New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-10
THE vIGILANT'S AVERAGE COMPUTED.
CALCULATIONS MADE FROM RACES WHICH PRO
vIDED TRUSTWORTHY DATA SHOW HER
TO BE MORE DANGEROUS THAN
SOME PEOPLE THINK.

SOME PEOPLE THINK.
Now that the Vigilant has been temporarily with
drawn from the trial contests 1t is interesting 70
make an exact and fair calculation of her speed by
using the data which the races have so far suppled
Rut IN uslng this material for the purpose of ar
irving at a really correct computation 1t is found
that the official timings in some or the races 90
not assist owing to the fact that they do not ex-
plain attendant circumstances. which IN reality
make these races useless in the present endeavor.
Cases in which there were breakdowns. or damag-
ing mshaps or marked gains on either side through
eukes that were apparant to all witnesses. cannot
Of course assist In arriving at fair average ana
WILL therefore. not be included in this calculation.
The frs. race on July 20 fifteen miles to wind
ward and from the Scotland Ligntsnip IN
which the Defender won by two minutes and forty
five seconds.
The second race on July % triangular one
NJ thirty miles also started from Scotland Light
shjn On each of the first and third legs OF this
triangle the Defender clearly outsailed the Vigant
nv two minutes. But during the wndward work.
on the second ten-mle leg. the Vlgilant was be-
Gained while the Defender had a good breeze
Previous 10 the period OF calm and catspaws no ad-
vantage seemed to be gained by either boat but
afterward owing to palpable iukes. the Defender
gained five minutes before she turned the next
buov The only proof exhibited in this race was IN
the two gains Of minutes each; and the result al
the finish as recorded in the official timing at nine
m
by all parties TO represent so much unearned gain
on the part OF the Defender that it cannot safely be
included in this computation which seeks TO get
at the actual sailing results.
The third race on July % course con-
tanning three legs. lying between Glen Cove ana
Huntington Here the Vgilant lost by one minute
and forty-nine seconds in a twenty-one mile trial
In the fourth race Of sixty-four miles from HUNT
inrton to New London July 30 the Defenders
steering gear refused work. and the yachts could
not finish the run. being towed into port py
steamer This one therefore. cannot be counted IN.
The fifth race on July 81. of forty miles from
Nev.T ondon 10 Newport run in brisk
breeze This time 1t was the Vgilants turn 10 SUI
fer mishap Just prior to the start she split her
mainsal so badly that spectators thought she
would not jon in the run. After a runous delay In
trying to effect mend she followed aiter the oth-
ers but at such distance that the ofhciai RECORD
in this also is useless.
What is called the Block Island course was next
run on August @ a distance of thrty-eght miles.
Here the Defenders hollow gaff crumpled up, and
she was once more towed into port by steamer al
ter being crippled to compete.
The seventh race from Newport to Vineyard
Haven was run on August 3. Here the Nigilant
came in six minutes and twenty-tour seco"us oe
hind in a thrty-eghtm mile contest
In the eighth race, from Vineyard Haven 10 new
MORT on August s. thrty-eght miles the Defender
finished nine minutes and nine seconds before the
Vigilant.
On August the ninth and last race was con-
tested on a twenty-one-me course OH Ne"poi'' Ill
which the Defender finished six minutes ana ten
seconds before the vigant. On the part OF the
latter boat 1t was claimed that she was caused 10
lose some time through being wrongfully compeled
to relinquish an advantage. but the time oficia"y
recorded may be properly computed mere
A SMALL AVERAGE OF DEFEAT
II will be therefore seen that owing to two
breakdowns by the Defender mishap 10 the
Vigtlant and a bad case OF fiuke no less 'hah iou'
of the nine races useless when the real aver
age OF the Vigant's sailing is sought to be ascer
tanned The remaining five are the hrst' 'hiru
seventh, eighth and ninth. II the times In these
cases be added together and divided by five, the
result will show that the real average OF the vigil
liant in those races which can be relied upon as
exhibiting her sailing fairly Is minus OF hve MN
utes and ten seconds.
1t will be noticed that in the first and third races
the Vigilant has probably won because 1t is almost
n certainty that her time allowance WILL when pub
lished be found to be over three minutes. While
Mr. Wizards appeals to the Regatta Committee
to have both boats measured have for a long time
been dsregarded and at present no h 9utsuer zoe can
age Of only fve minutes and ten seconds behind. the
vigilant is dangerous boat. That Is 10 say. she
may be considered to be more dangerous than some
people think II a certain portion OF local argument
proves to be correct
A BIG TIME ALLOWANCE POSSIBLE.
There are some who positively assert that the
vgilant is now sailing at less water-.ine length
than in previous years. and certainly at not more
than eighty-sIx feet. They claim that the De-
fender was built to the full limit and that with her
present sail area there will be at least five six
feet OF racing length to account for between the
two boats They point to the fact that for small
difference which they say less than a racing
length foot the vgilant had to allow the Valkyrie
III less than minute and forty seconds and
they assert that the Defenders excess OF length
cannot cost her less than six minutes. These OF
no friends. "A
present no method OF finding out how far they are
right. But they say that the Defender people at
the present time know exactly what the Defender
will have to give the vigiant, and that IL Is this
knowledge In the background that Is producing all
the trouble.
These friends OF the vgilant say that II Is not
intended that Mr.. Willard shall have redress on any
protest ne may enter and that the desire Is 10
have the vigilant withdrawn under the supposition
that she defend the and before the pub
licaton OF such official measurements as will show
that the Defender Is not. according to rules. the
faster boat and therefore cannot defend the cup II
she cannot give the Xigi.ant her atatutory time.