The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-09
views OF IN EXPERT.
The Talkyrie May Yet Surprise the Conf
dent americans.

NEW YORK. N. Y, Sept. S.-The Tri-
bune expert in discussing Saturdays race
advances the opinion that and cause of the
at the helm. Says he:
$50 far as anyone could see from neigh
boring steamers it seemed possible that
the Valkyrie's steering at first was emf
nently satisfactory and might if continued
have brought about better results. The
writer of this has no means of knowing
whether there were two different helms
men or only one, but it is not likely that
there was only one, with two sets of con-
victions in his head.
1.-THE Valkyrie began to lose the race. or
in other words to alter her steering, just
after she first came in stays, going off on
the port tack, after that she was steered by
some one who only knew the narrow
English cutters, and made the apparent
mistake of imagining that the Valkyrie is
the same kidney, which she is not. The
difference in steering here referred is at all
times slight put practical. Racing yachts
men Will understand that such small diff
ferences mean life or death to success
when the best yachts are we'll matched
The experience means this, that in the
light winds the man who took the
Valkyrie at first can win and the other-if
there were two-cannot."
The writer refers to the superior light
ness of the Defenders upper works and
rigging. This, he says, manifestly gave
her an advantage in Saturdays race.
When she buried hard in a sea-and being
e. Oh 30 bad
greater angle than the Valkyrie-she gath
cred the usual Roadway again almost at
once. AS to upper works she was at these
times giving momentum to a minimum of
the dead weight which retards. Her supe-
rior buoyancy and lightness of movement
was easily to be distinguished, and in a
seaway her movement is best described as
a long, lanking leap, made buoyantly, and
which, when sometimes partly checked by
water, regains it's speed with greater alac-
rity than in any other boat the writer ever
saw.
Still it must be remembered that the two
boats were apparently on even terms until
the shift of wind came which placed the
Defender almost as much to windward as
the distance which at that time existed
between the boats. This sudden fiuke,
which was marked by all yachtsmen, gave
the Defender between two and three min
utes as gratuity; and although it has been
much referred to in the newspapers it was
a controlling factor in regard to the sub
sequent position of the boats. The fluke,
however, valuable as it was to the Defen-
der, did not not give her the race. She
would have won in any case, even
without the fluke, because with the con-
ditions which then prevailed she showed
herself a good deal faster on the return
home.
As to this, it NAV be added that If Gran
field had rounded on even terms and had
seen the Defender hoist her foresail he
might have thus received hint as to what
headsail he required on this run. 1t took
Cranfeld just fifty minutes to find out that
he also needed his balloon jib.
The upshot of the whole position, as so
far elucidated by experiment, is merely
this: That the Valkyrie is not as danger
Gus in light winds as was thought posi-
BILE. 1t is also possible that with the same
steering that was exhibited at Saturdays
start she would make different showing.
Beyond this there is evidently reserve of
force in the challenger which may mean
much when winds are strong enough to
develop her powers. In other words, it
may mean only few slight changes in the
Weather Bureau. or otherwise, to make
the challenger appear in a different Light.