Connecticut western news., 1893-10-12
RACING FOR THECUP.
THE YANKEE SLooP BEATS THE ENo-
 LISH CUTTER TWICE.

The vigilant Makes a Good Beginning In
 Defending the Prize Against Lord Dun-
 ravens valkyrie - The First Attempt
 Was a Failure-Sailed In Light Winds.
 NEW YORK, Oct. 6.-Lack of wind made the first of the international yacht races a failure. Thousands of enthusiastic citi. zens had delightful days outing on the water and saw Lord Dunraven's Valkyrie, the pride of Great Britain, sail past our cup defender Vigilant, but it was while the Vigilant was becalmed, and saw the Vigilant creep up on the British boat when ever the wind held steady They saw the Valkyrie gain big advantage by being better handled, and they saw both boats, after sailing 20 miles out of the 30 in 51S hours, give up the race, as it was impos- sible to finish inside of six hours, the limit set by the cup committee. It was more of a drifting match than race. The wind at no time reached the dignity of a sailing breeze. The Valkyrie led by mile at the close.
 NEW YORK, Oct. s.-With a cloudless sky, with a gentle breeze, with a flat, smooth sea, the British cutter Valkyrie and the Yankee sloop Vigilant met Satur- day morning at the Sandy Hook lightship to sail the first race in a series of three out of five for the America's cup, the trophy of the queen yacht of the world. By such handling of their vessels as has rarely been seen they were sent across the line prac- tically side by sieAe, fair before the wind, though the Valkyrie was a trife in the lead. During the time needed to cover about two miles of the course the cutter not only held her lead, but increased it, as the spec Al L.. H. l. the sloop began to draw up, and with 8 speed that was surprising, considering that the wind seemed to have failed, she passed her rival and took fair lead. Added to Her Gain. To this gain she added continually un- til the turn was rounded more than eight minutes in advance of her fleet rival In running before light wind she appears to have fairly beaten the cutter almost 8 min ute a mile.
 From the turn stake home the greater part of the distance was covered with sheets | flat aft. It was close hauled race, with a breeze that never turned white cap, but was nevertheless fresh enough to keep ev- cry sail round and hard.
 The Vigilant covered the distance in re- markable time, considering the wind, but | the Valkyrie gained fraction of a minute. By winning the first race of the series | for the Americas cup by an actual margin of minutes and AS seconds, the Vigilant has captured fair sized mortgage on the | result, although the Valkyrie and her plucky English crew demonstrated that the gallant cup defender will have no walkover this year.
 NEW YORK, Oct. 10.-George L. Watson, | designer of the Valkyrie, was asked what | he had to say concerning the second vic | tory of the Yankee sloop over the English | cutter, and he replied:
 'They beat us. That's all there is about | it, first and last. Everything was square. Vigilant outsailed us on every point" It was Great Britain's day so far as | weather for yacht race was concerned | and Lord Dunraven and all the crew of the rakish black cutter were happy when they | went down the bay In the morning. c. Oliver Iselin and the gallant crew ot | the white cup defender were the happy | ones when the yachts came back in the aft ernoon. They led a triumphal procession | of yachts and excursion craft up the har' bor, for the Vigilant had added another victory to her score She had walked away | from the Valkyrie in a wind that topped the seas with foam and drove clouds oi ! spray over her weather bow.
 | valkyrie Led For Awhile.
 The wind was blowing 25 miles n houl | when both boats went over the line within | two seconds of each other. The Vigilant
 led by the length of her bowsprit. They | made a pretty start as they started on |
 beat to windward of 10 miles to the irs
 mark, which was off north Long Branch
 and so close inshore that a good view o
 the racing yachts was obtained from Sea
 bright, Monmouth Beach and Long Branch As on Saturday, the Valkyrie forged ahead | at the start. She was not running quite al
 close to the wind as the white sloop, but | she was going faster In 10 minutes tn,
 Valkyrie led by four lengths, but the Wig
 liant was a trihe to windward. The Val
 kyrie increased her lead to 10 lengths a
 the end of the first half hour, and ther
 while the Englishmen on the steamboat
 were hugging themselves with joy tn,
 Vigilant began to cut down the open wa
 ter between her bow and the Valkyrie'
 stern.
 l She walked right up and took the lead
 and the race was a procession from tha
 point. The cup defender gained minute
 and 45 seconds in the first 10 miles, tsckinl
 to windward; minutes and 12 seconds il
 the second 10 mile run, and 8 minutes ant
 26 seconds in the last 10 miles. She crosset
 the line ahead of the Valkyrie 12 minute
 and 23 seconds, actual time, and, deduct | ing the time allowance of 1 minute and 4
 seconds, she won by 10 minutes and 8 l seconds.
 The steam whistles of all the craft tha
 could keep the pace set by the white slool
 greeted her, and the people on the deck
 yelled themselves hoarse. The Valkyri
 was over two miles astern when the Wig liant finished.
 The 30 mile race was run in hours am
 25 minutes. The wind blew almost half
 gale during the last half of the race, an
 the boats came in with decks forward we
 with spray.
 The next race will be tomorrow. It vii
 be beat to windward, 15 miles and return
 Should the Vigilant win again, the Amer
 ica's cup will remain here at least anothe year, and the American centerboard vii
 still be the champion yacht of the world.