The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-07-11
The Vigilant Again Beaten
By the Prince of Wales
Fast Yacht.
A LIGHT WIND AND SMOOTH Sci
Uncle Sans Boat Had the Advan-
tage at the Start, and Was
Ahead.
BIZ Gable to the United Press.

Y 1acht Clubs course. the racing was not, as q
rule, to the swift, but to the lucky. The
vagaries of the Clyde breezes had much to
do with results. The Valkyrie, which was
then regarded, because of the preponderance
of her successes over all British courses, as
the finest cutter in the United Kingdom, lost
the first prize to the Prince of Wales yacht.
the Britannia, which vanquished her by
more than three minutes.
a few days after the first battle on this
course between the Britannia, Valkyrie and
other crack cutters the Cailuns snatched
victory from both the Valkyrie and Britain
mia, which was ten minutes astern OF the
Britannia at the finish. Before the start
many yachtsmen held that even if the Vigi-
liant should lose in today's contest, the vic
tory of her rival, under fluky weather con-
ditiens should not be regarded as evidence
that the cutter is the better yacht.
COURSE FAVORED THE VIGILANT.
The course sailed over today was IN
broader water than heretofore. This was
considered by the hackers OF the centre
boarIer as more in her favor. 1t was a
quadrangular course in the Firth of Clyde,
sometimes humorously termed by British
yachtsInen the Firth of Flukes.n TIE
start was made from point of Craigmora
pier, in Rothesay Sound; thence the course of
the cup hunters was almost due south to and
arouhd a stake boat of Mount Stuart, thence
to the westward, to and around mark off
Largs: thence northward to and around a
mark boat in Weymss Bay, and across th9
Firth to the starting point, twice around
After the second round the yachts were to
sail diagonally across the Quadrangular
course, from Rothesay to Largs and return.
The total length Of the course is about fifty
miles. Each side of the triangle IS aboub
four and half nautical miles, and the run
to and from Largs is trihe more than six
and a half miles.
FINE DAY AND LIGHT WIND.
Before the yachts came up and lowered
back of the starting line the air was almost
breezeless After a while a breeze sprang
up out of the South the Clyde yachtsmen
were confident that the britannia would
win. and the Americans were quite as opti-
mistic in regard to the chances of the Yankee
yacht over the comparatively open course.
Overhead the day was perfect. Hundreds
of gaily decorated craft ehuraed their way
through the Clyde waters. George
Gould, who was on one of the
steam Yachts remarked that the Britannia
was a fine boat, but that he did not despair
winning victory over her, even over the
fiuky Clyde course. The skippers of both
yachts were not at their helms, except in an
advisory capacity. Clyde captains steered
both boats.
The Vigilant had crew of fifty men and
the Britannia forty The preparatory gun
set the leaders nlan9uyrlng- for position
north of the line. The Vigilan6 got the
weather gauge on her cross in and held
it. She bounded over the line at
1881 40 or one minute and forty seconds
after gun fire The Britannia was only tif-
teen seconds astern, her time being 10:3l:55.
1t was beat down the Firth. Both boats
carried clubtopsails and large jibtopsails.
vIGILANT LEADS AT START.
The Vigilant appeared to be leading by
several hundred yards, and had the better Of
the slightly increasing breeze. The boats
headed for Ascog on the port tack After
several short taeks the Britannia bore out to
mid channel ON the starboard tack. The
Vigilant did not follow her. but headed
down the Firth apparently well to wind
ward. The wind became lighter. The
Vigilant, on the port tack, pointed in
toward the west short After standing
awhile on this leg she went about and
headed to the eastward on the starhoard
tack toward the Britannia The Mount
Stuart mark was rounded by the Nigilant at
1;1S:20, and by the Britannia at Il;20:50,
Thus the Vigilant was 2ls minutes ahead.
The wind dropped somewhat in the broad
reach, with booms TO port, from Nouns
Stuart to the hagboat at Largs, and the
Britannia crawled up on her opponent.
The Britannia showed her main boom out
and prepared to set her splnnaker after turn
inc the Largs mark The Britannia rounded
the mark at 11:50:35 and the Nigilant at
II 81 80, or just one minute and one second
astern Captain Carter had adopted his
familiar tactics of running under the Yankee
boats stern, taking her wind and drawing
slowly ahead.
a CLOSE RACE.
In the windward work to Mount Stuart it
was generally observed that the Vigilan5
pointed higher than the Britannia, but that
the Briton was smarter IN stays. When
the breeze was fine the Niglant had a COM
manding lead. but when it dropped sac
fell astern. Spinnakers were set to port
IL. OH l1I tn kioTNa--
The Vigilant pressed the britannia hard
Notwithstanding the ightness of wind.
Passing Knock Castle, about half way up
the 4 X mile leg, the Nigilant was only %
seconds astern of the Britannia. The
Britannia gathered in her spinuaker Just be-
fore rounding the Memyss nag peat. her Her
time was 100:54; Nigilant, / ;6l:iO. The
Vigilant had held her own from Knock
Castle, as this difference of IS seconds in
favor of the Britannia indicated.
1t was a close haul at iiIst from Wemyss
to the Commodore's yacht at Rothesay; but
the tickle wind shifted suddenly to north-
west and it became q dead beat to the home
mark. Naturally, the forward yacht got
the first advantage of the shift. The wind
increased, its renewed force helping the
Britannia first. and she rounded the Rothe-
say flag boat 2ll minutes ahead of the Vigi-
liant. The time britannia, 1.4543;
Nigilant, IS. 90.
four and q half-mile stretch to LaTgs. The
time was: tritanJ;ia, 2:l2:4i; Nigilant,
34f:tl After ra.GNijsg isFgs the yachts
headed for W emyss BAY with the wind ca
the port beam.
In the board reaching northward, ON the
east side of the quadrangle, up to tho
Wemyss Bav mark. the Britannia gradually
drew away from the Yankee yacht. The
time at the mark was: Britannia. S;15;f;
Vigilant, 3l9:32 Thus the Britannia hal
Increased her lead by two minutes and
twenty seconds since leaving Largs. She
was four and a quarter minutes ahead.
After rounding the Wemyss mark ths
yachts made for the starting point, with the
wind dead ahead
The beat from Wemyss to the home marx
was dreary and umnteresting, as the wind
fell to merely light air The Britannia
covered the A miles in somewhat more than
an hour, or at the rate of | mile in fifteen
minutes, which serves to show the unsatis-
factory nature of the contest The time at
the home mark was Britannia, 4:20:15; Wig
liant 4:26:55 The Britannia had gained
two minutes and twenty-five seconds from
Weanyss, and was leading by six minutes and
forty seconds.
Tie wind strengthenen as the yachts tore
away toward I4args, with the main booms
well over TO port
In the run to I.args the Britannia increased
her lead AS she rounded the mark boat
and headed for home close-hauled 1T was
seen that she had vanquished the Nigilant
she had a long lead home and was a sure win
ner She will come in probably about ten
minutes ahead of the Vigilant