The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-08-09
THE COLUMBIA
QUEEN OF ALL
SAILING CRAFT
Splendid Race Off
Long Island.
NEW YACHT FAR IN FRONT
LOSES ALL COMPETITORS BUT
THE DEFENDER.
Result of New York Yacht Clubs
First Run Indicates That the
Shamrock Will Be Beaten
by the American.
NEW YACHT FAR IN FRONT
LOSES ALL COMPETITORS BUT
THE DEFENDER.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

GREENPORT, L. l., Aug. S.-The first
run Of the New York Yacht Club to-day
from New London out into the sound as
far as Watch Hill and back to GARDENERS
Bay was one Of the most successful in the
clubs history. Not only was the day an
ideal one, with great whOle-sail breeze
from the west, which held through from
start TO finish. but the club watched with
pride the magnificent run of the new
queen of the fleet, the Columbia, which
fairly distanced every other yacht with
the exception of the. Defender, and she,
100. was defeated by four minutes and one
second in a thirty-mile race.
The old cup defender, Nigilant, was beat
en- by the two t1ers nearly an hour, but
much of this was no doubt due to the
fortunate run of the Columbia and the
Defender along the Fishers Island shore,
while the rest OF the fleet kept over on
the other side of the sound. The Amorita
was in the schooner class.
Over fifty yachts crossed the line at
New London and nearly all finished in
GARDENERS Bay, although some of them
did not get in until toward night.
The run gave the yachts a good broad
reach to Race Rock of three and a half
miles a fine run before the wind to Watch
Hill Of eight miles and a grand beat of
eight and a quarter miles in constantly
increasing breeze to the nnish-an ideal
course all around.
BY far the greatest event of the day
was the magnificent seven-mile run of the
Columbia from Fishers Island to Great
Gull Island, during which she averaged
close TO a thirteen-knOt gait. 1t was on
this leg that the Columbia pulled out so
far on the Defender, for while the boats
were but a short eighth of a mile apart
under Fishers Island there was nearly
mile and a half of water between them
at Great Gull Island. Both yachts had
all the wind they could stagger under,
and the Columbia hauled down her Jlb
topsail during ten minutes interval
when il blew the hardest. She set 1t up
again. however when the Defender began
10 pick up. and held her advantage 10 the
line Neither boat was held back a parti-
Gle. 1t was a good. square test of the
merits of the old and new boats, and the
latter may be put down as good four
minutes faster under the present condi-
lions, and with her steel mast in couple
of minutes more.
Once during the day. just after the
start the Columbia seemed inactive and
ffeless and the Defender almost got by
her. But just before reaching Race Rock
the new boat seemed 10 find herself again
and from there she was never in danger,
while her great run on the last leg Will
never be forgotten by those VINO witnessed
it. Summary OF COlumbia-Defender race:
Start--Columbia, ll:2l:22; Defender, u:21:4o.
Finish-Columbia, 2:59:59; Defender, 3:O4:1S.
Elapsed time-Columbia, 3:SS,37; Defender.
Columbia defeats Defender minutes and 10
seconds.
A comparison of the work done by the
two big sloops against the Vigilant, which
finished a 1927 40. shows that while finish
ing 27 minutes 46 seconds behind the Col
umbia. plus 70 minutes % seconds of
lead ahead of the Columbia, the Nigilant
was beaten by "a minutes seconds over
a course of thirty and a half miles, and
that she was beaten 10 minutes by the
Defender.
What chance has the Shamrock. ask the
expert calculators. if the Vigilant was
able to beat the Britannia at any time?