Hawaii Holomua, Volume I, Number 27, 18 October 1893 — THE GREAT YACHT RACE. [ARTICLE]

THE GREAT YACHT RACE.

— Nn* Tobs. Oct. 9.-FIashine 1 iu tbe saoligbt ao<I <lasbing , orer the »eas. the great Vigil.*nt to-<lay won tbe secon<l of tbe Mries of race* for tbe America eop. It was a great gIorious rictory and wuea the race w«s J finishe<i tbere was no shadow ; upon tLe waves of an innnediate parting )>etwcen Atuerica and the Amenem enp. F n>rn start to finish. in her 1 own wind, au<l in the nort of sea ' whieh she ought to lore, the ! \ alkyrie was so badly beaton by : the great lK»t from Bristol that 1 it oeca»5oned a feeling of sorrow, almost, among Amenean vacbtsmeu tbat tbe boat of IkihI Dunraven sbon!d bave eome so far anil have fared so poor!v. lt was a defeat suob as bas seldom l>een seen in an international neo, and it was tbe defeat of a boat wliieh enme over witb a record and reput;ttion fiucb as no other boat seut after lbe trophy won in 1851 bas bad. It was a victory as complete and as decisive as could possib!y be won, Tbere wore no Hukes orriiwst»f the wiud, nu botliering escursion boats and no aeeidents of any kind. On eveiy |>oint of sadīng tho Vigilant proved bersolf to be tbe better boat, and when she proved herself a lu'tter boat than tbe Valkyrie sbo proved berself to be tbe fioetest boat that was evor lannched. Tho best boats of England have been defeated by the Valkyrie, and where in tbo wor!d, outside of Amenea, ean a yacht be found to sj»il snccessfullv against the best of the Royal squadrou? But, to-day, when with ull her sails drawing, with ber powerf«ll hull conquering and overcoming the waters nutil they wero her slaves, and everv wavo that ro!le<l only served to boar her onwanl, the great white sloop swept across the fiuish line whilo the Valkyrie was hull down astern. Tbe race of Satnnlay dispelled the fears that Amerioan yachts* mon have had for the prowess of tho British boat. The race to-day sottled the matter, •nd the only thing that Ameriean yachismen eomplain of is (heir own foo!ishness in being scared bv tho Vaikvrie. Bnt that is an old ston*. There is not a yacht whieh has eome a-seekiug forthe America’s eup but what yachtmeu have had certain fears here. They have seen her good points where others have not. and it is one of the first qualitie8 of the yachtsman •s well as of tbe soldier not tO andervalne th<« strength of a adversary. But all the waves that ro)t ou Sandy Hook, and all the winds that blow from tbe fruitiess fields of the sea sang to-night Ihe story of tl»e glon* of the viclonoo» Vigdant. l>eep as tbe wnves that roll was the meaning of her viclory. and far as the breeae ean bear it will spread her fame. Sbe rs tbe Vigilant. and eienial vigilance is the t>rice of liberty. Into ihe morning sea. aod ander a &ky whieh gave promise , « an mereasmg wimi, ihe two { ehampiona of the two great mari- ( tiise nations of the world were | lowed ont beyond the ehaanela I

