The Portland daily press., 1897-08-06
VIGILiNT BADLY SAILED
Famous Cup Defender Beaten b
NaVaboe.
INTERESTING RACE FOR GOBLET
CUP YESTERDAY.

liant had the Speed, but Was Poorly
| Handled-ColoniaAH las No Opposition
in Schooner Glass.
i Newport, R. l., August 5.-Royal
Phelps Carroll's yacht Navahoe, won the
Goelet cup for sloops today by defeating
Percy Chubb's Vigilant in not only the
most interesting race ever sailed for one
OF these emblems, but in what was pro-
badly the finest contest ever sailed be-
tween the big sloops in American waters.
Colonia took the schooner cup, but as
Emerald, the only other entry in this
| class, failed to come out, Vice Com
modore Postley went over the course In
the most lonesome manner.
Vigilant led at the start, but Navahoe
turned the first mark ahead and kept her
lead until within three miles of the finish
when Vigilant passed her. Only 20 feet
seemed to separate the boats as they rushed
across the line, which was not enough
to saye Vigilant the race, and the Nayahoe
won by minutes, 81 seconds corrected
time.
Throughout the race between the Her
resboffs boats, it was question OF SEQ
onds and not minutes and in the end the
better skipper won. The handling Of
Navahoe by Captain Aubrey Crocker was
mastery, while the grand old cup defender
of '93 was twisted about in manner
| that almost brought tears to the eyes of
the yachtsmen. First she would be
lie Arrtforad IN,
| the wind, and again sent far off her
course. In the second leg, which, is beat
| from Block Island to West Island, Nava-
hoe was given good cap full through
out, while Vigilant took course that
| seemed like that OF drunken sailor.
Vigilant lost nine seconds on this leg,
and no lutfing on the last six miles could
make up for such mis-handling.
The course was the old one to Block ISL
and with leg to West island and a short
reach to the finish, distance of 3S miles
and the boats made it in a little over four
hours. Colonia took only ten minutes
longer and throughout stood up like a
church. and sailing grandly.
The first gun fired at 1910, found both
sloops unprepared. Neither had topsails
set, while Navahoe had only mainsail and
Jib up. The result of this was that when
the starting gun was fred, ten minutes
v
having just managed to get up her sail
while her rival was over minute asterlf,
still without sufficient sails spread. Nava-
hoe, however. had not gone many yards
from the line, when her working topsail
was sheeted home and Immediately after
her spinnaker blossomed out. The run
to Block Island was nearly dead before
the wind and in order to get better po-
sition, Vigilant crossed Navahoe's bow
and was considerably to the starboard
| of her rival before setting her spinnaker.
In the meantime the tug Edward Luck
enback was reeling off the necessary
miles to the first mark and abe ut i
o'clock had dropped the raft with it's red
| flag, about six miles north of Block ISL
and, northeast light.
| Both boats came down for the mark
with hooms to port and spinnakers to
sJarboard. All the way down, Navahoe
kept pulling down Vigilants lead, and
both boats, mile from the first mark,
appeared nearly even, although running
wide apart.
| Suddenly those on the lug discovered
that the raft had capsized, and second
one was Immediately placed, but as the
time was SO short it could not be put in
| the same position as the other, 1t was
| dropped about quarter of a mile to the
eastward. This favored Navahoe and
taking in her spinnaker. and jibing, she
rounded at :09.
Vigilant, while undoubtedly ahead just
| before this, was thirty seconds behind at
the mark. She was, however, given a
good shoot into the wind and then start
| ed after Navahoe. Instead of keeping a
good rap>full, Vigilant's skipper im1ne-
| diately began to pinch her. Her topsail
carried no wind and her stay sail did lit
| tie better.
With a good jump of sea she rapidly
| fell astern of Nayahoe and three miles
| from the first mark, the Carroll boat had
good lead, although somewhat to lee
| ward. Capt. Crocker gave Navahoe a
good full and she romped along in fine
style. AS this leg was long and short
hitch, Navahoe was kept on the port tack
ward, but considerably astern, she tackled
to starboard. Vigilant did not hang on
long enough for the boats to come togeth-
er, but also tackled ship at 321.
The boats kept on for half an hour on
this tack, when Vigiland again tackled
to port. Then it was seen that the erratic
steering had done it's work, for with all
her we'll known windward qualities she
could not weather Navahoe, and was
forced to ease away under her stern In the
most ignom nious manner.
Nayahoe then tackled on her rivals
weather and held this position until both
boats had somewhat overstood the sec
h,
about again, and reached for it.. just
before rounding the big balloon jib was
broken out and Navahoe romped away
for home we'll within her time limit.
Vigilant was 80 seconds behind, but did
not hoist her ballooner, setting her big
| lib to sail instead.
Then began one of the most exciting
finishes seen for many day. With the
lightship six lmlles away Vigilant
started to get by Navahoe and make up
the five minutes necessary tow in. She
did the former, but fell short of the lat
ter. Luffing up to windward she cut off
Navahoe's wind and then slipped by.
Capt Crocker tried hard to repeat these
tactics, but Navahoe did not have quite
speed enough, so the Cohasset skipper
had to tag on behind with the bowsprit
of the Navahoe over the taft rail of Vigi-
liant. In this position they sailed for two
miles, but just before the line was reached,
Vigilant pulled away and finished 25
seconds in the lead.
Tomorrow the contest between the
yachts will be renewed in the run to
Vineyard Haven, with the accompani-
ment of all the rest of the yachts in the
| fleet.