The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-09
THE MOSQUITO" FLEET.
ITS WINGS SPREAD AGAIN ON
LAKE CHAMPLAIN,

ing for 1891 begins tomorrow and will con
tinue for three weeks, is singularly fortu-
nate in its location.
Willsborough Point is one of the Oldest
of the many peninsulas jutting out into
Lake Champlain. The extremity is full six
miles from the railroad station at Willis
borough. and is reached by wagon road
from the station. Coming from the south,
it is better not to leave the train at Wills
borough, but to keep on to the next station,
Port Kent. After leaving the little hamlet
from which the point takes its name the
train skirts the head of Willsborough bay
six miles long and a mile and half wide,
until after several minutes run one can
plainly see, opposite, the fine grove of
trees which divides the main camp from
the ladies' tents, the white cleaning
of sails and canvas and the shelly
ing beaches when the canoes are
drawn UP. Port Kent lies little north of
the point, but it is an easy paddle or sail
down to camp if the wind is right, and if it
Is wrong. a putting and consequential
steamer enables one to disregard it. Round
ing the headland below Port Kent and dodg-
ing behind Schuyler's Island, one crosses
the broad and shallow Corlaer's bay, named
after one of the greatest of New York's
forgotten great msn-aud there you are.
The east point juts due northward. On
the eastern side are high bluffs, from which
there is splendid view, if the day be clear,
of the lake for many miles up and down
and OF the Green mountains in the dim
distance, showing not green but blue. To
the west the aspect is totally different.
Here the point slopes down to pretty
beaches. and just across the narrow bay,
whose waters are always placid except
when the northerly gale SHOWS, lie the
nearer foothills of the Adirondacks
The camp is almost at the apex Of the
point. A bold wooded hea6land shuts off
the view of the ladies' camp from that of the
meu, both by land aud water, and between
certain discreet hours each sex must keep to
its own quarters. By day there is no inter
dict, and it's likely that in three weeks the
wood Will be pretty well cut up by foot
paths connecting the two sections of the
canoeing community.
The American Canoe Association was
born in 1880 and is now a big organization
comprising northern, eastern, central and
Atlantic division and $50 clubs, not to men
ton the numerous mixed and boat clubs
aud the unattached canoeists. The conf
dence of strength is shown by the decision
to have the camp open three weeks, some
thing which was never tried before. Truth
to say, Messrs. Butler and Burlington, the
camp site committee, do not expect many
canoeists to turn up tomorrow, the first
day. Early next week they will come Drop
ping in by handfuls, and by the middle of
next week, when the racing begins, the
camp will be full.
The racing will last a week or more. for
the number of aspirants is great and the
utmost variety is provided to bring out all
sorts OF talent, latent or otherwise. Some
idea OF the interest taken in the sports is
given by the fact that last year there were
seventy~one contestants, thirty-seven of
whom entered the half mile padding race
alone. This year the contestants should be
nearly hundred. Very few of these, how
ever, will enter for the trophy races or the
Pecowsic cup race, which are the points
specially contested for by the experts.
The races will be: /, a padding and sail
ing race combined; 2. sailing race; 3, q
half-mile padding; 4, sailing four and a
half miles, 3, trophy sailing: 6, unlimited
sailing; 7, trophy sailing; 8, nine miles,
novice race; 9, Pecowsic cup race; 10, club
race, cruising race; II, padding race Of the
war canvas; IL, padding tandem; IS, pad
ding club fours; IA, sailing upset and
maneuvering; is, padding upset; 10,
hurry scurry; II, gymnastics.
Two things are in this list of events very
noticeable to an expert: the evident desire
of the regatta committee to favor the "geu-
eral purpose" or cruising canoe at the
expense OF the mere racing machine, and
that there will certainly be plenty of fun
for the spectators. Events Nos l, and 10
are practically limited to cruising canoes
This is expressly stated of No. 10, while No.
must be contested with the same rig and
ballast as No. l, which is half padding.
The fun comes mainly in the races from
Nos. II to II. The "grand race of the Indian
war canoes, for instance, is always pretty
sure to be farce. Not less than ten men
must paddle at once in a big canoe. with
very little team practice beforehand. and
the splashing and rolling and bowling are
calculated to be good for the appetite of the
onlookers. Tandem padding is a scientific
sport. The brothers McKendrick of
Toronto are famous at that, as the tall
Brothers Foster of New York used to be
years ago. In No. IA the contestants are
required at the first signal to throw over
board and recover their paddles, at the
second signal the canoe is tipped over un-
til the mast touches water, after which the
captain rights her, resets his sail and gets
home as he may, scooping out the surplus
water as he goes. The padding upset race
is similar. In the hurry scurry the con-
testants start from a distance back on shore
run to their canoes, push off and iump in
and then begin the navigating part of the
race. All these laughable maneuvers are
possible to the modern canoes which have
air tanks in bow and stern and are unsipk-
able. All the races will take place off the
end of the point, to the one side or the other.
according to the wind.
As in most athletic sports in this country
the champions hold upon supremacy is ex-
ceedingly short lived. The novice's zeal
soon makes him an expert and he tries for
the leading honors. II he wins great race
or two, or if he does not, the result is much
the same. After few years he is content
to let the younger men win the cups while
he does the yelling off shore, OF loafs around
in his canoe with pipe in his mouth. Per-
haps c. Bowyer Vaux ought to be executed
from this statement. This indefatigable
gentleman, who has written much and well
on canoeing, stood fifth in 1884, second in
1885 and fourth in 1890. In either year his
ability as sailor is not fairly represented
for he is too light for a record paddler, and
the record is made up on the average of
padding and sailing skill. Mr.. Vaux's de-
feat OF the English canoeists on New York
bay is memorable. On the whole, he is
probably our best known canoeist He is
slight and dark and moustached, and 30 ia
r. W. Gibson, record winner of 1885 and
trophy winner of 1886 and 1887. &. P.
Douglass, the first record winner OF 1890.
had never been at all prominent as an expert
before. Perhaps 1891 has other surprises.
With Douglass, the McKendrick brothers.
Vaux, Gessler, Ward, Knapp, an ex-first
record man; Brokaw, Burlington and others
on hand, there will be lively struggles for
the bits of bunting which are the usual re-
wards of skill.
There are good many strong points
about canoeing, which it takes an annual
meet to bring out. The interest which