The morning times., 1895-07-21
IGILANT CLOSE UP

Elapsed
Start Finish time
Yigilant =. lA.ov-ov z 62.l5 321 %
Defender 11:3O25 2:4a,05 31s.4O
To-day's race was the first of TWO con-
tests arranged by the New York Yacht
Club for a special silver cup.
The course was outside Sandy Hook,
where the trial races and the great inter
national contest with Valkyrie will take
place. 1t consisted OF a beat OF fifteen
miles 10 windward and run home TO the
starting point.
The second contest viii take place on
Monday, beginning at II O'Clock, over
tr angular course OF ten mile legs, in
order that the qualities of the two yachts
may be tried under all the different racing
conditions.
Eleven O'Clock was the hour set for the
/ race At that time the breeze had beguuto
( frcsheu aud the haze was growing less.
/ The TWO yachts mancuyered about the
starting point for q few minutes. They
! carried the same canvas, consisting OF
. fareStaySail, iIh. mainsall, and club top
smh Both boats had white bodies and
1 their crews were dressed in rigs OF the
same color
To landsmeu on the excursion boats the
: two contestants looked strkInEly alike
aud some OF the spectators were 10 sore
/ perplcXity 10 distinguish them as they
/ tackled back and forth
BOTH GOT AWAY WELL
The yachts had ten minutes in which
/ TO get into position for the start, and
promptly at l13U the second gun was
( heard, leaving two minutes allowance for
/ the yachts TO cross the line. just as the
gun spoke Defender and Vigilant broke
! out baby iib topsails. Both yachts We're
well placed and moving toward the line
with all sail drawing in the freshentng
/ breeze Defender was in advance and a
! little toward windwaTd. She crossed at
! 11.30 %, Vigilant following a { IL 1880.
Both We're on the port tack as they
/ crossed the line. but Defender almost i'm
! mediately put about on the starboard
/ tack. For five minutes the yachts sailed
! away from each other al an angle OF
| about seventy-five degrees.
! AtI1:35 Vigilant went on the staTbOard
tack and almost at the same moment De-
fender shifted to the port tack and the two
sailed toward each other. Three minutes
later they crossed and both went about al
most simultaneously and began to sail
4 away from each other again. moment
later Defender again tackled and heading
up closer to the wind, the two yachts
started for a long beat on the starboard
tack.
DEFENDER CREEPs AHEAD.
on this tack Defender gained little.
AT 1912 both yachts changed to the port
tack The wind in the meantime had been
rising and was now blowing a good sailing
breeze Capt. Haff decided to take in
| Defenders jib topsau, which was drawing
! scarcely at all.
There was some trouble with the halyards
and it took several minutes TO get the
sail in The Defender which had been
half a mile ahead, lost about a quarter
of a mile owing to this hitch.
At 1925 the Defender made short
! tack to starboard, but in two minutes
went about again. This maneuver looked
like an unsuccessful attempt TO take the
/ Vigilant's wind. At 12:43, the Vigilant'S
| iib tOpsail was hauled in and both yachts
were again under the same canvas. A
| good stiff breeze was now blowing ano
the Defender was about five minutes il
the lead.
She was gaining steadily and a bet was
I made on one of the excursion boats that
she would win by forty minutes. Earlier
in the day there had been some betting on
the Defender at 100 to 40.
As the boats approached the stake at
the end OF the 15-mile course Defender
S-as leading by about 1-2 minutes. AS
the leader she had been compelled to
search out the flag which was not very
conspicuous object and in consequence
Capt. Haff found it necessary to make a
D
lowing Vigilant to cut down Defenders
lead a little. Defender rounded at 1885
and Vigilant 1877.
FLYING TRIP HOME.
The leeward run was flying one for both
boats. They had their booms to starboard
and their spinnakers to port. Defenders
IMMENSE 105 foot boom and great mainsail
seemed to give her a list to starboard,
s;ith her spinnaker cooked up at per-
eeptible angle Vigilant flew OH on an
even keel with her sails wing and wing.
Neither could gain much advantage.
Vigilant held her own gallantly and
Defender could not increase her lead per
ceptihly. All the way down the fifteen
mile home stretch the two yachts kept
the same relative positions. AS they neared
the finish the speed at which they were
going was shown by the difficulty the
Sylvia had in getting ahead OF Defender
She had followed the racers over the
course and had to put on all steam 10 reach
her position opposite the ightship and drop
anchor a few moments before Defender
crossed the line.
Defender finished at 2:49:05 and Wig
liant at 2:52:15.
All the steam craft about the finish
blew their whistles as the yachts crossed
and the crowds on the excursion boats
cheered both boats. The Vigilant returned
after the race to her anchorage in the
Horseshoe, while Defender proceeded up
the bay in tow of a tug to City Island
where she dropped anchor.