The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-05-22
BEATEN BY RELIANCE
COLUMBIA LEFT FAR ASTERN BY
THE NEW YACHT.
IA MINUTES AND 43 SECONDS
WAS THE TIME WHICH RELIANCE
BEAT COLUMBIA.

Columbia Had Hard Luck in Going
the COurse-Au Allowance for III
Luck, However, Made 1t Clear That
1t Was Striking Victory for the
New Yncht-She showed Excellent
Drifting Qualities-The story of
the Race for the America's Cup
Defense HOnOrs.
New York, May n.-By a combina-
ton of good luck and splendid sailing
qualities, the new cup yacht Reliance
to-day inflicted such defeat upon the
former cup defender Columbia as she
had never before suffered. leading her
over the finish line of a twenty-five
mile course off Glen Cove by fourteen
minutes and forty-three seconds, off,
cial time.
Not all the glory of that rosy victory
was fairly earned by the new boat. If
ii had been. there would be no doubt
that the Reliance would be the next
bias i'll luck, the Reliance convincing
~ showed herself to be the better boat
She had beaten the Columbia nearly
eight minutes in a broad reach of
eleven miles of fiuky zephyrs, beaten
her one minute and fifteen seconds
running free for three miles, in a
steady twelve-knot breeze. and beaten
her four minutes and fifteen seconds In
an eleven-mile thresh to windward,
close hauled in a fifteen-knot south
wester. This timing is unofficial and
allows for Reliance's fifty-five seconds
added at the start.
Was Miles Astern.
When the Reliance crossed the finish
line the Columbia was miles astern,
and hopelessly beaten But the VIC
tory was not so great as the result
might indicate. The ColumbEa's i'll luck
in fiuky winds in the three hours nee
essary to cover the first eleven miles
had contributed to her defeat. That
first leg was not "a fair test of the
merits of the two boats, but it suficed
to develop surprising drifting abilities
in the Reliance. supposed until to-day
" We d HSdNy weather BOAT.
The Reliance led the Columbia across
the line by IS seconds. She was not
more than 200 yards ahead. Fifteen
minutes afterward the Reliance began
to draw slowly away from the Column
bia, and steadily increased her lead
during two hours and a half Her sails
seemed to catch every breath of air.
When half of this leg had been sail
ed, and two hours after the start, Re-
lance caught light air and moved
quickly away, while Columbia still
drifted and gradually dropped astern
until Reliance was leading her by
nearly three miles. The breeze fresh
ened and the Reliance romped away
for the first turn at an eight-knot clip,
but Columbia did not feel the in
creased wind until fifteen minutes
later. Then she began to gain, and
in half an hours sailing had cut the
Reliance's lead to a little more than
half a mile.
Reliance Sailed Beautifully.
Designer Nat Herreshoff took the
wheel on the Reliance as the boat APP
preached the first turn. Reliance
took the turn, going like a bird. once
filled away on the three-mile run
across the sound, she caught a stiff
puff from the southwest and put her
rail down into the smother, rolled out
her polished bronze bill and drove
away for the turn, which she made
nine minutes ahead of her rival.
Reliance was half way across to the
next turn before Columbia had circled
about the first. Columbia was drop
ping astern again, not having carried
so good a wind on the short leg. Re-
lance was out sailing her nearly thir-
ty seconds to the mile, and that in a
rafting breeze.
At the second turn Reliance was ten
minutes and fifteen seconds ahead of
Columbia. Reliance was leaving her
astern, sailing at a ten-knot clip with
in three and half points of the wind.
She fetched half a mile to the lee
ward of the finish line, and after two
&aoRt lacks. swept across it and
through a lane of welcoming steam
yachts that greeted her and acknow-
lodged her victory with ear-splitting
sirens.
Columbia was a good three miles to
leeward.
The official time is as follows:
Elapsed
Start Finish Time