The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-08-21

nlllCe6 an opportunity 10 ueclue WHICH
boat should be named to defend the cup,
was held today outside of Sandy Hook
in the same waters that the cup race will
take place in, but ended very unsatisfac-
tory.
The yachts raced not only to give the
committee 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
lutte power and discretion in picking the
defender. The committee might ignore
these trial races altogether If they SO
choose to DO.
Were FOrestaIIed.
1t is believed among yachtsmen that the
committee ordered the trial races more
IN the hope that they would see Defender
a condition of things in which she has not
yet had an opportunity of displaying her
power. Ihey came very near having the
desired view today. But they were fore
stalled by an accident that prevented De-
fender from really showing what she
could do in a breeze that went over the
water probably at the rate of 20 Knots an
hour. In fact there was a very stiff
breeze and it brought direct injury to
the fin keeled boat. The breeze stirred
up her rigging SO much and played such
havoc among it that it loosened it to a.
material extent up toward the masthead
and caused such damage that Defender
mad to withdraw or take liberal chance
at carrying away her topmast. It was
afterwards found that the slackening up
OF the rigging was so extensive that the
yacht would not be able to compete in
the second trial race for a week.
A Mystery.
The committee, having learned this de-
cided at the New York Yacht clubhouse
would take place on Tuesday and We'd
nesday of next week. 1t is a mystery to
yachtsmen, especially those who have
given the closest attention to the rig
weakened under a breeze which enabled
her to still carry her club topsail, which
she did when she stopped and continued
to do all the way up the bay to the an
The Vigilant, too, was prevented from
going over the whole course but from a
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 jtb into shreds. Nothing daunt-
was proceeding on her course the second
time, when the committee boat Lucken-
bach ran up alongside her while she was
lacking and notified her that she need
withdrawn and that the Eigilant had been
decided the winner of the days race.
The Start.
When the yachts were ordered to start
on their trial journey, there was 4 nice
little breeze OF nine or ten knots blowing
were sent off at il :35, there was a good
sized fleet of steam yachts, sloops,
schooners and even cat boats loafng
he ind f-H1 ToI,,
B. Herreshoff, aboard.
There was no possible occasion for a
protest at the start today. When the
racers came about and headed down to
clear water between them, the Vigilant
for the first time being in advance. They
came scurrying along to the bow of the
lightship with, mainsail, club top-sail,
forestry and jib set. The Defender prob
ably never showed such q fine setting
suit of canvass, but the Vigilant's were
even better. Both We're on the starboard
tack, having been told by signal that
their course would be dead against the
wind. AS they went over the VigiIant
set the baby jib topsail and in doing so
luffed into the wind long enough to make
her lose probably fifteen seconds If not
more. AS usual, the Defender went about
almost as soon as she had crossed the
line. She stood away on the port tack,
while Vigilant continued on a. long board
The Defender stood on port tack for q
couple of minutes and then went about to
overhaul VigilaEt. For Some time it look
ed as though Vigjlant was outpotnting
Defender, but the appearance was doubt
less due to the fact that Defender was
pointing higher in the wind
abeam of the Vigilant, a good sixteenth
of "a mile to windward.
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 her baby jib top
sail
But even that important manoeuvre
did not enable her to split tacks with De-
fender. for Defender went about almost
the same time.
Gained Right Along.
When they stood back for the Jersey
shore. the Defender was fully half q mile
in the lead, and both yachts made the
outer mark on this tack, the Defender
gaining right along. AT the rounding she
eaSed her mainSheet and took no less
than minutes in dropping her spin
makers and getting that sail on the port
side The handling of the boat was
wretclled.
The Vigilant rounded finely. The wind
had run up to about Is knots by that
time, and the centre-board keeled we'll
over to port tack to a very sharp angle
before she gibbed her boom oyer to port
and got ready to set the (spinnaker on
the starboard tack. On the ten-mile
beat to the windward, the Defender had
gained minutes and 30 seconds.
home. Within a mile of the finish line,
the Defender hauled down Eer Spinnake1
and balloon jb top-sail, running consid-
cradle to the westward in doing 50. Then
she made a reach for the home line and
got there at 2:04:29. She turned the Sandy
Hook all right, Vigilant made her round
ing in much the same style. by This
time the wind had increased to Is or x
knots an hour The Defender stood
away on the port tack for probably two
minutes, long enough to let the onlook-
ers think that she was going to obey
| but she stood away for Sandy Hook
! There was an ominous gathering OF vino
| clouds to the southwark and the kick.
ers said that Defender was afraid of q
blow.
BADLY Damaged.
In truth. the boat had sustained seri-
Gus damage in her upper rigging, which
was SO badly stretched and looSened thai
| if she had been forced into a second
| round of the course, she might have car
ried the topmast away, If not the main
In the meantime, the vigilant went
around the Scotland lightship, but took
I down her club topsails.
| A few minutes after her jib was COM
! pletely torn into shreds by the wind.
The Vigilant had seen by this time the
| Defender had quit but Commander Will
] lard was going over the course anyway
AS soon as the committee saw the De
| fender had gone home, the Vigilant wa:
overtaken and informed that the days
races were hers.
| On the run home before the wind, the
Vigilant had gained / minute and SO sec
onds. which, in proportion to the distance
was the best gain that the ceritreboarC
had made on the fin keel.
Boat. Start. Outer Finish Ell sd