The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-17
LEAD INCREASED.

In three more tacks, the Columbia
still increased her windward lead. The
Shamrock people, at 1926, took in her
baby jib topsail, hoping perhaps that
she might point higher but it was
evidently in vain for in ten minutes
they set the sail again. 1t was taken
in 20 minutes later for few minutes.
Each yacht made % tacks in the
windward work, and in all these Sham
rock took the initiative. Capt. Barr
waited for Hogarth to tack, and with
but one or two exceptions he put the
Columbia about within three seconds
of the other boat. The last half dozen
tacks made were longer than the 9TH
ers.
The outer mark, which was obscured
by the mist, was visible from the yachts
soon after IL o'clock The wind becan.e
light as they approached 1t, but 1t IN
creased in force little as the Coluln-
bia made her last tack at 1:46:30. She
looked very ha Ntsome as she approach
ed the mark on the port tack, a couple
of her smooth bronze bilge plates show
ing on her weather side. Smartly the
crew launched her spinnaker boom out
to port before she had fairly made the
turn, and squared away on her homie
ward course, the great sail was broken
out from stops the same moment the
main boom swung far off to staTbCdrd.
The Shamrock's men beat them only
five seconds setting the splnnaker. The
official time at the turn was:
ShamFock .'.... .........,.,...l:0ou
THE RUN HOME.
This shows that the Columbia was
ON. ass ahead when she rounded the
mark. The elapsed time of the ColEm-
~ F1r .
- sec; OF the Shamrock, hrs. 81 min.
Sec, showing that the Columbias
gain from the actual start had been
min. 50 sec. This indeed was a great
victory Tor the Columbia, for the yachts
had covered the distance in fast time,
and at no time were they far enough
apart to benefit by any puffs of wind.
The Columbia's balloon-jibtopsai was
set Immediately after the spinnaker
and the headsails hauled down, and she
began her 15-nlile run to the finish at
a speed Of about eight knots an hour.
The Shamrock's balloon-jibtopsail vas
set five minutes after rounding the odt
er mark, and for a time it seemed as
though she was overhauling the Colura-
bia. At the time that appeared to be
reasonable CONCLUSION, because she
was in a position to take advantage of
any squalls that might come along. 1t
apparent gain was only imaginary, and
that the Bristol boat was not only
holding her own, but. as the figures
showed later. she was really gaining in
the run before the wind.
STILL GAINING.
Mile after mile they travelled lost
sight of al times to the feet by reason
of occasional clouds of mist that calne
along. The finish line, marked by the
committee boat and the Sandy Hook
lightship, was not visible until the
yachts were within couple of miles of
1t. Then there was a rush OF steam
ers to reach the goal ahead Of the
yachts.
1t could not be called an exciting
finish, nor was it tame one altogether
So few boats We're present to witness
it, and the weather was so depressing
that as a spectacle, the finish might
be called q poor one from picturesque
standpoint. But in the distance the
yachts were so far apart that it was
rather poor finish from a sportsman's
standpoint.
THE FINISH.
When the Columbia, her great yellow
mainsail and her sky-reaching spin
maker to port, swept acrogs the finish
line at 3.54: SO, the Shamrock was hard
~ visible astern, only the outline of
her sails being traceable in the mist
Ten minutes and II seconds in time
elapsed between the finishing of the
Columbia and the Shamrock, which
meant in distance about a mile and a
half. The official time of the finish
was:
Columbia .............354:59
Shamrock recommendation
The official summary is: The elapsed
time of the Columbia from the outer
mark TO the finish was hours, min