The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-09-12

EHE tSIEESAEIoSAL bASnA RAVE
The yacht vigiiant will probably de-
fend Americas cup against the English
yacht yaikyrie in the international race
that will be sailed in New York October s.
Since the Thistle vas beaten by the Vol
unteer In 1ssz international yachting has
been IN state Of suspense. The chal-
Ienge Of Lord DunTaven compelled Ameri-
can yaehtsmen to provide sioop capable
Of meeting the great advance that En-
gifsh yacht designers have made since the
days Of the Genssta. Galatea and Thistle.
The Volunteer. recognized six years ago
rs the fastest sioop in the world. Is now
out Of date and wholly incapable of meet
Ing models which English designers can
now produce. The yigilant, the probable
cup defender, was, like the Colonia, de-
signed and built By the Herreshoffs, naval
architects of Bristol. r. l.. and Is owned
by New York syndicate headed by Com
modore Morgan. of the New York Yacht
Club. The yigilant has these dimensions:
Length over all, i2s feet: beam, IS; draft.
IA feet. She Is the largest and most
powerful of ail the cup defenders. Un-
like the Colonia, the yigilant has center
board. She has q tremendous sail plan,
her great beam, as already indicated, be-
ing supported by IS tons of lead on her
keel. The centerboard is hollow. and Is
made of thin bronze plates on forerunners
of the same metal. It is IL feet long and
10 feet deep. She has boom 9s feet long
The length of the yigilant on the water
line 10 IS feet.
The valkyrie measures s.. 50 feet on the
water line. 10 feet over all, twenty-five
feet beam, has q sail spread of 10. 207 feet
and, according TO yacht racing rules, meas
ures 1910 tons. She has draught Of
about sixteen feet. Her lead. which
weighs in the neighborhood of seventy
five tons, is carried well forward with a
gradual rise, while aft she is finely tapered
in the way Of a fin down the heel. giving
her tremendous grip. The spar and sail
plans are very large, her boom being over
ninety feet long. Her mast 10 stepped
well forward. and all of her propelling
power viii be in the nainsail. Her bow
spirit only projects outward about sixteen
feet. AL yachtsmen who have watched
the achievements of Lord Dunrayen's boat
are convinced that she is going TO be a
competitor of no mean ability. In English
Of twelve nautical miles over forty-ive-
mile course. q pace that Is no: easily
matched.
OF course the figures of comparison be-
tween yachts are in no sense conclusive, as
difference of winds and currents are not
taken into consideration. The yalkyrie
has easily beaten the Calluna, the saianita,
the Britannia and the American boat
Navahoe In British waters, and has made
an average of nearly. if not quite, u
knots over % \ mile course twice round |;
In other words, As miles, including the
80 minutes and 3 seconds.
As to what the vigilant can do, her
time in the first Astor cup race is com
pared with that of the Volunteer in her
trial race of September Ia, 1887 She
sailed over q 30.mile course, 10 miles to
Aks
windward. in hours and 20 minutes and
~ Is seconds, or an average speed of 4 30
knots. The vigiiant sailed over q 30
mile course, with the benefit of miles
more running aud the disadvantage of 5
miles more to windwsrd, in hours ,
minutes and SO seconds. or at an average
speed OF trihe over SO knots.
Undoubtedly the Vigilant Is a faster boat
than the Volunteer, but so is the Valkyrie
a much faster boat than the Thistle, so
that the contest for the America cup in
October is sure to be sharply contested.
be sscertained only in one way. and that
! is by racing them together, for then they
are subject 10 precisely the same eondi-
lions of wind and weather. There does
l not seem TO be entire confidence among
/ American yachtsmen that the Vigilant
represents SO great an advance over the
/ Volunteer rs the Valkyrie does over the
/ Thistle.
| II Is an interesting fact that New Eng
| land has in every instance furnished the
| cup defender for America. The New Eng.
/ land yacht designers seem TO maintain
/ New England's old time superiority in
building sailing vessels. The swIftss,
J privateers of 1872 and the fast clipper ships
! that preceded the introduction OF steam
/ power on the ocean we're for the most par;
/ designed and constructed in New England
. ship yards.
Ter forty years the sailing vessel hA,
been excetled by the steamship in the
worlds commerce, aud New England shir
yards are dismantled. Nevertheless New
/ England seems 10 retain her nautical
spirit and superior genius for marine
architecture. TOR our Yankee yacht design
ers hold the supremacy in yacht building
not only in England out over oil othe!
! Americans
az all outdoor recreations that deserv,
national support. yachting stands ii, th,
head 1t is hesIthful. exciting, require,
courage. intelligence. caution. e0olnes.
and skill Isinvolves some danger, nut i
has no brutal eoincidents. To sail fn,
! boat in Ali sorts Of weather IS usefu
accomplishment as well IS fine recrea
/ ton, and the wonder is that more youn,
men do not take kindly 30 aquatic sport
that need brains and Some superior quail
i,y Of temperament to excel. instead o
making so much of brutal, stupid sports
that need nothing but strength. sn.mA
.s4s. a