The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-09-17

aalnDOW IOOleQ up 10 the turn in splendid style, making her last hitch stand good, but Endeavour was closer to the mark than had been expected.
 l Sopwith, playing crafty game, had not overlook but was maintain ing the position he had held al- most from the start.
 | As the boats squared away for the run home, 1t appeared any, body's race. Rainbow had stood off Endeavour's first challenge but it was an open question whether the margin was sufficient for the Van derbilt sloop to keep the distance on the leeward leg.
 Endeavour displayed a remark able burst of speed during the last mile of the windward leg closing up much of long lead established by Rainbow early in the race. En- deavour had overstood the mark slightly and when she bore down upon it she had better slant of wind than Rainbow.
 After turning the mark the con- testants engaged in luffing match with Endeavour trying unsuccess- fully to blanket the defender. Three minutes after rounding, a small parachute spinnaker was broken out on Rainbow and she opened up her lead by a couple of lengths before Endeavour broke out her Annie Oakley spinnaker which was slow in filling. En- deavour did not get her spinnaker until two minutes after Rainbow. | RQInhnWsc al wlndward leg was 2 hours 4 min utes, 9 seconds set a new record I TOT Americas cup contestants. The previous record for a I5-mile beat to wind-ward was 2 hours 6 min utes, 40 seconds, set by the Vigilant Tn the third and last race of the 1893 series when she defeated Valkyrie II.
 Early Maneuvers
 Harold $. Vanderbilt's American defender. Rainbow, was footing 10 eastward at 1920 o'clock this after noon holding a scant lead over the Britlsh challenger, T. o. M. Sop- with's Endeavour, on the first leg or the Americas cup race.
 ! roofing slightly faster, bu: , bothered by weather pocket, En- oeavour was showing greater class In the beat to windward than many observes expected.
 The trim British challenger an. peared to have worked out of her early difficulties with her sails. and was holding even with the big white. Vanderbilt sloop. Endeav- ours blue hull, heeled far over at times, was riding the rough seas less gracefully than the American boat but was still sailing we'll. | Under a sudden freshening of the breeze to 13 knots, after an early drop, Rainbow was able to come about on a port tack after a short hitch to starboard, cross ing Endeavour's bow, shortly be- fore they reached the halfway mark on the windward leg.
 At 1880 p. m., Rainbow. after maneuvering on 8 slight hitch to starboard, went back on the part tack with Endeavour only 20 sec onds behind. 4 Endeavour was again footing faster, but appeared to be bothered by the wind pocket into which she had been maneuvered, with Rain bow holding the weather berth. It looked as if it might be diffi- cult for Sopwith's challenger to pull out of her bad position.
 The great arc of spectator yachts, many pulling back into position after trouble with rough seas. was banked on the horizon I as the two yachts unanswered cautiously in the sea amphitheater. It appeared that Rainbow might fetch the outer mark without go- ing off her present tack.
 The boats had been out two and a half hours on the beat to wind ward which would bring them to the turn before o'clock.
 Observers were of the opinion Rainbow would have to establish al lead on the 15-mile beat to wind ward in order to hold up against the Britisher's speed on the run home. The fact that Endeavour was able to point closer to the wind than the American boat was a surprise to many.
 Sopwith's crew seemed to handle the challenger better than Satur- day, although the Britisher is un- questionably m ore unweidly against the wind. Several times she shipped seas as her long, slender l prov dipped and lifted out of the choppy waves.
 It became apparent that if Rain bow could fetch the mark on her present hitch she would be we'll ahead and that Endeavour has overstood. If Rainbow has to make another hitch, it will bring the boats almost together at the outer turn. The mark was not visible as the yatchts began what seemed the crucial hitch of the race so