The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-18

well up to the Sandy Hook lightship,
and at 9.25 her crew set the mainsal
in eight minutes.
AS soon as the sail was up she cast
off her towline and set what appeared
to be her No. club topsail, not the
largest one she has. The club topsail
that the Shamrock began to set at $40
was apparently her largest one, the
same one which was bent on Monday
to aluminium spars. Today wooden ones
were used. With a freshening breeze
from the eastward and the ugly swell
rolling in from the same quarter, it
seemed a rather risky preceding to
swing such large topsail aloft. Subse-
quently it proved that with a smaller
sail the Shamrock might have finished
the race.
PREPARING TO START.
The same persons were on board the
Columbia and Shamrock as on previous
race days, and when the committee boat
arrived and anchored northeast of the
lightship at 1920, the yachts were ready
for the start The signals for the tri-
angular course were set at 1885, and
one of the committee boats was sent at
once to log off the first ten mile leg,
and place the first mark. The course
for the first leg was east by south, the
second leg southwest half south, and for
the third leg north northwest. The first
ten miles was to be windward work,
the second ten reach with boom to
starboard, and the third a reach with
boom to port, thirty miles in all. AT 10.45
when the preparatory signal was given
the yachts were maneuvring for posi-
lions, while the torpedo boats and reve-
nue. cutters were driving what few eX-
cursion boats and yachts there were
away from the starting line.
BREEZE FREsHENED.
At the warning signal, given at 1885, |
the breeze had increased perceptibly |
and there was promise OF a good start. |
The skipper Of each yacht saw to 1t that
the mainsheets were kept well aft, so
that they could quickly gybe or tack |
their boats. At one minute before the
starting gun, the Shamrock, which had |
been lying southeast Of the ightship, |
stood to the northwest, closing in to-
wards it, Her boom was to port and well
inboard. Coming up from the north |
ward, also with boom to port and wind |
abeazn, tho Columbia met the Shamrock |
just as Hogarth was getting ready to |
huff his yacht sharp around the light |
ship % stern
The situation at gun fire was almost |
exactly the same as that between the |
Defender and Valkyrie III as they ap- |
preached the line on the day when the |
Valkyrie and Defender fouled The |
Shamrock a moment after gun fire, |
rounded the nghtship's stern and luffed |
sharp up on the windward to Column |
bis, having been unable to gain the |
weather berth, had now an overlap of |
half q length on the lee side of the !
American boat
DELICATE POSITION.
Both Yachts were close hauled on the |
starboa-d tack, crossing the line on a |
diagonal course. The Shamrock had GER |
tainly the better Of the start and the |
Columbia was placed in a position Il
few yachts would be able to eXtrica.e |
themselves from without either keeping |
broad off, or fouling. 1t was with in |
tense interest, then, that those on the |
accompanying yachts and excursion |
boats watched the outcome Of this bat |
tie royal between the single stickers.
One minute had not passed before the
Columbia's bowsprit began to show
out ahead of the Shamrocks At Hop, |
when the handicap gun was fired, the
Columbia was half length out from
under the lee of her rival, and thirty
seconds later when the Shamrock
tackled to port 10 get clear of the Col
umbias back wind, the latter yacht, by
lacking five seconds later, placed her
s'4lt in a commanding position on the
Shamrock's weather quarter. The off,
cial time of the start was:
Shamrock ............. 1100:15
columbia ...-.........ll.0O:lI
COLUMBIA EDGING UP.
The wind was east by south, and
freshening. by degrees as the yachts
stood along on a northeast by east
course. They were taking the easterly
swells rather hard at times, plunging
their bowsprits clear under and doubt
less putting to a. severe test all their
spars and rigging.
With half an eye, any sailor could
see, from astern, that the Columbia
was lying, say from half to three
quarters of point higher than the
Shamrock, both apparently having
their sheets trimmed alike on the port
tack. The fact that the Shamrock car
ried no baby lib topsail was excellent
evidence that her captains were afraid
that If set it would pull her head off
more yet, so it was kept down, while
the Columbia's, setting perfectly on
its stay, must have helped that yacht
instead of retarding her in the wind
ward work.
MAST GIVES WAY.
Fifteen minutes after the start the
Columbia's position was fully 200 yards
dead to Windward of the Shamrock, the
latter being at that time slightly for
ward of the Columbias lee beam. Capt.
Barr evidently meant to continue on
the port tack. That never happened,
for as the breeze freshened and both
yachts began to put their lee rails down
harder, it seemed, looking at the Sham
rocks topmast from astern as if it
were sprung At 11.24 with a crash
that could be heard far off to leeWard
Io "a
point close to the cap, and the great
club topsail, with it's long spars, went
flying down to leeward of the mainsail