schooner yachts. All the models are
good sized, 9 feet in height and 13 feet
In length, large enough to en
able the student to see the working of
every detail of sail and tackle.
Close by is another room devoted to
the making of knots and splices and
the more simple bends and hitches. The
simplest of these is the overhand knot
with the figure eight or the *, sailor's
knot, the reef granny or lubber's knot,
the overhand rosette, not to mention
the wedding and diamond knot, which
sound more romantic than they really
are. •
"Haul up the clew garnet," was ; the
order just then beard from the model
room and quickly followed by the
bo's'n's whistle. The orders given oral
ly are repeated on the reed, for aboard
no well regulated yacht is an order
ever given by voice. .This is one of the
things the girls delight in, and when
the captain orders "Pipes belay" the
girl picks up the whistle and quickly
sounds a pretty little trill as before,
while another hauls in the jib tops'l
halyards. ""
Every girl, the captain is firmly con
vinced, should be able to handle her
own craft.
Practical Talks by the April Grandmother
-< t-« tOUR new friend has lovely feet,
Ymy dear child," remarked" the
April Grandmother,; as" soon as the
girl who had been (calling upon her
youngest granddaughter was well be
yond the sound of her voice, "but I
should have observed that fact quite
as quickly if she had not been at such
pains to keep them on view. And fbe
cause she sat with her feet( extended
far in advance of her body I could ; see
why in the; course of a decade; she will'
be wearing shoes j several sizes longer
and wider than those she : has on at this
moment. In the; first place her heels
: are '(exaggeratedly high; and they are
two Inches. ahead of:their normal posi
tion.; r -_ ..'V. " » - --. * ,•;.
"'That sort of heel gives the instep a
high 'arched = effect(» but It also helps ;to
break down (whatever i arch exists .; and
sometimes temporarily cripples the, pos
sessor. Then the tips of the f shoes were
almost' as sharp as needles. That shape
makes(for, a slender effect, and at the
same time by cramping the toes causes
Instruction in
Putting Off
"the Life Boat.
j^r-piHIS," he explains, "does not mean
I the mere art of steering, for al
though it is in the highest degree
necessary that she should be a good
helmswoman It is equally important that
she be capable of taking entire charge
Of her vessel in case of emergency."
And in this connection the captain
may spin for you, as he frequently
does, the story of a young. woman who
saved a" big, ship from destruction by
her knowledge of navigation.
The vessel. it seems, was on, a voy
age from this port to the Golden gate
and encountered a very heavy gale just
south of the equator in the Atlantic
ocean. The chief mate of.the ship was
struck down by a" falling block and
succumbed to brain fever. The cap
tain became helpless with rheumatism,
and as the second mate, on whom the
command of the vessel devolved,";?did
not understand navigation -it was up
to the daughter of the captain <to take
hold in the emergency, and she, with
the knowledge gained by association,
with her father, navigated the ship all
the way around the . Horn and; up to
San Francisco,., standing watch and
watch with the only regular officer, left.
She brought the ship through the Gold
en gate, gave the order to "clew up
sails" and dropped anchor as unerring
ly as an able seaman.
"This might not happen „to "many
girls, but such knowledge often saves 1
human life," remarked the -raconteur
as he concluded his tale.
"The quick, ready eye," went on the
captain, "the doing the right-thing; at
the right moment, are the distinguish-,
ing characteristics of the thoroughbred"
seaman. The woman who Is too lacka
daisical to lfarn or fe-irs to- soil her
hands has no business a"float save as a
passenger.
