Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-10-07
CONTEST BETWEEN GREAT
YACHTS A FIZZLE.
SOME FINE SEAMANSHlP
Both Captains Try Vainly to Court
Breeze for Victory-Shamrock
Leading Slightly at the Finish
Great Crowd of Disappointed Spec
tators Once More.

tempt at 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 mile ahead of the
defender and to that extent yester-
days trial was victory for the Sham
rock. But the fluke 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 fiuky 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 splendid
piece of jockeying and crossed the
line in 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 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
time, after both had been sailing in the
same airs was a 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
breeze out of the south which ruffied
the crestless seas and waited him like
ghost through Columbia's weather.
But this was not his best piece of good
fortune.
Inn q
slipping through the seas at an aston
ishing pace, considering the lightness
of the breeze, worked out ahead of
the Shamrock, but to leeward. 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 ShamrOck's stern.
Just as he did so the wind hauled
around more to the south knocking
| the Columbias head off until to 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
were able to cover about four or four
and a half miles of the remaining
twenty and as only fifty minutes re-
manned before the expiration of the
time limit, the race was declared Off
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 a large reaching top
sail while the Columbia was working
close to wind with small baby jib
sail, a mere handkerchief compared
with Shamrock's larger sail. When