Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-24

Of speed this race was % unsatisfactory that
shall devote no space TO it. Inc starting sig
nal was given at l1:20. and the yachts made
iair time TO the outer mark. rounding il a. fol-
lows: Mayhower, 05; Galatea, 2:l0:20. The
sloop had gained Is minutes IS seconds ON the
run: From till 4:l7 the yachts were in the
doldrums. The Mayfower then got slant Of
WIND from the west-northwest which carried
her Tar ahead OF the Galatea. This bit Of luck
netted the Mayfower gain of eight or nine
minutes, and she beat the Galatea from the
outer mark to the finish 16 minutes seconds,
winning the race by 90 minutes seconds. The
official figures follow:
Start. Finish Elapsed Cor
Il. n. 9. 4. n. 9. h. N. 8. n. M. s.
Maynower... IL q 40 6 IL 40 649 90 649 90
Galatea. IL "A 10 A So IL - tbs %
voLUNTEER-THBTLR.
The next challenger for the cup was the
Thistle, owned by syndicate of Scotch gentle
men. for whom she was designed by G. L. Wat
son. Again the indomtable General Paine
came forward and built the steel sloop Volun.
teer, designed by Edward Burgess. She sailed
two trial races with the Mayhower. The FIRST
one, over the inside course, was abandoned in
side OF the Hook for want of wind. with the
Volunteer about 100 yards ahead. The second
was sailed ON September l6, 1887, over an out
side course OF 80 miles, in a stiff breeze. 1t re-
suited in . decisive victory for the Volunteer,
and also proved that the Mayhower could beat
the Thistle, which went over the course. The
course sailed over was 10 miles to leeward,
southeast by south, miles west-southwest, 8
miles east-northeast, and l0miles dead to wind
ward to the finish at the Scotland light ship.
The Mayhower, after rounding the outermost
mark, was forced to house her top-mast, but
the Volunteer carried working top-sal to
windward.
The Volunteer beat the Mayfower l6 minutes
23-5 seconds. The Thistle was accurately
timed on the windward leg Of the course. The
Mayhower beat her l minute 81 seconds. and
the Volunteer defeated her by IA minutes 40 3-5
seconds. This little brush of the Thistle's set
tied in the minds OF experts all doubts as to
her failing to win the cup. The first race Of
the Thistle and Volunteer was sailed on Tues
day, September n, 1887, over the New York
yacht club course, and the cutter was outsailed
from start to finish. The wind was light from
south-southeast shifting to southwest. There
was but one period of uncertainty In the race.
The Thistle crossed the line minute 52k sec
onds ahead of the Volunteer. At l2:39-six
minutes after crossing-the Thistle tackled and
headed for the Long Island shore. Capt. Half
held his port tack. The Thistle seeing this
went about again. At 12:45 the Volunteer went
on the starboard tack and was crossing the
Ihistle's bows when the latter tackled at
l2:46:25. The race was decided then and there.
After that the Volunteer, first catching the
breeze through the narrows, simply walked
away from the cutter. The sloop passed buoy
10 at .08, aud the cutter at 236A5. The
former had gained II minutes 29A seconds up
to this point. The racers had a tolerably good
breeze going out to the lightship, which the
Volunteer turned at 3:42:12. followed by the
Thistle at 40l:l5. The Volunteer gained 8
minutes 26 seconds on the reach out. The
sloop passed buoy 10 on the return at 4:36:l5.
having made the run to the light ship in "a
minutes seconds. The Thistle rounded the
buoy at 4:52:47 having accomplished the run in
81 minutes 81 seconds, thus gaining 2 minutes
81 seconds on the Volunteer on this leg. In
the run from buoy 10 to the finish the Volun-
teer gained minute ~ seconds. The follow
ing are tho official figures:
Start. Finish Elapsed Cor
Il. n. 8. II. NJ. s. HIM. s. q. NJ. s.
Volunteer, II "a 5SH 52s l6A 453 Is 453ls
Thistle. IL 50 OF $40 5-54 5l2 1864 5l24lM
The Volunteer, therefore, won by ~ minutes
23s4 seconds, or about "a miles. The second
race was sailed on Friday, September 80, 20
miles to windward, east by north, and return.
