Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1901-10-03

New York, Oct 2.-Yesterday' at
tempt at a sail in the second yacht
race for the blue ribbon Of the sea
proved a dismal failure The wind
was exceedingly light and variable at
times, falling so low that the gossa.
mer wind pennants which are
as light as thistle down hung limp
against the masts Of the big single
stickers. The wind, with crews lined
up on the lee rails, was not sufficient
at any time to make the racing ma
chrines heel to their lines. At the
end of four and a half hours the yachts
having covered less than half the pre-
scribed course and there being no
possibility of finishing within the time
limit the regatta committee declared
the race off. When the gun was fired
announcing the decision the challeng-
er was about half a mile ahead of the
defender and to that extent yester-
days trial was victory for the sham
rock. But the fuke yesterday demon
strated little as to the question of SUI
premacy between the boats except
perhaps that the new champion is
more dangerous in light airs than she
was supposed after her two former
meetings with the white flyer to which
the patriots are pinning their faith.
In the fuky winds luck cuts almost as
much figure as seamanship and yes
terday fortune was Enthusiastically with
the foreigner.
The course was an equilateral tri-
angle, ten miles to the leg, the first
leg a beat due east into the wind,
The Yankee skipper at the start out
generated his adversary in a splendid
piece of jockeying and crossed the
line in a windward berth twelve sec
onds ahead of the Britisher. The Col
umbia held the advantage for two
hours while both yachts steered far
off their course to southwark looking
for a streak of wind that would profit
them Barr declining to longer con
tinue the vainless quest, put his helm
down and headed inshore on the star
board tack The Shamrock at this
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same airs was beaten boat and her
skipper could afford to take gamblers
chance with fortune. He held dog
gedly on and fortune smiled upon
him. When in five miles he got a
breeze out of the south which ruiied
the crestloss seas and waited him like
a ghost through Columbia's weather.
But this was not his best piece of good
fortune,
After this reverse the Columbia,
slipping through the seas at an aston
ishing pace, considering the liGAtness
of the breeze, worked out ahead OF
the Shamrock. but to leewaTd. When
the yachts in this position were ABOUT
two miles from the first turn, a scant
wind threatened to blanket the Col
umbia and to avoid such a possibility
Barr went under the Shamrocks stern.
Just as he did so the wind hauled
around more to the south knocking
the Columbia's head off until 10 the
astonished spectators, she seemed
headed almost back for the lightship
at the starting line. The golden boat
favored by the same breeze headed IN
exactly the opposite direction. The
shifting wind backed again and when
Barr got the Columbia Strengthened
out she was a third of a mile astern.
In this position the boats rounded the
first mark. the Shamrock three min
utes and eight seconds before the Col.
umbia or a gain for the Shamrock in
the beat to Windward.
During the next hour in close
reach for second mark the yachts
we're able to cover about four or four
and a half miles of the remaining
twenty and as only fifty minutes re-
NAMED before the expiration Of the
time limit, the race was declared on
After turning the mark the experts
thought the Shamrock increased her
lead slightly. This gain may, how
ever, be accounted for by the fact
at she carried large reaching top
sail while the Columbia was working
close to wind with a small baby jib
sail, a mere handkerchief compared
with Shamrock's larger sail. When
the excursion feet headed back for
home the only real race Of the day
occurred. 1t was a race for New York.
Last night both Yankees and foreign
ers were praying for good stif1
breeze tomorrow when yesterday 5