Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-24
YACHTS SPEEDY
IN FIRST RACES
SOUTH COAST CLUB BEGINS
SEASONS SPORT
VENUS DEFEATS WASP IN BRISK
TWELVE.MILE RUN
Little Mischief II Crosses Line Ahead
of CoIumbine After Exciting
Contest In Rising
Breeze

Breeze
Especial to The Herald
SAN PEDRO, May 23.-The racing
season of the South Coast Yacht club
opened this afternoon, when the first
race was enthusiastically pulled off in
the outer harbor. The fleet yacht Mis-
chief IL, under the expert command of
Can't. Walter Folsom and his trained
crew, was the winner in the initial con-
test of the season, beating the Column
bine, owned and sailed by Captain
Mitchell, by a minute and five seconds.
AS usual, an interesting scrap was
on throughout the entire course OF
twelve miles between the Venus, owned
and sailed by Capt. X. r, Bradley, and
the Wasp, owned by A. M. Squire and
sailed by Capt. Fred Whitney. The
Venus beat the Wasp by forty-five
seconds.
Capt. Joseph Pughs big new model,
the Mah-Pe, entered the race, but,
having no light canvas and being in
an unfinished condition, she did not
show her speed and withdrew before
the race was completed.
The wind was light at the start, but
freshened to a good breeze before the
finish. The fine weather brought out
large crowd of sightseers, who followed
the race in sailing craft and Launches.
Many of the Yacht club members and
their friends viewed the race from the
Verandas of the clubhouse, which went
into commission yesterday.
The regatta committee, the neWspa-
per men and a number of club men,
bers and their friends were accommo-
dated on the fleet power launch lone,
Captain Cope, this being the judges
boat.
Venus Crosses First
The preparatory gun was fired at
ITO and the starting gun at 1:15. The
Venus was the first to cross the line
between two stake flags off the Miner
bulkhead She was closely followed
by the Mischief II and the Wasp. Then
came the Myth, Captain Richardson;
the portfolio, Captain Mellen; the Co
lumbine and the Mah-Pe. The Skiddoo
entered the race later.
The first leg of the course was a
three mile run to leeward to a flag off
Brighton Beach. With spinaker set,
the Mischief II took the lead and main
tanned it throughout the entire course.
The other boats put out the spinakers,
excepting the MahPe, which was
launched last Monday night and was
really not in shape to enter for honors.
The Venus followed closely behind the
Mischief II, and the Columbine over
hauled the Mah-Pe, which had OBJ
tanned a better position, as she crossed
the line. In lieu of the sHinaker, the
crew of the MahPe winged the jib in
the long run before the wind, which
was very light at this time.
The Mischief II rounded the stake
flag off Brighton Beach at 1:44. The
Venus crept up behind the Columbie,
blanked her and stole around the flag
at las 80, just two seconds ahead of
Captain Mitchell. The Wasp rounded
at 1 AS, the little Myth at LAG 55, the
Slxidoo, which had entered the race late,
at 1:49:45, the Mah-Pe at 1;49:5O and
the portfolio at 1854.
Mischief in the Lead
The Mischief II led off shore on the
starboard tack followed by the Venus,
Columbine and Mah-Pe. The Myth
kept in shore for a time, followed by
the Wasp
After the Mischief II had again come
about the Venus held to the starboard
tack and the Mah-Pe continued out
being the last boat to turn.
The Mischief II then took long port
tack in toward Deadmans island and
was followed by the Columbine. These
boats were evidently looking for smooth
water, the wind having increased mate
rally. The Mah-Pe soon left the race,
NOllLillulhS Odb W oCel 10y OlAi tiiO DlCAh-
water.
The gait jaw on the Wasp broke
loose from the mast on this leg, caus-
ing the sail to sag, but despite this
handicap Captain Whitney overhauled
Captain Bradley beating him to the
flag which marked the first half Of the
race by fifteen seconds. The starboard
starting flag was rounded to starboard
by the yachts in the following order:
Mischief, 2:23:50; Columbine, 2:26:21;
Skidoo, 2:31:21; Wasp, 2:32:50; Venus,
2:33 :05; Myth, 2:37: AS, and the portfolio
far behind.
In the spinaker run to leeward the
second time around the course the CO.
lumbine gained little on the Mischief
II, but was unable to catch her. The
freshening of the wind made the time
few minutes faster, this time the
Mischief II rounding the Brighton
Beach flag at 2:5O:5O. The Columbine
rounded at 2:52:50, followed by the
Slidoo at 2:57:50 the Venus at 100000,
the Wasp at 3:00:0S and the Myth at
3:05:30, Although his sail was hanging
badly, Captain Whitney kept ahead of
the Venus until near the stake flag,
when Captain Bradley showed his sea-
manship by slipping in behind the
Wasp, establishing an overlap and
lodging around the stake three seconds
ahead of his old-time rival.
Wind Whips the Sails
With the larger boats on long tack
off shore. the Venus led in on the port
tack, colsely followed by the slightly
disabled Wasp. 1t was a merry scrap
between these boats, the Wasp sue
ceeding in getting ahead and in lacking
crossed the bows of the Venus. The
ill setting sail told, however, in the
long beat to windward and the Venus
again got the lead and came across the
finishing line three-quarters of a min
ute ahead
With the increased velocity of the
wind the Columbine which does better
when the wind is strong, succeeded in
creeping up on the Mischief II, but the
distance was too great, and Captain
Folsom brought his racer across the
finishing line over a minute to the
good. The time of the finish was as
follows:
Little Mischief II, 3:29:15; Columbine,
3:30:20; Skidoo, 3:3S:00; Venus, $4,000;
Wasp, 3:40:45 Myth, 3:4S:00. portfolio
was lost sight of.
The best of good spirit was manifest
ed. With the salute to the victor from
the JUICES boat, Captain Mitchell led
his crew in three rousing cheers for the
Mischief II. Captain Folsom respond
ed with three cheers for the Columbine.
This exchange of cheers was repeated
by the crews of the Venus and the
Wasp, the losing crew saluting the
winners.
Besides the large crowd on the
judges boat, Captain Weston had
large party aboard the Lillian c. his