The breeze at the start blew about Is miles an
hour. 1t soon diminished to about 10 miles.
After the vessels rounded the outer mark it
freshened steadily, and at the finish was blow
ing more than 20 miles an hour. 1t was an I'M
usually true wind, making but one shift Of four
points to the southwark, and then gong back
to east by north. The shift favored neither
boat. The Volunteer went to windward of the
Thistle at the very start, and decided the race
IN the first board. On the starboard tack the
yachts had the sea abeam, and on the port tack
ahead. On the latter the Volunteer beat her
opponent much more than on the former. The
Thistle gained on the run in, again demon
strating that she was fast before the wind. II
she had not been all cut away under the water
forward. she would probably have been a much
the outer mark as follows: Volunteer, 2:26 40 (;
Thistle. 2:41:0 The sloop beat her antago-
mist In the wlndward work IA minutes 49L Sec
onds. On the run in the Thistle gained q min
utes 5418 seconds, so that the Volunteer won by
IL minutes 47Z seconds. The official figures
are az follows:
Start. Finish Elapsed. Cor.
Ems. Il. M. 8. q. MS. HIM.
Volunteer. 10 40 50sI 4 % At s AZ 5611 5 AZ 56N
Thistle. 90. 10 40 II IS IL 8 "a 81 81 A
DIMENSIONS OF COMPETITORS.
The dimensions of the competitors for the
Americas cup are instructive. They are as
follows: Magic, water-llne length, 1911 IT,;
beam, 20.9: draught. 6.7. Cambria, water-line
length, 100 IT.; beam, 90 s; draught, l24 Sap
pho, water-lne length, Il9.4 It,; beam, az
draught, 1913; Columbia, length, 96 IT,; BEAM
rs. |; draught, G. Livona, 1915 #. beam. %. 8;
draught, 1873. Madeleine, length, $50 IT,;
beam, "a; draught, IA. Countess of Dufferin,
length over all, l07 IT,; beam "A; draught, 81.
Mischief. length on water-line. 81 IT,; beam,
1910; draught, ga. ATLANTA. watcr-line length,
GA IT. beam, 10; draught 81. Genesta, length
81 IT. beam, Is. draught, IL. Puritan, length,
81 #. ~ in; beam, % it, in. /;
ocdm' uiduSut. ieu5tu,
rs IT. Z in; beam rs IT. in; draught, it. 8 in.
Thistle. length, S6.46 IT,; beam. zoos; draught,
| 1873. Volunteer, length, 5.SS IT,; BEAM ~. o.;
draught, 10. All the lengths are on the water
| line, except that of the Countess.
| II these figures show anything, it is that the
American and English yachts are approaching
| one another in model and that our present
| vessels are much more substantial aud sea-
| worthy craft than those we turned out fifteen
| or twenty years ago.
There was very little change in American de-
| signs previous to the advent of the famous
Scotch cutter Madge in 1881. To be sure, Com
modorr Robt. Center had designed and built
| the stanch cutter Volante, but most yachtsmen
| regarded him an Anglomaniic. Other cut
tiers followed, but the Madge carried the day.
| She is Of the extreme type. SO it. 6 in. on the
| water line. it. Q in. wide, 46L feet over all,
| and It. i'll. draught. She was matched
| against the Schemer, Wave, Shadow, and Mis-
| trail. The Schemer, for instance, is 39I It.
over all, 1874 on the water line, and I46 it.
| beam. The Madge beat every boat she met
with ease, and in anything like a seaway
| played with them. She taught us a good les
| son to the value of depth. and one of the
best results Of it was the building of the cutter
| Bedoun designed by John Harvey, man who
deserves much more praise than he gets. The
Bedouin is a fine type Of vessel, possessing
| cutter. She has beam of Is tt. 6 in, with q
water line OF 20 IT. ill.,, while the Galatea has
Is tt. OF beam to 81 IT. of water line. The Be-
douin wrestled for the supremacy with the new
Katrina all through last years cruise of the
New York yacht club, and whenever there was
any breeze she always beat her opponent
Since the advent Of the MaQgc our best