New-York tribune., 1885-09-16
HOPEFUL FOR THE PURITAN.
THE OUTLOOK FOR THE RACE TO-DAY.

s,S.L pgEPARArroNs--wHAT is SAID OF THE
BOATS CONDUCT on MONDAY.
The brisk southwest wind wrinkled ND the sur
face of the water in the harbor yesterday until 1t
looked like species of fret-work in blue marble
mt il was of no avail to the lovers of Yacht
racing who have been IN sailors purgatory for the
last two weeks, af1oat on every calm day and
ashore On every breezy one. Last Sunday when
the wind gauge on Sandy Hook spun round at
rate that registered over twenty miles an hour,
these much-enduring yachtsmen had to go to
church. and the only consolation that could be OBJ
tanned was in fer7enty praying that it might last
Yesterday while the breeZes were all running 10
waste tie Genesta and Puritan lay at their Staten
island anchorages tugging idly at the cables. The
English cutter was suffering from slght
sprain and the naval doctors prescribed
rest and certain course of treatment warranted
70 bring her round as good as new by this morning
She bore it patiently while Captain Carter and his
men tinkered with the injured mastbead cap and
never WINGED. An occasional broad, clumsy lighter
with her dirty. tor-heavy SAIL solemniy slipped
past with favorng tide and wind and The Staten
island ferry boats carried the usual number OF ln-
.crested gazers at the swift cutter and sloOp.
For short hour in the afternoon only the
fankee sloop shook out her huge sails, and while
lhe sturdy tars swung away on the halliards so as
10 stretch the canvas to the greatest possible ex-
tent the skipper pointed her PROV over toward the
Long Island shore No one wao saw the smooth,
rounded sails on Monday would have suspected
that anything could be wrong with them. but
to the critical eye of the sailmaker II was
evident that they were stretching TOO
much in tie warm. dry air of the last few weeks.
So in the morning the cub topsai. jib and fore
stayssl were unbent, spread out on deck and cut
down to the desired size. After standing
forth
Dor several times the sailmakeF concluded that the
now dress was all right, and the anchor was
dropped again off the Staten Island shore.
On the motionless Genesta the sails were left
uudlsturtel. while the mast and topmast were
Iashed together Slthwire below the cap
which has betrayed the trust reposei In It, captain
Carter said that it was all right now and that no
more trouble was to be feared from that quarter.
II was The strain of the big jib t0ossil on Monday
tha. developed this weak spot. The English s%lp-
per takes his defeat philosophically
"We were fairly beaten over that course and IN
that weather" SAID he, q" and there is little possi
bity of our making any better showing
under those conditions. The Puritan is
undoubtedly the better boat at that
kind of work. We were bothered some by the
steamers aud probably retarded somewhat by
their swash. But that is always the fate OF the
sterumost boat" he added with the air of a nauti
cal stole.
Over at the Puritan's anchorage j. Malcolm
Forbes was on deck, and extremely agree
able and communicative. 81 am thor
oughly satisfied with the general result of
Mondays race" he explained. and especially
eIated at the fact. which evident to all
observers. that whenever the yachts wero getting
the same wind and LAYING the same cOu:se
the Puritan always drew away fToio the cutter.
The attempts TO make the race 10 windward have
proven that the Puritan was the better boat
when close haued, and yesterdays trial showed
tnai she cOdld also leave the Oenests wheh
TnnnIng free. when tue Elgiish,psan pa,
he caught "a wind that drew more TO he southwark
and thus enab ed hiE partly to close up the gap
that the Puritan opened az tie start OF tho race.
For long time there was streak OF atteI calm be-
tween the boats. / have no way of csiImat-
ting the qnalites of the cutter IN heavy weather.
but by comparison with the performances OF the
cutter Bedpuin in the rongn weather on Newport
when we were racing for the Goelet cup
Bcdouiu jumped her bowsprit out The
Pnnan rode easily over the seas. leaping from one
to another instead of bnry'ng herself. When she
did pound down 90 TO one tho Pieat press OF her
canvas drove her forward again and she rallied
and gathered headway again quickly. l ne Bedonin
c0uld not do ihis but was PfnglnS and humping
ali the time"
in all her sailing in tn ST. waters says that
Der sencircular section calses her to
yaw badly. In the run from the ghtshIp with
the wind abeam this was particularly noticeable
Two IncD were az tle anu VIII ~"
and of the tackle rugged up for that purpose, they
were unable to keep from this extremely repre-
hehsible practice of yawiDg What she
will probably do best IN. according to his
op.nIon, Is rattling breeze that will sead
down her topsals and camse a craft
OF any other build and rig to reef With her sails
thus educed taey will draw moro evenly aud she
can lie kept somewhere within half-dozen points
of her correct course.
Both boats were 10 stand down the Bay under
SAL ey h %sn the be S1 f0
with their admiTing cheering cIoTds
had ceased to run, and the black |
clouds CT "A threatening storm Obscuret the sky |
Yankee and Britisher went below to sleeD
and dream of land where a
twelve-kn0t breeze blows without
eeasng. According to Captain Carter, who is deep
ly disguised aud who stouty that all the
good weather has gone over to ter onld cOuntree.'
that must be the true sailors drcamand.