New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-07-07
DEFENDER rs. VALKYRIE III.
THE PROBABILITIES REVIEWED BY AN
ENGLISH EXPERT.
HE THINKS THE ENGLISH sKIPPER Will. NOT BE
ABLE TO MAKE TIE BEST Use OF HIS
or

ABLE TO MAKE THE BEST ISE VI his
HEApsArrs-rHE RACES OF 1899.
Those who are looking for pointers regarding the
probable outcome OF the international yacht races
will read with interest the Views OF an EngI'sh
yachsman who witnessed the Nigilant-Nnikyrie
contests In 1s1I.
81 don't sec" he said. why 1t should he re-
gorded as so important that Watson has produced
n boat three or four feet wider than the Defender
As yet II is totally In the clouds as to whether mo
new Valkyrie's extra beam IL going 10 hc'p he'.
Surely Hcrreshcff IL good Judge. II the VISIT OF
the Vigllant 10 England and his well-known al
niration for the britannia resulted In his produce
ing the Defender with even less beam tnn inc
Virilant surely he had good reasons for 80 doing
He liked the easy way In which the narrower Eng
lish boats slipped through the water: ana who IL
10 say until after the event that he IL wrong
This ease OF movement has been an English ideai
for genem,.ons and II seems rather curious eN
change when Watson has gone over BODY ana soul
TO the American beam. to ind that Herreshon mas
been at the same time captvated by the fhe'sh
s,imness OF build I have for many years watcher
the gradual convcrgIng OF the English ana Amer
can models TO one type. and II IL id'e anu "o'"'"
70 accuse either aide Of taking points from ire
other The actual fact Is that both have done w.
From tho continued success OF the American boats
rna.y persons England began OF late years 10
,.oa-1 tho ,en,reboar,l ms q sort OF fetch and IL
became rather favorite for small boats after
Won had practically abandoned w. a. SHOWN py
your Gloriana and Wasp and your meet OF e'Rn'
&C. foo.crs In 1891. all OF which were Keel b'a's
r,hn Phil ESQ was enjoying his new toy. hosting
sn1 lowering his purolncl cen,reboard. while
Brother Jonathan was sitting over his newly ac-
cu,rcd keel and wlnking with evident "ius'hcoon
over his advantage in the exchange WATSON mas
AZ last seen the advantage OF your huge s"'-'arry
ing power In n boat. and he has prod"''' one 'n''
Il more thoroughly American In point "' bea"
usht lie
shon has annexed all that was valuable IN me
,aon r,yush kesl and has. In fact. raised Watson
one better In this respect.
Nov the point II here: The English nave been
accustomed 10 drive their slim needenKe poa's WIN
a comparatively small amount OF canvas ana 'ne
Americans have understood that 10 drive th'ir
very Wild. crafts they had TO use peculiarly large
areas OF canvas. The question then arises " J"
m. two English captains OF the new Nalkyrie do
the same thing? VIII they at the right lime pil"
on those enormous American headSa''s' VIM" "'n
So much for the Nigilan, and every oth"r crh''
that has defended the cup VIII they nnd"rs'"nl
that their new boat. with Is even NOR" than
American beam, must D" sh'''' h'' INV" ~ ''
American way?
