The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-06-23
SPEED BOATS
IN PENSACOLA
YACHTING RUN
NUMBER OF CRACK CRUISERS
ARE COMING OVER NEXT WEEK
TO PARTICIPATE IN LOCAL RE-
eATTA, HELD UNDER AUSPICES
OF PENSACOLA YACHT AND MO-.
TOR BOAT CLUB.
(H. Lee Edwards. in Sunday states.)

(H. Lee Edwards, in Sunday States.)
Have you entered for the long as
lance race to Pensacola"
cabin motor cruiser is putting to the
other these days. In the majority of
instances the answer is equivocal. It's
a long chase to PenSacola-22S nautl-
cal miles-but it is not so much the
distance as it is the fact that the rae
ers have to get out into the open Gulf
of Mexico for quite a stretch OF the
way, which means trouble for all hands
on board. if the weather is a bit too
boisterous.
1t is all very nice when the race or
Sound, under the shelter of the islands
forming the sound. The sixty to
eighty foot craft looks like a good
sized yacht in that instance. But let
the same craft get out on the long
high rollers in the gulf in bad weather
and to those on board it appears to be
only few sizes larger than birch
bark canoe. 1t is this fact, more than
aught else which lends interest to the
long distance race-the longest dis
lance ever attempted in this section.
It requires considerabl nerve to tackle
the chase, especially when advance
weather conditions have persistently
indicated that unfavorable wind and
water may be expected in the course
of the race.
Test of Navie ating Skill.
Then, too, a deal of the skill of the
deep-water navigator is necessary, for
when the motorboat commander leaves
Petit Bots Horn Island and Sand
Island lights astern he must steer en-
tirely by compass, by chart and by the
navigatOr's sense, until he picks up"
Pensacola light. 1t is a comparatively
short distance, but seems an inter
minable one if the weather is nasty,
Guess work will not do. Luck might
carry the motorboat mariner through,
should he encounter a big blow, but
the chances would be largely against
him. He must know how to read his
chart. must watch his compass and
follow his course closely day and
night, and must steer his course care
fully, especially in a blow, making al
1owances for leeward divergence.
Otherwise he may be blown far out to
sea. off his course or else piled up
in the boneyard of the sand reaches off
the Alabama and Florida coasts.
With all this the race to Pensacola
is fascinating jaunt, especially If
the wea Their is anything like favorable,
and is easy to make if the motor craft
commander is a man of intelligence
and has anything approaching good
judgment and nautical sense.
The race to Pensacola is to be start
ed-a one gun start-at ) o'clock On
the afternoon of Wednesday. July ,.
Yacht Club will be stationed on the
south draw of the New Orleans and
Northeas stern bridge to take the time
of the racers as they pass through, and
on this time the handicaps will be
predicated-that is the time made from
the start at West End, off the club
house. over the eighteen miles down
to the draw
Last year the races were required TO
follow the inside course-through Mis-
sissippi Sound-but this year they can
lay a straight line across the Gulf of
Mexico. 1t is approximately 228 miles
from New Orleans to Pensacola. Given
good weather and water a motor craft
capable of consistently doing twelve
miles an hour should cover the dis
lance in about nineteen or twenty
hours at the outside.
The race is to be started at even'tide
in order that the yachtmen will have
night running to do only in the
waters with which they are most ia
miliar-from West End to Horn Island.
which will make the race that are ca
pable of doing twelve miles an hour,
and daylight will be on the majority
long before they are able to pick up
the island.
Prizes Will Be Numerous.
The regatta of the Pensacola Yacht
and MOtorboat Club is to take place
on Friday and Saturday. July 4 and s.
so our craft will, or should be there
half a day in advance, if all goes Wei
on the trip. The principal trophy of
fered is the William A. Carrie cup. won
last year by Captain Albert Mackie's
Elizabeth. In addition to this the s.
Y. c. has offered a handsome handi-
cap trophy in addition to its cup Of
fered for the craft winning second
place. Then, too, there will be the usual
number and variety of individually
donated prizes-running lights, binna-
cles, binoculars, barometers, chrOnom-
eters, cases of wines, etc.
Five craft has already entered for
the long distance race: Comet, owner
by l. E. Morphy; Violet, owned by
Percy 8. Benedict; Wait, owned by
Robert c. Mcclure; Wendy. owned by
c. A. Sporl. Nine owners of other
craft have expressed their intention of
entering, and their entries will be in
Incfcr-n and