The herald., 1895-08-21
FIRST FORMAL TRIAL RACES
The Defender and VigiIant
Make a Poor Attempt
FORMERS STAYS WEAKENED
And the Vigilant Is Declared TO Be-
the Winner
Although Defender Beat the Other by Five
Seconds on the Elapsed Time
Of the Round
FORMERS STAYS WEAKENED

Associated PresS special WIRE,
NEW YORK August 20.-The first for.
NAL trial between the Defender and the
Nigilant to give the America S cup COM
mittee an opportunity to decide which
boat should be named to defend the cup
was held today outside of Sandy Hook in
the same waters that the cup race will
take place, but ended very unsatisfac-
torlly. The yachts raced not only to
give the committees a line on them, but
also for a cup that John Jacob Astor
offered 20 the winner of the IN ajority uf
the races that the committee should order.
The winner of the cup. however. will
not necessarily be the defender of the
America s cup. One boat might beat the
other three times straight and yet the
Amer ica S cup COMMITTEES will have abso-
lutte power and discretion in picking the
def nder. The committee may Ignore
these trial races altogether if they choose
20 do so.
1t is believed among yachtsmen that
the committee ordered the trial races
more in the hope that they would see the
Defe in u good stiff breeze. if not in q
hard wind, a condition of things in
which she has not yet had the oppor-
tunty of displaying her power. They
came very near having the desired view
today. But they were forestalled by an
accident that prevented the Defender
from really showing what she could do in
a breeze that went over the water prot-
ably at the rate of twenty knots an hour.
In fact, there was very stiff breeze and
1t brought direct I'M jury to the fin -Keleed
boat. The breeze stirred up her rigging
SO much and played such havoc among it
that it loosened 1t to a material extent
up toward the masthead and caused such
damage that the Defender had to with
draw or take liberal chance at carrying
away ner topmast. 1t was afterward
found that the slackenng up of the
rigging was so xtensive that the yacht
would not be able to compete in the sec
ond trial race for week
The committee, having learned this,
declared az the New York Yacht club
house that the next two trial races would
take place on Tuesday and Wednesday of
next week. 1t is mystery to yacntsmen,
especially those who have given the
closest attention to the rigging of boats
why Defenders stays weakened under
breeze which enabled her to still carry
her CLUB topsall, which she did when She
stopped, and continued to do all the way
up and down the anchorage off bay
Ridge.
Ihe Nlgllant, too, was prevented from
going over the whole course, but from a
different cause. After sne had made her
first round OF the ten miles to wndward
and returned she hauled down her club
topsail and then ran up against q wind
that burst her jib into shreds. Nothing
daunted, however, she ran up another
lib and was proceeding on the course the
second time when the committee boat
Luckenbach ran up alongside her while
she was tacking and notified her that she
need go no farther that the Defender
had Withdrawn and that the Vigilant had
been declared the winner OF the days
race.
When the yachts were ordered to start
on their trial journey there was a nice
little breeze of nine or ten knots blowing
from southwest. When the racers we're
sent off at IL :35 there was good-sized
fleet OF steam yachts. sloops, steamers
and even catboats loafng about the line.
among them was the Eugene. with the
blind boat builder, John 3. Herreschoff,
aboard.
There was no possible occasion for pro-
test at the start today. When the racers
came ablut and headed down to the line
there was fully three lengths OF clear
water between them, the Vigilant the
first time being in advance. They came
scurrying along the tow of the lightship
with malnsa!l, club topsail, forestay and
jib set. The Defender probably never
showed such a fine setting suit OF canvas,
but the Vigilant's were even better. Both
were on the starboard tack, having been
told by signal that their course would
be dead against the wind. AS they went
over the Vigilant set her baby jib topseil
and in dong so luffed into the wind long
enough to make her lose probably fifteen
seconds if not more. AS usual the De-
fender went about almost as soon as she
had crossed the line. She stood away on
the port tack while the Vigilant contin-
ued on long board. The Defender
stood on the port tack for couple OF
minutes and then went about TO overhaul
tine Vigilant. For some time it looked
as though the Vigilant was outpointlng
the Defender, but the appearance was