The San Francisco call., 1899-07-07


and the old Defender, sailed to-day over
q triangular course of thirty miles-ten
miles 20 a leg-it has been plainly dem
onstrated that, no matter how sklltuIIy
constructed a yacht may be, her salHng
and ability TO go TO wlndward may Do
killed by imperfectly setting sails
The Columbia won the race BY a mar
gin of 8 minutes, So seconds (unothcia4
time). There is no doubt she would nave
won by a larger margin If her saiIs mao
fitted as well as the Defender s IN llle
windward work, while the Wlnu was
strong the Columbia was unable TO either
outfoot or outpOint the Defender, chiefly
on account Of the bad set Of her club
topsajl. lib topsau and forestaysail. She
covered the first leg Of ten miles TO wind
ward three minutes faster than the De
fender but one minute of that gain was
made when the wind became light and
less than two miles from the turning
point On the second leg the Columbia
gained ffty-eight seconds. 1t was
reach. both yachts carrying large (not
bauo0n) jib topsails. On the last leg
close-hauled work in a light breeze-she
lost I'VE seconds to the Defender. this
probably by reason OF SHIFT Oh Wiho
which favored the Defender.
In COMPARATIVELY light winds the new
Iselin-AIOrgan yacht COLUMBIA VanqulShed
the \andeTDlIt y1chl LeIeHCeI, , +it dilo olI oU.1
WINGED the yachtsmen VINO saw IhS r9ydI
struggle that she is worthy OF oeIenulnS
the precious trophy which Sir 4honas
Linton and his merry taTS nope 10 take
back with them in the Shamrock next fall.
The Columbia 5 fOreSail and CluD top
slit are anything but perfect, and in a
general way she will need good deal OF
T.riuE up. Yet, based upon the showing
She made as d better boat than the De
fender under adverse conditions, me
..rrical sharperS are strongly convinced
.r-r Sir Thomas will sail home without
m. silver mug. the possession of which
has given Us the yachting supremacy OF
t.- world since 1851.
ur.. Shifting, battling winds and BAD
lunpy sea, with dirty rain squalls, made
the conditions ANYTHING put ldeal ior
latat racing. The billOws of mist when
cu-nr1udrd the Jersey shore prevented
rI. crowd on the highlands OF NaNeSlnk
aul Sandy Hook from seeing the race, but
1l0 eveluping haze only ADDED plcIuT-
,Sgueuess to the contest for those who
went outside in fancy crafts to see IT, For
them the world was blotted OUT, ana over
the dim gray sea. under the duIl SKY, the
yachts raced, with nothing but them
selves and the attendant tram OF ioHoW-
in2. boats to witness the contest.
In viudWard work the Columbia. with
ss. is drawing badly, demonstrated her su-
ra..ar.tl. and in a long reach, with sheets
ea~ed She OutfCOted the Vanderbilt boat.
The sudden shifting of the wind prevent
al "a trial "a running with SplnnakerS- IN
hight weather, close hauled, II can De satd
tuat she is undoubtedly the Defender
sGucrior. but what she can DO IN cnOpplng
breeze remains 10 be seen. thick maze
~ 7Vo sunerb Yachts left their anchor
ages off TOmpkinsvilIe. astern OF two
putting tugs. Tor the arena OF to-day pat
lie. As the Columbia passed out She was
saIuted by every steam craft In the low
rr bay. So gentle was the pulSatons OF
the waves in the harbOr tnat many craft
If many kinds ventUred out to witness
the race the large fleet including side
uheelers. swift steam pleasure yachts,
srubnosed tugbOats and sailing crafts OF
an dascriptions They led, followed and
accompanied the racers. Small suckers
5locpS and sCEcOncrs there We're IN pro
fusion. Fortunately they kept thelr ols-
taIee and few Of them bothered the racers
with wash or swell.
There was considerable delay at the
start. The breeze had freshened as the
yachts got outside and what the Ola sans s.IitS
term a lump sea was running Alter
Commodore Morgan nagshlp, the OF
sa-r, with Commodore Morgan, C4t9leI
tirfsw0ld. ex-COwmCdOre Nicholson Kane,
Rear Admiral Francis HOgginson, Irving
lfriuneu ana large party OF guests
aboard, had signaled the course ana lhe
racers had cast off their lines, sharp
rain sGuall killed the breeze. But the
q steady twelVe-knot breeze was plo"Ihg
from the southwest. The Corsalr Slgnaled
the first leS 70 WlndWard, down the Jef-
sCy coast, and the yachts began 70 Jockey
Tor positions. Captain Barr had the ullei
of the Columbia and aboard with MN
were g Oliver Isein, Mrs. Iselin, New
bury Thorpe. William E. Isein, Herbert
". Leeds and Woodbury. Kane. Captain
Rhodes had the helm 0t the Defender;
John G. Beresford were aboard Of her.
As the warning gan was fired, the Co
lumb!a without waiting for the starting
gun rounded SdnGy HOOK nghtShlp ana
headed across the line. Either It was
bad blunder on the part of Captain Barr,
or il was designedIy done to give the
Defender q start equal 10 her time al
IOwance, which IS inquired at about two
minutes Just as the starting gun doomed
the Defender crossed on the port tack.
Meantime the Columbia jibed. and re-
turning came about and headed for the
line, crossing a exactly TWO minutes
after the Defender. BOth yachts carried
fgUr sravsafls ibis, baby Jib, topSaiis and
club topsais The boat 70 the windward
nd a beauttfll race. The interest was
intense for Ihe first few minutes as the
Fig ra ,ers, with everything close hauled,
entered upon their test Of speed. The
Defender had the weather gauge by
hundred yards ana vas sGNtfat Iehglhs
ahead. At first the Columbia seemed to
oUJf0Ot hec rival, and there seemed 70 be
no perccptiblc difference in their ability
10 hug tn, wind. Nautical experts were
lubuaut. Then both yachts went over ON
the starboard tack for long leg. ihey
he~Ied uuul Yards of their bronze bodies
The Columbia seemed more tender than
the Defeuder-mOre tender. bul perhaps
more stately as she lay down TO ner work
She necled enough TO let the seas swirl anu
bobble along her lee rail and sometimes
when she smashed big wave into tatterS
she shipped some water forward.
Then the talent began to get nervous
Gradually but surely the Defender was
that she was pointing higher than the
Columbia. 1t did not take the yachtsmen
long to discover the cause. The Dafen-
ders sails fit TO perfection and every inch
Of canvas drew; The club topsail or the
Columbia, ON the other hand, was loose
and cracked in the wind. The fore stay
sail did nOt draw and might as we'll have
been slowed in the locker below.
BY this time the breeze was blowing
about ten knots an hour, and while it
continued at that clip the Defender con-
tinued 10 gain very slowly, but also very
surely. Half an hour later the wind sank
10 about five knots, and Immediately the
sails Of the Columbia began to draw and
she began 10 gain upon her adversary.
Both skipper were now straining for the
mastery. Both pinched until their head
sails trembled; they strove for the
weather gauge. The Columbia continued
to gain on every tack. and few minutes
before the first mark was reached she
crossed the Defenders bow on the star
board tack. Then the nautical sharps
breathed easier. She rounded the stake
exactly one minute ahead Of the Defen-
der As she eased her sheets and turned
the mark all the steam craft signaIed