Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-10-06
Neither vigiIant Nor vaIkyds Fin
ished in SIX Houx
AMERICA WAS ouTGENERALtD
Boats We're BccaImed and unabie
90 Finish Within she Time
Allowed Them

Sandy Hook lightship for the American
cup Almost every place within 500
miles OF New York was represented by
one OF more boats. and every one had
aboard al IL would hold comfortably.
Thousands Of enthusiastic persons had
Q delightful days outing. and the first
effort 10 pull the inter national race vas
. failure.
BY IL o'clock the variable wind had
settled down to an apparently steady
breeze from the north and the heavy fog
bank slowly drifted away TO leeward-
Promptly at 1l;l5 gun doomed from
the May and q red ball was hoisted. IL
was the preparatory signal. and tho
yachts had just ten minutes 20 cross the
line. as the start was 10 be by signal
gun. At 1l:25. when the gun again
sounded. the Vigilant was leading the
Valbyrie about two lengths Before the
echo had died away. both boats broke
out their spinnakers and the Vigilant
her balloon jib topsail. hauling down
the other at the Same time Booms
were broad Of 10 port and spinnakers 20
starboard when the yachts crossed. and
IL looked then as II they would make
speedy run TO the first mark. The wind.
however. had scarcely started them on
their fifteen mile journey before il died
away almost to calm. Now IL became
a mere drifting match.
Overlook the vigiIant-
At 1:l5 o'clock the wind began 10 haul
10 the south and west and the Figilant
took in her spinnaker and iib topsail
and seemed TO lay TO right in the winds
eye. The Valkyrie hung on 10 her
spinnaker and rapidly overlook the
Vigilant. passing her at lbs. just two
hours after the start While the Wig
liant seemed to be dead on the water the
Valkyrie hauled by the wind In the
starboard tack. set her jib and stay sail
and shot ahead, steering 10 the south hard
and west'ard- The Vigilant for some
unknown reason made no effort TO haul
by the wind, but retained all OF her
head sails. while abe eased her main
sheet until every one believed that she
had met with an accident and had de-
cided to give up the race. There was eyi-
IDENTIFY strong tide under her weather
bow. for il threw her head Of to the east
ward and she drifted bodily to leeward.
After losing almost mile the American
came up in the wind and headed after
her English rival. This gain OF the
Valkyrie's was probably the turning
point OF the race. and the seamanship
displayed on the American boat was la
mentally poor. IL the tide did catch
her on the weather side and force her
head aground To the east ard. as every
one seemed TO think. there is no reason
in the world why Skipper Hansen
should not have hauled down his head
sails, braced in his main boom and used
every device known 70 sailors 10 bring
his vessel by the wind. lt Is
this alone more than any favoring
breeze 10 the Valkyrie that lost the Wig
liant the race. After paying off until
she headed almost in the opposite direc-
ton, the American managed to- haul by
the wind 10 the sfarboari tack and stood
for the mark. The breeze seemed 10
freshen trifie. and the Englishman in
creased his lead at every moment. As
the stranger approached the turning
mark il was impossible for him TO dis
tinguish, 20 closely clustered were the
excursion crafts. Perhaps IL was owing
to the fact that the Valkyrie displayed
poor judgment in going on the port
tack. as II was 3:27 before she was able
TO weather the mark.
Poor Judgment shown.
Though the wind was then very light
the Englishman was remarkably quick
in stays. going about in just twonty sec
onds- At 800 she went about again. go
ing on the starboard tack, which was In
turn changed for the port one minute
later. The Valkyrie now stood Tor tho
mark. close hauled on the siSost tack.
easing away her sheets az she roaiEfied.
lowering her spinnaker boom and break.
ing out the sail Now tbcr aroee a
deafening chorus OF whistles and a
booming Of guns until the very atmos-
phere seemed 10 vibrate In unison. The
Vigilant at this time seemed almost ia q
dead calm. about five milcs astern
and IL looked then as though
the VaIkyrie would make e1rry
spectacle of her. As the American boat
neared the mark she made ziso the same
error Of judgment a. the Englishman
and went on the port tack AZ 3:45. re-
naming thirty seconds In tho stayes.
She was forced 10 tack again at S-sS and
al $50 the outer mark was baesed 81
etarboard. As the Vigilant doubled the
turning point shs broke out her balloon
lib top sail. which bad already bean run
up in stops. and hsuied down the
medium sized one. To the SURPRISE ~
everyone. however. she did Rot sst her
spinnsker. for the wind hsa begun fa
haul little forward and there vas dan
ger of its becalming the other sails The
following is the time around the outer
mark. fifteen miles from the sfart
valkyrie. 3;37.oO: yigilsnt. so5:fo.
y.tsxxse Ic.sfl.v ygss~.<
After the yschts had dwubled ths
mark and eased away for home the sind
became lighter and when the Naikyfis
took in her spaBnaker AZ sis. chs
seemed o. be almost IN the droidums
I Two miles aefern came the figilanl
with her sails quite fuil. apparenil,
bringing up frcshening hFee,A THIS
gave neN hope 90 her ffiensis and for :
time IL looked ~ thDugh she wouls
overtake the English boat f,efofs
the finish. When the gap had tiesf
I closed 70 one-haf the Naikyri.
seemed 10 fee the impulse - o.
breexe uhich TIE NiCiiant was brinafnl
up vsth her and rapidly ebot shest
keeping atyyut one nsiie ahead Al,o4
sspl the tug Esackentach csme along
side II TIE Er<sishmsn nBd keff com
pany wifh her fnS = hail hour ihf
fola the sfosy = the rare. va Ihsi ~
f,oats fseing unalsie O. fiuisa witian tts
sise hmit - sis houfs reaid elve Z al
before crr~s5nE the hnssb en1 fisaf ~
Iarkentsch RAD t.een inefrarfed - ~
in The Xaikfrt~ fi,e figienf 80 ~
I frsf g. annaoboe hef inienfie.s = fistns
~ the contest shisf So dia ~ bseilz1