The Savannah morning news., 1903-08-21
WIND FAILED YACHTS
pACE CALLED OFF AFTER RELI-
ANCE PASSED STAKEBOAT.
SHAMROCK A MILE BEHIND.
CHALLENGER oUTsAILED IN HER
OWN brand OF WEATHER.

In
shamrock Twenty-Five Minutes
Iater-In Beat to Mark ChaI-
IenRer Was Left AsterR-Ameri-
cans Given a Scare by the Brit
tsher's Fast FOOtinG-Reliance In
crcased Lead by OutpOinting Her
ODnonent-Race Became Drifting
Match and Was Called on.
New York. Aug. 20.-One of the big
Kest crowds of sightseers and yachts
mon that ever sailed down Sandy Hook
10 witness an attempt of foreign cup
hunter to wrest from America the
Yachting supremacy of the world, re-
+urned to New York tonight disap-
nointed because the sea had refused
field of combat to the racers, but new
erthe1ess, jubilant in the conviction that
Sir Thomas Lipton's latest challenger,
like the two Shamrocks which had pro-
ceeded her. was doomed to return to
England empty handed.
OF course the race to-day was not
absolutely conclusive, owing to the
light and shifting character of the airs,
but in a fifteen-mile beat to windward,
a portion of which was sailed in a
driving rain, the cup defender Reliance
showed her heels to Shamrock III in
commanding style, and in weather con-
dtions which were supposed to be to
the particular liking of the challenger.
Flies latest creation has been her
aided as a veritable wizard in light
toll
with a jumpy sea on. while the Reli-
ance in her trials, had demonstrated
best reaching and running in whole
sail wind. Yet to-day with a breeze
from one to twelve knots. and against
a long ground swell the defender out
footed and out-pointed her.
The Shamrock did not turn the outer
mark, and there is. therefore no way
of knowing absolutely how badly she
was beaten. but it was estimated that
she was more than a mile astern, or
about sixteen minutes in the existing
strength of the wind when the Reli-
ance rounded.
AS a result of the trial the experts
believe, blow low or high, that the Re-
lance will win this. the thirteenth Sc
ries for the Americas cup.
BAD Day for Racers.
The day was a miserable one for
those who went down to the ocean
course off Sandy Hook. A mist lay
over the city and the bay in the morn
ing, and when the great fleet of ex-
cursion steamers. steam yachts, tugs
and sailing vessels reached the start
ing line where the big single stickers
We're already jockeying for a position,
black, threatening clouds were gath
ering over the Jersey highlands. The
dark water reflected no shadow, and
the mist all about shortened the 6bser-
walton. The breeze was not over six
knots, and the murky waves spilled no
white froth from their crests.
The course was set fifteen miles south
west, straight down the Jersey coast,
and return. AT the start, Capt Barr
Cleverly out-generaled Capt. Wringe,
sending the Reliance over the line thir-
ty-three seconds behind the challenger
but in the windward berth.
In the first twenty minutes of sailing
the defender showed her windward
qualities, drawing up on even terms
with the challenger, besides being
the storm broke and for thirty min
utes the rain came down in torrents,
the wind increasing to twelve knots.
When the storm had passed the de-
fender was seen to be firmly estab-
llshed on the weather bow of the
Shamrock III. and she was never aft
terward headed.
The work of the patrol fleet was per-
feet. Moving at right angles, line
abreast, the revenue cutters kept the
yachts in the hollow of a moving an
gle as free from interference as if
they had been sailing in midocean.
Under the rules, the first race, ff-
teen miles to leeward or windv'ard and
return, is now postponed until Satur-
day.
At Starting Line.
The Reliance reached the starting
line at 10 o'clock this morning and
dropped her tow line. Shamrock III.
arrived ten minutes later. No sooner
had Shamrock III. filled away than the
Reliance bore down upon her from a
windward position and hung on the
wind alongside of her in position to
blanket the challenger. Capt. Wringe
promptly wore ship, and bore away
from the Reliance refusing to take
part in the brush.
When the committee tug fired the
preparatory signal at 1915 the two
racers were crossing the line for a
little brush out to the windward of 1t,
out as the warning signal was fired at
1883 they whirled about and ran back
toward the line. Shamrock III. whirled
on her heel just to leeward of the
line and recrossed it. The Reliance
promptly followed.
Shamrock First Across.
The Shamrock III led the American
boat across by about fifty yards, but
the Reliance held the windward posi-
Ton The official starting time was:
shamrock III, 11:01:14 Reliance,
u:01 AZ.
Both boats sailed seaward for an
hour and twenty minutes. The wind
dropped to about four knots soon after
me start. Within twenty-five minutes
AFTER starting the Reliance had over
taken Shamrock III and was abeam OF
ner and 200 yards to windward. The
reliance had not only footed faster,
but pointed higher than the challenger
ana was showing that. under condi-
IONS supposed to be the most unfavor-
"ple' she was "A hetetr boat.
half an hour after the start. when
he boats We're about four miles from
lne starting line n rain shower swept
acfoss the course and obscured the
Yachts from all observers except those
very close. The shower brought a
Snitt Of wind to the westward which
enabled the racers 10 lay a course di-
rect to the mark.
Reliance Lost Advantage.
This robbed the Reliance OF most Of