The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-09-27
THE KELPIE LEADS.
She Wins the Second Yacht
Race in a Spanking Breeze.
she CUTS THE RECORD DOWN.
second OF the series-The Third
Race Today.

The four large yachts, kelpis. Rainier.
Oracle Feiiix and Xcra met yesterday
morning off the Seattle Yacht Clubs
house az Wess Seattle for the second race
over the club course. and the kelpis stood
staunchiy up under the stiff southwest
wind and won handiiy By five minutes
over the Oracle Felstx. lowering the record
BY IL minutes and - seconds The Nora
and Rainier did not sail over the course
and consequently were not timed.
The boats were ready promptly and
crossed the starting line with all the wind
they wanted in the following order: Nora.
kelpie. Rainier and Oracle Felitz. There
was an interval af minutes and II sec
onds between the Nora and Oracle in cross
ing the line and the Oracle VAS double
reef-d, the Xora single reefed, while the
Rainier carried her full sail aud the kslpie
her topsail a. the start. The run 20 -Four
Mile rock was made in fast time, as the
bunch Of boats fairly flew down before the
wind, but no material change in their rels-
tive positions occurred until they had
rounded the buoy and stood over to-
wards Blakeley, with the wind constantly
freshening. Here il was that the breeze
proved too stiff for the Xera, and, unable
to hold on her course under single rect
she was obliged 10 take two more. Her
stoppage TO reef down was noticed from
the shore and gave rise 20 various rnmors
that some accident had happened TO her.
None or these were true, however. and the
simple fact is that the breeze was too strong
for her. On this leg the kelpie and the
Rainier were in the lead, with the
Oracle Felitz third and the Nora far be
hind. The wind was constantly freshen-
ing, and here the staunchness of the kelpie
stood her in good stead, for although she
took in her topsail, she was running along
under full sail, well 10 windward and con-
stantiy increasing her lead: the Oracle was
keeping along under double reef and en-
countered some exceedingly violent
squalls near Blakeiey rocks. 1t was at
this point that the Rainier encountered a
puff that threw her almost on her beam
ends, the water came rushing into the
cock pit and it looked for a time as though
she would lose her mast As 1T was
her mast Vas badly strained and
will need considerable bracing before she
viii be in condition to start tomorrow
morning. After this accident the Rainier
did not continue the course but went
about and stood over for Duwamish head.
In the meantime Can't Hatfield had
passed the spar buoy off the Country Club
about ten or twelve minutes ahead OF the
Oracle. and Was speeding along with
started sheets for the finish. 1t vas pretty
struggle between the keipie and Oracle,
bur when the finish gun was fired the
kalpie had maintained clear lead of five
minutes. The Nora did not attempt TO
round the spar buoy, and stood across for
the finish.
The race was satisfactory in every re-
spect and IL is now apparent that Capt. J.
=. Hatfield and Fred l.. Sander were cor
rect in claiming that the kelpie il the best
sea boat in the harbor AMI can easily win
in stiff breeze. The boats were well
sailed and the numerous spectators who
witnessed the contest, both from West
Seattle and from the water front. were
unanimous in their praise of the kelpie
and Of the mastery manner in which she
Was handled by Capt. Hatfield.
The keipie was sailed by ]. A. Hatfield,
the Nora by Henry Hensei. the Rainier
by ]. Ii. Johnson and the Oracle Felitz by
A. NJ. Towle. The time summary is as
follows: