The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-07-21
DEFENDER A MARVEL
She Outsails the Vigilant Over
the America Cup Course.
SUPERB IN EVERY RESPECT.
Not Mich Use for New valkyrie to Come
Over Unless Vastly superior
TO the Old One.

New York. July 0.-The Defender has
met the ylgzIant and vanquisaed her over
a course OF fifteen miles 10 windward ana
return in me waters in which the cup
race will take place in September. ne
course was one Of the kind wherein the
yaIkyrie III. will meet the cup defender.
and that thaADefender is boat much SUI
perior 10 the yigilant was clearly proven.
The new boat not only outsailed the Old
champion 10 a remarkable extent, but
she outfooted her as Well when sailing 10
windward. Moreover. on the run home
before the wind, with the Vfgilant's CEN
terboard hauled. the Defender gained on
the champion, an advantage that her
most enthusiastic admirers did not anfici-
pate. TIE weather was about what u IS
10 be expected during the session N winch
the cup races VIII take place. There was
a good breeze Of from twelve TO fifteen
knots an hour blowing throughout Inc
day. and the sea was smooth.
Taking everything into consideration,
the trial was all that have could been
asked for in Its results. II Is believed
that the Vigilant has been improved from
FIVE TO ten minutes in a course OF thirty
miles over her form OF 1893. and II this
Is the case the Defender must be mar
vel The public did not seem to UNDER
stand that the race OF today sand that or
Monday may do away altogether with the
necessity of formal trial races. Therefore
the very interesting race was Witnessed
BY a comparatively small number OF peo-
PIE.
a yachfsman who has witnessed all the
races during the last twenty years says
that in his experience he never saw any
thing prettier in the way OF start than
that Of today. They were both Of them
over and away SO quickly after the start
ing gun doomed that every en-iooker
knew the night was TO be to the death.
The Vigilant was In perfect trim. 1t
is thought the owner of the Vigilant has
spent anywhere from $4,000 to $4,000 in
getting his boat ready either 10 beat the
Defender, and in that way enable him to
carry out his cherished desire. or to con-
vince the America cup committee that in
beating his boat the Defender will be well
worthy Of her name. There was no doubt
In the mind OF any expert who saw the
race today that the Vigilant was sailed
for all that was In her. That she was
beaten can be explained in only one way.
and that Is, the other racer was a better
boat.
The programme called for start at IL
a. m, and Il was only twenty minutes af-
ter that hour that the regatta committee
OF the yacht club. who had arranged the
race, and who were on Commodore
Browns steam yacht Sylvia, ordered the
firing OF the preparatory gun. The Sylvia
took up a position to the eastward of the
Scotland iightship and notified the yachts
by signal that the course was to be from
an imaginary line between the flagship
and the mainmast OF the Scotland light
to windward out into the open sea, or
down the New Jersey coast, and return
before the wind.
The wind at this time was blowing
about ten miles an hour. almost due from
the south. The same breeze held all day.
1t even increased during the afternoon,
but the sea was at no time rough. The
boats cruised around TO the eastward of
the starting line until the word was given
When that did come both vessels were
standing in toward the New Jersey coast,
with the wind coming over their port
sides They tackled down. the Defender
always in the lead and getting over the
water at a very rapid rate. The Nigilant
appeared 10 be rather sluggish, even as
early in the day as that. But when they
both came around and headed back for The
Scotland light, the old yacht took on more
the form Of a racer.
The Defender was at least four lengths
ahead. Coming up close 10 the lghtship
the Defender was still several lengths
ahead She came around under the stern
OF the old vessel and then stood Off. Both
yachts had set mansails. stay sails, 1ib
sail and topsails with great Hlub top7al
at the head of their masts. The Defend
er's club topsail is the biggest topsail
ever put at the head of a mast or a single
stick. and in view Of the fact that the De-
vendors gaff runs almost up and down
from pole to deck the size of that sail may
be established.
Round the lightship she flung herself
across the line in way that was not only
clever from the expert standpoint. but
beautiful Within twenty-five seconds
came the Vigilant, and she looked beau
tiful rounding the lightship The yachts
started over the line on the starboard
tack The Defender was not fifty feet
beyond the line before she went about.
went over to the port tack. and headed
in for the New Jersey shore. The Vigil
ant continued on her tack off shore up 10
II 50. or over four minutes from the time
that she went over on her original tack.
At 1877 the Defender went about again
In the tacks that followed some people
took the time between a huff into the
wind and full sail on the other tack as
ten seconds.
The Valkyrie OF 1893 was indisputably a
Quick boat 10 tack II has been estimated
that she gained somewhere between ten
and fifteen seconds on the Vigilant in
getting about. If the Defender can make
her turn from full 20 full in anything
like fifteen seconds she will do. On every
tack that was made the Defender showed
up in the lead, ana her pointing up
against the wind was something astound-
ing The Defenders sails were almost
always chock full of wind. yet she headed
up higher than the old boat by from a
point 10 a point and a half.
The Herreshof model was already IN
creasing the lead until she mistook the
spot where the turning buoy was placed.
and by this misiudgment lost probably
three and a half minutes. At the time tho
Defender made the mistake al the buoy
she was something more than a mile
ahead. Getting back 70 her course. how
ever she rounded the buoy two minutes and
thirty-four seconds ahead Of the Vigilant
Heading IN for home the yachts ran up \
balloon l,h torsaN. swung over their spin
maker jibooon1s and set their sails over
them. In the handling OF the sails tina
Defender showed the expert training beg
crew had undergone, while the Nlgilan.s
men were slower.
on ne run home En- looked as though the
N.eiiant wtth ner cent rboard hauled up
mas gaining. 0ut the Defender went over
the ine hrst hy two minutes and forty
Eve seconds having Increased her lead
on ,hat run ty torty-ore seconds.