The Savannah morning news., 1903-08-23
Beat Shamrock Ill Nine Minutes Over Thirty
Mile Course.
ROYAL WATER FIGHT WAS WACED FOR ANCIENT TROPHY
Reliance Beat Challenger TO Mark and Ran
Away From Her on Home Stretch.

the western ocean on cup hunting ex-
petition.
For twelve miles the single stickers
raced like team of horses, and during
that portion of the duel the patriots
made no attempt to conceal their nerv-
BUSINESS.
Racing Conditions Ideal.
The racing conditions to-day We're
ideal. A thin haze hung over the
Jersey shore obstructing the view of
the spectators gathered there, but out
on the ocean race course, the sea was
flooded with sunshine from vault of
fieckless blue. A long ocean swell
heaved up from the south and
twelve-knot breeze, fresh and strength
ening, blew out of the southwest,
throwing UP fieeting white caps on the
sparkling bosom of the old ocean. The
marine picture was superb.
AS the direction of the wind would
have carried a windward course from
Sandy Hook lightship into the Jersey
shore, the committee was obliged to
set the mark seven miles farther out.
This delayed the start about three
quarters of an hour and prevented the
massing of the excursion fleet as US
ual in the form of a great marine am
phitheater behind the starting line.
Instead of being kept back by the rev.
enue cutters, they formed a column
of hulls and stacks extending three
miles toward the Jersey shore, the
yachts around the line completing the
shape of a fishhook. The course,
southwest carried the yachts direct
ly into the eye of the wind to point
off Asbury Park.
The honors of the start as on
American skipper. Capt. Wringe
timed his approach to the line with
the Shamrock badly and in an effort
to keep off until the gun doomed, he
almost lost his bowsprit as he luffed
UP to cross. Barr. as usual. went over
in the windward berth, four seconds
behind his rival Both were close
hauled on the starboard tack.
In 12-knOt Breeze.
1t was a magnificent sight as they
plunged seward in the twelve-knot
breeze, pounding fountains of spray
from their bows and leaning to it un-
til the water swirled and dubbed along
their lee rails. The crews were piled
up clOIS the NCdNllGI SlQC 10 lOi0
the great racing machines up.
The first few minutes of the thresh
to windward were watched with in
tense interest. Both were footing like
mad. They showed yards of their un-
der-bodies and shipped a good deal
of spray and some solid water for
ward.
But after fifteen minutes Of sailing
their positions had not varied per-
1s,f nv 1fNr1or
the experts. Those who had expected
to see the Reliance walk away from
her adversary, as a result of last
Thursdays showing, were disappointed.
The Shamrock hung on with bull
dog tenacity, and tack after tack she
seemed TO be holding her own.
For thirteen miles challenger and
challenged fought out the magnificent
duel, sailing between two lanes Of
excursion boats as free from inter-
ference as if they had been in the mid
die of the Atlantic. All the time the
wind was increasing and the white
caps were whitening the waves in tum-
bled ardor.
Shift of Wind Helped Reliance.
The critical point in the race came at
12:40 D. M, little less than two hours
after the start. The mark was less
than two miles away, and the relative
positions Of the boats were about the
same. Both were on the starboard
tack, Reliance ahead but to leeward.
Suddenly the wind dropped and hauled
a trifie to the west. The shift enabled
the yachts to head UP for the mark,
with Reliance in the lead by about two
hundred yards.
This was the only thing which mar
red an otherwise truly sailed race. But
from that time on, the Reliance stead
ily increased her lead in the windward
work until she was three-Quarters of
a mile ahead. AS she rounded the out
err mark, the whistles, sirens, bands and
the voices of the unnumbered thou
sands on the excursion fleet swelled into
a vast chorus.
Turning for home. her spinnaker
boom, poised along the mast like a
lance in rest, fell to port and the big
sail burst out like a cloud, while at the
same moment her enormous balloon
lib topsail bellied out forward.
The smart work of the Yankees
cheered the crowds, but moment aft
erward there was dismay when the
guy. which held the spinnaker bole.
parted or was carried away. The enor-
nous sail scared aloft and tumbled
over the jib topsail stay. collapsing like
an empty meal sack. But the spar was
soon hauled back into place, and then
with her three balloon sails setting
like plaster, the stately yacht sped
homeward before the following wind
like scared deer.
The feet remained to salute the
Shamrock as she rounded. and then
with a Jingle Of bells I'm the engine
rooms. scampered away for the finish
line to be in at the death.
shamrOcIx's Bad Luck.
Hosting her balloon jib, the Sham
rock encountered another piece OF bad
luck. One Of the stops would not
break out and the sail hung for some
minutes like limp rag on the stay.
When both had been squared away
for home Il was seen that Reliance
was making a run away race Of II.
With her crew aft TO keep her head Up,
she SKINNED along the surface OF the
water Ike a gull with outstretched