Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-08-03
VICTORY FOR VIGILANT
Brought About by the Breaking Of
q Gaff on the Defender.
Syndicate Boat Led Previous
to Accident.
Jubilee Came In Second While Volunteer
TraIIed In tho Rear.

NEWPORT, r. l., Aug. 3.-The Defende
lost her first race yesterday, and great wa
the pity Of 1t, for she had walked ava
from three competitors and was nearing
home when a new-fangled gaff Mt the to-
OF her mainsail broke, and she was obligc,
TO take a line from a tug and retire from
the race, allowing tho Vigilant to win.
The $500 cup offered by Ogden Goele
was the nominal prize for which the new
boat was racing.
Pitted against her We're the Vigilant
the Jubilee and the Volunteer. Witt
these three opponents she put up rao
that delighted the big crowd of spectators
until after rounding the second turn and
sailing 81 miles of the 8S of the course.
So far as practical results go, the race
only reiterated what everybody knows by
this time, viz: That the Defender Is the
fastest light weather boat ever built in
America. She outpointed and outfooted
the Vigilant In the beat Ito windward
which was the first leg of the course, and
gained much more on her during the Sec
Ond leg-a run dead before the wind-a
course supposed to be most favorable to
the centerboard yacht.
Just as the new vessel undertook "A
stretch for home, with only 615 miles out
of the entire 80 to cover, her hollow gait
snapped in two, and she was compelled to
give up At the turning of the second
mark the Defender was I'm 35s. ahead Of
the Vigilant on the time consumed from
the start, and she had the same oppor-
tunity to lengthen the gap that she had
OF Sandy Hook on July 22, when she had
q stretch for home and increased her lead.
The last part of the race was a closer
afr hv,t tho htcxk
e e ea-fssl'r Justify the statement that
o. Would Have Gained on That Leg.
Although the Vigilant won the cup, it Is
a growing opinion that the America cup
committee are satisfied that no formal
trial races will be necessary, because the
sailing of the Defender yesterday was
good enough to evidence her continuous
improvement, and that is all that is
wanted in the way of information by the
committee.
However, test of the boat in blow Is
still essential, for the Defender has not
been tried in that sort of weather, but it is
hoped that one lacking qualification will
be brought out. before this cruise Of the
NH S Ya yaas xsS4s sSsd sdINs Vaias Il a2 which also
started yesterday, were Gever in the hunt |
with the Defender and vigilant, although
the Jubilee did mako bettsf time than the |
'Vigilaht 6H the 1s-mile run before the
wind from Block island to the West
island lightship:
There was not much promise of wind
when the yachtsmen turned out in the
morning but when the flagship Sylvia
took up her position near the lightship
there was an eight-knot breeze blowing.
From that time on the zephyr increased,
until at times during the day IL reached q
velocity of 13 or IA miles. The wind was
from the southwest and signals had been
sent up from the flagship that the course
would be to Block island, 1917 miles to
windward; thence Is miles of run before
the wind back to the Connecticut shore to
the West island lightship, and then 81
miles of a stretch home to the Brenton's
reef lightship.
How They Started.
The racers went over the line on the
starboard tack, and three of them stood
on that course for some time. The De-
fender did not Captain Half, apparently,
has friendliness for short board, after
getting under way, and he went about
after he had gone one-sixteepth of a mile
on the journey. The Volunteer was the
next to go round, and the Jubilee third,
but neither went about for a while. The
Vigilant, which was very much behind
the others, stood on her tack for long
hitch. When the Defender came about
again, she was almost a mile to windward
of the Vigilant. The yachts gradually
ushered into shore, and then came around
70 the starboard tack In unison and stood
down the coast.
far a leader, in front and to windward,
that all spectators said she would be
sure winner It turned out that she did
not beat the Vigilant so much on the beat
out as most people expected. She was
only two minutes ahead at the first turn
of West island light. The Jubilee passed
the Volunteer on the beat, and the boats
went down the shore on the starboard
tack In a regular procession.
During the run to West island the De-
fender gained materially on the vigilant
going around the second mark at 3h. Am.
los, while the Vigilant did not show up
until 3h. 55m. 45s The Defender was I'm.
85s. actual gamer on the Vigilant from the
start, and ~ minutes in the rough on the
run before the wind
Defenders Gaf Gives Way.
Then came the trouble The Defender
had not been past the mark more than a
minute when her mainsail was seen to COL
lapse. The gaff had split right in the
middle, and its two parts were sticking
down into the head Of the mainsail Club
topsail and mainsail began to flop, and the
boat was instantly thrown up into the
wind
The yacht was kept on her course,
which was for the home-mark, close.
hauled. For five minutes she was sailed
along under the injury, but she sagged so
far to leeward that IL was decided to quit.
towboat was called, and the De-
fender was towed to Bristol for repairs.
The Vigilant went on and won the cup.
gaining very much on the Jubilee on the
last stretch.
Such little interest as remained after the
Defender obtained her big head on the
others was altogether lost when the aoci-