Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-05-22
FIRST TRANSATLANTIC RACE.
Story Of the Great Race Between
Three Yachts, 80 Years Ago.

under very different weather condl-
tons from those which befell the three
schooners, Henrietta, Vesta and Fleet
wing, in the first across-thc- ocean
yacht race of SO years ago for stake
of $4,000. Those three yachts made
the race i'm the depth of winter. start
ing from New York harbor on Decem-
Der II, 1866. and finishing off the Nee
Gles fortnight later, the Henrietta
crossing the line on Christmas eve, the
Vcsta and F1eetwing finishing in the
early morning hours of the great hon-
day. And for almost the entire length
of that 3O00-mile passage they were ac-
cOmpanied by strong westerly winds'
heavy seas. and alternate squalls OF
rain, hail and snow. Neither the pas
sengers nor crew were in dry clothes
from beginning to end of the race, and
they suffered every hardship. barring
shipwreck. that could come to any one
making the passage in the winter
months.
All seasons bring all sorts of weather
to the North Atlantic. but it is fair to
assume that the passage in the month
of May, as in the present case, VIII pc
attended by better weather than IN
that month long ago when the Henri
eta beat her two rivals so handlly. In
the matter of the attending fleet 10
witness the start of the present race
there will probably be tremendous
difference. due solely to season. Inc
newspaper accounts of the start OF
that first race speak of the Large fleet
that went down to the Hook on the
morning of December II, and then
mention that the fleet consisted of six
or seven steamers the largest pubic
one having 40 passengers on board.
That it was a nippinG cold day, IN
spite of the fact that the sun was shin
ing. is also disclosed by statement in
the newspaper accounts. This steam
er, with its 40 passengers. left the dock
at IL o'clock, and by half an hour later
it was necessary to pass "the brandy
bottle around to warm up" Yachting
customs differed considerably then
from nowadays, for when the eXcur-
sion steamer went down the bay, the
thee sChOOners were still lying at an
Choir with their sails furled, OH exhibit
ton. so to speak. This also gave the
Yachting reporters time to observe
that whereas the crews of the Henri
eta and Nesta were in uniform. the
men on the F1eetwing We're attired in
such nOndescript costumes as are COM
mon to seamen in the mercantile ma
rine.
The start of the race was from the
Spit buoy, good five miles inside the
present starting point. at l O'Clock in
the afternoon. What Capt. Samuells.
who was the skipper of the Henrietta.
describes as "a good stiff breeze of
from % to 90 miles an hour" was blow
ing out of the northwest, and there
was little jOckeying before the start.
When the Henrietta and FieetwnG
crossed the line they were carrying all
lower sails and gait topsails on fore
and main mast, the Vesta depending on
getting along without her topsails. A
few moments after the start, however,
the first two schoOners hOsted square,
sails on their foremasts, and the Vesta
was compelled to add her topsails to
keep in the running. In that fashion
they disappeared to the eastward. and.
they reached England l. days
later. the news of the finish of the race
did not reach here until time for the
morning newspapers of December 80.
a break in the Newfoundland cable
caused this delay of five days. Some
thing other than yachting customs
were different i'll those days.
1t was learned that the Henrietta
had beaten her rivals handsomely.
She passed the Needles at 5.45 P. NJ. on
the afternoon of December "a. while
the Fleetwing came along at 2 o'clock
the next morning and the Vesta an
hour and half later. The Henrietta's
time YVES Is days and 90 hours. With
the arrival of the Fleetwing came the
voyage, the loss of six men off her
bowsprit on the eighth day of the run.
That gale caused considerable anxiety
and almost II hours delay to the three
boats in the race. From the time
they parted company on the first night
ont. strong westerly winds followed
them for seven days. accompanied by
rain and sleet and snow. The Hen
rictta laid her course along the regu-
lar steamship line, the Fleetwing going
to the north, the VeSta holding to the
On the eighth day the
wind rose to the height of a gale and it
was while trying to stow the jib.
to heaving the schooner
to. that the Flcctwing lost her men.
Captain Samuells. on the Henrietta.
for heavy weather and
against loss of his men through the
sweep of n heavy sea by an old salts
trick. His schooner was running to
the eastward under close-reefed fore |
sail and Jib when the gale was at it's
worst and with the furled mainsail |
hauled up six feet above the saddle. |
On this perch the two sailors on watch |
We're dashed. as were the two hands at |
the wheel and the two officers. When |
the gale was at it's worst a terrific sea
washed over the schooner burying her
almost completely under it. But the |
men escaped going overheard. The |
foresail was ripped out of the bolt |
ropes and then the sailing master de- |
ridcd it was time to stop racing and
heave to. The Henrietta lay in this |
fashion from s o'clock that evening |
until O'Clock the next morning. Then |
the gale dropped down to dead |
calm and for four or five hours the |
yacht made no headway. IT was IN |