The San Francisco call., 1905-08-28
ACCIDENT MARS
A YACHT RACE
Tramontana Carries Away
Sloop Queens Topping
Lift and Rips Mainsail
BIG FLEET UNDER WAY
Result Is Not Yet Certain.
but Merope and Nautilus
Finish in Good Season

The most exciting incident of the
race of the San Francisco Yacht Club
fleet from Vallejo to Sausalito yester-
day was the collision between Harry
Simpkin's big yawl- Tramontana. now
under charter to Roy c. Ward, and DR..
T. L. HilPs sloop Queen. Off Mare Is
land light the yawl and the sloop came
close together. but just escaped foul
ing.
The sloop Queen then sailed over to
the California Oil Company's works on
the Contra Costa shore, while the rest
OF the fleet chose course out in the
open bay. Then the yawl cruised In to-
ward the Contra Costa shore and while
on the port tack came bearing down
upon the Queen. on the starboard tack
and having the right of way. For
moment it seemed the Queen would be
struck amidships but she just escap ped
this fate
The yawl's bowsprit caught the
sloop's mainsail, ripping off two or
three cloths and tearing away the top
pinglift and the ring from the after
end of the main boom No one on
either boat was hurt. but the Queens
excellent chance of winning one of the
handicap prizes was lost The mis-
hap was caused by the miscalculation
of Skipper Ward OF the yawl, who ap-
parently thought that he could clear
the sloop.
Nearly the whole of the San Fran
cisco fleet cruised to Mare Island on
Saturday. dropping anchor shortly be-
fore dark. The fleet comprised the
flagship Challenger. the schooners CHS
pa. Martha and Virginia. the sloops
Ariel. White Heather, Merope, Thetis
Nautilus, Queen, Amigo, Curlew, Annie,
Thelma, Juanita, Sappho and Mime
tonka, with the yawls Tramontana
Witch, Royal and Jester formerly Ne
reid. The Corinthian sloops Mike and
Mignon also lay at anchor off Mare
Island yesterday.
The start in the arbitrary handicap
race was made on signal from the flag
ship at IL a. m. across an imaginary
line drawn from the Vallejo Yacht Club
float to the nearest point on the Mare
Island shore. the yachts having ten
minutes within which to cross the line
without penalty A good breeze took
the fleet down Mare Island Straits and
into San Pablo Bay. but off Point Pin
ole the wind fell. AT the Brothers
Light a good breeze was picked up,
which continued strong until Raccoon
Straits were reached, where all the
fleet except the Challenger and Chispa
were punched. Ten boats crossed the
finishing line at the following times:
Challenger, 4:22:5s; Chispa, 4:42:45;
Ariel, 5:O3:3o: White Heather. 5:o3:50;
Martha, 5:04:50; Merope 5:05:00; Thetis.
o:05:30; Nautilus. $4,000: Tramontana,
5:07:00; AIinnetonka, 5:27:o5. The
starting times were taken on the VAL
lejo Yacht Club float and will be re-
ceived here by mail to-day. Though it
is not possible to declare the winners
of the three handicap prizes positively,
1t is certain that the little sloop Me-
rope, owned by Holm and Rousseau.
which had handicap of one hour from
the scratch boats Challenger, Tramon-
tana and Chispa and finished only 42:05
later than Challenger, will go very
near the first prize. The sloop Nau-
titus, which received fifty minutes from
the scratch boats, will also be well up.
The race was under the management Of
the regatta committee. Roy c. Ward.
L. P. Rixford and II. G. Toll. The
sloops Annie and Thelma ran aground
off Mare Island light but soon came of.