The San Francisco call., 1905-05-18
YACHTS START
ON LONG RACE
American Schooner Atlantic
Leads the Fleet as It
Disappears Out at Sea
WIND is UNFAVORABLE
Hamburg Leaves Her An
chorage First and Is Close
ly Followed by the Rest

~ FOllOWed Dy the ReSt
| NEW YORK, May ia splendid fleet
OF sailing yachts swept across a starting
line at Sandy Hook lightship at 12:15 p.
m. to-day, and with the queenly American
schooner Atlantic leading the way headed
out to the broad Atlantic Ocean on a race
OF 1900 miles to the English coast for a
$oOOO cup offered by Emperor William of
germany. When last seen as they van
lsned In the mist they were strung out in
line SIX miles long, hauling southeast
wato ana pointing as nearly possible
10 a. wind that was dead ahead
A quarter of a mile aStern of the At
iantic was the ninety-foot American yawl
A1lsa, which was having a hot brush with
the German schooner Hamburg, while all
three or the leaders were slowly Drop
ping the Philadelphia schooner Hide
rgarde. Next was the Endymion, holder
OF the transatlantic yachting record. AL
most mile astern of the Atlantic and
more than half a mile astern of the En-
dymion were the Thistle and the Fleur-
de-Ils- Strung out behind were the Amer
ican bark Apache, the British topsail
! schooner Sunbeam and five miles astern
OF the leader the American three-masted
schooner Utowana. Bringing up the rear
was the British clipper ship Valhalla.
These two had been delayed by a bad
start.
Leaden skies, low-hanging, mist-laden
clouds and a moderate east wind were
the unfavorable conditions under which
the great ocean race was started, and the
three big squAre-rigged vessels were
handicapped at the very start, for at
beating to windward in light air their
| spreading canvases and bulging topsails
/ ~ rcd xryifh he harf d
fitting fore and aft canvas of the trim
schooners. Weather prophets declared it
not unlikely that the racers were in for
a day or two more of moderate head
winds. If the forecast be fulfilled nothing
but half a gale of wind from astern will
save the big Valhalla from defeat.
START AN IMPOSING ONE.
! Despite the lowe ring weather conditions
| the start of the great and heterogeneous
| fleet was inspiring. After the postpone
ment of the day before the yachts lay in
their anchors within the shelter of Sandy
Hook last night. The fog of the day pre-
vious had lifted considerably, but still
! hung low and obscured the vision beyond
a few miles. The German schooner Ham
burg was the first to leave the anchorage
| and pass out through Gedneys Channel.
| The Valhalla, Ailsa and Thistle followed,
and before 1880 the fleet was streaming IN
! tow out through the channel toward the
| lightship and past the stranded Cunard
liner Caronia, whose passengers crowded
to the rails to witness the procession.
The committee boat, with Commander
Hebbinghaus of the German navy. Com
mander II. H. Hosley, of the United
States Navy; Oliver E. Cromwell, New
bury D. Lawton, H. Deb Parsons and
/ Edward FL. Wales of the New York Yacht
Club on board, anchored an eighth of a
mile east of Sandy Hook lightship and
established the starting line between them
shortly after II o'clock. A fleet of yachts
/ and ships began to assemble. AS the
racers began to arrive they were towed
to the north and windward of the start
| ing line.
/ Most of the schooners soon after reach
ing the starting line dropped their tows,
set their sails and began to wheel about
in and out through the fleet like high
stepping horses, displaying their PAGES for
the admiring spectators. Meanwhile the
wide top sails of the Valhalla were un-
furled and sheeted home. and one after
another the tall top sails, topgallant sails.
/ royals and staysais of the square-rigged
craft were spread to the soft breeze.
PASS OUT OF THE HARBOR.
The blue Peter giving warning of inn
| pending departure was run up on the
mast of the committee tug At noon
there was flash and squirt of smoke from
the gun Oh uSi uSChs anu d WdiHiliS iC-
/ port rolled among the fleet giving notice
that the race would start in fifteen min
| utes Ten minutes later another gun
| sounded, and the PROV of every craft
| swung toward the starting line.
! 1t was an inspiring spectacle. Near the
line the small Ailsa, bearing every mark
of the racer, was engaged in a jockeying
match with the Hildegarde, and to avoid
being forced across the line prematurely
performed some startling maneuvers. Be
hind them to the north and east the fleet
| was spread out in fan shape. Close astern
! of the leaders was the Atlantic, where
Captain Charles Barr had placed her in
well-timed position.<The Endymion. Ham
burg and Thistle swept down toward the
lire from a windward position, and
! crowding close upon the quarter of the
latter was the majestic Valhalla, whose
every mast was leaning spire of tower
ing canvas gently bellying before the
breeze and sweeping her toward the line
! Still further away were the Sunbeam and
Apache, taking plenty of sea room to pile
on sail and get under way.
i Almost at the fash of the starting CUR
the Ailsa and Hildegarde went across the
4 line, with the yawl slightly in the lead
and in the windward position. Crowdins
close behind them came the Atlantic, En-
dymion, Hamburg, Thistle, Utowana and
Valhalla in that order.
COLLISION BARELY AvERTED.
AS the vessels crowded together at the
windward end of the starting line, eacf
captain anxious to secure the weather
position, the schooners in the lead crowd
ed the Utowana and Valhalla SO badly
that they were unable to cross the line
q without a collision. They approached the
Lime from such a direction that the othel
fykchts were corssing their bows, yet the,
q tailed to their course so long that the
Utowana, the leader of the two, becams
pocketed so that she could not be turned
about. Both she and the Valhalla bors
:. down upon the schooners threateningly
while passing between a tug and th
committee boat it looked as though the,
were going to smash into the Atlantis
and Endymion, and an order came from
the committee boat to go about and eros
the line properly.
Bslely in time to prevent collision tn
feet made an opening for them and the.
, went through them and swung into line
! Warning whistles and signal flags re