The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-09-08
GREAT BOAT
IS DEFENDER.
Continued from Page -


sailing probably from a half point to
point higher than the Defender, still
| going through the water faster ahead.
The First Surprise.
The first surprise Of the day was in
the position that the Defender showed
on crossing the line. Very strange to
! say, she. was a little bit windward of
the English boat; behind, it is true, by
four seconds, but still windward.
There had been so much said about
the superior skippership Of Captain
| Sycamore that it was feared by the
thousands Of Americans who witnessed
the scene, that he would not be only
behind at the start, but that he would
be SO thoroughly blanketed that he
would never have show in the whole
race. But while the Englishman did
get over the line first by about half a
| length, the Yankee was on top of him
| instead Of being below, or underneath
his wind.
There was very pretty manoeuvring
for position above the line, which was
formed between the regatta committee
boat and another just off Seabright,
NJ. 1t had been the intention of the
committee to start the boats from the
Sandy Hook lightship but when the
committee got out to the lightship they
east by south, and they, having discre-
ton in the matter, decided to make
the opening of the race at a point well
in under the New Jersey shore, where
| there was promise of more wind and
possible occasion for a position and
more desirable beat dead to windward.
So they notified the racers by signal
that they would carry out that pur-
pose, and the yachts and the prodigous
fleet Of onlookers picked up their traps
and headed for the New Jersey coast
Tt was 11:55 before the committee
hoisted the signal that the course OUT
ward would be east by south. Accord
ing to the sailing regulations of the
regatta committee of the New York
Yacht club, under whose immediate
supervision the race was sailed, fifteen
minutes had to be allowed to the rae
ers to find out what course would be
by compass before the preparatory
signal was given.
The Preparatory Gun.
Therefore, it was 1910 when the
preparatory gun was fired. Immed1-
ately the yachts, with club topsails,
forestry sails and jibs set, began to
Jockey for the most favorable position.
They made no short tacks in this bust
ness, and when it came near the ex-
piration of the ten minutes that they
were allowed, both yachts were to the
westward and northward of the line,
both heading for it. Valkyrie was
ahead and it seemed as though she
was trying to force Defender, which
was to the windward, to close up
against the committee boat, so that
the latter would have to make asltack
before crossing. The Valkyrie was GER
tainly pinched high UP in the wind,
but the Defender was almost. if not
nearly, as close. Yet the Defender re-
fused to be driven out Of her course,
and with an extra pull on her main
Valkyrie until the course was begun,
and also to maintain her weather po-
sition.
VaIkyrie Crosses.
The shippers had done their timing
very we'll and it was only 46 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
people were not satisfied with SO small
a sail on their outer stay and spread
a No. 2. The wind was then blowing
something of a swell on the sea, but
the water could not be called rough
by any means.
The weather conditions at the time
were pretty nearly those that have
been described as most fitting for Val
kyrie. The challenger slipped through
the water beautifully, throwing some
spray from her bows, it is true, but
surely sliding ahead faster than the
Defender. The latter was held very
high up, but for several minutes was
both outfooted and outpointed.
a Good Full.
1t was now the time when birth was
given to apprehension of the Yankees.
The Valkyrie, it was seen, was doing
the faster work, and as she slipped
past the Denfender the chaps who had
been betting on Defender to win the
match, came nearly to an opinion that
their money was gone. Even the most
enthusiastic admirers of Defender and
Captains Haff, such, for instance as
Captain Harry Denis of the tug Fred
Dalzell, who has been to sea in pilot
boats and steamers for nearly forty
years. remarked: I'VE will be done up
today 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 the sails on the Briton, much
as has been said about them, set a
whit better than those of the American
boat In fact, it may be said no flaw
could be seen in any bit of cloth on
either boat. The impression which
some have that Ratsey was the only
perfect canvas cutter in the world was
dispelled when Defender spread her
sails The yachts stood on this star
board tack until 1898, when Defender
was the first TO go about AS soon as
she saw this move, Valkyrie did the
same. Valkyrie continued to gain more
advantages and Defender was held up
very close to the wind and by doing so
became blanketed.
Yankees Apprehensive.
When Captain Half saw the trouble
he was getting into he, at 12:47, eased
his ship off and gave her the good
full that her friends had been hoping
to see for many minutes. AS soon as
Defender was eased off she began to
increase her speed. She caught up on
the ValkyHe not little, but of course
she was going further to leeward than
the Valkyrie, and her apparent gain
was less in reality than it looked to
be. When the Vall1yrie saw the De-
fender ease off, she did the same thing,
not to such a great extent, and she
maintained her lead. Now the breeze
an hour. Valkyrie, on feeling the
while the full rap of Defenders was
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