"The first thing to acquire are the
names ( of. the different ropes and where
they.:lead,to. Next to.learn Is some of
/ the more common"knots and splices. :'.'; A
few 'hours' practice with the mar
linspike and a piece of -rope will do
them to,double under, breaks the nails,
enlarges the joints and produces the
soft cornmost painful of (all excres
cences. ! ~ ,f f ■ ... "'■';,-
"And because fa shoe which; pinches
the toes is as difficult to crowd the foot
into as though it were too ; short, it is
likely to (create- bunions, and (when a
bunion arrives It comes to remain per
manently, and -it will have; room to
spread itself - in, no j matter f how much
Its victim (may; object l to wearing;, wide
shoes.; 1 Can't ; you f imagine-how that
young girl's feet will '-look"; when the
*insteps; are flattened, the f balls wid
ened with-" bunions and the toe Joints
showing like? miniature (hillocks? .Arid
I think that her ankles will get thick*
because in her [ reluctance J to adopt
shoes a. size larger than ,those( she has
customarily fworn she will force her
ankles^insteadfof her feet to support
her.: weight; Moreover,' she's quite like
ly to grow,; fat. .f-';f .f;..f; ;-;'■;'' " T;, f!Tf-(:((
"I have seen i any; number of/slender
women gradually become stout after
they began to have what f they term
"trouble with their feet.' They speak
of this condition as do the women who
wonders in this direction, fAs for the
mechanical part of steering that is
easily acquired, but the. art -of making
a . vessel do everything but talk by
humoring her with the tiller is much
more f difficult of attainment.' - Some
girls are natural born helmswbmen and
can take the helm In any craft that
sails the seas, in fair weather or foul,
after a half dozen lessons. Others re
■_-.■■■--.'--- '* - :■ —
'"Heavy Weather."
i .--• " .. . - - - '.'■■.-■ „. j . ' ' - ■ .:-.-...;■ . ■ .''.'.'■-.-
Full Rigged Schooner Where 'Amateur Yachtswomen
[ f . Learn the Ropes , . H^SKtsX
quire all the,time,the course prescribes.
t .-pv OXINGf the compass Is one of the
''■"■""l rudimentary things to master In
'learning,to pail. This means call
ing off the different points In, nautical
fashion .and with a complete 'under
standing of what you are doing. ; It Is
not difficult,', simply a matter of mem
are having "trouble with their hus
bands,' -and ;_■ like ((those women they
have brought, most of this trouble upon
themselves Jby persistently /clinging^to]
a;. senseless; idea. '■■'.-" - ■'-'"*,-'
f-."Some- shoemakers and a great; many,
other people maintain v that the small
foot has j gone"; out of if fashion," con
tinued the April Grandmother, "but ;if
that ;; is so. then ,fthere i (are] numerous
women i of (every; age and condition who
are following f the fashion 'of '. 60 years
ago, when every {young I lady was sup
posed to have little feet. As a matter
of fact, the (average; foot, in proportion
to (the; size of j the women (of that gen
eration, was as large then as ( it is now.
"You." directly addressing her (eldest
granddaughter, "easily drew <..,on my;
mother's: dancing shoes the other day,
although you are two inches taller, than
she was at your age. The real reason
why the belle of a half century ago
seemed to her admirers to have very
small feet is that her insteps, heels and
ankles were permitted to be in
evidence. The length and width of her
skirts concealed all save her toe's; they
were the little mice that crept in and
orizing and, as. a rule, girls ? take hold "■
of: it'quickly.
"If "a* girl .wants ; topsail, a catboat. her
Instruction will cover notr more than
three or four ; lessons in what we call
the 1 art of sailing, boxing the compass,
shaping the course and measuring the;
distance from " one fpoint to ranother ;
along the ; shore. ;-• All: of this can -be
learned In a month. f There are three
or four rudimentary things 'to know.
First, the maklng the rope fast over a
belaying. pin; knotting the rope and a
few minor problems-;like reeving.' oft
the throat and peak halyards and the
main sheet follow. After the prelim
inaries are gone into my pupils next
learn j the art of manipulating rope ;: in
the way of knotting, splicing and hitch
ing , . ;;■■ ' .
; "This being accomplished a more try
ing test on feminine fingers follows, In
the handling of wire rigging, and here
I will say;that only a deep love",of«the
sport and the desire to -probe all, the
mysteries of the. art of sailing will en
able f the girl to stand up. against the
out beneath her petticoat, and the shoes
: themselves,(.'while rather short, were
.very - broad f across ? the balls of -; her; feet
and had close warped soles. Of -.. all
j modern types* of shoes the pump is the
(one which makes^ the foot seem small
est, : arid ;>, very comfortable fitfis ;If »its
("shape f accords \ with that 'of; the wear
er's foot. If \ the Instep Is very, high
and .begins -.to rise at the base of the
toes the foot is not suited to a pump
shape, :and a young girl can better
'afford ito give away her most expensive
shoes of that sort than to run the risk
of ; having her]; feet arches (permanently
broken down.
