The New York herald., 1922-12-31
Commander Nutting to Sail Schooner in the Three
Thousand Mile Race, Which Will end
at COWes.

that the F'leetwing can beat the Vesta
to the Needles on the coast Of England,
yachts to start from Sandy Hook on
the second Tuesday in December. 1866,
to sail according to the rules of the New
York Yacht Club. waving allowance OF
time, The sails to be carried are main
sail, foresail, jb, flying jib, jib topsail,
fore and main gaff topsails, storm stay
saI' and trysail."
No sooner was this agreement made
known than James Gordon Bennett, Jr.,
who owned the schooner Henrietta, re-
quested to be allowed to take part in
the race and the following agreement
was added:
'"rhe yacht Henrietta enters the above
race by paying 100000 subscription by
members Of the New York Yacht Club +;
any minor points not embraced In the
above, that cannot be settled by Messrs.
Osgood, Lorillard and Bennett shall be
decided as follows: Each shall chose
an umpire; the umpires chosen in case
of a disa greement shall choose two
others. Twenty per cent of the money
to- be deposited with Mr.. Leonard w.
Jerome on the Sd OF November, the bal
ance to be deposited on the first Tuesday
in December-play or pay"
The Henrietta was keel schooner
of EOS tons, built by Henry Steers,
nephew of George Steers. who built the
America. 1t was further agreed. That
the yachts should be started. blow high
or blow low, on Tuesday, December IL,
at p. NJ, by III. S. Fearing, one OF the
owners of the schooner Rambler, ana
that the finish time was to be taken on
each yacht, when on the true Channel
course the light on the west end of the
Isle of Wight bore abeam. No Channel
pilot was to be carried from this side.
Each yacht was allowed to carry a
square sail in addition to those already
mentioned.
The three yachts got away from
Staten Island in fresh westerly wind.
The weather was cool and clear. and
accompanied by a fleet OF yachts. a
steamer with club members on board.
tugs and pilot boats they stood through
the Narrows and reached on down the
Bay towards the starting point.
The racers were started promptly at
1 o'clock. The fleet followed them for
several miles. About o'clock that eve
ming they were separated and did not
meet again until the finish. The win
ter race was a most exciting one. On
December 10 at p. NJ, in rising
gale, with heavy sea running. Fleet
wing was boarded by a sea over the
quarter and the watch on deck, eight
men, were washed out of the cockpit,
six of them being lost. The yacht
broached to, losing her jb boom. and
she lay hove to for five hours before
resuming her course.
Henrietta Wins Race.
The vesta picked up the lights at
Sdiily at 6:55 p. M. on Christmas Eve,
and Henr.s:ta picked the same light up
so minutes later The Henrietta had
sailed the whole course without a tack.
She passed the Lizard at 3 A. NJ on
Christmas morning. picked up a Cowes
pilot at noon and at 3 AS was timed by
the two judges on board as she passed
the Needles and a few hours later she
dropped anchor in Cowes Roads.
Vesta was less fortunate, her landfall
bringing her a few miles to leeward OF
Henrietta at the Scilly Islands. Wher
she finally picked up a pilot late or
Christmas morning the yacht weni
astray in a light fog and she did no
finish until 40 minutes after midnight
Henrietta sailed 3.106 miles. in /
days. 81 hours. 55 minutes. Fleetwins
sailed 3,135 miles in IA days, hours
in IA days, 6 hours, so minutes. Tha'
was the first event of this kind. and 1
will stand long as the most remarkable
ocean race on record
The next ocean race was f1iled II
1870. Mr.. Bennett had sold ifc Henri
eta and purchased L'FIirondalle, whicl
| he renamed Dauntless, and he SAILED
across the Atlantic to Cowes Jane
Asbury had challenged for a race 10
| the Americas Cup with the Cambria
and Mr.. Bennett and Mr.. Asbury ar
ranged a race from Gaunt Rock, Ire
land, to Sandy Hook light vessel. Th
| start was made on July 4, and Cambri
! finished the race on July 81, finishin
/ hour, II minutes, ahead of the Daunt
less.
| In 1887 the Dauntless. then the prop
erty of Commodore Caldwell II. Coll
again raced across the Atlantic. thi
time against the schooner Ccrone
owned by Bliss. These two yacht
raced for a stake OF 100000. The star
was made from off Bay Ridge on Marc
13, and after encountering very sever
weather the Coronet won, sailing I
Queenstown in IA days 90 hours 80 min
utes, and beating the Dauntiess by NOR
than twenty hours. Each yacht wa
driven through the gales, each sl<ippe
apprecating that he was racing. Dun
ing the last three days the Dauntles
sailed through as heavy gales as
Yacht eyer raced through. For seventy
two hours nothing but cold food OF th
most portable sort could be served.
After this, while many yachts crosse
the ocean leisurely cruising, ocea
racing over the long course wa
not revived until 1905. when oleve
l yachts raced from Sandy Hook 10 IN