The illustration of the _Sagitta_, facing page 280, is of particular interest, for when she appeared in the summer of 1908, she was the largest steam yacht ever built on the south coast. Constructed by Messrs. Camper and Nicholson for the Duc de Valençay, she has a Thames measurement tonnage of 757, and on her trials showed a speed of 15·2 knots, which was 2·2 knots above that contracted for. Steam yacht building has more usually been the work of the northern yards. Two of her features are especially noticeable as showing a divergence from the stereotyped design of the steam yacht. Firstly, the three, and even two, masts, have gone altogether, and only one is retained, in a most unusual position, for signalling purposes. Secondly, her stern goes right away from the accepted clipper-bow-plus-bowsprit end, although the yacht-like overhanging counter is retained. In matters of this nature personal taste will enter quite independent of the demands put forward by naval architecture, but it can scarcely be said that this hybrid arrangement makes for beauty, for the nice balance which is so significant a feature of the ends of a yacht is here hardly possible. Much more acceptable is the design of the _Triad_, which, amid considerable adverse criticism for her originality, made her appearance in the summer of 1909. An interesting photograph of this novel yacht appears opposite page 280, but it conveys little idea of her size. With her two funnels, her straight stern and modified turtle-deck stern, she is a “whole-hogger” as compared with the compromise which the _Sagitta_ represents. In the _Triad_ the steam yacht breaks right away from accepted conditions and shows the first real approach to the contemporary ocean-going steamship. To some extent, no doubt, she exhibits some resemblance to the well-known German Imperial steam yacht, the _Hohenzollern_, but she is rather a deep-sea liner in miniature, capable of going anywhere, and performing practically any service which could be asked of her. She has been built on steamship lines by a firm which, I believe, had never previously constructed a steam yacht. Her size of 1,416 tons would alone make her interesting, but it is her business-like appearance which causes her to be especially noticeable. Her stem has come in for a good deal of criticism, some of which is doubtless justifiable, but not a little is obviously based on the fact that convention was thrown aside. It is claimed that the clipper-stem is not merely advantageous in regard to looks, but besides giving increased deck space where it is needed to work the anchors, permits of a generous amount of flare to protect the fore decks from water coming aboard. The older form also provides a useful “false” end in the case of a ship colliding, while, on the other hand, the straight stem possesses considerable merits for docking and berthing in a congested harbour.