The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-08-21
The Fin.Keeled Yacht Forced to Re.
After Making N Great Record.
FAST TIME BY THE ST. LOUIS
SUCCESSFUL SPEED TEST OF THE
AMERICAN LINE STEAMER.
Average of % $40 Knots an Hour I'm
a Run of 1O4 Knots Over an
English Channel Course.

trial race between the Defender and the
vigilant to give the Americas cup commit
tee an opportunity to decide which boat
should be named to defend the cup
held to-day outside of Sandy Hook in the
same waters that the cup race will take
place in, but ended very unsatisfactory.
The boats raced not only to give a COM
mittee a line on them. but also for
cup that John Jacob Astor offered to the
winner of the majority of the races that
the committee should order. The winner Of
the cup. however will not necessarily be
The defender of the Americas cup. One
boat might beat the other three times
straight and yet the Americas cup COM
mittee will have absolute power and dis
erection in picking the defender. The COM
mittee might decide from it's observation
during the cruise of the New York Yacht
Club to the eastward, and ignore these
trial races altogether If 1t so chooses to
do. 1t is believed among yachtsmen that
the committee ordered these trial races
more In the hope that 1t would see De-
fender in a good stiff breeze if not a hard
wind, condition of things In which she
has not yet had the opportunity of dis
playing her power.
The committee came very near having
the desired view to-day. But it was fore
stalled by an accident that prevented De-
fender from really showing what she could
do In breeze of wind that went over the
water probably at the rate of twenty knots
an hour. In fact, it was the very stiffest
of the breeze that brought direct injury to
the fin-keeled boat. The breeze stirred up
her rigging so much and played such
havoc with it that it loosened it to a
material extent up towards the masthead
and caused such damage that the Defender
had to withdraw or take liberal chance
of carrying away her topmast. 1t was
afterward found that the slackening up
OF the rigging was so extensive that the
yacht would not be able to complete in the
second trial race for a week. The COM
mi ittee having learned this fact, decided at
the New York Yacht Club house lo-night
that the next two trial races would take
place on Tuesday and Wednesday of next
week. 1t is mystery to yachtsmen,
especially those who have given the closest
attention to the rigging of boats, why De-
renders stays weakened under a breeze
which enabled her to still carry her club
top sail. which she did when she stopped
and continued to do all the way I'D the
bay to the anchorage off Bayridge.
VIGILANT' = -Jff3~ ~4a<sfs aS.D,-....
The Vigilant, too, was prevented from eo-
ing over the whole course, but from
different cause. After she had made her
first round of the ten miles to windward
and return. she hauled down her club top
SAIL and then ran up against a wind that
burst her jib into shreds. Nothing daunted.
she ran up another jib and was proceeding
on the course the second time. when the
committee boat, Luckenbach ran up along
side of her while she was tacking and
notified her that she need go no further:
that the Defender had withdrawn. and
that she, Vigilant. had been decided the
winner Of the days race.
When the yachts were ordered to start
on their trial journey there was nice
little breeze of nine or ten knots blowing
from south southwest. There was no pos
sible occasion for a protest at the start
to-day. When the racers came about and
headed down to the line there was fully
three lengths of clear water between them,
the Vigilant for the first time being in
advance AS usual the Defender went
about as soon as she had crossed the line.
She stood away on the port tack, while
the Vigilant continued on long starboard
The Defender stood on port tack for
couple of minutes and then went about to
overhaul vigilant. For some time it looked
as though vigilant was actually output
ting the Defender. but the appearance was
doubtless due to the fact that Defender
was pointing higherfinto the wind
1t was 1915 when Defender got honestly
abeam of the Vigilant good sixteenth
of a mile to windard. vigilant fearing
that Defender would pass her. came about
port tack. and tried to cross the bow of
the new boat. AS she did so she took in
49,
portant manoeuver did not enable her
to split tacks with the Defender. for De-
fender went about almost at the same
time When they stood back for the Jersey
shore, the Defender was fully half a mile
in the lead. Both yachts made the outer
mark on this tack, the Defender gaining
right along. AT the rounding she eased her
main sheet and took no less than sess
minutes in dropping her spinnaker p.
and setting that sail on the port side. Tit
ViRilant rounded finely. The wind had run
NO to about fifteen knots at that time and
the .Ssrp anse ss Syss
her beam over to port and got ready to
act the spinnaker on the starboard tack.
THE RUN HOME.
On the ten-mile beat to windward the De-
fender and gained six minutes and thirty
three seconds. Then came the run before
the wind home Within mile of the finish
line the Defender hauled down her spin
maker and balloon jib topsail, running con-
sderably to the westward in doing so.
Then she made a reach for the home line,
and got there at two hours. four minutes
and twenty seconds. She turned the
Sandy Hook Eghtship all right. The Vigil
liant made her rounding in much the same
style. BY this time the wind had increased
TO eighteen or nineteen knots an hour The
Defender stood away the port tack for
probably two minutes, long enough TO let
the onlookers think that she was going to
obey orders and go over the course again
but she stood away for Sandy Hook point
There was an ominous gathering OF wind
clouds down TO the southwark and the kick
ers said that Defender was afraid OF a
blow. In truth, the boat had sustained a
serious damage, and her upper rigging was
so badly stretched and loosened that If she
had been forced to second round Of tne
course she might have carried away top
mast If not the mainmast itself.
In the meantime the Vigilant went around
the Scotland lghtsh:p but took down her
club tcpsails. A very few minutes after
ward her js5 was completely torn into
shreds by the wind. The Vigilant had seen
by this time that the Defender had quit bur
Commander Willard going over the
course anyhow. As socn as the committee
boat saw that Defender had gone home the
Vigilant was overtaken and Informed that
the days race was hers. On the run home
before the wind the VigEant had gained one
minute and thirty-three seconss. which, in
l proportion to the distance, was the best gain