The New York herald., 1872-09-22
THE RAMBLER AND MADELEINE.
The Rambler Wins by Nearly
Four Hours.
strong Breeze and Rainy squalls-Fair Test Of
the Speed Of the Yachts-The Accidents
and Delays-Commodor voorhis
Challenge to Mr.. Forbes

Cup over the course from BrentOn'S heeI IAShtsiHP
TO Sandy Hook Lghtship and return. The Rambler
won the race by nearly four hours and remains IN
peaceful possession OF the cup for the season Of
1872, as by deed OF gift two victories exempt the
victor from further challenges for the season. 1t
is seldom that yachtsmeu have the luck to get such
breeze as the Rambler and Madeleine
experienced during the race, as 1t gave a
fair chance OF testing the speed and
sea going qualities OF the yachts The
Madeleine WAS very unfortunate, parting the
leech OF her mainsail when about TWO miles
ahead; and she also met with several other mis-
haps such parting the sheets OF her jib and the
flying jIb splitting her forestaysal and tearing out
OF the deck the starboard eyebot holding the fore
sail sheet. The Rambler was delayed nineteen
minutes repairing the throat halyards, Which
chafed away. These accidents show how thor
oughly strong all rigging ana canvas should be to
stand q blow at this season Of the year.
THE START.
The yachts made flying start to the southwark
and eastward of the Brenton's Reef Lightship, and
their time was taken as they bore southeast from
that point. They went by as foows:-
Y0cht. Club. O,cner. II. M S.
Madeleine. .B.Y.C. Com. Jacob Vorhis Jr.. AS 81
Rambler ..E.Y.C..Mr. J. M. Forbes. ...... 81 %
Both yachts were under main and foresail main
club topsail, forestaysail, jib and flying jib The
Madeleine also had working foretopsail set. Just
after crossing the line both yachts sent up the ib
topsaIl, and the Rambler also sent up small fore
topsall. The wind was then about south by east,
and they were both on the port tack at 9:25. The
Madeleine found her club tOpsail Of very little ser
vice on the wind, and when taking it down the
club fouled the main gaf and snapped 1t in half
This damage was soon mended by bending on a
new stick. The Madeleine then set working main
tOpsai At $3.50 Point Judith bore northwest half q
mile distant, and the Rambler was about mile
astern In the wake of the Madeleine. The weather
now began to thicken and
RAIN sQUALL
came up and wet our canvas. At 9:45 the RAM
bier lowered her club topsail and set small one.
Point Judith was then bearing north, about three
miles distant The breeze kept lreshening and haul
ing more to the westward, heading us of our
course to Montauk. At ten A. M. the Madeleine
clewed up her foretopsail and the maintopsail and
nylng )ib were also got out OF the way. We lost
sight % o. the R Rambler n then ina in rain ain sqaa which
than west and west half south. At 10 :l5 the squa
subsided we set the flying ,jib, and sighted
her topsails taken In. The sky now began TO
clear up q little, and the sun made kind OF half
attempt to break through the cloudy atmosphere.
The wind went back q couple OF points to the
southwark, and we headed about southwest by
west. The tide was now running ebb on our lee
we sighted the lighthouse on Montauk on our
weather bow, bearing s0uth-s0uthwest, Watch Hill
bearing northwest by north, and the southerly end
OF Block Island bearing southeast about five miles
distant. The Rambler was then about three and a
half miles astern OF the Madeleine, In her wake
The breeze began to haul again to the westward
Hin bore north By west, with the weather stili
THICK AND RAINY.
We lost sight OF the Rambler In the rain. The
wind had then hauled round about west and
were rolling about In heavy swell. The weather
cleared up little and we sighted the Rambler
about two miles astern. We set topsails and
Rambler set staysail and b topsail about two P.
n. The breeze came up little fresher, Montauk
then bearing south southwest, and the Rambler
gradually closing up towards the Madeleine. The
Rambler took down staysail and stayed at 2:lo,
tempted to follow suit at 2:l4, but missed
stays; tried again, and succeeded in 1922,
heading southwest BY west The Rambler was
closing up in the light breeze, and was now about
three-quarters OF a mile TO leeward. At 2:51
the Rambler stayed ana stood to the eastward, and
light bearing south by west. We now came In for
A LITTLE MORE RAIN,
with the wind about southwest and freshening. At
3:l5 the Rambler took in her jibtopsail, and the
Madeleine went on the port tack. heading west by
north with Montauk about mile and a half dis
tant bearing south by west The Rambler tackled
few minutes afterwards about a mile to leeward.
Montauk was now pretty well disposed Of and at
Madeleine, which was again forging ahead. AT
1852 the rain still kept falling, and at 4:04 the
Rambler stood in shore on the port tack:
at 42O and set jibtopsail. At ASS Rambler
tackled on shore. 1t was now clearing up to wind
ward, and there was good fresh breeze. AT 5:12
the Madeleine stood of shore, with the Rambler
about two and a half miles dead to leeward. The
Rambler stood In shore at $50, and the Madeleine
southwest hall west The Rambler stayed at 6:15
with her starboard tacks on board. The wind was
now hauling more to the westward The Made
lene tackled at GAS and made good stretch head
ing southwest. There was not 50 much sea now
very fast. Montauk now bore northeast by east
At p. NJ. We saw o thunder storm to the north
west, but II passed nOrthward OF us. II now began
to breeze up, and We clewed up both topsalls. At
7:15 the Madeleine tackled in shore and sighted
quarter, about mile and half distant standing
IN shore. The Madeleine stayed at $50 and set
topsails, heading southwest on starboard tack. We
sighted the Shinnicock light bearing west,
and Montauk bearing northeast by. east.
The Madeleine tackled again In shore at s:05,
and passed the bark A. Jackson the starboard
tack. At $3.50 she tackled of shore, and at 9
she tackled again In shore. The breeze now be-
gan gan I TO treshen up, and we took IN topsails
and flying jpsheets. This accident delayed us
nearly fifteen minutes, as she would not steer
under full mainsail, ioresai and iorestaysail, but
kept going on irons every two or three minutes.
The Rambler then came up and passed about half
"a mile to leeward, heading in sRoTe The race nc w
became very interesting, as
BOTH YACHTS WE'RE CLOSE TOGETHER,
and slipping through the water at lively gate,
the light OF the moon The Rambler finally wealth
cred the Madeleine under mainsail, foresa, fore
sfaysall and Jib. The Madeleine was under the
same canvas and had Just parted her fying lib for
tue second time. new sheet was soon bent on,
and with the assistance OF the fying jlb she
closed up the gap very fast, and nnally
weathered her aud kept increasing heI
lead About A. NJ, Friday morning, The
Madeleine parted the flying Jib sheet again
The two yachts were then pretty close together the
Madeleine being about half q mile ahead. They KEEP
about those positions until daybreak. Early OF
Friday morning, about eight A. NJ, the Rambler
was about hall mile asterD of the Madeleine, wher
the throat halyards gave way, and down came hel
mainsaiL This accident delayed her about nneteer
minutes before she got the damage repaired. The
Madeleine
PASSED FIRE ISLAND LIGHT
about two and half miles ahead of the Rambler
which shortly afterwards recied her main and
1Oresail. The Madeleine then found that the breeze
was getting q little too much for her and Knocking
her down to her kyights, so they put two reels In
the mainsai and kept full ioresail, fore staysa