The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-09-08

would carry 5ut that purpose and the
ers rs picked i up up their traps and and Seaded for
the New Jersey coast. 1t was II :55 before
the committee hoisted the signal that the
by BY by i@a south. According to the
sailing regulations of the re
gatta committee Of the New York Yacht
the race was sailed, fifteen minutes had
to be allowed TO the racers to find out
fore the preparatory signal was given.
Therefore il was 1910 when the preparatory
gun was fred. Immediately the yachts.
set, began to jockey for the most favor
able position They made no short tacks
in this business and when 1t came near
they were allowed both yachts Were 10
the westward and northward OF the line:
both heading for II; Valkyne was aneaa
TO force the Defender. which was 10 the
windward, to close up against the COM
ms1ee boat so that & the sssep wcpa Tb Va
kyrie was certainly pinched high up In
the wind, but the Defender was almost
refused to be driven out of her. course.
and, with an extra pull on her main sneet
she was enabled to follow. valkyrie until
the course was begun. and also to main
tain her weather position.
THE START.
The shippers had done their timing very
we'll and it was only forty-six seconds after
the starting gun was fired at 1920 that the
valkyrie crossed the line. AS said before,
the Defender, on her opponents weather
quarter. was only four seconds later. AS
they went over the valkyrie shook out of
stops a baby jib topsail. The Defender peo-
pie were not satisfied with small sail
on their outer stay and spread No. 2.
The wind was then blowing about five miles
an hour There was something of a swell
on the sea, but the water could not be
casS rough b any means er nrav Tae wea1s eT
those that have been described most
fitting for Valkyrie. The challenger slipped
through the water beautifully, throwing
some spray from her bows, it is true, but
surely sliding ahead faster than the De-
fender. The latter was held very high up.
and outpointed IT was now the time when
birth was given to the apprehensions of the
Yankees. The Valkyrie, 1t was plainly seen,
was doing the faster work, and as she
slipped past the Defender the chaps who
had been betting on Defender TO win the
match came nearly to the opinion that their
astic admirers OF the Defender. and Captain
Haff. such as, for instance, Capt. Harry
Denis. of the tug Fred B. Dalzell, who has
been to sea in pilot boats and steamers for
nearly forty years, remarked:
I'VE will be done up to-day, sure; that
Valkyrie is a marvel in this kind of going"
Both yachts were handled in the most
admirable manner. and 1t cannot be said
that the sails on the Britisher, much as
has been boasted about them. set whit
better than those or the American boat.
In fact it may be said that no flaw
could be seen in any bit of cloth on either
boat. The impression which some people
have that Ratsey was the only perfect
canvas cutter in the world was dispelled
when Defenders spread was seen in her
really first race. The yachts stood on this
starboard tack until 1888, when Defender
was first to 60 about. AS soon as she saw
this move Valkyrie did the same. VAL
kyrie continued to gain advantage and De-
fender was held up very close to the wind.
and by so doing became blanketed. When
Captain Haff saw the trouble he was get
ting into he at 12:47 eased his ship of and
gave her the good full that her friends had
AS soon as Defender was eased off she
began to increase her speed She caught
up on the Valkyrie not a little, but of
course she was going further to leeward
than the Valkyrie, and her apparent gain
was less in reality than 1t looked TO be-
When the Valkyrie saw the Defender ease
Off she did the same thing, though not to
so great an extent, and she maintained
her lead. Now the breeze freshened TO
| about seven miles an hour. Yalkyrie. on
feeling the breeze again, stood up high
| fender was continued. Here Defender with
her sails chock full of wind went ahead
very fast, but she was not better than an
eighth of mile to leeward.
1t was a beautiful race up to this point,
but 1t was not pleasant one for the pa
triots to gaze upon; for Valkyrie was
u.
sells encountered head seas from the south
east, and neither one took them better than
the. other. They both pounded a good deal.
Valkyrie was first to come about. She
came around to starboard at 1:22, and De-
fender followed her example at once The
Defender as,.sail! was still an eighth Of mile
this tack there was effort TO get in
some windward advantage by Defender,
and she was pinched very much. but Val,
| get no nearer to her.
vALKYRIES MISTAKE
At las. valkyrie. evidently believing that
she could cross Defenders bow IL the lat
ter would split tacks with her. came about.
The challenger was, however, unable to
weather the Defender, and when she
| passed under the Americans stern there
was shrieking by the steam yachts and
excursion boats in attendance that will
| never be forgotten by those who heard 1t.
| Valkyrie, on finding that she had not yet
| gained enough TO weather Defender, came
back again to the starboard tack after
one minute on the port AS she did so,
| Defender came about TO port. 1t was now
valkyries turn to refuse splitting of
tacks, and she followed Defenders lead in
| going about to port At o'clock the con-
| During this tack the wind hauled gradu-
| ally to east, southeast by east, and finally
to about eight miles an hour, and with that
| increase the Defender began to overhaul
the enemy. She picked her rival up with
brust of speed that was delightful to the
| inhabitants of the floating city that was
| looking on. So easily did she overhaul the
| challenger that more than one observer re-
marked TO his neighbor something to the
! effect that Old Hank Half had only been
| jollying his competitor all the time.
1t was 255 when Defender was on even
| terms with the Valkyrie. Thence she grad
| ually forced ahead, and at 800 IL was esti-
mated that the Yankee boat was three
lengths ahead, and we'll to windward at
shat. Defender was first to come around
| 70 starboard and head for the outer mark.
This was at 3:25. 1t looked just then as
though Defender was a quarter OF a mile
| TO the good. When Valkyrie came about
fifteen seconds later, she was well away
1 IN Defenders lee quarter The breeze con-
| tinued to blow at about eight miles an
4 h.ur from the southeast, and they came
! along at a pretty lively gait % round the
/: buoy and square away for home. AS will
! be seen by the table below. Defender passed
I frst by three minutes and twenty-five sec
1 on.ls, gain of three minutes and twenty
seven seconds from the time of start On
/ eoirg around they eased on sheet on the
ssarboard side, set balloon j.b top sail and
! sped Tor the finish. The Vaikyrie took in
/ her Ji, and stay sail, while Defender hauled
dcwa only her tb. Before long. however.
/ palkyrie, seeing that Defenders stay still
| Champions OF valkyr!e who were left said
tsrat rneir boat would overhaul Defender
, on this broad reach nome. But she did not.
/ The same sails were held on both ships
e;i%tre way to the finish line, while the
Il fn ~ vi f~fr nal