Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-08-03
DEFENDER ouT.
Broke Her Gafr While Leading the Vigilant
 by Eight Minutes

by Eight Minutes
 NEWPORT, k. l., Aug 3.-The race for the Goelet cup was apparently the De- fender's race until within five miles of the finish, when q sudden puff of wind broke her gaff in the middle, and she was obliged to drop out, allowing the Vigilant to cross the line a winner by about 6 minutes over the Jubilee and fully 25 minutes ahead of the old Volunteer.
 A grand fleet assembled at the starting line and wached the four single stickers as they spared about for position. The wind, which at first was light from the southeast, shifted to southwest and by the time the starting gun was fired it was blowing about ten miles an hour.
 All the boats hugged the Narragansett shore and made short hitches down to the first mark, the Defender leading, Jubilee second, the Vigilant third and the VClun- teer last, the latter being rapidly dropped by the rest of the fleet.
 The Defender kept on increasing her lead, and was six minutes ahead around tho Block island buoy. From this point was a run to the second mark of IS miles. and the Defender added over four minutes to her lead on this run, rounding the stake boat at 3:43:40. The Vigilant's time around the second mark was 3:54:35, the Jubilee's 3:57:00 and the Volunteers s
 
 half mile on the last leg when the acci- dent happened, and the Vigilant, taking | the lead, finished at 4:3S:09. The Jubilec's l time was 4:44: zoo and the Volunteer s l 5:O0:04. The elapsed time of the Vigilant was 3:03:37, the Jubilee's 5:12:51 and tho | Volunteers 5:29:23. The Lasca won the race for schooners.
 So far as practical results go, the race only reiterated what everybody knows by | this time-viZ, that the Defender is the l fastest light weather boat ever built in | America. She outpointed and outfooted the Vigilant in the beat to windward, l which was the first leg of the course, and | gained much more on her during the sec- l ond leg, a run dead before the wind-a course supposed to be most favorable to the centerboard yacht. But just as the | new vessel undertook a stretch for home, with only 619 miles out of the entire 3S to cover, her hollow gaff snapped in two and she was compelled to give up.
 At the turning of the second mark the Defender was minutes 35 seconds ahead | of the Vigilant on the time consumed from the start, and she had the same opportuni ty to lengthen the gap that she had of Sandy Hook on July 22, when on 8 long stretch for home she increased her lead The last part of the race was closer stretch. but the high pointing qualities o the fin keel boat justify the statement that she would have gained on that leg.
 Although the Vigilant won the cup, it il a growing opinion that the America's cuI committee are satisfied that no formal tri al races will be necessary because tn, sailing of the Defender was good enougf to give evidence of her continuous i'm provement and that is all that is wanted in the way of information by the commit tee.
 However, a test of the boat in a blow i still essential, for the Defender has no yet been tried in that sort of weather bu it is hoped that this one undisplayed qual iflcation of the yacht will be brought ou before this cruise of the New York Yach club is ended. The Jubilee and Volunteer which also started, were never in the hun with the Defender and the Vigilant ol the IS mile run before the wind iron Block island to the West island lightship