The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-08-08
TIE GREAT YAcur RACE TO-DAY.
The Queens Cup, wonby the America
Ntneteen Years Ago, Again the Prize.

Yachting circles in New York are all in
antter over the great event to come off to-day
the race for the Queens cup. The Cambria
and the America are the prominent yachts in
the race. The Dauntless will not enter. Cap
tain Richard Brown, who sailed the America
in 1851, when that vessel won the cup. has
again assumed command of her. All the ar
rangements for the contest are now complete.
Of the America and her victory over eighteen
vessels of the Royal Yacht Squadron in 1851
q witness of that celebrated race writes TO
New York journal:
xAt five minutes before 10 the signal gun TO
heave short and prepare for starting was nred, '
and q moment afterwards foresalls anu Jlos
were run up upon six or seven OF the squaa..
ron. Within three minutes all were ready put
the America. She was not only asteIn' out
apparently resolved not to hurry herself. AT
length the enormous foresail was displayed;
and as if to show how expert her crew could
be ii they liked. her jib, both her fore and ait
mainsails and gaff topsail on her main were
spread in an instant, and when the second gun
was fred little before 10 o'clock, she went
away with the rest. The Beatrice led, the Ar
row being second, the Volante third, Gipsy
Queen fourth, the remainder pretty close TO
was then blowing from west-southWest
Within the first minute the vast superiority
of the America became visible. She began at
once to glide up to the feet, and then TO pass
one yacht after another, until on Old Castle
Point; and before the steamers that were
GERS on board she had taken the fourth place,
the Volante being first, Arrow second and
Beatrice third, and all that could be said OF
them was that they were delaying her from
taking the lead little longer than the otners.
The only question now was whether the cutters
could beat her in rounding the island, as sne
had already beaten the Pearl to wlndWard. AS
she spun along, an old sea dog observed:
stD'ye see that ere steamer Pm blessed II the
Yankee don't beat her out Of sight around the
island" and the signal master at the c!uo-
house said TO gentleman VINO asked lot IN
formation, "Pshaw, sir, catch her You
might as well set bulldog to catch hare
The rest ofthe story is soon told. The Ameri-
ca ran ahead so fast that when she returned TO
the starting point. Cowes Castle, the following
memorable colloquy took place between the
Queen and one OF her officers: "Who IS nrst Z!
said the Queen. "The America" VINO Is
second ?" Nobody" The fact is that when
the America first appeared no other yacht was
in sight.
In accordance with the conditions under
which the Queens cup, won by the America,
was deposited with the New York Yacht Cluo,
Mr.. Ashbury. Of the Cambria, challenged that
club to q match for the possession OF the cup:
The best boats in the New York squadron will
enter the contest with the Britishers. among
them the beautiful old America herself. The
course will be the same usually run in the re-
cattas of the New York Yacht Club, from OWLS
Head to Sandy Hook lghtship and return.
OF course all eyes will be turned upon the
America in this contest. Recent trlals snow
that she still possesses the same feetness, the
same grace and buoyancy as OF yore. On FRI
day she easily led bevy, OF the fastest
yachts in the New York Club In friend
iy impromptu trial up and down the har-
6or, distancing them oil, and the veteran
Skipper who sailed her twenty years ago says
she could not then have made the time she
aid on this occasion. The America Is owned
by the United States Government, and the
oficers at the navy yard have had her fitted up
in exactly the same style as In 1851, masts,
sails. rig and all. Her masts rake" saucily,
almost practically, now as then, and her bow
spirit springs lightly upward from that grace
filly modelled bow, which thousand pic
tures have made almost as familiar an Ameri-
can type as the head of Washington itself. il
the stiffmasted, straight-stemmed, deep-hulled
Cambria shall carry of the Queens prize from
the ideal American yacht, as she truly IS, we
we shall be beaten indeed. But we are willing
that she should be the one to bear our hopes
In the contest.