"Times bave changed .amazingly". since
my own girlhood and I've tried;-to
change my ideas vinf- accordance with ■
them," concluded the April If Grand J
mother, "but I'm not willing to cripple
my feet by crowding them into shoes
which make them^ook !so extraordinar
ily slender and pretty that vanity
would \ impel-; me to keep them thrust
almost literally in every one's face in
stead of f drawn decorously .j beneath my
skirts after the manner of the gentle
women of an elder yday." '..
damage to her I fingers, for the' wire has
many, little spurs'that prick and scratch -
the flesh-painfully. .
««rp° nandle the working models ■*
:| of yachts in their standing and
■*■ - running rigging Is the next step, -j'
These vessels are stripped to a gant- f
ling and.then:the,work;of. 'stepping,the •
spars'—putting them In place—getting
up the : standing,"- rigging, f hanging;; the Mj
blocks and reeving off _ the running;
gear is performed. Following this, the
bending, funbending,*setting; and reefing f
of the sails ? are;: thoroughly discussed, f^
aided by numerousi: object'lessons.V
.'/After f this.! is accomplished the v -next
step, Is the - theoretical getting^ under ff
way,* sailing and coming to anchor with
the i different": types of yachts, catboats, f
sloops, cutters, yawls "and : schooners. ;
This course] completed, the student ob- '
tains a diploma certifying to her ability j
v-At the Wheel
■Vnav
■-, ;■«, -„ ■■.-•'--- -.- - -.. ■- ■ ■ =--'. .•■ '- .' •
in; seamanship 7 pure and, simple.f;.- Now
.she is ready to attack navigation in;all;
Its .branches.- :*f";f' ffff- ' '
; "This f includes .the aritthmetic of
navigation, the construction of the mar
iner's chart, with the study of magnetic
phenomena, in -order," to 'appreciate why
the compass needle points true north In
some places In f the world, to; the '."east-*
ward "• or fto the westward fof t north Jin >
other places. v ". --" ';--~;- ,f '
: ;f "Besides this, the arithmetic of navi
;'gationf comprehends i the j addition, sub-;
traction, multiplication and division of
'■.' • '- !:i -„''T,.: ■. -■■»••■", ■- i-..;-.- •„.:..•• ;",■.,»:,- -:»«. -„.--., „■ ■ .-.•
Fancy Aprons— The Newest Fad
THE fancy apron Is the most femi
nine; of ; all * the ; garments invented
v-.'by Kve's daughters. *Many, young
: girls who have j; never in their.« lives
done an hour's real'work have devel
oped-" a; perfect;*- craze J for '."wearing,
(a pons'; with their "morning arid after
, noon -.house.' frocks, "and t this *isVa; fad
•not to be wondered at, since the: new
est £models <" in | aprons ; are f the * daintiest
affairs ;^; imaginable. vf;And;>f they f are
known by fantastic} names, which are
supposed to be adapted 'to the- charac
ter „of their design. -.>(-f •(;,/( ;Jf- -f
Without ever having seen ;it( any girl
jwouldf know that "j the apron named fin'
honor of ''Queen* Marie Antoinette /would
be a deliciously frivolous affair of
White, chiffon edged with real Valen
ciennes and tied about the waist with
a long and -narrow ribbon of palest
blue satin. Hut the same (design is
charming in" any other colors. To make
the Marie Antoinette (.pinafore take a
yard long piece of double width chiffon,
overcast its edges on to a band of nar
row Valenciennes, finish the lace band
with a matching of edging put on with
; the'^ tiniest degree of fullness: then
i Pleasure a finger's length from the top
edge .of the chiffon, shir it four (times
across - Its I entire width and finally draw
11 t.|u pi. Into two finger lengths of space.
This (forms' the bib, whose two corners
Rre fastened to t.h*» -.-> with invis
ible pins, while the lower or shirred
(edge is attached to the ribbon -', strings
and defines the waist line. The lower
section of this apron will naturally fall
into wider folds the farther it gets
from the belt and at the bottom will be
quite wide enough J" for any apron de
signed as a decoration rather than as
a protection to the front of a frock.
