Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-09-18
rHEINrERNAT1oNAL YACHTING RACE

-
After a gallant tussle the Yankee sloop
Puritan has beaten the English sloOp
Genesta. The race was to be the best two
out of three for the Americas cup which
has been held since 1851, when the schooner
Yacht America bearded NE British Eonin his
W waters and tri~umPhAntlY brought the
envied prize across the briny pond. Here
it has nestled, secure from harm ever since,
although many q hard fought battle has
been wsged to wrest the chsste and beauti-
full silver from brother JoSATHGN's anxious
and vigilsnt care.
Notwithstanding these clippers Of the sea
are called sloops because they are one
masted vessels, there is q wide difference in
their build. The English craft is better
known IS q cutter" because she has no
centre board and relies upon her depth
and length of keel holding her up to the
Wind; in other words to avoid 'lee#sy," or
drifting away from the wind. On the other
land, the American yacht has Q small keel
and 9 large esntre-bosrd, which, when sail
ing ION the wind or CLOSE hauled" is low
cred several feet in the water. This appa-
ratus is & great help towards keeping q veg
sci that is sailing as near to the winds eye
IS she can, from drifting nearly at right
angles to the point Of the compass for
which she is steering. These
c~entsrboArd vessels in smooth water and q
light sea are acknoEledgs d to be the better
sailors ION the wind" but on the other
hand are not considered as seaworthy, and
therefore not as safe. II was probably for
this reason that the many admirers of the
English cutter thought her chances for sue
cess would be The better if the wind and sea
were heavy.
The two trials were IS iRe specimens Of
skillful sailing as were ever seen, and from
the fact tbs trials were had in both smooth
and rough water vithEght and heavy winds,
al the good and bad points Of both craft were
thoroughly tested. Although the course
was, say ~ihirty-eight miles in the first trial
and forty in the last, the difference in their
time was but sixteen minutes and forty sec
onds on the first test and one minute and
thiriyeight seconds, both actual time, in the
second trial. So close g race for 50 long g
distance, and in 50 severe . test is some
thing marvellous in q sailing match. So
close q race does not furnish much room
for Dragging By the victor, and eompsls oss
to respect and admire the vanquished.
Whileit is generally conceded that the
American yacht outssiled the EagGsh cut
Ger there isa question as to which crew
were the better sailors. This is . very i'm
portAnt point and is the strongest factor in
the consideration Of an enemy that one is
thinking Of attacking. when ell el,s is
nearly equal It Is recorded Of the Amer
can captain that he made one bad brelk at
the start and another in not lacking early
enough thus losing unnecessary time in
both instances; while it is told of the Brit
ish skipper thstbe handled his boat 50 bsauti-
fully aod understood her quaitiass 80 well that
he made his crAh cross hsimaginsry starting
Ire the very instant the signal
was given to go" But taken al in al it
must have been one si tho most exciting
and enjoyable, Is il Eaa 1 Of the greatest
international yachting contests the world
ever saw. and nothing would please the