i and sboa!s of the lower bav to ; Sac<ly Hook lightship. A great fleet eamo down after them, excorsion boats and lngs and yachts. an-1 the flagship May was there ready to give the < preparatory and startiug »ignals. . «nd to take the oAleial tirae of tiie yachts. The wind was blowiug a fair breeze from sonthwest to ; south. and mther a Leaw swell w.«s running iu from a direction somewhat moru to the ea.stwurd, whieh ’«Tas broken on its surface bv the wind. * fbe two vachts sailed about I watching eaeh other carefnlly, the Valkyrie keep:ng closer • to tho surting lino as she rnu thau the Vigilant. and both boats having up the:r jibs only for headsail. Th«* wind waa increasing «nd tbey both had up their intermediate club topsails. Not their larg-st ones, for no one new how hard it was going to blow, and both boats wanted to hold on to the club topsails as long as tbev eonhl. The May hoisted signals showing the course, and ten minutes before tho startiug tirne, 11:23, fired the j>ro}>aratorv gun, The signals sbowed that the face was to be sailed over a triangular co«rse aud the first leg was to be southwest by south\>est by sonth, tho second east one-haif south aml ue third northwest, oue-balf west. This was intended to give ten ini!e.s <>f windward woik, ten of reaehing aml ten of running, bnt «s is usuul in Siiiling a triangnlar courso it di«l not do so. for the second and third legs were both reaches The wiud h*d probably hauled a little moro to the we#tward. or the compasses were uot accur:ite. Wheu the starting signal was gtven at 11:25, the two yachts were close together, ueither of them having got far away from the other. In all their sailing about waiting for the signal the Valkyrie was/i liille closer the line, but «Vigilant was to the windward. y botb h«d set their jibs, and ,iheir sails were drawing. Tho two boats raade for the line on a starboani tack. the Valkyrie going faster thun the Vigi!ant. The Valkyrie passed over first. The Vigilant was two seconds behind hor. The sails of both boats were drawing for even* |>oumi they were worth. and it was hanl to s*y whioh suit of saiU set best. At first it seo:ue«l as if tbose of the Valkyrio were doing bettor work. but as one gazed it could be seen that it was not so and the sails of the Amenean boat were drawing he^le^. The Va!kyrie gained. Tbere was no doubt of it. 8be seemed to have the sj>e»xl of all the winds in her *nd taking the seas on ber fall bows. she went down toward i tbe dim oatlines of the Jersey coast. It looke»! ba«l for the Yank»« boat. bot it was not. As < the \ alkyrie began to drmw ahead < new speed seemed to eome into i the Vigilant and rnshiag forw»rd < she overfaaoleil ber. Both set tbeir small jib topsails, tbe Vigilaut doing it firsi. ] and their speed ineneaaeU. Tbe i wind in the meantime was i freshening. The Vigiiant eame on the port take and the Valkrrie i follov«(L It «as evident now ; that the Amenean boat vaa

abead an l every micoto inoreas ed her speed. Tbey eame on the starWard i tack again at ceariy the same t;me. Now the gain of the VigiI lant was more thau ever percentible. -She seemeu to ><e ieaviBg her antagOD)st behiud in a maaner whieh Ieft little doobt »s to the result of the niee. Tiie Valkyrie saw it and split t->ck.-' -t.i tho \ igila(ti. Going on the j»jrt tack i\gaia she beid that tack for a htt!o tinie on!v. and then c.une on the staiboaid tack. They were approaching the mark now, and all tbe time the ' g-iiiut huil b»‘.‘n eating oat to wiudwanl of the Valkyrie. The V*lkyrie was sailing as closo to the wind as she couid, j but tho Vigilant hehl the vrindwanl position better than her | autagouist. So tLoy sprang towanl tbe first mark and every rainute increased thg lead of the Vigilani W hen the American boat i ronncled the race wus already won an>l the Valkyiie w:is as lone!y and forsaken as were under ; siuiilar circumstances aml in like weather the yachts thut 1 .st snmmcr contended «gainst the Vigi!aut in the raees otf Newport. The Vigilaut ronndeJ the fi;-st mark 4 minutes and 4ō seconds ahead. The wind was blowiug fifteeu milcs an hour aud steadilv increAsiug. There was a great gap of sun-lit and wind-tossed waters between the two boats, for the Valkyrie had been badly beat< n in winelwanl work. and the America eup was safe. lbe race was won, and everv rainute only served to increase tbe victory of the Vigilant. After rounding the first mark tne yachts took iu their baby jip-topsai's and set bigger ones. They were not ft\Il-grown balIoons, but were big Ones. The Vigilant e«sed her sheets nml went swift as greybonnds run wuen the leash is slipj>ed. The Valkvrie was sailed closer and lost steadily all tbe time. The seas were rnffletl and sparkling aml daacing. and far away before the British ehampion plunged the white sloop of America. The Vigilant was so far ahead before oue-half of the distance from tbe first to the second mark was covered that all the deet of boats of observation had left the Valkvrie nnd were jingling np their bell to catch the Vigilant. The Vigilant t<Jok in her big jib to;»sail and set a smaller one. The Valkyrie did tho same. As tbe second mark was roached the jib topsail of the T5gilant eame in. Sbe had on a halloon staysail. 8ho ronnded tbe second matk jibing her boom over to port and stretchel away for tbe finish, going as never boat nnder similar conditions of wind aml weather went before. Uader her bows «bite foam | was shining in the sunlight. aod , elean against tbe sky ber sails of beauty rose. There was swift- * ness. power and rictory in every carre of Mkl and every line of hull. Siowly. and as if it mattered { little how long she waa aboot it. she ran np her baby jib topsail and then broke it ont. In ihe meaniime. (ar. far astern. the k)Tely Valkyrie, wiih

