OOT. 21, 1893. 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



8B1 



any modern time allowance. As for the chances of a challenge from 

 the owner of Iverna, nothing is more improbable; we would as soon 

 expect to see the Queen building a yacht and challenging, coming out 

 in person to see the races. Mr, Jameson finds too much pleasure in 

 the home racing to leave it for a season, with the strong probability of 

 being beaten in the end. 

 The center board story is hardly less absurd than the other two, and 



Valkyrie went on port tack at 4:S3, and when Vigilant tacked a min- 

 ute and a half later she was to windward of Valkyrie's wake and fast 

 lessening the distance. 



"V alkyrie went about at 4:26 and Vigilant came very close, but could 

 not cross, tacking half a minute later. Again Valkyrie went on port 

 tack at 4:30:30 and stood inshore, but if she expected Vigilant to fol- 

 low her she was mistaken. While she moved rapidly up past the ob- 

 jects on shore, apparently feeling the flood tide square abeam, Visilant 

 held off to seaward and gained materially. Sis minutes Valkyrie 



-3. 



"VALKYRIE" AND "VIGILANT." 



this year in particular there is even less ground for it than of old. 

 Those who ascribe more than a tithe of Vigilant's success to her cen- 

 terboard are likely to go very far astray in the future; the center- 

 board has played a very small part in the present races, and any 

 attempt to win the Cup by the mere adoption of this detail is likelj- to 

 lead to far worse defeat than that of Valkyrie. 



AMERICA'S CUP RACES-1S93. 



Third Race— Windward and Leeward. 



Fourth Day, Wednesday, Oct. 11. 



The mishap to Vigilant's bowsprit in Monday's race occurred some- 

 where near the first mark, the heel splitting about the fid hole, just 

 outside of the inner of the two large tubes which serve as gammon 

 iron and bitts, while the outer end was also split, and extra care 

 was used in the rest of the race. As soon as the yacht reached Bay 

 Ridge the Commander started for City Island, a telegram being sent 

 to Mr. Piepgras, and when she reached the yard late in the evening 

 the spare bowsprit was ready on the dock. 



After taking it on board she hurried back to Bay Ridge, where Mr. 

 Wintringham, with fifteen of his men were awaitmg her, arriving at 

 midnight. The damaged spar was sawn in pieces, for convenience in 

 unshipping and handling, and taken ashore for a pafterri ; and from 

 it the new stick, which was already roughed out in octagon, was fin- 

 ished off, and the ironwork fltted. Late on Wednesday afternoon the 

 stick was shipped and the rigging set up; Vigilant getting under way 

 afterward for a short turn around the Bay. During the day VaU 

 kyrie's shrouds were slacked off, and her forestay set up, throwing 

 the mast a little forward. 



Wednesday morning was rather cooler and sharper than any of the 

 preceding days, but before the time of starting the sun was shining 

 brightly over a calm, dead sea, while the air was like summer. Early 

 in the morning there had been a light westerly air over the Upper 

 Bay, and when the big fleet steamed out the wind shifted to" the east 

 for a time: but at 11 o'clock there was no wind at all. Vigilant and 

 Valkyrie were near the Lightship with clubtopsails set, and the May 

 lay drifting, waiting for some change of weather. No signals were 

 sent up at 11:15, and at 11:30 there was so little wind that a line was 

 passed from the Commander to Vigilant, and she was towed about. 

 Valkyrie, swinging a very handsome new clubtopsail, without a batten 

 in the head, was under way and working about, the Pulver, however, 

 sticking closely by her. 



Just "before noon a faint zephjT drifted in from the south, but it 

 soon died away, and a little later the letter G went up on the May, 

 asking whether both parties would consent to a postponement. Vigi- 

 lant hoisted the assent signal, but Valkyrie made no reply, showing 

 that she preferred to wait longer. 



During the next hour the witid came in at times from the southwest, 

 and at 1:25 the May anchored and set the signals for a course S. by W. 

 Vigilant cast off her towline and Valkyrie sent up flying a large jib- 

 topsail, both standing along the line toward the west on port tack, 

 when the preparatory gun hred at 1:.S5. 



The Lightship made the weather end of the line and the Maj' the lee 

 end, the maneuvering being done just west of the Lightship Valkyrie 

 was to leeward of Vigilant as they stood off on port tack at the gun. 

 Vigilant made a sweep and jibed when there were still over six minutes 

 to go, Valkyrie tacking between her and the Lightship immediately 

 after. Valkyrie was now to ^vindward, both on starboard tack head- 

 ing for theJine with five minutes to go. Vigilant bore off a little and 

 Valkyrie followed, the two at once lulling up again, with two minutes 

 to go. Vigilant was to leeward, her bowsprit end abeam of Valkyrie's 

 mast; Valkyrie tacked and Vigilant followed, being just to leeward. 

