ment stored in the loft by members, was burned. A new and more convenient club-house was built on the old site, and the club is now in a prosperous condition. The present Commodore is John M. Punnett, owner of the sloop "Curlew" (formerly Cygnus), the vice-Commodore being Dr. Emmett Rixford, of the sloop "Annie." W. W. Wilde, who has performed the duties of secretary several years, has consented to do the work during the present year, though he had refused the nomination to the office, to which Herman Gingg, of the San Francisco Savings Union, was elected. Since the San Francisco Yacht Club has the advantage of having deep water right up to its wharf, it has always had upon its roll all the large yachts of the bay. Among these are the schooner "Aggie," owned by James V. Coleman; the schooner Ramona," formerly owned by W. N. McCarthy, and now by Douglas White; the schooner "White Wings," owned by Charles Morell; the yawl" Tramontana," owned by H. R. Simpkins; the schooner "Chispa," owned by ex-Commodore Isidor Gutte; the sloop "Annie," owned by Dr. Emmett Rixford; the schooner "Martha," owned by J. R. Hanify; the yawl "Wave," "Wave," formerly owned by William Letts Oliver, and now by H. H. Jenness, and the sloop "Queen," owned by Dr. T. L. Hill, formerly Commodore of the club. The San Francisco Yacht Club also has a larger fleet of motor-boats and launches than any other on the bay. Among these, the most powerful are Gordon Blanding's "Chipmunk;" F. A. Hyde's "Olive;" Mrs. Kohl's "Idlewild;" Raisch Brothers' " Edwinna." A Lange, boat-keeper of the San Francisco Yacht Club, owns the launch "Rob Roy," formerly the property of F. A. Robbins. Captain Goodall owns the steamer "Lucero," which was formerly a gasoline boat, and was built for the late Charles L. Fair, son of United States Senator James G. Fair. E. W. Hopkins owns the steamer "El Primero," the only steam yacht on the Bay of San Francisco. The most notable yacht ever owned on San Francisco Bay was the schooner "Casco," designed by Dr. Merritt, and chartered by the late Robert Louis Stev enson for a cruise among the South Sea Islands. The schooner "Lurline," owned by the Spreckels Brothers, was for many years the largest pleasure craft on the bay, having a length over all of 80 feet. She has made an extensive trip in the Southern Pacific, visiting the Hawaiian Islands, Tahiti, Samoa and other groups. She is now owned by H. H. Sinclair, Commodore of the South Coast Yacht Club, the headquarters of which are at San Pedro. The schooners Lurline," "Aggie," "Ramona," the yawl "Tramontana," and the sloop "Annie," have made several trips to the Santa Barbara channel, and in 1904 the sloop "Nellie," with Dr. T. L. Hill, ex-Commodore R. S. Bridgman, and four others on board, cruised from Sausalito to San Pedro. An account of this trip appeared in an issue of the Sunset Magazine about a year ago, under the title of "The Deep Sea Cruise of the Yacht Nellie." The sloop is now the property of Mr. Little of Los Angeles, a member of the South Coast Yacht Club. The fastest boat ever on the roll of the San Francisco Yacht Club is the sloop "Challenger," built by a syndicate of members to capture the Perpetual Challenge Cup from the Corinthians. In this she was successful, winning the race of 1902. In 1903 there was no race for the trophy, and in 1904 the racing machine "Corinthian" defeated the "Challenger," repeating her victory in 1905. The second yacht club that came into existence on San Francisco Bay was the Corinthian, which was founded in 1886 by several members of the San Francisco Yacht Club, who thought that the owners of small boats did not receive enough consideration from the masters of the large craft. Accordingly they went over to Tiburon and built a small club-house on the end of Valentine's Island. Numerous additions and improvements have made the club-house very convenient and well adapted to its purpose. The club has a membership of about two hundred and fifty, and is highly prosperous. An early Commodore was T. F. (or Joe") Tracey, and other holders of the office have been John W. Pew, Alex. J. Young, Arthur M. Stringer, Louis B. Chapman, Harry D. Hawks, Carl Westerfeld and "Tom" Jennings. The present officers are John C. Brickell, Commodore; Frank