The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-10-02
ANOTHER FLUKE. The Yachts Again Unable to Finish Within the Pre- scribed Time Owing
 to Light Winds.
SHAMROCK HAD GOOD LEAD
LESS THAN ONE-HALF OF THE
 DISTANCE COVERED.

DISTANCE COVERED.
 Challenger About One-Half Milo Ahead
 Whom the Race Was Declared Of-
 Turned the First Mark Three Minutes
 bfa-Had Good Luck With the Fluky
 Airs- sycamore Out-Manoeuvered at
 tho start.
 New York, Oct. ITO days attempt
 to sail the second of the series of in
 ternational yacht races for the blue rib
 bon of the sea proved a dismal failure.
 Between 25, 900 and 3OOOO people who
 crowded the pleasure fleet off Sandy
 Hook lightship in the hope of seeing a
 repetition of the thrilling sport of last
 Saturday witnessed, instead, more of a
 drifting match than a race. The wind
 was exceedingly light and variable at
 times, falling so low that the gossamer pennants which are as light as thistle
 down, hung limp against the masts of the big single stickers The wind, with
 the yachts crews lined up on the lee
 rails, was not sufficient at any time to make the racing machines heel to their lines. At the end of four and half hours the two yachts had covered less than one-half of the prescribed course of thirty miles and as there was no possibility of their finishing within the time limit the regatta committee de- clared the race off.
 When the gun was fired announcng this decision the challeger was about half mile ahead of the defender and to that extent it was a victory for Shamrock II. But the f1uke to-day demonstrated little as to the question of supremacy between the two boats except, perhaps, that Sir Thomas new champion is more dangerous in light airs than was supposed after her two former meetings with the white flyer, to, which the patriots are pinning their faith In f1uky winds of variable strength shifting as they did to-day through six points of the compass, luck cuts almost as much figure as model and seamanship and to-day fortune was unmistakably with the foreigner.
 The course was an equilateral tri- angle, ten miles to the leg, the first leg being beat due east into the wind. The Yankee skipper at the start out generalled his adversary in splendid piece of jockeying, crossing the line in the windward berth twelve seconds ahead of the Englishman. This ad- vantage Columbia held for two hours while both yachts steered far off their course to the southward looking for a streak of wind that would profit them. Finally Barr declined longer to con- tinue the vainless quest He put his helm down and headed inshore on the etarboard tack. The Shamrock at this time, after both had been sailing in the same airs, was beaten boat and her skipper could afford to take gam bler's chance with fortune. He held doggedly on. And fortune smiled upon him. Within five minutes he got a breeze out of the south which ruffled | the crestless seas and waited him, like l a ghost, through the Columbia's wealth l CT.
 But this, was not his best piece of | good fortune. After this reverse the | Columbia, stepping through the seas at | an astonishing pace considering the ! lightness of the breeze, had worked out l ahead of the Shamrock but to leeward. When the two yachts were in this po- eition about two miles from the first | turn a slant of the wind threatened to blanket Columbia and to avoid such possibility Barr went under Shamrock's stern. Just as he did so the wind haul ed around more to the south knocking | the Columbia's head off until to the astonished spectators she seemed head ed almost back for the lightship at the starting line. The golden boat favored by the same breeze was headed in ex- actly the opposite direction. When the shifting wind backed again and Barr got the Columbia strengthened out he was third of a mile astern. In this position the two boats rounded the first mark. the Shamrock three minutes and eight seconds before Columbia or a gain for Shamrock in the beat to wind- ward, adding the twelve seconds which Columbia beat Ter over the line, of three minutes and twenty seconds.
 During the next hour in a close reach for the second mark the yachts were able to cover about four or four and a half miles of the remaining twenty and as only fifty minutes then remained be- fore the expiration of the time limit the race was declared off. After turn Ing mark the experts thought the Shamrock increased her lead slightly This gain may, however. be accounted 'or by the fact that she carried a large reaching jibt opsail while Columbia was working close to the wind with a small baby jibtopsail, a mere handkerchief l with Shamrock's larger sail. When the excursion fleet headed back or home the only real race of the day It was the race for New York Tonight both the Yankees and ] he foreigners are praying for good l i tiff. wind on Thursday, when to-daS's ( ace will be resailed.
 (Continued on Seventh Page.) II