The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-08-21
FIRST ATTEMPT AT RACE PROV
Es A FAILURE.
RELIANCE TOOK The LEAD
Defender Proves Faster Boat in
Weather conditions Supposed
to Favor Challenger.

New York, Aug. 2O.-One Of me
biggest crowds of sightseers and
yachtsmen that ever sailed down San
dy Hook to witness an attempt OF a
foreign cup hunter to wrest from
America the yachting supremacy OF
the world returned to New York to-
night disappointed, because the sea
had refused a field OF combat to the
racers. Nevertheless the crowd was
jubilant in the conviction that Sir
Thomas Lipton's last challenger, like
the two Shamrocks which had pre-
ceded her, was doomed to return to
England e~mpty-handed.
OF course, the race today vas not
absolutely conclusive, owing to the
light and shifting character of the air,
but in a 15-mile beat to windward, a
portion of which was sailed in a driv-
ing rain, the cup defender Reliance
showed her heels to the Shamrock
Ill. in commanding style, and that,
too, iii weather conditions which e
supposed to be the particular liking
OF the challenger. Flies latest crea-
ton has been heralded as a wonder
in light breeZes in Windward work,
and especially with a lumpy e on,
while the Reliance on her trials had
done her hes. reacn1ng and running
a whole sail wind. Yet To-Day, with
a breeze varying from one to ~ knots,
and against a long ground swell, the
defender outtooted and outpo.nted
the Shamrock III.
The Shamrock did not turn the
outer mark, and there IS no way of
knowing now badly she was beaten,
but it was estimated that she was
more than a mile astern, or about 16
minutes, in the existing strength OF
the wind, when the Reliance rounded.
AS a result OF the trial the experts
believe, blow high or blaw low, that
the Reliance will win Unis, the 18th
series for the Americas cup.
The day was a miserable one A
mist lay over the city and bay in
the morning and when the great fleet
of excursion steamers, steam yachts,
tugs and sailing vessels reached the
starting line, where the racers were
already jockeylng for a position,
threatening clouds were gathering
over the Jersey highlands. The breeze
was not over six knots.
The course was set Is miles down
the Jersey coast and return. At the
start Captain Barr cleverly outgen-
eraled Captain Wringle, sending the
Reliance over the line So seconds be-
hind the challenger, but in the wind
ward berth. In the first 20 minutes
OF sailing the defender showed her
windward qualities, drawing up N
even terms with the challenger, be-
sides being about 200 yards to Wind
ward.
Then the storm broke and for 3u
minutes the rain came down in tor
rents, the wind then increasing to
~ knots.
When the storm had passed the
defender was seen to be firmly es-
tablished ON the weather bow OF the
Shamrock, and she was never alter
ward headed.
During the last two hours OF the
race the Reliance steadily increased
her lead, rounding the turn a mile
ahead of the Shamrock. Heading back
for home close hauled she had just
reached the shamrock, still outward
bound, when, it being apparent that
the race could not be finished in the
time allowance, the regatta committee
boat at 3:45 flred the signal which
declared the ace off.
The work Of the Patrol fleet was
perfect. Moving at right angles, line
ahead and line abreast, the revenue
cutters kept the yachts in the hollow
OF a moving angle, as tree from in
reference as il they had been sailing
in mid-ocean.
Under the rules the first race, Is
miles to leeward or windward and
return, is now postponed until Satur-
day.
The Reliance reached the starting
line at 10 a. H.. and dropped her tow
line. ihe Shamrock III. arrived 10
minutes later. No sooner had the
Shamrock III. filed away than the Re-
lance bore down upon her from a
windward position and hauled on the
wind alongside of her in a position
TO blanket the challenger. Captain