Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-08-09
THE BIG YACHTS
Finish Race from Vineyard
Haven 10 Bar Harbor.
Vigilant Wins Over Navahoe in SIoop
Class BY Nearly n Minutes.
C''onia Leads Emerald by the Narrow Margin
OF Fl Seconds.

der the towering mountains of the fam
GUS Maine. resort. with the sloop Wig
liant leading the fleet Of 20 sail by
many miles, after a run marked
throughout by smooth seas and follow
ing winds. The Vigilant won the cup
in the sloop class, leading Navahoe at
the finish so minutes. The race in the
schooner class was much closer, and
Colonia, although finishing 10 minutes
ahead of Emerald won the $1,000 cup by
only q seconds.
The race was Il tremendous success
and was not only extremely gratifying
To its energetic originator, J. Pierpont
Morgan, but win go down in history as
one of the gl@ lest of the long distance
races of American yachting. From the
time the calm spot was left two hours
after the start there was not a SEM
blance Of anything disagreeable in the
entire run. The east wind came in Just
in time To blow the fleet clear of the
treacherous Nantucket shoals before
darkness settled down and then shift
ing t. southwark and west not only
held true and steady throughout the
beautiful night but kept up all day.
toui!tieiN. anu iltNtI WAY Efttl QntIi Ilft
last boat had crossed the finish line.
The yachts of Americas Oldest club
accomplished what has heretofore
never been attempted. of sailing all
night without taking in a single stitch
of canvas, or shortening a spar 1t
must be said that such feat was due
in a great measure to the surprising
weather, and probably could never he
repeated. The entire 1IS miles from
Pollock Rip liehtship was sailed with
out sheet or halyard being pulled.
From the start it looked like a fine
race between Nigilant and Navahoe.
Colonia and Emerald, and Wasp and
Queen Nab. As it turned out Vigilant
had a Walkover, but the race between
the other two pairs was close and ex-
citing throughout. After establishing
a lead of over a mile before getting
over Nantucket shoals, Emerald grad
ually dropped back to her rival. until
shortly before midnight the two
schooners were even. From that tine
until within 10 miles Of the finish, It
was most exciting until II o'clock,
when Colonia pulled out ana led to the
finish.
From the start the old timers had Ito
show with the modern cracks and went
astern rapidly, and with the little
sloops made up what was called the
second division of the race. Twenty
two boats headed out for the line for
The double century at o'clock, Satur-
day morning, while half a dozen steam
yachts We're also present either as spec
tators, or as actual participants in the
run
At 9.55 the preparatory gun was fired,
ana five minutes after the starting gun
for the small boats doomed out. With
a light westerly wind blowing but a
strong tide holding them back the boats
crossed the line in the following order:
Wasp, first, at 10.01.50; then came Nay
ahoe and Sayonara, but they were han
dicapped about a minute. Vigilant fol
lowed next. a minute behind Navahoe
Iroquois led the schooners followed by
Amorita, Queen Nab. Gevelia. Colonia.
Emerald, Feneila Marguerite, Sachem,
Fortuna, IIildegard Montauk, Alert,
Gloriana, Clytie, Viking. Varuna and
Crusader.
All the yachts broke out their spin
makers as they crossed the line and five
minutes after Navahoe and Vigiant
were hard after it in a fufing match.
Half an hour after the start the wind
died out completely and most of the
boats anchored. and waited for the east
wind which was sighted some miles
ahead. Keeping well to the south,
Wasp picked up the new wind first, anG
by ] O'Clock had put miles between
her and all the rest of the boats. EN-
erald, which had also edged off to the
southwark, jumped off by Colonia
Ngiant picked up the breeze before
Navahoe and soon had a lead Of a mile
on her rival.
Wasp was the first to pass Cross Rip
nghtship, at 2.15, followed II minutes
later by Emerald, with Colonia third
and Vigilant fourth. Navahoe was
some distance astern of Vigilant, while
the rest of the fleet was strung out
through the sound, with the Columbia
and Intrepid bringing up in the rear.
It WAS a long fetch from Cross Rip to
Handkerchief lghtship, 1012 miles. All
the yachts made it on the starboard
tack, Wasp being the first to reach it
at 3.15. on the way out Nigilant was
again pinched and Navahoe picked up
bit. while Emerald opened out some
what on Colonia. Between Cross Rip
and Handkerchief. the fleet split up
into two divisions, as was anticipated.
BY the time the first division was well
up 10 Handkerchief the wind had can't
ed to the southwest, so that the run up
to the Shovelful lightship bearing
northeast by east, distance five miles,
was made with sheets we'll started
Emerald rounded the handkerchief at
p. NJ, and Wasp at BIZ. Colonia fol-
lowed at 325 while Vigilant did not round
until 341. Marguerite was the next boat. |
at 35; Navahoe at 3.52. Amorita at 353,
Queen Nab at 3.57 and Hildegard at 3.5S.
The wind kept hauling to the southwark
so that the run to the Shovelful lightship
was we'll off the wind. The boats round
ed the Shovelfu in the following order:
Emerald. 80; Wasp, $50; Colonia. 4.03.O1 |
Vigilant, AL; Marguerite, 4.29; Navahoe,
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