Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-02-18
SAILING TO WIN

What was the matter with you fell
lows in the racer" asked the man at
the clubhouse who made 1t his bust
ness to hold down the big armchair
reserved for the rockingham feet.
The young man who had just jerked
big dinghy out Of the water and
landed it high up on the dock dropped
YEARLY into the bow seat and looked
at the speaker.
Say, this yachting business isn't
what it's cracked up to be. especially
when you take everyone's advice" Re
declared, bitterly. "Whel l bought
the Nancy all the wise fellows dropped
around one at time and in punches
and suggested that I'd better get Dud-
ley to sail my boat for me the first
season. They pointed out that l was
new to the game and 1t wouldn't look
well for me to lose all the big silver
cups. especially when l had a fast
boat"
so you got Dudley to do the stick
work, eh?"
We'll, / admit l was easy. / had
never sailed a big boat before. and |
didn't want to make any bad breaks.
Dudley is fine sailor. He would let
me come down and get everything
ready for him-just so many reefs in
the mainsail, all the big kites put
in stops, SO they would break out at
the right time-and when he came
aboard all he had to do was to make
suggestions and kicks.
To-day we were to sail for the John
son cup. It's beauty and l wanted
to take it out to Austin and show it to
my landlubber friends. So got Dud-
ley to sail the boat for me. 1t was
blowing pretty hard and we had in
two reefs and the staysail. The way
we tore down the harbor toward the
line made me wish l was ashore. so
/ could telephone to my friends that
the cup was cinch for my yacht.
Before the starting gun was fired we
nearly ran clear through another yacht
that was jockeying near the line. l
didn't like the way the boat was being
sailed, but thought it was because l
didn't understand the fine points of
the game. thought that perhaps the
stunt was to disable as many of the
boats in our class as possible-then it
would be easier for us to win. 1t
looked that way, for we luffed into an
other yacht and nearly lost our own
bowsprit. When we crossed the line
l could almost see that cup sitting on
my dresser, for we were first and we
kept first-in fact, we went SO fast that
the other yachts seemed to be an
chored."
so you won the racer"
won nothing! When we got out to
the four-mile crib, which was the first
buoy we were to round, we passed it to
port and went sailing north. Then we
looked back to give the other fellows
the happy SMILE. and what do you
think! Every blamed boat went sail
ing gracefully around that crib. pass
ing it to starboard, and was off on the
southern course. We had the balloon
up and my expert sailor, instead of
giving the boys up forward time to
get it in, as l would have done, luffed.
The next minute saw myself paying
out $25 for new SAIL"
Caught on the spreader?"
Il should say it did-it ripped from
head to foot. We all talked at once.
l insisted that the course was the way
the other boats went and Dudley final.
ly admitted that he didn't really know
what the race was-just kind of sup.
posed that the course was the way we
started to sail it.
when we got the balloon in and
staysail up the other boats were SO
far ahead that l said we might as
well go in. What was the use of rae
ing, anyhow, If you couldn't win? But
I'll sail my own boat after this.
Someone wants me at the tele-
phone? Wants to know whether l
won? Say, steward. just tell her
there wasn't any race-that the lake
uoc foo rouuho