No one with an imagination less
active than a schoolgirl's could design
degrees, minutes and seconds, and, after
this Is v understood, then the question as
to ~the construction ;of the mariner's
chart fis taken up, j* the shaping of | the »
course and the .measuring* of .distance?
between ;" two 'I places on ; - the earth's *» sur- "j
face is gone '"into.';"^ -„;-■ ■ "..'"..f fff*^
"Then follows one of the ■ most Inter- *
esting propositions in 'geo,' or terres
trial J navigation, that • of :, dead» reckon
ing, which enables the vessel to/be;
navigated. -fit * might be around the
world, -, without a ;sextant "or chronom
eter, relying I,' upon r the "compassf alone I
an apron suited'(to .the', attire of the
lovely ladies made (familiar/ to us by
"VVatteau's" paintings. 1- /.Tet V"tteau";
exac tly'd escribes 4 the. marquisette pina
fores fin "the; palest shades of ? blue, 2 rose. >
violet, >:greenjjor.Kyellow; f!A" strip of I;
material 5-1 by is 'inches. In; diameter is
first evenly divided and formed into a
finger length wide box plait? At either
side of this plait are ; placed three deep
half plaits; which form a"f diagonals
ripple .at both sides of t the center points ;(
at the two ends of the strip of mar
quisette, and they remain of i; even^
width fun til ;a velvet ribbon has beerf
run .through/. eyelet holes made; in the
outer ; folds fof ((the. side f plaits, after;
which the ? upper cluster of plaits :is
drawn rather J" closely., "together and
stitched fori* to the girdle. >f:ff; "*--" --.*.'
-(' Bordered gauze is the only material -
that "is' considered correct for the de
velopment of the Oho San pinafore
which would really be a very* practical i
affair were - it made of ; a stout, 1 launder- --
able; material, for he; two yards of yard»
wid.e gauze are shirred lengthwise upon
**'J narrow band surrounding the waist
and arranged to cover all save the back
of the skirt. This band is concealed »>-.
--ax three yard long sash of f the ! gauze ;
winch is wound twicp about the waist
and is .as wide as the Jananese obi but
unlike it is knotted slightly at one'side
of lie,. front, -its bordered ends falling
a .most to the lower edge of the apron
, The Empress Josephine is honored "lint
a panel pinafore, which may be ma
in one of two ways. The ' model ; that ?is "
most of all popular consists of shee'
white muslin bordered with' an inch
wide band of colored silk. To make
one of these aprons first shape a quar
ter yard wide and a yard long center
panel, deeply rounded or scalloped at
both. ends. After this panel. has been
The San Francisco Sunday Can
Getting l Under 'Way.
as fan Instrument of navigation.!
f "In | the 1 latter working recourse to
tables ,'of plain right angles is alone
referred to for the different courses and
distances sailed by the vessel. It is one
of the f most valuable problems In all
;navigation, although at times derided
by rough and ready navigators.
««npHE -finding of latitude and longi
' I- tude by observation of the heav
i f f enlyf bodies is then carefully ex
if pounded in the class room and the ma
-1 nipulations of the chronometer and sex
! tant and f the practical development of
' the problems are -demonstrated to the
{ student on the seashore at Coney island.
Here a sea horizon Is obtainable and on
certain field days all students repair
with the i college instruments and de
velop positions by the sea horizon. All
| ithis sounds more difficult than it really
is, but there is nothing about It that
jj any young girl -may. not become familiar
with in a couple of months." ;
' After delivering himself of the theo
j retical 1 side of. the problem, the captain
I suddenly ' shifted -: to the practical and
began quizzing one of his fair pupils.
:U« ,; "Point - out the : starb'd t'gallant clew-
I l'ne,"/ he commanded. f It wasn't at all
I strange .when one takes into considera-
4 T tion all ' the -various ropes that pre
' sented themselves -,f for consideration.
that perverse feminity grabbed the
':;'wrong one. This forced the captain to
call out a bit testily:
if "No, not that; you've got hold of the
| buritrne." ;,
The ■ buntl'ne and the clewl'ne were
all the same to the novice, but by good
■Sj that f perverse ff femininity grabbed the
f right one. Then followed in quick suc
cession: ", , ■
"Haul up the fore clew-garnet.;. Rise
'- main tackle *In f sheets," •• etc., while 20
pairs lof dainty hands ; flew to obey the
orders. -■ •'-..
