Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-09-24
The Cup Still Ours.
The English Yacht Outsailed
in the Contest for Amer
ica's Cup.
The Puritan Lead the Genesta
by Two Minutes and Nine
rste H Seconds.

The grandest race ever seen in New
York waters was the one last Wednes-
day between the British yacht Gen.
esta and the American yacht Puritan,
which was Won by the latter, thus de-
Gliding that Americas cup is to stay 10
the land that has held it for thirty
four years.
The possession of the cup has been
often challenged and warmly contest
ed, but never before has Great Britain
sent champion so hard TO vanquish.
Had it not been for the building of the
Yankee yacht and the sailing of the
Yankee skipper we might have been
compelled 10 yield the trophy which
we have so aften defended, and always
with much greater ease than to-day,
when for the first time American
yachts have had to bend their sails in
competitions with an antagonist to be
feared In any weather.
There never was such a race in AM
erican waters. There probably never
was sailed before, in the history of
yachting, race in which the laurels
hung tantalizingly before two famous
rivals until the very end of a long
ffty-mile course. No boat but the
puritan could have saved the day:
none but the Genesta could have made
victory so dubious.
1T WAS A GRAND RACE
from the moment that the feet>wing>
ED racers crossed the imaginary line
until the whistles blew and the guns
belched forth their welcome to the re-
turning conaueror.
When the preparatory whistle was
given at exactly II o'clock, the Puri>
tan lay about s. quarter of a mile
astern of the judges boat heading to
the southeast. with spinnaker boom
down to starboard, main sheet hauled
aft and jibsheet to windward. One
minute before the starting whistle was
blown the Genesta came tearing
across the tugs stern and the Puri-
tans bow on the port tack, heading
parallel with the line. Those who
were watching the movements of both
were positive she would cross the line
before the signal was given and
breathlessly awaited the result. Just
then the Puritan's mainsheet was paid
out, Capt. Croker put her helm down
and she came for the line. So finely
had the cutters skipper calculated the
time that while the starting whistle
was blowing she shot across, her crew
running her immense spinnoker aloft
as she went over and breaking it out
In just thirty seconds. Away she
flew to leeward, leading the Boston
sloop by forty>five seconds. The lat
ter broke out her big balloon iib as
she crossed, and set her spinnaker in
a minute after.
What a grand picture those two
clipper yachts presented as they dash
ed away, with their pyramids of snow
white canvass towering above their
narrow hulls! All the steam yachts
kept we'll to leeward of the twin
racers, and the smaller ones were
puzzled to keep pace with them. The
official time of the start was: Genas>
ia, 11:05 .06; Puritan, 11:O6:O1.
For twenty miles, the blue waters,
topped with creamy white tufts, were
clear. Never before was there a
grander race track, and never before
were sails filled with such a breeze
now nineteen miles an hour in veloc-|
ity, again twenty-four miles and fin
ally the great blow of thirty-seven
miles. From start to finish the ex.
element was not abated one jot. On
the sail out the proud Englishman led
the way. Then the stake boat was
reached, it was turned, the English
man faltered for an instant, and the
Yankee took the ocean pole. Every
body kne " what it meant. The back
track was tie home stretch, and the
Puritan knew the way as well as
hungry horse knows the road to fod-
der.
The time of the race was as follows:
/ 90, oitl