The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-04
YIGILANT'S RACE.
The Britannia Defeated
Over the Royal Yacht
Club Course.
REAL YANKEE WEATHER
A Fine Start, the Yachts Cross
ing the Line To-
gether.
REAL YANKEE WEATHER
By Gable to the United Press.

manher of floating things to see the ankee
sloop Vigilant and the Prince of Wales cut
ter Britannia contend in a match race FOR a
$500 cup over the course of the Royal Yacht
Squadron There has never been more
respondent feet of pleasure craft
in the Solent at any previous race
in British yachting annals. Some
of the yachts present are Sir r. w.
Bulkeleys Speranza, Lord Dudley's Vigorna,
the Marquis of OiGnonde's Mirage, Mr. Al
bert Brassey's Czarina, Mr.. Goelets White
Iadye, Mr.. A. H Woods Rena, Mr. E. H
Morgan's May and Prince, Henry of batten-
berg's Sheila and Asphodel Among the
American yachrsnen who saw the race
were Governor Kortrigllt, ofjthe New orR
| Yacht Club, and G: n. Stevens, of Boston.
| Her Malesty's ship DTpadnaught and the
| German naval school ship the Glosch lay oil
| the club house OF the Royal Y acht Squadron.
The finish and start of the contest were
visible from several points of land. the
| nearest of which was iCowes, and the villas
and hotels We're crowded with guests, some
of whom paid fabulous. prices for the
rooms. The course was forty eight miles
! long, with four turns. and ran almost due
east and west, each leg being about twelve
miles III length.
| The course of the yachts after the start
was westward to G. mark boat off Lepe,
thence eastward TO and around the Warner
Lightship and back to the starting point OH
| Cowes, twice around 1t was over practi-
cally this same course a yeara ago today that
| the Satauita beat Mr. Royal Phelps Car
rolls centre boarder by seven minutes and
| four seconds.
| The sky was cloudless when the giants
sailed out to the starting line There was a
| good breeze from the southwest that, to the
weatherwise shippers and alert pilots,
seemed to have III it the promise OF royal
| yachting later in the day. The exports on
wind, as they had only plain gaf topsails
set instead of the widespreadlng club top
sails 80 frequently seen in preceding races.
| The start was one of the cleverest ever
seen hereabouts. The yachts came for the
| line on the port tack. the Britannia to wind
ward. The starting gun boomed at half
past ten o'clock, and five seconds later both
boats crossed the line SO evenly that one OBJ
scured the other. and at distance they ap
peared like a single yacht. It was
/ short beat to the Lepe
| against strong ebb tide, with
TWO long legs and short one. The Britain
MIA seemed TO be leading until the yachts
the last leg, and the Vigilant gybed around
| the mark fifty-five seconds ahead Of her.
| Time, Vigilant. 1855 :o5; Britannia, 10:56:o0.
\ In the run from Lepe to the Warner Light
1 ship, with the wind. which was freshening a
bit over the starboard quarter both yachts
I set their jibtopsails. Passing the clubhouse
Non their way to the lightship it was Seen
| that the centreboarder had increased her
| lead to one minute and ten seconds. Time.
4 Vigilant, II 03:l6; Britannia, 1l:04:26.
| The increase in the wind favored the Brit
| ania, but she lost few more seconds on the
l way out. At the Warner the Nlgilant was
| one minute and forty five seconds ahead, hav-
| ing gained fifty seconds since she gybed
/! around Lepe. Time at the Warner
| Vigilant, IL 1:4S:20; Britannia, II 5O:05.
vIGILANT'S BIG LEAD.
In the tweve-mile stretch back to Lepe,
close hauled, the Vigilant made the hearts
of hundreds of Americans bound by her
performance. The yachts were seen only
| indistinctly from the shore after rounding
| the Warner, as misty rain set in. The
(. breeze shifted trifie to the southwark, and
glorious whitecaps, welcome to the vision OF
| the Yankee tars, began to tighten the al
/ ready lunlpy surface of tho Solent. The
/ yachts passed the clubhouse. bound for the
\ Lepe with the seas squirting from their
weather bows, leaning far to starboard.
A thousand watches timed them, and the
| advocates of tho Britannia were not pleased
with the result. According to the official
| figures, the Vigilant led by three minutes
and fifty-two seconds. She had gained since
she rounded the Warner two minutes and
seven seconds. Time: :-Vigilant. 12:3S:32 I;
| Britannia II :42:24
After passing the clubhouse the yacnts made
a broad reach of it to the Lepe, the wind
/, having got around more to the southward,
,enabling the yachts to carry their big jib-
litopsails The Vigilant ran hers up in stops,
land broke 1t out before the Britannia set
lhers The centreboarder was five minutes
llon oh oh had n1rO1in n
1.-THE Lepe mark-boat Time: Nigilant,
II 1249:l5; Britannia, 12,55:05.
A FINE WIND.
The wind had acquired additional force
and more southerly tendency. 1t was a
breach, with jib top sails, . the Warner, The
lltime of the yachts as taxi hen they passed
l the clubhouse on the last X Ito the Warner
llshowed that the Britannia. doubtless because
lshe h,d first felt the impeliing influence of
| the freshening breeze, had picked up one
jtminute and forty seconds since rounding the
}IIepe mark. Time at the clubhouse
| Vigilant, lo0:30; Britannia, l:04:40.
| In the rest of the reach to Warner, the
| Vigilant picked up all that she had lost be-
tween the Lepe mark and the clubhouse.
| Time at the Warner;-Vigilant. 15:l;l3;
| Britannia, 1:57:05
4 OPPRESSIVE SILENCE.
The wind from the Warner to the finish
was blowing about fifteen knots. it was still
WeSUf OIL SOuUu hll bu0 Dig StHSloS oSUiCAoIS
| made the final leg almost close hauled. The
| Vigilant lost twenty-seven seconds to her
rival in this nine miles of reaching.
| 1t required no official timing to con-
vince the Americans that their
yacht, in fine wind over a
pretty good inside course had vanquished
| the cutter handsomely. The crowds of
| Britons on the shores evidently did not like
| to contemplate the result Of the battle.
They were as silent,as il they were attend
ing an execution. Maybe they thought
\ they were. As the Vigilant came bounding
liup to the finish. smashing the spray from
lher spoon bow and heeling gracefully,
leput not too far to starboard, the silence
i,!becanne oppressive. When she dashed across
1.-THE line, mile ahead of the Britannia there
lwere no vaporous shrieks of applauding
4 whistles and resounding cheers from the
| throngs ashore. Only single toot came
,over the water and that was probably from
/ an American yacht.
4 No lusty throats sent forth greeting to the
/ gallant centrebosrder Perhaps it might
have been different if the British cutter had
| won, as she has frequently, amid tempest
I of cheers and yells before.
| The victory was one which clearly shows
what often has been declared by Captain
Hank Half of the Vigilant and Nat Here's
,hoff, her designer, that she is the better
beat in stiff. steady breeze She was five
| minutes and twenty eight seconds ahead at