Savannah morning news., 1885-08-24
THE COMING YAOHT CONTEST.
Detailed Account of the Trial Races
The "Puritan''the FasteAt SIoop.

N DeeaAeu AccOunG OF the Trial Races
The "Puritan'the Fastest SIoop.
Our dispatches Saturday gave an ac-
count OF the result of the first of the trial
races which occurred on Friday for the
| purpose Of selecting yacht to sail as the
! champion of the New York Yacht Club
against the British cutter Genesta on
| Sept. ?. The New York Tribune gave the
! following description OF the race:
Let the cymbals clash in Boston State
House and the maidens dance "MOney
Musk" on Boston Common. The Yankee
! sloop Puritan, over 40 miles of rough
water III stuff breeze, yesterday, not only
| demonstrated that she was the fastest
sloOp ever launched on this side of the
water, but gave promise that the cup,
which seemed to be slipping from tue
cOuntry's grasp, would be retained Tor
! some time longer in "tne land of the free
and the home of the brave" The per-
formance of the Puritan yesterday was
! the most wonderful ever seen in these
! waters. Her speed was phenomenal, her
sailing superb and she herself seemed per-
feet. The renowned Oracle, the ambitious
Priscilla and the swift BedOuin were left
so far behind that the race was decided
before it had well begun. The white
sloOp from Boston Outfooted and out
pointed everything. She beat the Pris-
| ella II minutes and 70 seconds, the
BedOuin IL minutes and 46 seconds and
the Oracle 35 minutes and 53 seconds.
! The Priscilla showed herself d remarka-
| bly, fast boat, but she was no match for
the Puritan. The white slOop, resistless
/ as fate and as beautiful as a vision.
swept from start TO inlsh bright and gilt
tering as the sunlight and as swift as the
sunbeams that chased her over the waters.
The course was 20 miles TO windward
from the Scotland llgntship and return.
! The wind was due south, and so Neils
! Olsen steamed away in tug and, 20 miles
down the Jersey coast, threw over buoy
! with a red flag. The judges boat, Luck
enbach, stayed by the lightsbip to start
the racers. A fleet of yachts, among
which were the steam yachts POlynia,
Vision and Tilne, the schOOners Fleet
Wing, Tidal Wave. Clio and Nauna, the
yawl Msscotte and the slOOp Penguin,
were near by and most of them followed
the racers over the course.
stiff breeze was blowing and the sea
was lumpy. Before the racers were hall
way to the turning buoy the wind had
materially increased in force and a heavy
sea was running. When the signal to
cross the line was given, the yachts had
up mainsail, jib, fOre-staV sail and club
t0psaii. The Oracle took in her club top-
sail and set her working topsail. When
the signal to 20 was given into the narrow
space between the lighj-ship and the tug
| the racers rushed peil-pell. There was
the swash of the waves, the shouts OF the
sailors, the thunder of the sails and the
creaking of masts and rigging as each
| yacht under full press OF canvass leapad
into the dark blue white-capped waves
like greyhounds let slip from the leash.
The Priscilla and Puritan crossed aLeX-
actly the same time, the BedOuin and
| Oracle less than minute behind.
/ Grcnfa RQdngI in
were on the port tack. the Puritan on
the starbOard tack. The Puritan draw
ing ahead. the Priscilla came about and
stood after her, leaving the Oracle and
| Bedouin to 90 over toward the Jersey
shore to fight their battle. The Priscilla
knew that the white sloOp was the one sne
had to fear, and, following the yachts
mans maxim of "Never leave the boat
YOU want to beat,' she stood after her,
straining every cord and timber. Bury
ing her lee rail in the foam while the
waves fed back from her bow as if cut
with a knife, she flew in the direction OF
her antagonist. But 90 as she might,
ever further and further sped the white
vision. In about a quarter OF an hour
they both tackled, the Puritan coming
about first and running across the Prls-
cilla's bows. Nothing could exceed the
splendid windWard work OF the Yankee.
/ Never a cutter pointed more nearly in the
eye Of the wind than she did.
Meanwhile, over toward the Jersey
shore the Bedouiu and Oracle were bav
ing stubbOrnly-cOntested battle. There
is private match OF $3.50 side between
/ The Oracle ard the BedOun besides con-
siderable rivalry, and they clung 10 each
other with "A grim determination. Finally
the BedOun showed her superior qualities
! for windward work in a heavy sea, and
/ as the wind got stronger ana stronger
and the waves more and more boisterous,
! drew far ahead OF the Gfacle. IL looked
at one time as il she was going TO give
the Priscilla close rub, but tnat slooD
soon showed her that she owned no master
| except the Puritan. just below the High
lands the Oracle and the Bed0uin came
! about and stood over on the starb0ard
! tack, making a long reach eastward. ON
/ Seabright the Puritan bad much increased
/ her lead. and her great victory was as
/ sured. While the waves were swashing
| about on decks of the other yachts, she
/ stood up to her work gallantly and WELL
! ~ blew 80 now that all tie yachts, except
( the Puritan. took in their tOpsails, but not
unfit the other racers had housed their
topmasts did the Yankee let 20 her top
/ sail Soon after she housed her topmast.
| When the turning buoy was reached
miles Of forming. glittering sea lay De-
tween the descendant Of the MaynoWer
1 vened between the Priscilla and the Be
/ douin, and Tar behind the latter came the
I Oracle.
As soon as she rounded, the Puritan set
| her spinnaker, and some ten minutes after
put up irst her working topsail aud then,
the wind dropping little, ran up her clun
top-nil Soon after the Priscilla rounded
she jibed over 10 port Gall the yachts
rounded on the port tack and after some
DELAY iihed back 10 starhoard and set her
spinnaker. When the spinnaker was
broken out the spinnaker boom bent Ike
"a reed under the press Of the ponderous
sail, and a SEEMED as " IL would snap.
But hrld. aud away she went swiftly
bus hopele-sly alter the nying lAnAre.
| The Judges boat, Luckenbsch, put on nn
steam AZ soon a. the Priscilla rounded lh
the hopes Oi being at The ishtshlp Whth
The Puritan hnished. But neither steam
| nor sail cOuld 0atch the Puritan. lns
was thrown overheard. aud 10 was iouno
that tho judges boat was making 10 miles
an hour. aiili the white sloop SCENTED tt