The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-10-02
SHAMROCK AHEAD WHEN
RACE WAS CALLED OFF
Wind Dies Out and Contest Between the Yachts
Was Dismal Failure.
Was Simply Drifting Match Without Opportunity For the Boats
to Show Their Merits.

same old suit that carried her to VIC
tory on Saturday.
Before the start the Shamrock hoist
ed a tiny jib topsail, perhaps the
smallest ever carried by a cup yacht. 1t
answered its purpose capitally as a
storing sail and proved Of great advan-
tage in a day SO prolific Of fiukes and
dOldrums.
The preparatory gun was fired at
I 1045. At that time both yachts were
on the port tack. standing to the south
west, with the Shamrock in the lead
and the Columbia in her wake. Ten
minutes later the bang Of the warning
gun was heard and the Columbia, wear
ing around. trimmed her sails on the
tack, the Shamrock crossing her bows.
! The Columbia took good care to Sc
cure the weather berth and ten seconds
after the starting gun, which was fired
at the dot Of II, she crossed the line
on the starboard tack, ahead and well
to windward- The Shamrock luffed
over the line a few seconds before the
gun was fired and was recalled by the
judges boat and had to put back. The
official time of the start was;
columbia .........-. -..---...-- ll-Oo-lO
shamrock -.------.----. --..---.. ll:uO:-3
Luck With the Columbia.
Luck was with the American boat
at first. for a fortunate catspaw struck
her and enabled her to head up a cou-
pie of points higher than her oppo-
nent This gave her a commanding
lead, the Shamrock meanwhile scarce
~ moving through the water and ap-
pearing to be dull and lOgy- The
Shamrock went on the port t2cS five
minutes after the start, the Columbia
! following Immediately. Once again the
American boat showed her superior
SmartneSS in stays. coming about
quicker than her rival and gathering
way as soon as her head sheets were
trimmed down.
At 1870 both yachts were pretty
nearly becalmed. the Columbia having
a lead of about a quarter of mile. At
11;S0 the Shamrock went on the star
board tack. the Columbia following,
and then a lucky streak filed the
Shamrock's sails and gave her an ap-
probable lift.
At noon both yachts were on the
port tack almost becalmed. The club
topsails and jib topsails were the only
sails that pUffed out responsive to the
stray streal1s of air. The big main
sails tapped as the yachts rose and fell
in the long easterly roll. and the lufe
of the headsails quivered. The result
was that the yachts barely he'd steer
age way.
Then the unexpected happened.
Watted along at a fine clip by a stray
puff. the Shamrock overhauled the Co
lumbia. and at lis she was so close
that Captain Barr bore down on her in
order to kin her wind. as he had so
often killed the wind of the COnstitu-
/ ton. The Shamrock went on her port
/ tack. Immediately followed by the Co
/ lumbia, and in another minute the
/ Britisher was ahead and to windward.
Change in the Wind
! The wind now became more souther-
/ ". Both yachts set reaching lib ton
| sails. eased off sheets, steering a direct
! course for the mark. Then the Sham
| rock forged ahead and got into the
/ doldrums while the Columbia got a
slant Of wind, and at 1:55 passed thef
/ Shamrock
/ Then it was Shamrock's turn to iRs
/ the benefit of a breeze. and she cal
/ along and planted herself on the
/ mbia's weather quarter, crawI5(Sa- m
/ on her until at pos they were 1Eclz and
neck, with the British boat 10 wind
ward, blanketing her OppOnht.
To escape from this BLANKET Cantain
Barr sent the Columbia On the port
/ tack at PIP. but luck was against her
and she lost every breath Of the tickle
wind. as well as steera$e way. and Il
/ was nearly two minutes before she GOT
| away and filed away on the starboar5
tack again, and by that time the sham
rock was too far ahead to be overtaken
/ The first mark was then close at hand
and the yachts tackled around it as fol-
| lows
Shamrock .......... -. 2.41:ss
The Shamrock had beaten the defend
ed three minutes and twenty seconds
| In the first ten miles, and try as the
! columbia would she was unable to
| lessen the wide gap that separated her
/ rom her antagonist. She held her luft
hunting for wind. but falling to find it.
dropped slowly astern until the gun
! from the committee boat brought the
/ coIAest to an end. with nearly q. half
| SsfFe of blue water between her and the
golden boat of Upton.
Race in Consecutive Days.
While there was no meeting at the
New York Yacht club tonight Of either
the challenge or the regatta committee,
| il was intimated that the cup commit
tees Of the club and the Representatives
of the Royal Ulster club might have
meeting in the near future. with regard
to having the yachts raced on consecu-
tive days. This was done two years
ago. after a number of pOStponenenus
( because of the lack Of wind. similar to
| the conditions which prevailed today
/ It requires an agreement on the part
] of both sides to have the races sailed
I on consecutive DAYS. and it is likely
I that another postponement may bring
I this about. It is possible also that
| some sort of meeting may be held to-
/ morrow The next race. however, viii
not be sailed until Thursday, although
I fhnra may no a race FRIDAY