The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-05-24
She SAILED AWAY
RELIANCE '.sHOoK" COLUMBIA AND
CONSTITUTION.
1T WAS DECLARED NO RACE
BUT NEW YACHTS SUPERIORITY
WAS CLEAR.

Boats Did Not Finish Within the
Time Limit, So That the Commit
tee Had to Call the Race On-Re-
lance Had just Caught a Good
Wind, Was Two Miles Ahead and
Gaining When the Committee Sig
nailed 1t Was Off-HOw the other
Yachts Compared.
New York, May 2S.-In wind that
ranged from a mere zephyr to an eight
knot breeze, the Reliance clearly prov
ed her superiority over the Columbia
and the Constitution in the race in
Long Island sound this afternoon.
Though officially the race was no
contest, owing to the failure of the
boats to finish before $50 o'clock.
enough was revealed to prove that in
his latest creation Designer Herreshoff
has wrought his masterpiece. In all
points of sailing, as they we're brought
out in the triangular course, the new
boat clearly outclassed her rivals.
Whenever conditions were all equal
she scurried away from the old yachts
with ease.
The tests to which the boats were
subjected were mainly confined to
measuring their respective merits over
reaches, little opportunity being af-
forded of showing what they may be
capable of in working to windward or
running to leeward. In what little
chance there was to form an estimate
of the boats in these two latter respects
the new boat demonstrated her supe-
riority
| AS for the Columbia and Constitu-
| ton, the contest was indeciSive though
when the time limit had expired and
the boats stood about to make their
mornings, the Columbia had a slight
| advantage over the Belmont boat.
Whether this would have been the case
had the Constitution been handled
with more skill seems to be an open
! question among the yachtsmen who
saw the race.
In the preliminary jockeying for po-
sition, Capt. Barr of the Reliance had
the best of it, poking the long bowsprit
| of the new boat over the line nine Sec
onds in advance Of the Constitution
and one minute and forty seconds be-
fore the Columbia.
The Reliance began to pull away at
once with almost incredible swiftness,
considering that the wind was barely
sufficient to bulge out her big head sail.
Both the Constitution and the Co
! lumbia went off to leeward for a favor
| ing wind and tide currents. Here the
| Columbia gained rapidly on the Bel
mont boat, and about midway in the
leg overhauled her. Then the Reliance
became becalmed and the other two
boats began to lessen the distance that
separated them from the leader.
- 4 Mk-.1 49, D.
! lance, and in short order her lead OF
more than two miles was cut down to
less than a quarter of a mile.
Just as the boats were finishing the
! first leg the wind freshened, and as
the Reliance came about like a needle
on a pivot and spread her sails for the
second mark, she sped away with a
/ fine burst of speed. Gradually she
! crept away from the Columbia, which
was being overhauled by the Consti-
! tuition. Steadily the wind increased
and steadily the Reliance increased
her lead.
The second leg, a close reach, was
negotiated in about sixteen minutes by
the Reliance, the turns being made as
follows: Reliance $3.50; Columbia
5:43:40; Constitution s: 46:10.
1t was after the Reliance had start
ed for home with her lee rail awash
that she proved to the thousands who
were watching her ashore and afioat
what a racer she is. She simply few
away from the Columbia and the Con-
stitution, and in about ten minutes
had opened up lead of over two
miles, which was being rapidly in
creased when the committee signalled
a postponement of the race. In the
meantime the Constitution had very
materially cut down the Columbia s
lead, and at the finish was nearly
abeam of the old defender.