Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-02
VICTORIOUS VOLUNTEER.
The Gallant Sloop Distances Her Com.
petitors at Newport

Yesterdays race for the Goelet cups at New
port served still further to emphasize the fact
that there is only one sloop yacht in America
capable Of beating all others in any kind Of
wind or weather. The day was one Of fiukes,
and although there appeared to be plenty Of
wind, at times it fell of materially. In spite
Of It all the Volunteer finally
ran away from the rest Of the
fleet, single stickers and schooners. She
won comfortably in little less than Ave hours,
her nearest rival, the Puritan, being thirty
seven minutes behind her. The Clara disap-
pointed all her admirers by coming in nine
minutes behind the latest creation of Burgess,
the Gossoon. The Katrina easily beat the
Oracle. Such, in brief. was the result Of the
sloop race.
For some unexplained reason the schooners
we're slow in getting away after the gun was
Marguerite was the first to cross and then came
Oenone, Palmer, Mayhower, Sea Fox and Mer-
lin in the order named. All were on the port
tack, with sheets eased trife, and the greatest
yacht race of the year was begun.
1t was exactly 11S3 when the gun was fired
and the preparatory signals were hoisted on
the Electra. Ten minutes later the starting gun
for sloops doomed across the water and they
ell got away in good shape. Five minutes
elapsed and then the schooners were sent away,
but, as before stated, they did not cross the
line, until after the last gun was
port tack until about two miles had
been sailed, when the Gossoon was first to
break. Around she went on the starboard
tack, heading well into shore, hoping for bet
ter breeze than there was outside. 1t was not
long before the Clara followed suit, but she
was already beaten and by boat thirteen
feet less on the water line. The Volun-
teer. with the Puritan chasing behind,
was gaining in a rapid fashion. and
putting the miles Of water behind her in
splendid style, but kept on the port tack for a
longer time than did the two smaller sloops.
Both then went about and stood inshore, where
the wind appeared to be. The Katrina,
Oracle and the schooners kept away out and
seemed TO be steadily falling behind. The
first leg OF the course took the yachts to
the Sow and Pigs light ship, and the big white
volunteer was first to round at 2:20:40. Twelve
minutes and two seconds later the Puritan.got
around and twenty minutes elapsed before the
next boat came. The saucy Katrina was the
third yacht to tack around, and then the Cos
soon arrived at 10000. The schooner NJ lin
nearly covered her up as she went away one
minute and ten seconds later, sailing better
than she had ever sailed before and showing Q
clean pair of heels to every other schooner hi
the race. Mayhower, once a single stick
Americas cup defender and now a schooner.
came next at 500 S. and the feet sloop Oracle
at 3.1450 and Sea Fox, last year the
winner of the cup, came behind all the others
at 317.20 There was CONSERVATION on the
Clara for the Gossoon had beaten her eleven
minutes and eleven seconds in the race to
windward. Then came the turning Of the Sow
and Pigs the Volunteer reaching there at 2 81,
while the Puritan was thirteen minutes and
headed for home they broke out
their big balloon-jib top sails and spin
makers and, while the wind did not hold well,
there was enough to fill the canvass and pull
the boats through the water in good style.
Steadily and surely the Volunteer drew away
from the others and came down to the finish
with rush which was truly beautiful. Just
before she reached the line the spinnaker
sheet was eased a trife and the
great sail bellied out like q balloon,
worth going miles to see. The
other sails were filed and then the sun shone
on the mass of towering canvas making a re-
Election on the water as if from looking glass.
The whistle on the Electra sounded. and then
steam yachts fired their guns as a salute to the
winner OF the Goelet cup for sloops, and the
victor went up into Newport harbor with one
more race to her credit
There was a long wait for the next yacht and
nearly forty minutes elapsed before the Puritan
crossed the line. Twenty minutes later the
Katrina went over in third place. The Merlin
was an easy winner in the schooner class, for
she finished at 5.492l, twenty-five minutes
ahead Of the Mayfower, which was two
minutes before the Sea Fox. Although Clara
was eleven minutes and eleven seconds behind
Gossoon in making the outward run, she ran
before the wind home in two minutes eleven
seconds less time. Oracle came in between the
Clara and Sea Fox and the others did not
finish. Thus the race was lost and won. and
Burgess was the most successful and happy man
in the big fleet.
Today the 40-footers will race and the course
will either be 10 or ~ miles to leeward or wind
ward and return, and the $3.50 cup, given by
Commodore Iselin, will be contested for by
Gossoon. Minerva, Mariquita and others Of
that class