The San Francisco call., 1897-06-28
With the Whirlwind Won
Schmidt Outsails the
California Fleet.
The big Brown Man" Piled On
Canvas Enough to In
vite Disaster.
The Phnnioia and Sea Fox Find the
Blow Too Much for Them
and Retreat.

Hail to the big brown man of Oa klsnd
Creek.
Once again has Admiral Won Schmidt
carried off the California Yacht Clubs
honors of a year, and with that weird
looking craft of his, the Whirlwind. Once
again is he The owner and master of the
coyeted Wallace cup, the trophy for
which many another good yachtsman
has striven before him and strove for
again yesterday on the blue waters of the
bay.
1t was a made-to-order day for yacht
race.
But it was essentially a Won Schmidt
day. The big brown man revels in heavy
wea ther, and be got what he wanted on
this occasion. They call that boat of his
a tub, whaIer, forlorn hope and pee
wee, and they have often said that good
sailing breeze would pick her up and send
her off titIing among the clouds. But
you will hear no more of that now. Yes
terday's little demonstration has put a
quietus on that sort OF talk.
The Whirlwind is a sea- boat, a terror at
carrying canvas and a veritable dolphin
for speed. Big boats and little boats
suffered alike at hers and Won Schmidt's
hands, in the annual club race of yester-
day, and, to use the language of some of
the eye-witnesses, they-that IS, the big
brown man and his boat-circus-ringe all
around the rest OF the white winged
racers.
With the dawn OF morning came disap-
pointment for the over-the- bay yachtsmen,
for beyond a doubtful lit;le southerly
zephyr, there was nothing promising for
the day in the form of wind-nothing
favorable for a good days sport The
stlcklers got;together and agreed to post
pone the start in the hope of con juring up
blow, and some of them are sorry now
that they did, for they got more than they
wanted before the day was done.
But it was great day and great race,
nevertheless. IN fact yachtsmen say it
was the star event of the season.
As the forenoon wore along the little
zephyr from the south gave way to
spanking good nor'weSt breeze that
caused the hearts of the yachtsmen to
lhrob with Joy and the heart of the Won
Schmidt to jump sideways. 1t was near
ing l O'Clock when the eight qualifying
yachts began to work theis way down the
creek to the starting point, which was an
pier-head of / e narrow-gauge mole 10 the
western most breasting buoy, and when
the signal gun was fired they were all in
magnificent position for getting under
immediate headway Every craft in the
race WAS a sloop. The Edna, with her
helm in the skilled hands of Com m ore
Lancaster, went across tie line first.
closely followed by Captain L'Homme-
ba 10
came the Flash, then the Q and l, the
Thelma, WhirIwind, Embla and Sea Fox.
1t was pretty start. The boats as they
stood away were scarcely a hundred yards
apart, and were lined out like a string of
eads.
Once clear of the starting line the whole
feet stood on the same tack for Goat
Island. They continued in about the
same order as they started. Reaching the
island shore the Pnenicia stood over to-
ward the San Francisco side, while the
remainder of the racers seemed content
to work along amid-channeI or hug the
Goat Island skirt. Up to this time the
yachtsmen had simply been enjoying
good sailing wind and we're eIated over ii.
But now old Boreas commenced to get a
move on and sand wiched in what devel-
opeu lnlO VeIIIdDle SQuaIl. 1T came In
puffs and was accompanied by quite
heavy sea. Soon after this change OF
weather the Pbenicia was seen to drop
the peak OF her mainsail. as if something
bad gone wrong. After a spell of fiap-
ping she squared away and ran for the lee
OF Goat Island, and subsequent to that
hauled up for SausaIito and abandoned
the race.
The remainder of the feet, with the ex-
ception OF tie Whirlwind, worked to the
windward between Alcatraz ana Angel
islands. The first boat to round the
weather mark was the Edna. She was lead
ing the Embla and Whirlwind by about
the same distance and time as she was at
the beginning. In fact there was but lit
tie change in the positions of any of the
yachts up to this time. But now. run
ming to the Ieeward under kites. the Edna
and Emb began gradually to draw away
from the little Whiri wind. That stirred
Admiral Won Schmidt up to his mightiest.