 The starting gun fired as they filled away, Valkyrie on the instant and 

 Vigilant quite slowly. They crossed the line, Valkyrie at l:4fi:13and 

 Vigilant at 1:47:19, the latter so close to the Lightship that she tacked 

 as she crossed, Valkyrie going about instantly on her weather bow and 

 taking the honors of the start. 



Once away, both on starboard tack, there began some beautiful 

 work as Captain Crantield undertook to hold by still more clever man- 

 euvering the advantage he had thus far gained. After seeing the two 

 boats together on previous days, there was little question that Vigi- 

 lant would ultimately come out ahead; but the way in which Valkyrie 

 fouglit to s'top her was none the less interesting from the fact that it 

 was likely to be futile in the end. 



The number and variety of kites and special sails carried on the two 

 yachts is known only to those on each boat, and the outside spectator 

 is likely to be puzzled very often to know what particular sail is set. 

 Vigilant has, we understand, eight different jibtopsails, ineluding two 

 sizes of balloon jibtopsails and two "baby" jibtopsails, the smaller of 

 the latter being a very smaO sail made for her, while the second size 

 is a larger and "better sail, borrowed from Jubilee. At the start Vigi- 

 lant was carrying her own smaU "baby," while Valkyrie had a much 

 larger sail, probably the -intermediate," to use a common but indefi- 

 nite term. 



Vigilant started to foot at first, not holding as high as Valkyrie, but 

 she gained nothing at this game, Valkyrie footing quite fast for the 

 light air and certainly pointing weU. At 1 :59 Valkyrie came about and 

 stood in toward the south point of the Navesiuk Highlands, Vigilant 

 also tacking. The difference in the two was most marked, Valkyrie 

 came about like a weathercock, and was off without losing way, while 

 Vigilant turned slowly and then took some time to regain her headway. 

 Every tack piled up seconds of gain for Valkyrie, and it was a question 

 how long she could make Vigilant follow her at this game. 



For half an hour as they held a long tack inshore Valkyrie continued 

 to gain, until she was a clear 300yds. on Vigilant's weather beam, At 

 2:55 the position being stUl unchanged. Vigilant luffed up for a short 

 time; the wind was stiU hght, but was drawing more off the land, and 

 in flaws and streaks. At i-.hb Valkyrie went on port tack and crossed 

 Vigilant's bow easily, tacking again at 2:57:30. The coasting steamer 

 Yemasaee. bound in from the Sou' h, came along up the beach and 

 crossed the bows of the pair, her swell setting them to pitching a httle 

 in the smooth water. Both were now heading about SW. by W., the 

 wind shifting from time to time as it came over the low Jersey 

 shores. 



When Valkyrie went on starboard tack at 3:13, Vigilant was at least 

 one-third of a mile astern, tacking at 3:15. A few minutes later Val- 

 kyrie made a short hitch inshore, then stood out; at 3:31 Vigilant 

 tacked inshore, Valkyrie tacked ahead of her two minutes later, 

 Vigilant then coming about agam, losing a little in each tack. 



Whatever gain Vigilant had made thus far in footing as the wind 

 strengthened a little, she had lost in the frequent tacks through her 

 slowness in stays, and her small baby jibtopsaU was also hurting her. 

 At 3:31 she lowei'ed this sail, and in about four minutes broke out the 

 "Jubilee's jibtopsaU," a larger and better sail, though well skewered 

 with battens. 



The benefit of the change was apparent from the first; the condi- 

 tions were much the same as before, absolutely smooth water and 

 very little wind; but Vigilant began to foot faster" and to pick up her 

 JqBS. She had footed clear ahead by 4;10, though still to leeward; 



helc her long tack and then stood off. Vigilant had been for ten 

 minutes on the same off shore tack, and she held it for six minutes 

 longer, when she came about and stood in toward Valkyrie. Though 

 there was no doubt of her great gain, it was still a question to those 

 on the steamers off shore how the two would cross, but about 4:48 

 there came a salute of whistles from some boats close in shore and on 

 a line, indicating that Vigilant had crossed Valkyrie's bows. Vigilant 

 went around at 4:49 to standoff shore, while Valkyrie again stood in 

 shore a minute and a half later. 



The sun was now dropping low over the Jersey shore and the wind 

 was lighter, while the mark was a long distance off. Slowly the pair 

 drifted and there was little chance of the race finishing within the 

 limit. Several more tacks were made. Vigilant now gaining slowly all 

 the time, and long after dusk had set in she rounded the mark, timed 

 at 6:07:17, and slowly set her spinaker. Valkyrie came up and made 

 her last tack near the mark at 6:12 and turned at 6:14, setting her light 

 spinaker. Balloon jibtopsails were barely discernible as they went up 

 in the darkness a little later, and the steamers started on the thirty- 



THE STEAMER FX.EET. 



five-mile course for New York, the finish within the time limit being 

 plainly impossible. 