81 very much doubt H. In tho first place. neither
Cranaeld nor Sycamore has had any experience IN
American yachts II IL true that 'rann"'' n"'
uuor,un,v while her. 10 learn all that the splendid
sailing OF the Vgllont could teach him but IL
il another thing 10 eNp"'' 'ha' ~ '''"'' '' "
was Possible ANY expert yachtsman who WIZ
messed the lac, races FOR N. cup az New YORK knows
,ha, in som. respects the thoroughly American
handling Of the vigilant discounted mat OF tn"
Valkyrie AMI that the Nigilanrs success was
largely due to superior management ~ mead can
vas and the use Of the huge American h-hhshiiS
Iu, wha, does Cr,nnei know Of the sails that ar"
strictly American And how viii b" drlv" that
twcnty-seven feet u hem unless he uses them
.For example 81 this take the cup races In their
order In the first one that WAS finished. the
yachts sent on To- buoy intended 7" be NJ
teen miles straight 80 lcewarA owing 10 sub
segment shift Of wind. they had leading breeze
both going and returning During most - IN"
trim out there was very ghi br~'2e which ~ hfst
was shaft ahcam The Vlgnn, carried her balloon
fin AZ II should bc-wlih the sheets well Stacked ~
and the whole huge sail halloonng gently "nd Iff
ing her lightly along IN the proper way l'ni f's-
lnvIns "A frequent English mistake the Nnlkyfie bal
this sau hauled IN very nat AMI rh" irnsg"1 ""nH
I'm "a lif.e-s way losing ground steadily Again
when the light wni hauled forward ~ hb'nm'
The veilani Immediately set her in nni for'"'il
md these IA good work In company With The bis
IN, ,us,u The Nnikyfir "a not adopt ihN quick
and valuable alteration ana by her neglect lost "a
nlilc more
1t " by such nnr points that races "f" Won. ]
don't pretend 20 SAY | Ike giving th" palm ~ tho
American handling but like fair talk ~ well ~
fnif MAY and a. have a,iied both American ami
English crnfis all my ne | am qualified 20 ~'j
that II the Nalkyrir had poHscsT"i American head
fails Il the pfoI-r cut AMI II she h'i been rnl"l
~ well ~ the Nlrilani she could have come much
noatcr to the saving - her I'm" allowance" The
Viriinnt won hy superior management of forward
canvas. ana she N entitled ~ every honor for ~
"in the SECOND finished race. the triangular one.
the Vaikyries backyard toprs'l could h' seen TO
b. imrropcf, set before she started Its club was
Raging AWAY from The gan Hey'r,i inches TIL"
defect was no, emphasized IA the lighi wind M 'le
start, but when the bre"ze ppri ny fresh on "a" ten
mile beat 70 the nrs, buoy. she hal 10 point badly
to nh her IN SCI, topssl The vgilnni. whose top.
sail was practically part OF the mninsnii rounded
the windward mark first and nj once broke out a
very lnrg. jibiopsail. which seemed 10 be smaller
than the balloon ~. and yet much lnrg'r than n .
ordinary fu.slzoi English jlb'opsai "a mos, use
fIl sail. which the Wink, RE ala not possess AMI
from that mom-n, the race was practically cnl'l
The Vakyric rounded and for u long time Gran
field set nothing. 1t was fun Nv" minutes by my
watch when "a long thin ana mirerably inconpc-
tent jibtopsai began slowly ~ creep up his top
mast stay In the mean time the Nigan'. with tho
proper hsadsai fairly lifting her from tho water.
was almos, out Of sight and the result was that
In the last two reaching legs OF the course uwenty
mes) the Vnkyre was beaten, according 10 my
guess. about Ave miles
The English have always thought that compara-
lively small additions In the of Jlbtopsas werc
sufficient for reaching and quarterly breezcs. but
the facts for many years have shown that unless
they produce yacht that IA otherwise vastly sli-
perior their chance Of success In this country VIII
always continue To De essened by the non adopts
OF the American hesdsails which are OF such In
calcuable benefit In lea ling winds
las 10 the third and last race these same re-
marks apply. This you will remember. beat
dead to windwari fifteen miles and return Here
Cranneld waa at his best work. and In wind Jam
ming In "a trying sea. we'll as In one-gun starts.
he has superior. when he rounded the outer
buoy he looked certain winner. and with Ameri-
can beadsalls and the American way OF setting
them he would with his four minutes lead. proba
bly, have Won. Anyway he sent up his splnnaker
clothes. all flying This method In at least nft-.n
years ont Of date in this country. II 1t had been
sent ny In stops and afterward broken ont In the
neat and effective American way. there woull hay.
been no danger. but. as II was. a small hole WAS
torn In the sail which afterwarl split widely and AZ
the critical moment. when the Nigilant was about
to pass. the sail had TO be taken In. The Ngilant
was carving her splnnnker Mingrl with her hal.