The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-10-04

Ey:z5. At that time both yachts were
on the port tack standing to the south
ward with the Shamrock in the lead
and the Columbia following in her
wake. Ten minutes later the bang Of
the warning gun was heard and the
Columbia. wearing sharply around,
trimmed her sails on the other tack,
the Shamrock crossing her bow. The
Columbia took care to secure the
weather berth and ten seconds after the
starting gun, which was fired at the dot
of IL she crossed the line on the star
board tack ahead and well TO windward.
The Shamrock luffed over the line a
few seconds before the gun fired and
was recalled by the judges boat and
had to put back.
The official time of the start was:
Columbia 11:00:10; Shamrock 11:00:22.
Luck was with the American boat
at first, for a fortunate catspaw struck
her and enabled her to head up a
couple of points higher than her oppo-
nent. This gave her a commanding
lead, the Shamrock meanwhile scarce
ly moving through the water and ap-
pearing to be dull and loggy.
The Shamrock went on the port tack
fifteen minutes after the start, the CO.
lumbia following Immediately. Once
again the American boat showed her
superior smartness in stays, coming
about much quicker than her rival and
gathering way as soon as her head
sheets were trimmed down.
At 11:3O both yachts were pretty
nearly becalmed. the Columbia having
a lead of about a quarter Of a mile.
At 1875 the Shamrock went on the
starboard tack. the Columbia following,
and then a lucky streak filled the
Shamrock's sails and gave her an ap-
preciable lift.
At noon both yachts were on the port
tack almost becalmed. The club top
sails and topsails were the only sails
that iuffed out responsive to the stray
streaks of air. The big mainsails
flashed as the yachts rose and fell in
the long easterly roll and the luff of the
headsails quivered. The result was
that the yachts barely had steerage
way.
The unexpected happened. Waited
along at fine clip by a stray puff, the
Shamrock overhauled the Columbia
and at lis she was so close that Cap
tain Barr bore down on her in order to
kill her wind as he had so often killed
the wind of the Constitution. The
Shamrock went on the port tack imme-'
diately followed by the Columbia and
in another minute the Britisher was
ahead and to WindWard.
The wind now became more souther-
ly. Both yachts set reaching jib top
direct course for the mark. Then the
Shamrock forged ahead and got into
the dead calms while the Columbia
got slant OF wind and at lis passed
the Shamrock. Then it was Sham
rocks turn to get the benefit of q
breeze. and she ran along and plGted
herself on the Columbia'S weather
quarter, crawling upon her until at
2:0S they were neck and neck with the
British boat to windward, blanketing
her opponent. To escape from this
blanket Captain Barr sent the Colum-
bia on the port tack at PIP, but luck
was against her and she lost every
breath OF the tickle wind as well as
steerage way and it was fully two min
utes before she got away and filled
away on the starbOard tack again and
by that time the Shamrock was too far
ahead to be oVertaken.
The first mark was then close at
hand and the yachts tackled around as
follows: Shamrock 2:41:S6; Columbia
2:44:44.
The Shamrock had beaten the de-
fender three minutes and twenty
seconds in the first ten miles. and try
as the Columbia would she was una
BILE to lessen the wide gap that sepa-
rated her from her antagonist. She
held her luff hunting, for wind, but fail
Ing to find it, dropped slowly astern
until the gun from the committee boat
brought the contest to an end with
nearly half q mile Of blue water be-
tween her and the golden boat Of Lip
ton.