Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-26
A HARD KNOCKDOWN,
By W. ]. HENDERSON.

tNopS iSi'' 1850, by W. >. henderson,
"Luff her! Luff her hard! Let 20 the
head sheets!'
There was half minute Of tense &C.
tlvlty aboard the racing sloop Vandalia.
Inc sharp rattle of blocks was followed
by the thunderous tapping of heavy can
vas. Then the lee rail, which had sunI1
beneath swirling of green and silver
waters till the streak of smokelike foam
ran Missing along the cabin skylight,
slowly rose to the surface. The strained
mast ceased to groan as if in vital agony,
and the ominous humming in the wealth
er rigging died away
Keep her away again! Haul aft the
Jlb and staysail sheets!" The Vaudalia
resumed her business of cleaving her
way out to windward in a resolute at
tempt to round the outer mark before
the Hayward, her fleetest competitor.
That was "a pretty hard knock
down, said Mr.. Heath, the owner of
the yacht
Il thought we were going over for
sure,' said his son George, who, being
boy Of 10, had not yet sailed many
yacht races.
I've seen worse" said l, having
made fast the jib sheet and seated
myself once more on the cockpit rail
mo doubt said Mr.. Heath, "but
the sloop was almost on her beam ends. 4"
But we're all aboard of her still"
said l.
Tell us all about it," said George,
who plainly discerned the struggle of a
remlnlscence i'll my mind.
yes" said Mr.. Heath, 'by all
means let US hear about your famous
| Touchdown. -
"llnockdown" is q common Incl
dent of yachting. The vessel is sailing
along close hauled or with the wind
! abeam, and q sudden blast of wind heels
| her over till she appears to be on the
verge of capsizing. Good seamanship
| prevents disaster. That is all it amounts
to, yet recalled Touchdown which
was uncommon in its results.
lit was this way" | said. II was
sitting Oh the veranda of certain club
house up the sound one fine July morn
ing when my friend Johnny Moore came
up the path with an anxious look in his
eye. Catching sight of me, he cried:
YOU'RE just the man! I'm short hand
ed, and the Carita is entered against
the Hookah. VIII you join my crew. l
had nothing to do and was ready enough
to go. The Carita l knew well, as | had
sailed on her before. She was cutter Of
moderate type and q fast sailer i'll u
good breeze. 1t was just her day, and
my spirits rose rapidly as I looked for
ward to lively race. Johnny hurried
me off to the float where his dingey was
waiting, and III few minutes we We're
aboard the cutter. | went below and got
into a white canvas working suit, il blue
watch cap and pair of canvas shoes. |
FASTENED on deck and rapidly got the
anchor, for it was almost time for the
preparatory gun, and we were nearly a
mile from the starting line. The main
sail and topsail were up ana we speed
lily set the lib and under the pressure OF
a good II knot southerly wind went
boiling down to the mark. The prepar-
at0ry gun was fred before we arrived,
and we had no time to do much maneu-
vering for position. We had to cross 60
ing before the wind and as we rushed
down to the line with half an acre Of
milk white foam under her bows we
lowered away the spinnaker boom. |
Jumped aft to take care of the after guy.
, The starting gun was fired just as the
nose of our bowsprit touched the line.
Break out that spinnakern yelled
Johnny.
and the great triangular piece OF
canvas sprang from its stops before
could get the after guy fast. The spin
maker boom started to swing forward,
and the guy threatened to pull me over
board. I caught hasty turn around a
cleat and made fast.
Another moment, Johnny, said l,
and you would have lost your spinna-
ker pole, and l would have been swim
ming
"'Lool1 out for yourself, said John
n.y. Il dom care to lose you overheard
now that I've got you
"sNonsense!' exclaimed |, laughing.
Il never went overheard from yacht
but once, and that was a cutter so mar
row lIInU you " oiU ss'StiNtN'Ni-NN ~ -NN-
. to keep from falling off.
"Well, we got down to the first turn
ing mark with a good lead Oh the Hook
ah Thence we had a ten mile beat t(
, windward, and we knew we could holt
her at that, for going to windward was
the Carita's best point. Still we couldn
afford to lose yard, for as nearly as W.
could figure it the Hoollah had crossed
the line a minute and a half astern o.
us and had lost only 20 seconds on the
first leg. If she picked up that 10 sec
onds on the beat, she would have al
even thing Of it on the reach home witt
the chances q little in her favor, as she
was little larger spared than we.
3. "How about the time allowance:
, asked George.
"There wasn't any between US. Oul
racing measurements were exactly TIT
same" l said. 'Well, going out tf
windward it was an everlasting nurse