New-York tribune., 1895-08-31
TEE DEFENDER CHOSEN.
SHE WILL MEET vALKYRIE II, IN THE
INTERNATIONAL RACES
ANOTHER BEATING FOR THE vlGnA.T TESTER
DAY-THE ENGLISH BOAT LOOK IT elbow
THE NEW BOAT WORKED IN THRAsn
TO WINDWARD ACTIN OF


THE NEW BOAT WORKED IN q rHRAsn
TO wINDwARD - AcTI ~ OF
THE CUP COMMITTEE.
The Defender won yesterdays tria, race with
the Viglant, and. after consultation between
the members Of the Americas Cup Committee
at the New-York Yacht Club last evening the
fol wing announcement. signed by A. Cass Can
held secretary. posted on the bulletin board
of ne club:
The Americas Cup Committee has selected the
va n Defender as the representative Of the New
YORK Yacht Club against Valkyrie III, in the
contest for the Americas Cup.
The race yesterday was an uneventful one.
There was n ten-mile beat to windward during
which the Defender was at least five minutes and
Il half better boat than the Vigant and then
the run home Of the same distance be-
fore the wind The vigllant came up little on
her opponent In the run home. But what is
few seconds in a ten-mile yacht race running
hef re the wind? The Vakyrie came out to see
the race yesterday. but that was about all she
did 10. The British yacht came down to the
Scotland Lightshp after the American boats mad
started and at the finish line when they got
home. but she did not give them that much
talked-ab- Vt brush. 1t looked for moment, as
the vakyrie stood up from the Jersey coast
toward the line where the Defender and the Wig
liant were about to finish. as If there might be
a forced brush between the Defender and the
ValRyrie to the Horseshoe, but such hopes were
groundless. The Vakyrie people were far too
artful to do anything of the sort. AS the Val
kyr!e came up the line she went about ana
stood down as II to meet the Defender and con-
graduate her on her victory. The English boat
went out to where the Vigilant was getting
hut be al
with her sheet too close in the wind to allow OF
aly comparison between her footing and that OF
the cup winner Of 1888 she stood back toward the
Ightship The Defender took in her spinnaker
soon after crossing the finish line and the val
,t,-ie had not put hers up again after an airing
sne had given it In her cruising ABOUT ou's'"e
before the racing boats came up.
The race yesterday was almost as good test
fer the Defenders new mainmast and her sup
posed-to- be doubtful rigging as was the httie
blow on the preceding day The first part or the
last Of these trial races was beat right In the
teeth Of good stiff breeze that was just all
that the club topsails of the boats could pear.
little more wind on this 'eg of the race ana
TIC upper sails would have been useless 90
many remarks were made on The Tribune men
ton Of the thirteenth Defender accident on
r., .sdav that seems now to have terminated
atte. ion to the fact that yesterdays race be-
ing sailed on Friday, would clinch the nall IN
,ne coffin Of tee Defender "hoodoo." One old
n-,er was even moved TO talk OF the good ship
Friday. that built to do away with the Fri
6ay SUPER rstition among sailors. This vessel had
hcr keel laid on a Friday. was christened on an
other Friday and sailed on Friday. AS she
gas never heard from after leaving port her
effect on the sailor superstition was the reverse
of what was intended.
The more expert OF the amateurs or yach'ins
who watched the race from the decks or the
Al Foster the various press tugs and the Com
nittee boat were sure the Defender was In no
taste to win yesterday
SUSPICION APPARENTLY VERIFIED.
There has always been A suspicion among those
in "the know" 1t were that the Defender
neonle have not wanted to do any more with the
Vigilant than merely to prove that the Defender
,s the boat to be chosen for the great race. Yes
terday this suspicion became almost certainty.
The Defender carried her little play topsai again
as if she either did not want to or had no need 10
come out boldly and make use OF her regular big
clubtopsail This might have been because she
didn't want to show her real form to the Val
kyrie because she didn't wish to beat the Nlgiiaht
to, hadlv. or because she though; she could sail
a small
large one Whatever the experts may decide to
have been the reason of the Defenders carrying
so small a topsail she did yesterday when
everybody knows that she has a larger and hner
one on board, they will not believe that 1t was be-
cause Mr. IseIin or Captain Haff thinks that the
Defender can sail better with three-quarter
size clubtopsail than with full one. Then, too,
why was the Defender slow in carrying out
those everyday manoeuvres of setting her spin
maker and her balloon jibtopsail after facing
about FOR the finish line. II it was not that the
aluminium boats owners are certain that she can
beat the Vigilant when. where and how she
pleases?
The incidents Of yesterdays race make the tales
that have been going the rounds for some time
now that there are whole potfuls Of Defender
money Just waiting for almost any sort OF a
reasonable investment on the white boat from
Bristol perfectly credible The spectators Of yes
terlay's race were enthusiastic the De-
tenders chances at the finish. They had seen the
new creation stand up and sail in all kinds of
weather. and show a turn Of speed that 1t VIII
almost take a railroad train to beat. One fea-
ture OF he Defenders sailing yesterday was the
way I'm .hich she stood the wind when it came on
her quarter. 1t was remembered that on Thurs
day she seemed to heel over little more than
she did before her new mainmast put in.
It was yesterday that the Defender does, in
fact. heel over a trihe more than she did, but she
heeed only to a certain point on Thursday
and yesterday when there was no sudden squall
she heeled over about the same amount. The
friends OF the Defender are now sure she can sail
in any blow safe and sound and stand up like
church
THE SMALL ATTENDANCE EXPLAINED.
The sole reason for the small attendance at
the yacht races Yesterday was the scant notice
that the public had. Even the New-York Yacht
Clubs tag engaged for the trial races could not
convey number Of the members who were eager
To soc the trial Yesterday. because II was not