The San Francisco call., 1899-08-12
THE COLUMBIA,
MILES IN FRONT
OF HER RIVAL
HoOdOO Pursues the
Defender.
NOT A FAIR SPEED TEST
GAINS ENCOUNTERED BY THE
OLD YACHT.
Run of the New York Club Fleet From
Vineyard Haven to New Bed
ford Proves Almost a
Fizzle.
NOT A FAIR SPEED TEST
GAINS ENCOUNTERED BY THE
OLD YACHT.
speclal Dispateh % The car.

NEW BEDFORD, Mass, Aug. 1.-THE
run of the New York Yacht Club fleet
from Vineyard Haven to-day to this port
proved the most unsatisfactory of the
cruise. and as far as the racing was con-
cerned was well nigh fZZle. All day the
yachts wrestled with typical dog day con-
dirions. winds from all quarters and all
velocities, interspersed with cold rain,
sunshine and fog, and the boat carrying
a mascot won in her class. The Columbia
was one OF these, and for the second time
in the cruise she beat the Defender by
many miles because of the shifting
breezes and Calms. In fact so far ahead
was the new boat at the finish that the
Defender gave up entirely and did not
round one Of the marks, the Vineyard
Sound lightship.
At one time during the day, about noon,
Il looked as if the Defender had the mas
cot and might win, for she got me SLlIt
of wind and left the Columbia DeCalneu
two miles astern. But this seemlnG!! Ior-
tunate shift proved the Defender uI-
doing, the breeze leaving her entlreIy
when off Tarpaulin Cove, uNe miles rom rom
the start. and she lay there Two nOuI
while her rival farther out IN the souhut
picked up nice southwest Dreeze ana
made the gain that eftectuaIIy put the
Defender out Of the race. Cr....-.
The Columbia was out beyond CuLty-
hunk before the Defender was moved
over ten miles astern- But the Coiumbla
had hard time getting out TO the ight-
shin fve miles farther off, and did not
round II until PIP O'Clock Then she
foundered about in another calm for
half hour. until at last she caught a
northeast breeze out of BuzzardS Bay that
took her to the finish line She passed one
side Of Cuttyhunk Island as the De
fender was going by the other, beating
out of Vineyard Sound with q southwest
breeze. while the Columbia, three miles
away, over the island. was beating IN
against a northeast wind The Columbia
crossed the finish line about O'Clock,
with the Defender off Cuttyhunk light, at
the entrance TO BuZZards Bay.
The other yachts of the fleet sailed
much shorter course than the two fiiers,
running in through QuiCks Hole. half way
down the Cuttyhunk, finishing at the flag
ship and anchoring off Wilkes Lodge, in
the middle of BuzZards Bay; hFe or SIX
miles outside of New Bedford The Ma
Vahoe was the first of the big ones over
the line. the Nigiant being three minutes
later. The two old-timers had a fine race
up the sound, and at one time the Nava-
hoe OutSailed her rival The soft spots IN
the wind and the frequent shifts struck
them and the Nigilant slipped through
Quicks Hole first
The Colonia was the first at this point
in the schooner class. while the GlOriana
led the little boats The wind left the
boats entirely in BuZZardS Bay, and for
another hour they We're almost. motion
less. AT last the Eigilant crossed the line
in her usual position at the head of the
feet while the COlOnia drifted over ahead
Of the schOOners. A breeze which came
from the northeast during the latter part
Of the afternoon helped out those Of the
feet that followed the Defender into the
trap at Tarpaulin Cove, and at half-past 5
all had finished and were heading for the
anchorage.
II seemed too bad that a day that began
SO auspiCiously should have resulted so
unfortunately and that the sequence of
good runs Of the fleet should have been
broken thereby.