Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-20
CLOSE, BUT DEFEATED
The Britannia Again Ran Away
From the Vigilant.
FIFTY-MILE QUADRANGULAR RACE
Spectators View Interrupted by a
Thunder Storm.
A HARD-FOUGHT CONTEST

A HARD-FOUGHT CONTEST
JAMESTOWN. Ireland, July 2O.-The
| American sloop Vigilant and the British
| cutter Britannia started today in their
| ninth race, the record this morning stand
| Ing seven to one in favor of the Britannia.
The day dawned with little prospect of
Vigilant weather. The wind was light, and
| as the morning wore on the breeze did not
| freshen to any great extent. causing
corresponding fall in the hopes Of the ad-
mirers and supporters Of the graceful Amer
lean racer.
Shortly after daybreak this morning
steady streams of people began to pour
| into Kingstown from Dublin and other
places, until Bray Head, kidney Hill and
| other vantage spots were black with hu-
| manity. and Kingstown harbor was early
packed with steam and sailing yachts, in
the center of which beautiful fleet rode the
gallant Vigilant. looking as powerful and
handsome a racing craft as ever cleft
water.
The Course Today.
The race today was for a prize Of $500.
offered by the Royal st. Georges Yacht
Club. and not for the st. Georges cup us
previously announced. The course was
Quadrangular and was fifty miles long
The start was from the second or east pier
| Of KingstOwn. County Wicklow, to and
| around the Rosebeg buoy marking the
Rosebeg bank OF the point Of Howthe,
County Dublin: thence out to sea and
around the Kish light ship; from there
| back toward shore and around Muglins'
/ rocks. or Bray Head. and from there back
| to the starting point; this course to be
| sailed over three times in order to complete
the fifty miles.
In addition to the main event, the race
between the Vigilant and the Britannia.
| there were on this second days racing of
the regatta Of the Royal st. Georges
Yacht Club nine minor events. with thirty
| sevel entries.
The vigilant left her moorings at 8
and went for q cruise outside the harbor
In order to test the wind and get her sails
In good drawing condition. Nat HERES
hon was sailing the Vigilant, and he was
at her wheel throughout the days racing.
The breeze at that time was southwest
| and soft. The Britannia also ran out to
| sea shortly after the Vigilanq. Both
yachts had their jack yarders up and also
hoisted jib topsails for a run toward Rose
beg buoy In the preliminary maneuvers
| In order to catch the line.
The spinnaker booms were got ready to
port and the two racers headed for the
line.
The Britannia crossed the line two min
| utes after the gun was fired from the flag
snip and the Vigilant followed Immediately
| afterward. The Britannia handled her
| spinnakcr most admirably and was the first
to have 1t drawing. The Vigilant's spin
| maker was not pulling until some minutes
later. Then the Vigilane soon began draw
Ing up on the Britannia's lee quarter.
| The times of the two yachts at starting
| were:
Inns.
Viat1ant ''''....'.'................. 10 81 %
The spinnakers were barely flling ae
| they squared away for the distance The
american yacht was keeping almost broad
on the Britannia's starboard beam
| When about quarter of a mile away from
| the starting line, the Britannia dropped her
| spinnaker and gybed for a southe-ly dra n
or air In so doing she smartly crossed the
Higiiants bows while the latter was initial
| ing her. and gybed to starboard Roth
| yachts soon changed their spin bakers To
| starboard. the Britannia by clever maneu-
| vering. gained several lengths. The two
yachts We're then getting more wind and
| were sailing better
| Inc yachts. when a mile toward Rosebeg
| had pretty aquatic skirmish The Vigi-
liant was trying hard fo- the Britannia S
| weather when the latter luffed up, and both
| were soon pointing off the course and sail
| Ing away up the hay.
Rounding Rosebeg buoy. the first mark of
| the first round the Prince of Wales cutter
| had a lead OF thirty-eight seconds.
| In the open water, afte- having passed
| Rosebeg. the yachts got a fairer breeze and
the Vigilant hoisted bigger foresail, a
| baby jib topsail. Both went well southwa I'd
| In order to get the flood tide for the return
BY this time strong southerly breeze was
| blowing.
AT the second mark. Kish lightship, on
the first round. the Britannia had gained
| twenty-three seconds on the run to the
| lightship, and led the Vigilant by one min
ute one second The yachts reached down
big jib topsails set. The wind, however.
| softened, and headed them as they neared
the Muglins. The Vigilant was then gain
ing on the Britannia.
The vigiIant Gaining.
| The Britannia led by only forty-one sec
onds at the Muglins, against a lead of one
minute one second at the last mark pre-
viously passed. The racers left the Mug
Inns in close company with spinnakers to
! port.
| The contest on the run nome on the first
! round was most exciting and aroused the
| greatest enthusiasm ashore. Every move
ment Of the yachts was eagerly watched by
| the spectators. The Vigilant was close i'm
the Britannia's wake, spilling her wind and
| trying for her opponents weather The
Britannia, however. luffed and bore her
down. A westerly wind-check brought down
the spfnnakers. and the main sheets were
| gybe on the starboard tack. The Britannia
| was then broad on the Vigilants weather
| 1t was dead beat home, and the Britannia
passed the fiagboat at the end of the first
round ahead Of the Vigilant amid tremen-
dous cheering for both yachts. The two
yachts completed the first round as follows:
| H. NJ. s.
Britannia. ...........................1 OS O6
Is ....-...l VS u
At this point the Britannia had a lead of
only twenty seconds against the lead of
| forty seconds which she had at the
Muglins rocks. The closeness of the race
caused the greatest excitement ASHORE
On the second round. at Rosebeg buoy the
Britannia had increased her lead to two
minutes nine seconds. En- route to the Kish
| lightship. on the second round, the wind
was southerly and harder, and the Britain
MIA increased the gap between her and the
Vigilant At Kish lightship the Britannia
had still further increased her lead on the
Vigilant by forty-four seconds. Both were
moving quickly on the reach to Muglins, the
breeze freshening finely and driving the
racers through the water in splendid style,
much to the delight of their admirers
ashore and afioat. The Vigilant, however
rod hor1 Iyf To CT md ,.,oll, b.