WITH the precision of veteran sail
ors the; girls this time did the bid-^
, v : ding of their instructor, at widest
he -was pleased to- acknowledge that -
he'd rather * teach women, l generally
speaking, at any time .than men. They
are V quicker, ■■ he ,: says, and f have more
intuition. ; They concentrate on their
work £ and;- are f more i enthusiastic ever
It, and (any' one, he: avers, who takes up
the study of navigation on this basis is
bound fto succeed.
- -;■ A unique : feature of ; the classroom Is
a large platform on rollers,;supporting
an Immense wooden steering wheel,
used to explain the art of steering. ; By
giving the wheel a wrench the platform
responds quickly, making tfan entire
revolution of .the; room, it; may ! be,' be
fore It I stops. As an object lesson it is
a valuable part of J, the equipment, and
as a means of locomotion for sport it is
frequently surreptitiously % enjoyed (' by
the f girls when the captain's eyes are
tdrned the other way. • " - '>
fvlt was on one of the Impromptu rides
that j, the -captain*was;earnestly assort
ing his belief that the time is fast com
ing, when: it will be "-considered quite a-*
necessary for a girl who is 'much about
the water to have? accurate , knowledge
of sailing and navigation as it is now
or ; her to learn ?to ' swim.
."• "And V then," the .sailing master con
cluded, "until a,,; girl has tasted the
salt tf spray Jas;flt fls dashed from the
prow of f a clipper f yacht ;f she doesn't
know what , real .. joy; Is. There are few
more delightful ways' of spending a
holiday than; on a cruise. With the
entire',.?. freedom from restraint, inde
pendence;,? of (; J hotels and (Jf boarding
houses, withy no I anxiety '' about . the : ar
rival . and departure of trains, you are
absolutely your j, own mistress. ■< After
a girl I has once J felt ; her craft .-' answer
the; turn of f the J, wheel, ,; has w seen the
white sails fill and the boat dance over
the waves as faf; creature f" of life, she
will never again Ibe satisfied with any
sport J less ; sensational than yachting."
;■-*-;- - '■•.'..-..'; -: - -.'-• *i-..''* ■ '--.; ,v ;-..;---'' .. ; .
bound with whatever color of (silk has
been > selected, a second and slightly
shorter panel Is shaped, split through ._-.
the J center of its length, the upper half
curved ends cut straight across and the
lower curved ends made to dovetail to
the curves of the*center panel. '."'," \
•These attached side '-.panels furnish
s the - necessary J width, .while the top
curve of - the center panel forms a
rounding bib, which is trimmed with
loop bows, and then shirred on to rib
bon strings matching the (shade of the
silk; defining -the three I panels. Th»
other Josephine ; apron consists of three
straight panels of (figuredl" muslin, the
cent*; 3 one shorter than those at either
side (of,. it;, but all three sections bor
dered "(and clearly defined .with wide
white ribbon and shaped at the waist
with a ribbon sash that 'is * run through
wide eyelets embroidered "near the top
of 4 the three panels after >they have
been "joined j together (arid bordered.
; I To; make' a. Princess' "Pat" ; apron it la
positively necessary to have at least a
half f yard of silk of fanciful pattern,
preferably figured China or of tl.«>*e
flexible -French;novelties that are soft
of texture v and frivolous of design. The
foundation of this pinafore may be a -**"•£
half shield, a half (oblong or a half
star of about 12 inches In diameter, and ( ,
■it must b* basted upon a piece of stiff 'i
net in order to; keep ;it perfectly nay . *
while the deep border of plain silK: <f r
satin is being attached. This b°rd,'*, r- fi
which 5?Is:" the larger portion of "■ j
apron, may be shaped In whatever man- --,
ncr ;seems best to the maker or in "
little accessory, and s the more t unusual
It is the more distinctive will h«JB* ;
effect. A deep point, fstartinga"'"^* '
at the hem of the skirt, widening sharp
ly upward for 10 or 12 inches and tnen
narrowing abruptly into the ™*\\:
thread at the. waist line. ;'9 ."ffned or
but so are the curved; or scallopea
square bordera .-;-