The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1899-09-15

not intended for carrying cargo they are
usually built with fine lines and for speed.
Hence the rivalry among them just the
same as among fast horses, bicycles, etc.
Over forty years ago the "America"
went over to England and beat the whole
fleet of English yachts and brought home
a silver cup, which, Notwithstanding
many trials England has never been able
to recover, though now she is ready to
make another fight for supremacy. Like
other forms of racing, several things
govern the results. Among which are
the machine, the skill and luck.
In the present case the yachts are much
alike in model, size and stretch of sails.
So much SO, that experts can as yet see
no especial advantage for either. For
their lengths the canvas is immense and
is as great as OH ordinary sailing vessels
from four to six times the tonnage of
either. TO landsmen it may be compar-
ed to an ordinary row boat sixteen feet
long with mast twenty-eight feet high,
with the sails stretching from the upper
point downward in triangular form, with
base of thirty feet; for the Columbia S
sal S when stretched will be one hundred
and seventy-five feet to the highest point
with a main boom of one hundred feet
and about fifty feet for foot of jibs, while
the hull of the boat is but little over one
hundred feet.
To carry such press of sail without
tipping over, the boat is provided with a
wide keel that runs down 20 or more feet
deep in the water, and at the lower edge
of this keel is lead keel weighing many
tons. Unless this was done, the boat
would have to be made wide and broad,
which would retard her speed, but by
putting the weight so low, the boat can
be made narrow, and still carry large
sails without capsizing. Besides the
boat itself, in no class of racing does Sc
much depend on the skill Of the individ
ual. 1t would be impossible to explain
to landsman how this occurs, but to
those who have seen jockeys guide their
horses on the track, and know some.
thing of the judgment, skill, and tricks
practised there, we may say that yacht
Sailing has hundred opportunities tor
|such skill where one occurs in horseman.
ship. Horse racing is trial of a few
minutes time, but yachts sail for hours
over so mile courses.
i Luck also has something to do with
results in yacht as we'll as other races.
There is always the chance OF accident.
Sometimes other craft get in the way.
Sometime something breaks, but more
than anything else is the wind. Some.
times one racer can beat the other in
light wind, while if the wind is strong
the other is sure to win. One of the
most aggravating incidents in a yacht
race is to see the yacht which has been
falrly beaten and left behind, to come
sailing along with good breeze, while
the leading yacht is hopeless!y becalmed
without breath OF wind. This is not
an uncommon occurrence. 1t is one of
those things that skill and seamanship
cannot prevent, though many other forms
of ill luck or accident could be prevented
by judgment and forethought.
The present race bids fair to be the
closest ever tried for the Americas cup,
and 1t is quite probable that the result
will be a triumph Of skill OF the winning
captain and crew, rather than any es-
pecial superiority of one boat over the
other. Let the best win.