The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-08-10
THE COLUMBIA AGAIN.

THE COLUMBIA AGAIN.
Beat Out the Defender In Yester-
days Race at Newport.
NEWPORT OR. u, Aug. 9.-The New
York Yacht. Clubs cruise from Gardi-
ner's Bay to this port to-day, a dis
lance of forty-three miles, was full Of
Interesting brushes. While they each
ran the last half Of the forty-three
miles in constantly increasing south
west breeze, the first half Of the day
was 9fiuky.
It is no disparagement to the Column
bia to say that her defeat of the De-
fender of over % minutes was due to
bad Judgment and hard luck of the lat
ter boat, which left her in q. soft spot,
than to actual superiority. Still the new
boat showed herself very able in a
broad reach with constantly increas-
ing breeze, and it is not too much to
say that she made an average of fully
thirteen knots in the run along the
shore from Watch Hill to Point Judith,
SO rapidly dropping the Defender that
when she jibed around the whistling
buoy off Point Judith her rival was hull
down to the westward over five miles
astern. On the run up from Point
Judith, dead before the wind, the CO.
lumbia gained a minute or two more,
so that at the finish the old defender
had received the worst beating in her
history.
| The yachts started at half-past 10 in
a strong westerly breeze, all breaking
out spinnakers on crossing the line.
Then six or seven miles were quickly
sailed, but half an hour after the start
the wind began to slack and soon some
were almost becalmed
| All during the soft spell of two hours
the Columbia seemed to be especially
| favored, for she carried a breeze right
through and gained on Defender. The
latter, too, made mistake in getting
| too near the Fisher Island shore, so
that when the wind did come around
caught it half an hour ahead.
1t was at this time, as the boats
passed the entrance to Fisher Island
I Sound, that the Columbia made the
great gain that gave her such lead.
From Watch Hill to Point Judith she
fairly flew over the water, with her
boom well off to port and her big bal
loon jib topsail drawing like steam
| engine. All the boats went well on
this reach along shore, and, looking
back, every yacht seemed fairly buried
in canvas.
The homeStretch of seven miles from
Point Judith to Breton's Reef Light
ship was made dead before the wind on
freshening breeze, and the way the
boats jumped along was a caution.
The day was a grand one from 2:lo
o'clock on. At that time the Defender
took in her spinnaker, the. Columbia
soon following suit. Away ahead, more
than five miles in the lead, were the
Vigilant and Colonia- The sloop and
schooner were making the hottest fight
of their career for the honor of finish
ing first. For several miles they sailed
together, beam to beam. Both rounded
the whistling buoy off Point Judith at
1884, leading the fleet. The Arctic came
next at 3:43, the Columbia sweeping
grandly around the buoy at 3:48:30,
and the Navahoe at the same time.
The Columbia could not overhaul and
pass the Vigilant in the Z minute run
to the finish. Even the Colonia was I'M
able to do it. The latter yacht jibed to
starboard off Narragansett, and
| dropped aStern just as tney DOtn passed
the old cup defender Volunteer, which,
with Hank Half at the wheel, had come
out to meet the fleet.
Smartly the crew of the Vigilant took
in her spinnaker just before reaching
the lightship. Then they jibed her, and
like an arrow she shot across the Co
lonia's bow. She crossed the finish
line just 55 seconds ahead of the
schooner, and finished first of the fleet.
The Columbia swept across the finish
line at 4:24:20, taking in her spinnakers
few seconds before reaching it. She
was just 81 minutes 3 seconds ahead
of the Defender According to the Of
fetal figures the Columbia won by %
minutes % seconds.