The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-10-21


had the Columbia close on her lee beam.
Bot were lying down with their lee
rails awash. The Shamrock came about
first and kept OF for the line when two
minutes were lett before the signal. The
Columbia, after standing on few Soc
onds longer. on the port tack, came about
on the Shamrook's weather quarter and
as both approached the line, with the Co
lumbia In the weather perth, the latter's
spinnaker boom was dropped to port just
at guntire. Inc Shamrock, running
down before the wind, reached the vicini-
ty of the committee boat few seconds
too soon, so Captain Hogarth kept her
broad off to use Up the time and then
luffed cut acre SIS the committee boats
bow just at gun-dre crossing the line at
10 knot clio with the Columbia several
lengths astsru and on her weather quar-
ter. Captain Bsrr luffed the Columbia
diagonaily across the line till the crsw
were ready to set the spinnaker to star
board. 1t was broken out Mt 11.02.30;
the ,Shamrock's thirty SEQ nds later. The
official time Of the start was; Columbia,
II Of 81; Shamrock, i100.3i.
The Shamrock hnd certainly the better
Of the srert and with such breeze blow
Ing over her tatIrAil 1t seemed as IL her
chanos had come, If ever IL was goiny to,
TO show her speed in n run down before
the wind. 10 setting the Colon bias
spinnaker the boom had been Stacked so
far forward that at IL o5 the sail lifted
over the head stays by the force Of the
wind. For moment 1t looked as II the
sail would be split, but by careful hand
ling Of the guy it was brought back to It's
position in few minutes. Those who
expected to see the Columbia walk right
away from the Shamrock were disap-
pointed. Five minutes passed, ten, If
teen, and there was no perceptibie differ
ence in the posltiors of the boats. The
Shamrock maintained her lead, her spin
maker remaining exactly whore 1t WAS put
and splitting the wini into the staysail.
jib and baby jib topssil, which sails had
been carried from the start. Captain
Barr at I'LL, finding that the Columbia
was not overhauling her rival to any ex-
tent bad the working topsaii set The
spinnaker continued to behave badly,
flying over the head stays twice In the
next twenty minutes, thereby losing sec
onds of time for the yacht. The course of
Is miles to leeward was to bring the
yachts down of Asbury Park for the
turn. When they passed the Long Branch
at about 1850, the Shamrock was leading
by an eighth of a mile, the Columbia sail
ing directly In her wake. The Columbi
took in her forestaysaii at that Time.
leaving only the jib as the head sa!l.
At IL. Is the Columbia, which had been
steadily gaining on the Shamrock. passed
her to port, taking In the working top
sail as she did so, SO as to be ready for
the windward work. Her spinnaker came
In at 12.1s and Shamrock's was doused
thirty seconds later. 1t was to be close
work at the turn. Both shippers held on
to their spinnakers to the last moment
and there had been no chance to round IN
either yachts main sheets. The official
time at the outer mark was Columbia,
12. 90; Shamrock, 1219.17.
The Columbia's elapsed time from the
start to this point had been one hour,
II minutes and 90 seconds; the Sham
rocks one hour. IS minutes, 43 seconds.
showing that in the Is mile run before
the wind the Colu mbia had gained one
minute eighteen seconds. The yachts
were only Ia seconds apart at the turn.
This was indeed clcss work after l5-
mils spinnaker run.
Leaving the mark to starboard the
Columbia lu fed widely round 1t while
the crew hauled aft the main sheet. The
Shamrock's captain was forced to take a
still wider turn then luffing up sharply
he tried to cross the Columbia wake
and capture the weather berth. Captain
Barr, however. has a weather eye out for
such an emergency. He gave the Column
Dia "North river" 1uf placing her well
out on the ShamroHk's weather bow. 1t
took some five minutes to get sheets trim
med and for both yachts to settle down
to business on the starboard tack. Cap
tain Hogarth gave the Shamrock good
hard full. hoping to outfoot the Column
bia. The wind was now blowing at least
20 miles AN hour and there was jump of
q sea on sufficient to make the racing
craft do some heavy diving. They heeled
till she greater portion OF their weather
bilges were exposed. At 1879 the Sham.
rocks torsAil WAS taken in. She was then
throwing spray in clouds across her deck,
making. II anything worse weather of 1t
than the Columbia. Captain Hogarth
put her about at 1910 and one minute, 80
seconds later the Columbia went about.
This was about twenty minutes after they
had rounded the outer mark. The Column
bia was then between quarter and a
half mile to windward and the same dis
tance ahead of the Shamrock. She was
increasing her lead every minute. Both
tackled to starboari at 1857. Holding
this tack for 81 minutes they came about
to port. the Columbia having been steadi-
ly outpointing the other. at i.i9.05 she
went about TO starboard for short board
Of five minutes. The Shamrock. having
made the short board to port, tackled to
4 ~ ~