The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-20

the smoke from the gun was blowing
away.
The Columbia crossed the line %
seconds in the lead within the handi-
cap, which meant fully two lengths dis
tance. She crossed about the centre
of the line and Hogarth, after vain
attempt to huff out across her wake
ana obtain the weather position, kept
off aud gave the Shamrock good full.
The official time of the start was Co
lulnbia, ll0l:3S; Shamrock, 11.02:OO
THE slIAMRocK's ACTUAL TIME |
of crossing the line was 11.02:02. She
was handicapped two seconds because
the yachts are allowed seven minutes
from the starting signal, in which to
cross the line, and she exceeded that
time by two seconds. Jibs and fore
staysaIs were taken in at once on both
yachts to give the balloon sails chance
to fill.
While the yachts were crossing the
lire, sDinnaker booms were dropped to
starboard, and the sails hoisted in stops
ready to break out, but in the game
of luff and bluff which followed, neither
yacht had a chance to set these
sails tor so minutes. Hogarth, not be-
ing able to try his yacht on reach on
triangular course, seemed determined
to MAKE a portion of the race a reach
at all hazards
So they went at it. Instead of fol-
lowing the guide boat on the southeast
by south course, on which they might
have carried spinnakers, they sailed be-
tween four and five points to the east
ward If their courses in order to make
every sail draw to the best advantage,
thereby covering at least five miles
more ground than was necessary. The
eXcurs' or fleet gave them miles of
room. keeping so hull down. most of
the time.
During the first IS minutes in reach
ing work, the Columbia seemed to in
crease her lead. After that, for the
next half hour, the Shamrock appar-
entity was gaining on the white sloop,
and at 1150, when they both decided
to abandon the luffing game and set
spinnakers to starboard, the Shamrock
had certainly gained some on her an
tagonist Having the wind dead aft
new, the Shamrock had decidedly the
better position.
If, with the assistance of some friend
ly puffs she could have succeeded in
closing in on the Columbia, her chances
of blanketing the latter would have
been excellent
While the wind remained steady in
the same quarter, it diminished in
strength at times, coming in puffs oc-
CdSlOHdIy, Out on the WHO'RE the Oul-
look for finishing the race was not very
encouraging at 1 o'clock, when the
outer mark was in plain sight from the
racing yachts
AT 12.45 both yachts gybed after TAX
ing in their spinnakers and set those
sails again to port, the Columbia set
ting hers first. The wind canted to the
westward gradually during the next
half hour, and at 1872 the Columbia
gybed to port, quickly followed by the
Shamrock, which dropped her spin
maker boom to starboard and set thel
sail at LAO, the Columbia setting her
spinnaker four minutes later.
1T WAS A LONG DRIFT
before the wind, with scarcely enough
of it to fill their sails during the next
As minutes. Balloon jib topsails were
taken in, when the yachts were about
mile north of the outer mark and as
they approached it, jibs staysails and
baby jib topsails were hoisted ready
for the windward work soon to fol- !
low.
1t was noted, as the Columbia came
down for the work, that her great
mainsail, with it's cross cut cloths, was
q brand new one, having in it four
balloons and two reef bands. At 2.20
the Columbia took in her spinnaker
and all hands stood by to round in the
main sheet as she approached the
mark. The Shamrock's spinnaker
the turn was:
columbia .-,.............2 24:45
shamrock .................2 3l:03
BY this it will be seen that the Co.
lumbia was 6 minutes and IS seconds
ahead at the mark, that her elapsed |
time was hours, % minutes and l2i
nd hot h.
hours, 20 minutes and 8 seconds, |
showing that the Columbia's gain had |
actually been 5 minutes 81 seconds in |
the 15-mile run.
When the Columbia luffed around the
mark, coming up sharp on the wind on |
the starboard tack, Capt. Barr found |
the wind to be about west by north.
which meant that if it held in that |
quarter he would be able on the other
tack to lay his course without making
another tack.
One minute and 20 seconds after
rounding the mark he put the Columbia |
about, and found his judgment to be
correct, and better still. the wind
freshened considerably during the next
half hour. sending the white sloop along
at a six-knot clip.
Hogarth, who went breeze hunting off (
10 the southwark for minutes and 10
seconds, lost about that amount of
tune, tor when he tackled and stood to /
the northwest like the Columbia. his
imaginary advantage was that he was
to windward of the Columbias wake, |
while the latter yacht was nearly two /
miles ahead of him and
POINTING TOWARD THE FINISH. /
AS Columbia stood on the northwest, |
the wind canted to the southwark grad |
ually, and at 1856 she was able to set a |
bigger jib topsail in place of the baby. |
She also set balloon staysail. Fifteen |
minutes later the wind had canted to
south-southwest. Down came the CO. |
lumbia's jib topsail, and up went a lar
ger one. The Shamrock followed suit a |
few minutes later.
The wind was now falling lighter ev-