Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-29

Much to the surprise of the members
of the South Coast Yacht club, Ka-
trina, q class @ yacht. won the Mont
gomery cup race yesterday afternoon
from San Pedro around Catalina is
land aud return, being eligible to race
for both trophies Time allowance
alone allowed the Katrina to win the
big race. as Walter Folsom's speedy
Mischief II. led the entire distance and
led the fleet across the finish line by
eighteen minutes and ten seconds.
beating the Katrina by twenty-four
minutes, lacking one second.
BY the conditions of the two races,
which were sailed simultaneously,
Katrina was made eligible to try for
both cups. but few gave her chance
to win from such speedy competitors
as Minerva and Mischief III. despite
the great time allowance made. Had
not Katrina given Myth a time allow
ance OF the greater part of an hour
she would have been the present pos
SCISSOR of both cups, as she lacked only
forty-two seconds of beating her.
Time allowances made the official
finish of the Mischief II. and Katrina
as last place. exennplifying the rule
that ''he that is first shall be last" in
a startling manner. Michief gave an
allowance TO every boat in the race,
varying from 4S minutes and Al sec
onds allowed the Arrow, to three
hours and twenty minutes and six
seconds to the Katrina. The latter
boat also was scratch in the Spald-
ing cup. giving all rivals an allowance
of several minutes.
Varying Winds First Day
It was grand race, and from the
start off the government breakwater In
San Pedro harbor at noon Saturday
until the finish there was every sort of
wind and weather to try not only the
sailing qualities of the boats. but the
seamanship of the respective crews.
Under partly clouded' sky and a
southwest wind the seven boats left
the breakwater with the Shadow lead
ing. Mischief ii second, the Arrow
third and the Minerva following. The
smaller boats in class r came behind
in meek -and-neck" order. Commo-
dore Spalding of the Minerva imme-
diately announced the course to the
east end of the isle as southeast by
east.
We left at high tide with a fair wind.
Mischief was on the starboard side of
the Minerva and steadily pulling away,
while the Arrow was to leeward. We
overhauled the latter at 1910. All
three boats in class Q were rigged the
same with a jigger, mainsail, staysail
and jib.
About 1890 we struck calm and
drifted for about ten minutes, then
tried starboard tack, which allowed
the advantage Of a squall which Com
modore Spalding had spied on the
port side.
Katrina Tagging Behind
AF4~
now sailing under westerly wind and
somewhat out of course, so the commo-
dore ordered another tack to leeward.
The wind was very low now and the
yachts barely drifted. The smaller
boats in class r and Katrina were far
astern and hardly were considered as
being in the race.
Catalina was sighted at 2 o'clock and
at $3.50 o'clock the Banning line steamer
Warrior was seen bearing down toward
Avalon. The Warrior steamed by on
our windward side, instead of leeward,
as is the assumed courtesy of yacht
racing. At 3:45 o'clock we sighted
Mounts Black Jack and Orizaba.
Through glasses we could see that
Folsom was in hard luck; he was BOOM
ing his working jib to windward and
carrying 1t in place of a. spinnaker.
About $3.50 o'clock the wind began to
die perceptibly, then 1t suddenly veered
aft, causing sails to culver.
When about quarter of a mile off
the east end of Catalina, at $50
o'clock, the wind suddenly dropped al
together. At the same time the Mis-
chief Strengthened and then tipped to
port. She had caught the westerly
wind that we had been hoping to catch
for two hours. She gradually sailed
away from us. bearing to port. After
twenty minutes of drifting a slight
breeze from the southwest was felt.
AtNabout z o'clock, far to our port
stern, we could see the four smaller
craft and with them the Arrow. They,
too. were in a calm, as we could see
their sails Tapping. The last we saw
of the Mischief during the night was
when she was about mile and quar-
ter on our port bow as night settled
down. She was making a starboard
tack at the time and her course was
west by south of west. We were
rounding the island under slight west
wind. sailing under our jib. stay-sail,
main and mizzen sails
About 8:l5 o'clock the wind changed
again and was now blowing from our
starboard stern. We We're on our STAR
board tack when the lookout reported
breakers ahead Better lose the race