The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-23
Details of the Race.


NEW YORK, Aug. PA snappy south
west wind was blowing when, few min
utes after 10 O'Clock, Shamrock III, fol-
lowed by Reliance, reached Sandy Hook
lightship. The two racers whirled in big
circles about the line awaiting the signal to
go until 1880, when the regatta committees
steamer signaled that the starting line
would be shifted and the races postponed
until later in the day. The change was
made necessary by the fact that wind
ward course southwest would have landed
the racers on the beach off Long Branch.
Headed by the Navigator and escorted
by the excursionists, the cup yachts went
trailing off to the eastward for about five
miles. Then, at lilo, starting line was
established between the Navigator and the
Unique, and the committee tug signaled d
course fifteen miles to windward and re-
turn. The preparatory signal was fired at
u:3O and the warning gun at u:4O. The
wind was increasing in weight.
Reliance leading the way and Shamrock
Ill ranging to its lee quarter the two
racers slipped by under the stern of the
Navigator, across the line, took a whirl
around the Unique at the farther end of IT.,
and Shamrock, now taking the lead, ran
close hauled along the lee side of the start
ing line. AT the flash of the Navigator S
gun at Has both luffed across the line.
Shamrock III had almost reached the end
of 1T and luffed out by the Navigator's bow
with sails lifted. Reliance was four sec
onds behind on Shamrock's windward quar-
ter. The official starting time was: Sham
rock III, n:45:H; Reliance, HASH.
Both got away on the Starboard tack,
carrying three lower sails and club topsails,
the Reliance baby jib topsail.
What followed was the prettiest, closest
and most hard-fought fifteen miles thresh
n rd wit
those historic waters for many day. For
nearly half an hour they held on one tack,
and during all that time the most acute OBJ
server could not detect that their relative
positions had varied more than half the
length of either of them. Shamrock III
held the lead under the lee bow of Reliance,
but could not add an inch to ii. Neither
could Reliance although in the weather
position, get past the leader. If Captain
Wringe luffed Captain Barr luffed also, and
one seemed to be as good as the other at
craft a hard full and tried to run away
from Reliance, Captain Barr eased the
American boat bit and went after him.
Boats and shippers were evenly matched.
NECK AND NECK.
Just about an hour after the start, when
the yachts had covered nearly half the
distance to the outer mark, opportunity was
afforded to note how close the contest
really was. Reliance and Shamrock III
were approaching each other with the for
mer on the starboard tack and having the
right of way. AS they neared one another
it was a question which was leading.
Shamrock III was forced to go about to
avoid a collision. One hours work had
given neither the advantage. They held
that tack for twenty minutes.
Shamrock III suddenly went about and
Reliance followed suit, only to see Sham
rock return to her former course. Plainly
a trfnl 70 lxa off
the defender, which must have been threat
ening to blanket the British boat. AS soon
as Shamrock III got clear of Reliance 1t lay
q parallel course. The wind began to mod
crate a bit and wise observers asserted
that Reliance had half minute advantage.
When the yachts were about quarter OF
a mile apart and a mile and half from the
turning mark Reliance was ahead but con-
siderably to leeward of Shamrock. They
were southwest of the mark and heading
toward the Jersey coast when the wind sud-
south by west, three points. This placed
Reliance in a windward position. 1t was
clear luck and gave the defender distinct
advantage. Shamrock III held on its course
toward the Jersey shore and Reliance
crossed its bow quarter of a mile to wind
ward of it. Both boats then made short
bitches to the turning mark, and when Re-
lance rounded 1t, three minutes and twenty
seconds in advance of the challenger, the
whistles of the fleet acknowledged its luck
and its lead. This, with four seconds lost
and twentyfour seconds clear gain.
Once around the mark Reliance broke
out Its balloon jib topsail, swung out Its
spinnaker pole and broke out its spinnakel
for a run dead to the finish line. Whether
it's spinnaker sheet parted or slipped from
its fastening, or the boom lifted. was not
clear, but the pole swung out ahead of the
yacht high in the air and the big sail huns
in loose folds across the jib topsail stay
For q minute it looked as though Reliance
were in serious difficulty The pole wa:
hauled aft to its proper position and the
spinnaker began TO do its work.
Reliance was three-quarters of mile
away when Shamrock III turned the mark
and broke out its balloon jib topsail The
upper part of ii refused TO break out anC
still hung in stops, but only for a few min
utes. Its spinnaker. too, swung across the
jib topsail stay and hung empty Of wine
for minute or more. When il was sheeteC
back into position there was a good-sizeC
rip in the leach of it, near the masthead
and during all the run home it bellied out
loosely. as though Captain Wringe was no
giving 1t good full, for fear that he might
lose IL altogether.
THE RUN HOME
During all of the fifteen-mile run, which
the yachts covered at a twelve-knot clip
Reliance steadily and persistently crawleC
away from the now hopelessly beaten chal
lenger.
The smoke of the scurrying feet almost
hid the racers from the shore as Relianc,
swept across the line and into long Ian,
of the faster boats. which had arrived In
time to see the finish and to acknowledg,
the victory. Eight minutes and fifty-si,
seconds later the challenger followed Re
lance across the line and received the sa
lutte of the entire fleet. The official sum
| mary:
ELAPSED
Start. Turn. Finish Time
Reliance ...ll:45:21 1:55:l0 3:17:3S 1921
Shamrock ..I1:45:17 1880 3:2634 Sal Il
Giving Shamrock III an allowance of on,
minute fifty-seven second, according to tn
| measurement, acknowledged to be incorrect
| Reliance defeated Shamrock seven minute:
| and three seconds.
| The net result OF the race shows that
IL Ill