A crewman lends a hand to Captain Charlie Barr (left) at the wheel of the ninety-foot sloop Columbia during the 1899 America's Cup races.
Photograph by Hope Iselin, from Yachting's Golden Age, 1880-1905

"A helmsman's skill had always made a yacht sail faster, but as the designs became more extreme, steering a ninety- footer in a blow or in close quarters could be downright frightening. Like slalom skiing, one needed perfect control and an eye for what lay ahead. With one lapse in concentration — a misstep or a caught edge — the skier runs amok. Likewise, even the slightest miscalculation of the oncoming breeze could cause the boat to heel excessively and round up out of control. So touchy were the ninety-footers that only a handful of helmsmen could steer them safely; Barr, though often accused of being impetuous could steer them like no one else.”