Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-08-03
THEDEFENDER LOSES
Hef New Tangled xain.San CAT Breaks
In Twain.
vIGnANT WINS THE RACE
The New Boat shows What She Can
DO, However, Before She In Dis
abled-CompnrisOns With the
Vnlkyrie-schOOner Contest.

FENDER has lost her nrst race, ana great
was the pity OF II, for she had walked
away from her three competitors. and was
nearing home when a new-fangled gan at
the top of her mainsail broke, and most
ingloriously the aspirant for cup honors
was obliged to take a line from COM
mon, everyday tug and retire from the
race. allowing the vigilant to win.
The 500 cup offered by Ogden Goelet
was the prize for which the syndicate
boat was racing: but the fair fame 81
craft that seeks international honors was
at stake. Her antagonists were George
j. Goulds vigilant the preserver OF the
Americas cup In 1898. and General Charles
q. Payne's unknown jubilee. built for
cup-defender in 1898. but not chosen. and
also j. Malcolm Forbes's successful cup
defender of iSS7-the Volunteer.
With three opponents fit to try her
steel the latest creation went out TO
Brenton Reefs iightship, of the entrance
TO Newport harDof. this morning. and
put up race that delighted the big
crowd Of spectators until after the Sc
cond turn, sailing thirty-two miles OF
the thirty-eight or the course. Then her
new hollow gaff broke near Its middle,
and the great main-sail became mis-
shapsn bag.
The spar was followed out and bound
together like barrel, in order to save
weight. Hollow spars were first used In
England. and the Herreshoffs have elabo-
rated on the foreign idea. Better go back
to the solid Yankee stick !" was the gene
raj opinion OF yachtsmen to-day who were
fearing as to where We would be II such
thing happened in a cup race.
Before the mishap the Defender had
pressed to windward seventeen and a
half miles, and run eighteen miles with
the wind astern and spinnaker out, and
had turned the second mark, with IL
minutes "a seconds advantage over the
Vigilant, 16 minutes Il seconds over the
Jubilee, and "a minutes 80 seconds over
the Volunteer.
WHAT SHE CAN DO.
This was clearly a demonstration OF
what the new boat Is capable OF.
In the windward work the gain over
the Vigilant was 2 minutes 2s seconds,
and In the run minutes seconds.
The wind was about fourteen knots an
hour at the start. dropping TO ten knots
at the first turn. and increasing during
II was blowing when the gaff gave way.
The boat was close-pulled at the time,
and there was lumpy sea. which may
have had something to do with the car
rying away Of the gam.
After the Defender withdrew the vigil
liant sailed home an easy winner
General Payne's Jubilee not only failed
10 crowd the Defender, but could not
push the vieilant nearly as hard as she
did In the trial race OF 1893. showing either
that the. changes in the Vigilant have I'm
proved her or the changes In the Jubilee
have not helped her.
Calculations of the Valkyrle's perform
ances. taking her superiority to the IHi-
tannia and the latter's defeats OF the
Vigilant in English waters will not hold
good. therefore, for the Defender beats
the improved Vigilant and not merely the
old Vigllant The performance OF the ola
Volunteer to-day showed how much W.
have progressed in yacht-buildins since
1887. when the boat which was over haif
an hour slower than the model or 1888
easily beat the Thistle.
SCHOONER RACE.
The great race OF the sloops diverted at
tention from the race for the $1,000
schooner's cup. also offered by Mr.. Goelet,
which was sailed at the same time over
the same course. There were no crack
schooners in the race. The best elapsed
time was made by the Lasca, and was
Z hours. ~ minutes, sc seconds.
The Vigilant covered the distance In .
hours. 3 minutes, 50 seconds. or almost %
minutes better than the best or the
achooners.
The Emerald was the second schooner
10 finish. and was given the prize on time
allowance. The Amorita was the third
schooner in. The others finished In the
following order: May, Merlin, Eisemario'
Neara, and Loyal. 49,
The last two are schooners OF CLASS
five. and were racing for special cup
which was offered at the New forR
Yacht Club regatta. June 18th. but was
not decided then, owing to a mistake IN
classification. The Loyal won the prize
to-day by minutes 10 seconds, corrected
time.