Morning journal and courier., 1880-08-09
Fast British Yachts.
The Rivalry of the Vandunra and the
 samoenn-An Exciting Race.

1 The Rivalry of the Vanduara and the snm@nn-An Exciting Race. | From the London Telegraph
 ] This year attention has been centred upon l two remarkable yessels-the Vanduara, built | by Glasgow shipwright, and the Samena, Solentborn ship, each of them of the same burden-90 tons-and each cutter-rigged. The Glasgow clipper in question has shown herself wonderful and witch-like production
 of sea architecture. Built of steel plates and l steel frames, she is an experiment in construc- ton which seems, however, already trium- phantly justified. The economy of space ef- fected by her materials permits the ballast to be carried very low down and close. Her lines are marvelously fine, her beam small without being too much sacrificed, and her appearance splendid and high-bred The pe- culiarity of the Vanduara seems to be in the cutting away of her forefoot, all the dead stuff of which is removed, so that she comes round in stays like thing alive, after the quick and sure fashion of the Jullanar, and eats to windward upon a breeze till her feet est and most renowned antagonists fall hope lessly to leeward of her It is true that her want of hold upon the water forward, due to shallow draught under the stem, appears to make her yaw somewhat wildly before the wind and there is no doubt that she is then ofttimes difficult to steer. But beating or reaching, on or of the wind, this steel-sided water witch has proved herself most extra ordinary vessel. She has hoisted her fighting flag on something like 16 occasions, and 12 or 13 times has she beaten of all competitors. Blow high, blow low, in soft airs or piping gales, with heavy running or the ocean sleeping like lake, the wonderful craft of MT. John Clark has romped away from her rivals, or stolen out of their reach as if hid den sea-nymphs lowed her through the sleep ing seas. Even the beautiful Formosa, of which the Prince of Wales is the owner, fla nous and formidable victress in many a tough contest, even the splendid Latona, queen of the yawls, and the crack schooners, all of them in turn have been compelled to strike their colors to this steel ship. She is out and out, at present. the most distinguish ed among the '1adies of the sea-" and after her magnificent race down the Channel to the Solent, where she clean out of sight of her opponents, there existed nothing of the new seasons debutantes which could be
 spoken of along with her except the Samona,
 the pride and champion of the Solent.
 The Sam9na is of wood in the old style
 90-ton cutter, like her rival, but less pecu-
 culiarly built, and with sheer forward which
 gives her @ somewhat more commanding look
 upon the water. She is owned by MT. J.
 Jamieson, and made her debut as the Van
 duara did, this season. Winner in all or
 most of her engagements, she met her grace
 full enemy atthe beginning of this month in
 the northern waters, but the wind was paltry
 and 6ckle and the contests indeeisive. The
 same thing occurred last Friday on the Irish
 shores, when the great rivals encountered
 once more, to sail the course by Carrick,
 Black Head shores and South Briggs, in Bel
 fast Lough. But yet again the breezes were
 unstable, and the race finished without any
 real test of merit, and it was after much
 drifting and lfuking, followed by protests,
 that the Samoena beat the Latona by min
 utes and 34 seconds, besides her time allow
 ance, defeating the Vanduara by an extra 7S
 seconds, Nothing of course, was settled by
 such day of light puffs and cat's-paws; but
 on Saturday last steady wholesale breeze
 from the northeast blew merrily up the Irish
 Lough from Arran and over Magee Island, and
 the first fair and clear trial of these two
 splendid yachts came gloriously off. The
 Samoena finished the first round ahead, 2
 minutes and 10 seconds in advance of the un-
 vanquished steel boat. But beating down
 the Antrim shore upon the second round the
 real sailing had to be done, and here the
 Vanduara, tack after tack, weathered upon
 the Samona, doing wonderful things into the
 eye of the wind, and, at the close, dropping
 the Solent ship helplessly under her lee This
 1uffing match between the jealous cutters let
 up the Latona and Cuckoo so that in the
 second round those handsome craft finished
 ahead of the 90-tonners, but at the termina-
 ton of the hard match the great yawl had
 won by only minute and half, while the
 Vanduara minutes and 15 seconds
 ahead of her swift enemy. This memorable
 struggle decides the question between the fa-
 nous cutters of the year, and adds another
 and the proudest winning flag of all to the
 long line which will futter in the Vanduara's
 rigging when she sails to take part in the
 grand matches at Cowes.
 If we glance back at the last few weeks of yachting 1t will be seen how the records of the season show one long To triumphe /! for the matchless Vanduara.