After running until all doubt of a finish was at an end, the yachts 

 were taken in tow by the Pulver and Commander, sails were stowed, 

 and they towed into Bay Ridge. 



In such weather the racing counted for nothing, but Valkyrie did 

 good work on the wind, pointing and holding on well, Vigilant's gain 

 only beginning with the setting of the larger jibtopsail. Captain Cran- 

 fleld held the lead for so long by clever work at the stick, winning the 

 windward berth at the start and doing some very fine maneuvering 

 afterward In keeping on Vigilant's weather, and giving her as much 

 back draft as possible. 



Third Race— Windward and Leeward. 



Fifth Day, Friday. Oct. 13. 



That Lord Dunraveu made a mistake in sending Valkyrie over so 

 late Id the season is now generally admitted, the result being that she 

 had no time for trial sailing after being refitted, but went into the 

 racing at once. It is hardly likely that she was enough off her proper 

 trim and form to have affected the final result in any of the four days' 

 sailing, but not unnatunilly her owner and friends ascribed her poor 

 performance alongside of Vigilant to the alterations designedly or ac- 

 cidentally made in her ballasting and fore and aft trim. She had 

 been lightened considerably by the removal of interior fittings and 

 ballast for the lighter wuid looked for on this side, and it is also stated 

 that she was trimmed more by the head than in her home races. 



So far as stabiUty goes, she carried her sail well enough in all the 



races, being apparently under-rigged, and she could have suffereds a me sail she has set off the wind in the previous races. Vigilant' was 



little from the change in this respect. At the same time it is. quite 

 likely she handled differently in her lighter trim, and her crew had not 

 had time to understand her and get the best out of her. The same 

 thing is very often seen on the New York Y. C. cruises, a yacht win- 

 ning easily in her class in the cruising runs and being beaten when 

 completely stripped for the Goelet Cup race. Whether rightly or 

 wrongly, Lord Dunraven concluded that the yacht would be better for 

 more weight and a little more trimming by the stern, and on Thursday 

 two tons of lead, loaned by Com. Sutton from the schooner Loyal, 

 were taken aboard and stowed as low as possible. 



This change of waterline and trim, of course, necessitated a re- 

 measurement, and in the afternoon the yacht was towed to the Erie 

 Basin, where her waterline was measured by BIr. Hyslop, the new 

 figures being 85.92ft., or a lengthening of just 5in., making her sailing 

 length 98.57ft., and reducing the time allowance from Im. 48s. to 

 Im. 33s. 



Thursday night brought news of another severe cyclone in the 

 South and of a storm on its way up the coast, the predictions being 

 cloudy weather and southeasterly breezes of 12 to 20 miles velocity 

 during the d-oy, increasing at night, with rain. 



Friday was warm but overcast and cloudy, the wind in the morning 

 being N. E. and shifting to S. E., blowing moderately off the Light- 

 ship, an oyster sloop being out at the line under full mainsail and jib 

 and carrying them easily. There was more sea than in any previous 

 race, the conditions being similar to the final trial race in September, 

 though with less wind at the start. 



Vigilant was under way early off the line, with one reef in and a 

 jib-headed topsail set, and her large jib. Valkyrie came out in tow, 

 but when below the Narrows her mainsail was lowered, and one of 

 the throat halliard blocks brought down on deck for some repairs to 

 the shell. The block was fitted up and replaced and the mainsail set, 

 but it was 11:15 before Valkyrie neared the Lightship, with a small 

 reef in the mainsail and a jibheader set over it, and her headsails iu 

 stops. 



As she cast off her tow line at 11:20 the course signals, due East, 

 were set on the 3Iay, but by this time Vigilant was hove to, and the 

 "wig-wag" flags were at work on board, signalling to the May that she 

 needed time to make repairs. The signal" C. G., "Race postponed on 

 account of fog," was set on the flagship, though the horizon was clear 

 and the sun was trying to look through the clouds; but no other 

 signal for a postponement had been arranged. 



Vigilant lowered her staysail and ran off to the eastward, her crew- 

 being busy with the centerboard. The board had jammed, and ia 

 trying to raise it the cogs in the winch had been broken. The board 

 was finally lowered about lift, and carried this way on the wind. 

 Off the wind it was raised by a tackle until but 5ft. projected. Whem 

 Vigilant stood back about li:45 one of the club tugs spoke her and ram 

 up to the May, and at 12:07 the blue peter went up, signifying a start.. 



The two were now under the same canvas, each with jibheader set 

 over a single-reefed mainsail, and jib and staysail. The wind was; 

 moderate, the schooner Yampa being out under lower sails and main- 

 topsail, and the sea was easy. 



