The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-07-23
THE DEFENDER WINS.
Greatly Superior i'm a Light
Breeze TO the Vigilant.
A GOOD All-ROuND TEST.
The New Yacht Comes in More Than
Nine Minutes Ahead In .
Race OF Thirty Miles.

New York. July 22.-The second trial
that the Defender has had in New York
waters against the Vigilant today only
furnished more evidence that The new
boat is better than the old one in light
weather. They sailed over a triangular
course outside Uf Sandy Hook, and were
tested in pretty nearly every kind OF sail
ing They started ont before me wind,
and before they had gotten half way on
the Journey or the first leg Of 10 miles they
we're sailing with the Wind over The quar-
tiers; before they cot 10 the end of the
first leg they were even more closely
hauled; on the second leg they were
reaching free and lacking. and on the
final angie they were able TO head TO
the home mark with fairly well lifted
sheet The race left no doubt as TO the
respec i've qualities OF the boats in the
kind Of weather that prevailed, out that
weather was CT the Hghtest character.
At no time did the breeze blow harder
than twelve knots an hour. and tx fell
al times TO four. On the run out before
the wind at the start, the Nigilant not
only held her own for a period, but at
the end OF four miles was well abeam OF
the Defender. This run was made with
spinnaker set and drswing. under which
conditions IL is almost universally con-
ceded the Vigilant is the fastest boat IN
the world She showed those same quail
tiles here as well as on the other side or
the Atlantic When II came TO the point,
however. where. because OF little shift
in the wind the spnnaker should be
hauled In and oooms hauled on board,
the Defender Instantly shot ahead. she
kent ahead and was never afterward
oyerhauled during the entire thirty miles,
unless IL might have Been on certain htae
portioas OF the course where the WIND
sronnas 10 almost nothing. In those
las I, seemed as though the Vigilant
n.cked up but me gain was inconsioer-
able. .s,4
+ha Dafender gained in each OF the three
angles. It was expected that the Nighant
would show I'D with new sails this morn
ing. but It turned out that she oniy hao
+Ime IN make a few alterations IN the
-ar~.os .hat she used on Saturday. One
,rnrrovement ther-e certainly was in her
o,r.fit the cleaning OF the centerooard.
diver was cent down to examine ana cream
the eenterboard yesterday While the oodl
Law inside OF Sandy Hook horseshoe. lie
found IL covered with barnacles ana grass
The board had not been touched wneh the
ytgilant was locked at the Erie basin lcr
re cIeaninp of her hull, because there was
NJ, room, 10 lower il. This improvement
vas no small one. 1t, together with the
oha,sa IN the cut of her sails, MADE lne
t,oat DO better without doubt tnan sne oio
on SATURDAY. Yet the only time she gam
"a On the Defender was when she had that
came old champion centerooaro hauteu up
and Il was of no use wna'eVe.. -.
Tha Defender appeared in just about
The Same form as she showed in the first
race Tr,ilng improvements had been
made In her blockwork and small cut
of her club topsaiss.
II there was any Improvement IN lorih
fl was in the Vigilant, ana that makes
the Defenders performance more remark
able Directly after the start the racers
found themselves running dead before the
wind. Down went the Vigilants spinn1-
kar boom at the first sign OF a dead
astern wind, and 1t was not minute laIer
that the Defender followed suit. The
yigilant met with a mishap at the start,
as a small sloop got in her way. She was
on the starboard tack when the Delenaer
was still on the port. The Defsnder came
around tust before the line was reacned'
h,,, refused to give way 10 the other BOAT,
urhicl, because she was on the starboard
tack. had the right-of-way. 1t looked as
though there would be a collision, but
the other boat by courtesy waived aer
right and went about on the port tack
nassing in under the Defenders lee quar-
ter until she was clear. The Nlgnaht AZ
,fee was taken of il at the time by the
committee. The yachts went over the line
with lib topsalls flying and continued up
to the time that the spnnakers were set
After the spinnakers were hauled in the
Defender began TO go ahead
Within the space OF a mile from the time
the spinnakers were hauled down, the De-
fender was a good sixteenth or Hliie
ahead Rounding the first mark. DESPITE
the fact that the Defender had some little
further distance to go. she percepuoiy
gained on the 'Vigilant, making a very
pretty turn within twenty feet OF the
buoy and going away on the starooard
tack with sails quite full in true racing
styIe She was very quick in coming into
the wind. and as the main sheet was
hauled aft she held her head up and went
very quickly through the water close haul
ed. making the course southeast in a wind
that had died down TO about six miles an
hour. The Vigilant did not go so close 70
the buoy. but she went around IL just az
fast Jib topsails were run up at the be-
ginning OF the second leg. and "a the
wind freshened little bit the contestants
presented a pretty picture Al 2:20 the De-
fender found she could not weather the
second mark, so she went about 70 port
and as there was a bit Of breeze aft she
showed how she could spin around from
one tack 10 the other.
The Defender stood for three minutes,
when she came around to starboari. while
the Vigilant sailed on to her old starooard
tack At Pa the Defender tackled to port,
the Vigilaut still holding on. AT 2:5s the
Vigilant went around TO port, showing
herself TO be from seven to ten seconds
slower in lacking The Defender came
along in fine style and passed the last
buoy at 2:s0:ft. The Vigilant did not get
around the buoy until 2:57:25. They came
home without tack. point or point and
A half from the wind. on this stretch the
Defender only gained one minute. and the
finish took place among great believing
Of whistles. the firing Of cannon and the
footing Of horns from The collection Of
steam yachts and excursion boats that
were gathered about The line The official
time was. Defender. 1880. Vigilant.
- AZ. Thus the Defender wins by . min
utes il seconds.
THREE BATTLES AT DALLAS.