Evening star., 1895-08-02
Big Yachts Racing for the Goelet
Cups.
DEF BENDGR Is THREE NILES AHEAD
Secretary Herbert Followed on the
Dolphin.
GOOD BREEZE AT NEWPORT

BRENTON'S POINT, Newport, R. L.
August 1.-The day Of the fourteenth an
nual Goelet cup races for sloops and
schooners opened with the sky overcast
with light clouds and the wind very l:gh
from the westward.
Just as the gun on the flagship Sylvia
doomed 'colors' at eight bells, however,
the sun emerged from the clouds.
Aboard all of the big yachts active prep
aratlons were being made for the race, ans
everything was hurry and hustle. All the
superhuous luggage was being sent ashore
from the 'big ones and the light sail:
were being put up in stops.
On board the Defender Capt. Haff was
overseeing things on the fortyfoot mast
and on the Jubilee George Richards was
busy experimenting the work of replacing
the three turn buckles that were broken
on Tuesday. Gen. Paine was aboard, as
were also his sons, John and Sumner.
The crew of the Volunteer were as bus3
as those on the other sIoops, but the men
were occupied only on minor finishing
touches All the flyers had their main
sails and club topsails up ny half-past s.
The flagship Sylvia Started out ahead OF
the fleet, and by 10gcciock had taken her
position off the Brenton Reef lishtship
with Jubilee but a short distance behind
The Boston boat was alongside the Gould
racer before the lightship was reached.
Defender followed Jubilee and Vigilant
under mainSail, club tOpsail and two head
sails, and made her appearance off Bren-
toms Point shortly before 10 o clock. As
soon as she vas well outside of the head
lands Defender lacked over toward Beaver
Tail light, and then. coming about, headed
for the starting line.
The black schooner Lasca was the first
OF her class to make her appearance in the
bay The Berlin followed her closely. with
the iaunty Volunteer near them. moving
slowly under sail. The wind, which had
shifted around to the southeast. was blow
ing about six miles.
The races of sloop and schooner yachts
for the Goeiat cup was started at IL :23:25
am Volunteer crossed the line first, with
Defender on her quarter, just astern. JI-
biee crossed the line soon after Defender.
Vigilant crossed at II: :3i.
In the sloop classes are Defender. NiGi-
liant, Jubilee, Volunteer, Queen Nab and
Wasp: in the schooner class Lasca. Mer-
lin. Marguerite, Amorita, Emerald, Con-
stellation. Loyal and Neara. The two boats
last named also compete for a 5000 cup
offered by the New York Yacht Club to
decide dispute arising from contest in
which they took part last June The
course which is the Block Island one, is
about thirty miles. The wind at the start
was blowing about ten miles an hour.
There was considerable delay In the start
owing to the Inability of the little boa is
Wasp and Queen Nab to reach the light
ship. They came along, however, about
11:15, and at IL: 10 a preparatory gun was
fired
The big single stickers up to this time had
been standing off and on, but as soon as the
preparatory gun was fired they wore rourd
and clustered to the right of the flagship,
and with their sheets trimmed well in they
logged along down before the wind with one
eye on the line over the starboard bow.
A minute before the starting gun was
fired the Volunteer brought herself up, and
wearing round, headed for the iiShtship.
The Defender followed suit Immediately,
and in the freshening breeze soon overlook
the old cup defender and they crossed the
line together fifteen seconds after the start
ing gun was fired. The Jubilee was right
behind them, and all three crossed on the
starboard tack.
Accident to the E1.i1ant.
Something happened to the Visilant as
the gun was fired. and she hung back for
four minutes, starting just ahead of the
schooners.
Five minutes after the gun for the sloops
was fired the schooner class started, with
the black Laska in the lead. Instead of
standing over to the Narragansett shore
after the sloops they went off on the star
board tack out to sea.
The wind at this time had increased to
Twelve InlitS ali HCui was Lit.ic
west of south, hauling around rapidly from
the east.
Ten minutes after the start Defender
was well in the lead ard Jubilee, after
making a short hitch came about on the
port tack and stood well over to the Nara
gansett shore. on coming about she had
q fine lead over her Boston rival.
By Il o'clock Defender had increased her
lead to two miles, and was fully three
miles ahead of the Vigilant, which had
passed the Volunteer
At 12:15 all four of the boats were making
short bitches along the shore, but Nigi-
liant did not seem to be able to lessen the
gap behind Jubilee.
Soon after noon the boats were we'll down
the shore and the usual mist which ac-
companies the Southwestern made 1t hard
to distinguish the yachts.
At 12:3O Volunteer, the last boat was
lost to sight in the fog.
The boats were expected to turn the outer
markboat about 80 o'clock and to be
sighted again at o'clock.
Among the craft following the race was
the government dispatch boat Dolphin
with Mr.. Herbert, Secretary Of the Navy.
on board
Defender Three Miles Ahead.
$50 pm.-The Defender leads the other
boats by about three miles. Vigilant and
Jubilee are close together. They have still
ten miles to run the second leg Of the
course.
2:4O p.T.-The wind is blowing a good
whole sail breeze. about ten or twelve niles
an hour. and is likely to continue so to IT, !.
finish. N.gilant and Jubilee are so close
together that it is impossible to say which
leads.