The course was dead to windward and the two ran off southwest of: 

 the Lightship just before the preparatory gun fired at 12:17. With- 

 the gun there begun some of the prettiest work seen in a very long- 

 time as the great vessels chased each other like a pair of kittens in, 

 the effort to get the weather berth on the line. Vigilant was standing- 

 away on port tack when the gun fired and Valkyrie, just by the Light- 

 ship, ran down toward her. After a little maneuvering, at 18:20, wiih 

 7m. to go. Vigilant hauled her staysail to windward and ran toward 

 the Lightship, with Valkyrie turning and following her. Valkyrie- 

 crossed Vigilant's wake and went to windward with 3m. to go, but as- 

 she forged ahead Vigilant slipped in astern, and betweeu her and the^ 

 mark, getting to windward. Valkyrie came round like a bicycle, 

 jibed over, and slipped in alongside the Lightship and to windward, 

 with less than a minute to go, but Vigilant, further ahead, was 

 obliged to reach along the line, going so fast that when the gun fired 

 she was almost aboard the May and tiarely shaved over the line by a 

 sharp luff. Valkyrie cut the weather end of the line at 12:27:10. while 

 Vigilant crossed the lee end, with headsails shaking just 3s. later. 



As it proved, the first tack was a long one, at least six miles inshore 

 from the Lightship toward the Long Beach Hotel, on the Long Island 

 shore, Valkyrie pointing for the big hotel when half way out. The sea 

 was abeam and the two yachts were pitching some. Of the two, Val- 

 kyrie was carrying her sail decidedly the better, in a way that sug- 

 gested that the half reef in the mainsail was hardly necessary, or that 

 she might even have done as well without the extra ballast. At no 

 time in the races has she shown any tenderness, and to-day, in the 

 strongest breeze, she was notably stilf . She pointed fully as high as 

 Vigi'ant, and what is much more, she had none of the appearance of 

 sliding off, but seemed to hold her windward berth easily and com- 

 fortably, both footing and pointing as she did so. 



Vigilant had all the sail that she wanted, if not a little more, and 

 heeled to a greater angle than Valkyrie, though in doing so she does 

 not bury her lee side or show much less of it; the effect seems to be to 

 roll out the weather side when pressed, rather than to bury to lee- 

 ward. She was well sailed, but in open boat fashion, luffingout all the 

 time, and though she footed quite as fast or a little faster at times, she 

 was doing no better windward work with a centerboard than Valkyrie 

 with a keel. From her performance in the trial races one would natu- 

 rally look to see her sidle up to windward in her pecuhar way, but this, 

 time she seemed to hold on hardly as well as the keel boat. Her jib 

 seemed large and may have hurt her some, but her performance alto- 

 gether was inferior to the keel boat. 



At 12:50 Vigilant had not improved her weather position, but was 

 footing faster than Valkyrie and had gone clear ahead. Captain Cran- 

 field had devoted all his skill to blanketing his rival, but by her footing 

 Vigilant had finally gone clear ahead and got the wind unbroken, but at 

 the expense of a weather position. 



At 1:18 she tried a tack off shore, evidently expecting to weather 

 Valkyrie, but in this she was very much out; after standing on for two 

 minutes and a half she had to go back to starboard tack in a worse 

 position than before, well under Valkyrie's lee. So much had she lost 

 that she could now afford to tack across Valkyrie's wake, but as she 

 came up in the wind at 1:18:.30 Valkyrie swung around and was at 

 once under way on her weather bow. To add to Vigilant's loss, a jib 

 sheet was adrift for a short time. 



The wind was now stronger than at the start, and the sun showing 

 through a fairly clear sky, the promised cyclone not having material- 

 ized as yet. The yachts were now heading into the seas, and the 

 result w^as visible on the wide boat, as she lost more than in the first 

 hour with the seas abeam. This tack, too, was a long one. lasting 

 nearly an hour; when they came about near the outer mark at 2:15 

 Valkyrie had a lead of three-eighths of a mile. 



I iShe luffed around the mark at 2:33:40, and her boom swung over to 

 starboard, a big white spinaker going up just as Vigilant rounded at 

 8:35:35. In the beat of fifteen mOes Valkyrie had gained just Im. 55s. 

 on Vigilant. 



The wind had been increasing, and there was too much of it to set a 

 spinaker flying; but Valkyrie's crew are used to no other way, and up 

 it went, quickly and in good shape, but with sheet and tack far off, the 

 big sail way up in the air. Vigilant was just five minutes in running 

 out her spinkaker boom from its position on deck, mastheading the 

 sail in stops and breaking it out; but hke Valkyrie, she kept the 

 sheet and tack well off, and the sail mounted skyward like a bal- 

 loon. 



At 3:47 the largest jibtopsail went up flj'ing on Valkyrie's stay, the 



