The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1916-03-17
SAILING TO WIN

What was the matter with you fell
lows in the racer" asked the man At
the clubhouse who made it mis- bust.
ness to mold down the big armchair
reserved for the rocking chair feet
The young man who had just jerked
q big dinghy out of the water and
landed Y 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" he
declared, bitterly. When bought
the Nancy all the wise fellows dropped
around one at a time and in punches
and suggested that I'd better get bud.
ley to sail my boat for me the first
season. They pointed out that | was
new to the game and 1t wouldn't look
well for me to lose all the big silver
cups, especially when / had Q fast
boat"
80 you got Dudley to do the stick
work, chr"
well, | admit l was easy. had
never sailed a big boat before, and I
didn't want to make any bad breaks.
Dudley is a fine sailor. He would let
me come down and get everything
ready for him-just 30 many reefs in
the mainsail, all the big kites put
in stops, so they would break out ct
the right time-Rnd when he came
aboard all he had to do was 10 make
suggestions and kicks.
To-day we were to sail for the John.
son cup. It's beauty and wanted
to take it out to Austin and show 1t 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 / was ashore, SC
l could telephone to my friends that
Before the starting gun was fred we
nearly ran clear through another yacht
that was jockeying near the line.
didn't like the way the boat was being
sailed, but thought it was because
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 il
would be easier for us to win. II
looked that way, for we luffed into an
other yacht and nearly lost our owl
bowsprit. When we crossed, the line
could almost see that cup sitting OF
my dresser, for we we're first and WI
kept first-in fact, we went so fast tha
the other yachts seemed to be an
chored."
So you won the racer
Won nothing! When we got out II
the four-mile crib, which was the frs
buoy we were to round, we passed 1t u
port and went sailing north Then WI
looked back to give the other fellow
the happy smile. and what do YOU
think! Every blamed boat went sail
ing gracefully around that crib, pass
ing 1t to starboard, and was of on tn,
southern course We had the balloon
up and my expert sailor. instead o
giving the boys up forward time Il
get it in, as | would have done, luffed
The next minute saw myself payinl
out $50 for a new sail"
Caught on the spreader?"
Il should say it did--it ripped from
head to foot. We all talked at once
insisted that the course was the wa.
the other boats went and Dudley flnal
ly admitted that he didn't really know
what the race was-just kind OF sur
posed that the course was the way W
started to sail It.
When we got the balloon in an,
staysail up the other boats were o
far ahead that / said we might q
well go in. What was the use of RAJ
ing, anyhow, II you couldn't win7 Blu
Ill sail my own boat after this.
Someone wants me at the telS
phoneH Wants to know whether
won? Say, steward. just tell he
there wasn't any race-that the lax
Nuae fnp rrrUh