The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-03-02
A HARD KNOCKDOWN.
By ". J, HENDERSON.

by tne lnunueToub udppluS VI ueaNy Cul
vas. Then the lee rail, which had SUM
beneath a swirling Of green and silve
waters till the streak of smolelike foam
ran kissing along the cabin slSylight
slowly rose to the surface. The strained
mast ceased to groan as if in vital agony
and the ominous humning in the wealth
er rigging died away.
keep her away again! Haul aft tb'
jib and staysail sheets" The Vandali.
resumed her business of cleaving hel
way out to windward in a resolute at
tempt to round the outer mark before
the Hayward, her fleetest competitor.
"That was a pretty bard knock
down." said Mr.. Heath, the owner o.
the yacht.
II thought we were going over fol
sure" said his son George, who, being
boy Of 10, had not yet sailed many
yacht races
"I've seen worse" said ], having
made fast the jib sheet and seated
myself once more on the cockpit rail.
''No doubt, said Mr.. Heath, "but
the sloop was almost on her beam ends. u
''But we're all aboard of her still, "
said /.
"Tell us all about it," said George,
who plainly discerned the struggle of a
Renaissance in my mind.
"Yes," said Mr.. Heath, "by all
means let US hear about your famous
knockdown.
A touchdown" is a common Incl
dent of yachting. The vessel lie sailing
along close hauled or with the wind
abeam, and sudden blast of wind heels
her over till she appears to be OH the
verge of capsizing. Good seamanship
prevents disaster That is all it amounts
to, yet recalled knockdown which
was uncommon in its results.
at was this way said. IL was
sitting on the veranda Of a certain club
house up the sound one fine July morn
ing when my friend Johnny Moore can. 0
up the path with an anxious look in his
eye. Catching sight Of me, he cried:
You're inst the man! I'm short hand
ed, and the Carita is entered against
the Hookah. Will you join my crew.
had nothing to do and was ready enough
to 60. The Carita l knew well, us | had
sailed Oh her before. She was a cutter of
moderate type and fast sailer i'll a
good breeze. 1t was just her day, and
my spirits rose rapidly as looked for
ward to a lively race. Johnny hurried
me of to the float where his dingey was
waiting, and in a few minutes we were
aboard the cutter. l went below and got
into white canvas working suit, a blue
watch cap and pair OF canvas shoes.
FASTENED on deck and rapidly got the
anchor, for it was almost time for tho
preparatory gun, and we vera nearly a
mile from the starting line. The main
sail and topsail were up, and we speed
lily set the jib and under the pressure of
a good 10 knot southerly wind went
boiling down to the mark. The prepar-
atory gun was fired before we arrived,
and we had no time to do much maneu-
vering for position. We had to cross 30
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 fred just as the
nose of our bowsprit touched the line
"'Break out that spinnakerr yelled
Johnny.
"And the great triangular piece of
canvas sprang from its stops before
could get tho after guy fast. The spin
maker boom started to swing forward,
and the guy threatened to pull me over
board. l caught q hasty turn around a
rleat and made fast.
Another moment, johnny said /,
and you would have lost your spinna-
ker pole, and would have been swim
ming
"'Look out for yourself, said John
ny. I don't care to lose You overheard
now that I've got you
NONSENSE exclaimed I, laughing.
I never,went overheard from Il yacht
but once and that was cutter so mar
row that you had to sit a. straddle Of her
70 keep from falling off.
"Well, we got down to the first turn
ng mark with good lead on the Hook
III. Thence we had a ten mile beat to
and we knew we could hold
Ter at that, for going to windward was
he Carita 8 best point. Still we couldn't
lfford to lose yard, for as nearly as we
'ould figure it the Hookah had crossed
he line minute and half astern of
IS and had lost only 20 seconds Oh the
irst leg. If she picked up that 20 Sec
,nds on the beat, she would have an
wen thing of it on the reach home, with
he chances little in her favor, as she
vas little larger spared than We"
"How about the time allowance?"
sked George.
There wasn't any between us. Our
acing measurements were exactly the !
ame,'' I said. "Well, going out to
it was an everlasting nurse
md luff and squeeze and pinch. I never
aw Johnny Moore do prettier work at
he helm, but that blessed Hookah lay
light in our wake and seemed to keep !
ust about the same distance astern of |
IS. The wind was coming in puffs that
wept down from the north shore of the
ound, thrashing the gray water into
ong foam topped wrinkles. We began
0 jump into it bit, much as this
lessed yacht is doing now, and to send
howers Of glittering spray over the
ows. But Johnny's racing blood was
p, and he determined to crack on sail
III all was blue. They used to call him
opmast Johnny-but that's another
;ory, as Kipling says. He gave orders
} set the baby jib topsail OIL the next
'ck, and I clambered down to the foot
the rigging to get the backstay ready
, bring aft. The lee rail was in the
alter, and the dazzling white foam was
selling past in chalky streams. I stood
18th one foot on the rail, the water tug.
ing at my ankle, and cast off the tackle
the backstay. The next instant !
Gard Johnny shouting, Look out there, ,
illyr l didn't know what was com
Ig. Then I heard a wilk shrieking
nong tho tense wire ropes above me,
I'd looking upward I saw the mast ,
wing to lesward.
ga knockdown!' thought.