Morning journal and courier., 1885-06-19
THE YACHT RACE.

4AOn4 G&AOMe
 A Brilliant Scene and a Beauti.
 full Day-A Splendid Array of
 Yachts-An Unexpected DenOue-
 ment-The Race to be Sailed Over
 To-Day in Consequence.
 Every member of the New Haven Yacht club as he got out of bed yesterday morning peered out of his window to see whether old Sol was showing his face and smiling propl- tiously for the opening of the fourth annual regatta of the club This wish was gratifed, for more agreeable day could not have been made had a numerously signed petition been sent to the weather man. The shippers and their crews went aboard early and completed the finishing touches. The white winged flyers slipped down the harbor about the time for the start and rendezvoused near the stake boat anchored off Fort Hale. While the yachts were assembling the Messenger in going up the slip to the Starin dock ran aground. After considerable pufing and blowing the s. R. Smith succeeded in pull ing her of and she proceeded to the dock After taking on the representatives of the press and timekeepers she dropped down to the end of Long wharf, where the steam yacht Sophia in endeavoring to pull off the Wild Pigeon, which had grounded, was her self stuck in the mud. A line was thrown to the Sophia and with combined efforts both boats were drawn from the flats. All this time hundreds of ladies and gentlemen were gathering on the decks of the steamer John H. Starin to witness the contest. There was Q large list of boats to sail over the course, of larger proportions than ever before The club has recently had many additions of yachts which have never sailed in race from this point before, and these were among the number. At the time for the start fair southwest breeze was blow ing dead ahead of the fleet and the tide was also running in. As the yachts got under way the white expanse of canvas looked pretty in the morning sun. Not far from the appointed time the preparatory sig nal was fired from the judges boat, the steam yacht Sophia, Captain Osgood of New London. This was followed shortly by a signal from Commodore Beecher's yacht, the Rajah and the fleet was under sail: Pro ceeding down the harbor and heading in the direction laid out in the clubs orders, the owners tested the speed of their several crafts. Everything went smoothly until about time for the stake boat at the turning point to begin to show. Glasses were level led from the yachts and the hori- zon scanned in every direction for the course marker. The Sophia was cruising around from the Long Island shore and back again trying to find the boat SUD- posed to have been located by the oyster dredge "Smith Brothers Nothing could be found and Captain Osgood spied a catboat at anchor and made for it. Its occupant was consulted and finally agreed to act as the stake boat. An ensign was given him which was run up to the mast head. In few mo ments red flag was discovered floating from a small boat at the stern of an oyster steamer, and thinking that was the desired object, the flag placed on the cat boat was taken up and the course laid for the little boat. This proved to be the "Hoyt Brothers with the fish commissioners aboard surveying oyster beds. As nothing else could be found the captain of the dredger kindly agreed to act and around this boat the yachts sailed. Instead of being ten miles from the starting point southwest from Luddington's Rock buoy, the yachts were On the return the yachts were crowded under full spread of can vas and looked like great white doves with outspread wings, making beau tiful sight. Naturally the position of the stake boat caused great deal of trouble to the yachtsmen and loss of considerable time. The captain who thought that the race would have been his was disap- pointed, because having lost twenty minutes in trying to find stake boat another boat came in before he did and so he entered protest at the close. The judges decided that the sail could not be considered as race as some of the boats went farther in search of the stake boat than others. The re- gatta committee promulgated the following order at the return to the club house:
 "On account of the improper location of the out @ asses B and D, and the regatta committee order the race to be sailed again on Friday June 19 at 10 a. m, under the rules governing the race o1 to-day"
 The arrangements were we'll planned, and had it not been for the unfortunate mistake with the outside stake boat, the regatta would have been the best the club have ever had The steamer Messenger, designed by Captain Charles W. Foster, her commander, was placed at the disposal of the press. The genial ex-comm9dores Charles W. Scranton. was aboard and made everybody feel perfectly at home. The steamer is forty feet ten inches over all and thirteen feet beam, drawing forty-two inches of water She was built by B. H. Thatcher and designed to run between Stony Creek and the ThiInble Islands. Her engine is from F. 0. 6 A. E. Rowland's factory and has all the modern equipments. She will carry seventy-five people comfortably and is perfectly seaworthy,
 In class E the Trio, W. L. Cheney, was awarded the prize for the class, she being a small boat and going over the required course. Her actual time was hours, 24 minutes, 20 seconds.
 The time given below shows what some of the vessels can do under favorable circum- stances Where the schedules are not filled out the finishing time of the yacht was not taken.