sloops "Speedwell" and "Nixie," the J. Stone, vice-Commodore; and John H.former owned by ex-Commodore T. JenKeefe, Port Captain. The regular open-nings, and the latter by Fulton G. ing jinks of 1906 were postponed, and Berry. These last two yachts are exceedthe members of the Corinthian Yachtingly well matched, and always furnish a Club and of the Family Club will hold a most interesting contest at the Decorare-union at the Tiburon club-house ontion and Admission Day regattas. Other July Fourth. The annual regatta takes well-known yachts on the Corinthian roll place on Decoration Day, and Corinthian are the yawls "Frolic," "Seven Bells" yachts always capture a large proportion and "Naiad;" the schooner "Lady Ada," of the prizes at the annual Admission and the sloops "Mignon," "May," "MisDay Regatta of the Pacific Inter-Clubchief," "Genesta," "Freda," and "NepYacht Association. The Corinthian fleet consists almost tune." The next club in order of seniority is 66 entirely of boats of moderate size, but the California Yacht Club, which provides yachting accommodations for the inhabitants of Oakland, Alameda and Berkeley. The headquarters of the club are on the south bank of San Antonio Estuary (Oakland Creek), near the Webster street bridge. The long beat out of the Creek into the bay and the run home, occasionally against a foul tide, are drawbacks to the comfort of the yachtsmen of the California Club, who a year or two ago began preparations to acquire a new site for a club-house. For some time the club has owned a foundation and platform near the Emeryville pier of the "Key Route," but nothing has yet been built on it. Plans for a handsome and commodious club-house were prepared under the directions of ex-Commodore Allen M. Clay, and an effort was made to collect a sufficient fund to erect it, but So far the money has not been forthcoming. The club, however, will be compelled to seek new quarters pretty soon, as the Southern Pacific Railroad Co. owns the land on which the present house stands, and requires it for its own use. The new location will obviate the necessity of beating out of the Creek and will save the long run back to moorings after the day's cruise. The California Yacht Club owns the cut off high above the knees, with a big sheath knife in his belt, a red fisherman's cap, a red jersey and a copper-colored skin, driving the "Whirlwind" through a rough sea, looked like a Greek pirate. Frequently he had four little children with him; these were miniatures of himself, and sat, tied together by a rope, with which to pull them in if they fell overboard, on the windward side of the peculiar craft the rig of which Was changed frequently, but was always picturesque. The Encinal Yacht Club has a large club house on the Alameda shore of the bay, with abundant facilities for bathing, boating and indoor amusements, such as bowls, billiards cards and dancing. The Encinal Yacht Club owns very few Tiburon Cove and Corinthian Yacht and Club-house. Wallace Cup, which is raced for each year, and Commodore Robert Vincent has for some seasons past presented a Vincent Handicap Cup. The principal boats in the roll of the California Yacht Club are Commodore Vincent's yawl "Iola," Geo. M. Shaw's yawl "Idler," the sloop "Jessie E.," built by John T. Carrier, and owned by William Rosenfeld, the schooner Frances," the sloops "Alert ". and "Pactolus," the yawls "Pilgrim " and "Gypsie." One of the most notable characters of the California Yacht Club was the late E. A. Von Schmidt, designer of the yachts "Cyclone " and "Whirlwind." "Admiral" Von Schmidt, dressed in a pair of blue denim trowsers 66 yachts, but several of the members have canoes. Races are held each season in conjunction with the members of the Oakland Canoe Club, but the Encinal Yacht Club takes little or no part in the regattas on the bay, and has almost ceased even to send representatives to the meetings of the Pacific Inter-Club Yacht Association. The South Bay Yacht Club has a boat house at Alviso at the head of the slough of that name. Its members are nearly all residents of San Jose, and the Commodore is Dr. Spencer, owner of the schooner "Muriel." The sloop "Queen," one of the fastest 36-footers on the bay, was owned for one season by a mem |