( not eroa a togboat to bear her company cjime aloag to the secoud m»rk. She took iu h«r |ib topsail before roanding. ami after roundiag set a simiiar one. The g»in of the Vigilanl on tbe second ieg w&i 4 minntes aod 12 secōnJs, whieh added to hcr gain in the fcrst leg made her entire gain np to the socond mark 8 minntes and 57 seconds. The vriad, whieh has been increa&ing all the lime, was klowing twenty-two miles an honr when the yacbta ronmled the second mark. As tfaey got in toward the lightship they fonnd still more wind and pnt their iee sails awash. The Vigilant took in ber balloon stay-sail and set her working staysail. No one who did not see her eau have aay idea how sbe llew along All about ber, bot keeping at s reusonable distance, tbe attendant fleet of excursion steamers sped a!oug, and way back, with hnll down and the towering line of her sails against the sky, eame after her the Valkyrie. The wiml increased to twentj'nine miles au hour before the lightship was reached, aml at the finisli it was blowing thirty milea. Finally, but now with a rnsh and plnnge and with no flapping of giaut canvas, but easily, gracefully sliding over the waves as if they were hers and slaves to do her bidding the flyiug Vigilant weut in between the red-hnlled lichtships aml tha black-hulied May, aml all the glory of tbe day was hers. Long. long nfter her eame the Valkyrie, aud the race was over, and not only was the raco over, but the ontcome of tho international races for tbis year was settled. The resnlt was a surprise, even to the most enthnsiastic of the Vigilant’sa drairers. Tbey had expeoted that the Vigilant woold beat the Valkyrie, but had not l>eeu prepared for anything like this. The victor\- was a grand one ami Iong shall the name of tbe Vigilant live in the history of the seas. The gain of the Vigilant on the thini leg was two minutes 26 second m;> kinp her totai gain 12 minnt£s 23 secomis. Deilacing the time allowanee of 1 minule and 48 seconds this makes tbe Yigilant the winner by 10 minntes and 35 seconds. Both boats were sailed by soch competent men that it wouKl have been idle for an amatenr to criticize. The next race will be sailed WeduesJ»y over a thirty-mile course, fifteen miles to sea from Samiy Ho*>k Iightsbip and return. New Xojk, Oct. 9.—An Associated Press reporter sav,- Oapiain Cranfield of the Valkyrie after the finish aud asked him as to tbe rac©. The eaplaiu said; “I must sav we were veiy mneh disappointed. I knew after Sataniay’s race lbat we bad a hard nut to crack. but 1 eonlU uot believe we coold have been so well beaten as we were.” ”Has not yoar knowladge of cenire-board yachts as coapared with keel-boats convinced yon that tbe Amenean "|>lan is th« l>ett«r r ' “I will not admit that yet,” answered the Scotch eapuin. “We ean yet show yon some other experi»ente.” j t »s !earned that tāe Aoenean yacbt’s headapar was stadaed doring the race and a new one has to be rigged. As a resnlt Wedoe»iay's nee be pnt off nntil Thnraday.