The San Francisco call., 1896-08-25
The American Boat Probably
Saved From Defeat by
the Wind.
HANDICAPPED BY CONDITIONS.
Canadians Greatly Elated Over the
Showing Made by Their Fast
Sailer.

TOLEDO, OHIO, Aug. 24.-The attempt
to sail the first interna ational race between
the Canada and Vencedor for the inter
lake yachting championship on Lake Erie,
off Toledo, resulted in failure on account
of the lack of wind, as the regatta COM
mittee declared the race off at o'clock
this afternoon, after the yachts had drifted
about for four hours.
WheE the race was called, the Canada,
which had lead of over mile, had only
covered six miles, or about a quarter OF
the course, and was half way between the
first and second marks on the first round.
The race was witnessed by big crowd OF
spectators, and nearly 100 steam and sail
ing craft followed the yachts over the
course. The Canadians were naturally
greatly elated over the showing of their
champion, while the American yachtsmen
were glum over the result.
AS matter of fact the original condi-
tons have handicapped the Vencedor, so
that it will be little short of miracle if
she wins in a light wind, though she will
undoubteS do well in blow. As it is
she is under-canvased and cannot do her.
self justice.
The course to-day was triangular one
of twelve miles, four miles to the leg,
and sailed over twice.
At 1855 a gun was fred from the steam
yacht Sigma as a signal for the yachts to
get ready to start, and they slowly shifted
their positions to the windward end of the
line and began jockeying for the weather
berth. The Canada moved through the
water at quite lively rate considering the
almost i'm perceptible wind that was blow
ing, while the Vencedor had hardly steer
age way. When the starting signal was
given at II o'clock both yachts hauled or
the wind on the starboard tack and headed
for the line. The Canada ran up the Ven
cedor weather quarter and set big iib
topsail and balloon forestaysail, which, as
she forged ahead, blanketed the Chicago
boat and left her in the doldrums as she
went over the line.
1t was some time before the Vencedor
felt the wind again, but in the meantime
she ran up small lib topsail and began
to gather headway and crossed the line
with little more than steerage way on her.
The Canada came about on the port tack
at 11:23 o'clock and stood across the Ven
cedor's bows, again taking the wind
out of her sails, and just as she began to
fl again she found the Canada had gone
about and was on her weather quarter
and in a short time had cleared and was
well to windward and gone to the west
ward hunting wind.
At II 40 o'clock the Vencedor went
about on the port tack in such a light air
that she was forty seconds in stays aud
then stood well to the north, where it
looked as though there might be breeze
In all this time the yachts had not sailed q
quarter of a mile. Each held on and at
IL 40 O'Clock the Canada came about on
the port tack and stood after the Ven
cedor.
At :55 the wind shifted to the east of
north and came out with enough strength
for the first time to I'LL the sails, and then
the yachts were able to lay their course on
the starboard tack for the stakeboat, with
the wind abeam. The Canada then, with
her bigger proportionate sail area, began
to draw rapidly away from the Vencedor,
which simply drifted along, and by the
time the Canada turned the mark, at
1:13:40, she was a mile in the lead. As
soon as the Canada turned and stood off
on the starboard tack the Vencedor's
spinnaker was set to starboard, but it did
her no good, as there was not enough wind
to fill it and it blanketed her head sails.
At 40 she rounded the sUakeboat and
headed after the Canada, which slowly con-
tinued to draw away. till at 3 o'clock the
wind dropped to a fiat calm, and a few
minutes later the regatta committee de-
clared the race off for the day, as it was
impossible to finish it within the required
five and half hours time limit. The
yachts will sail over the same course to-
morrow.