Vigilant— Britannia Matches, 1 894. 
Aug. 11, 1894.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
128 
i 
i 
i 
Date. 
July 5.. 
July 7.. 
July 9.. 
July 10. . 
July 11 . 
July 12. . 
July 16. . 
July 17. . 
July 20. . 
July 21 . 
July 23 . 
July 24 . 
July 28. . 
Aug, 4 . 
Aug, C. 
Club. 
Mudhnok 
Royal Clyde 
Royal Clyde 
Clyde Corinthian 
Royal Northern. 
Royal Northern. 
R'>yal Ulster 
Royal Ulster 
Royal St. George 
Royal St. George 
Royal Munster... 
Royal Cork 
Mount's Bay 
Private match . . . 
Roval London. . . 
Waters. 
Clyde 
Clyde 
Clyde 
Clyde 
Clyde 
Clyde 
Bangor Lough 
Bangor Lough 
Dublin Bay. 
Dublin Bay 
Atlantic 
Atlantic 
Mount's Bay ,, 
Solent , 
Solent and Channel 
Helmsman. 
N, G 
W. G. 
Capt. 
Capt. 
Capt. 
Capt. 
N. G 
W. G. 
Capt 
Capt. 
Capt. 
Capt. 
Capt. 
Capt. 
Capt. 
Capt. 
N G. 
W. G. 
Capt. 
Capt. 
Capt. 
Capt. 
Capt. 
Capt. 
Capt, 
Capt. 
Capt. 
Capt. 
Capt. 
Herreshoff 1 
Jameson f 
Haff j 
Carter f 
Haff 1 
Carter ( 
Herreshoff [ 
Jameson j 
Haff [ 
Carter f 
Haff 1 
Carter ( 
Haff i 
Carter t 
Hnff ( 
Carter ( 
Herrfshoff ) 
Jameson f 
Haff i 
Carter ( 
Haff i 
Carter ( 
Haff j 
Carter f 
Haff i 
Carter j 
Haff [ 
Carter )" 
Haff [ 
2 
2 
1 
2 
2M 
m 
3 
3 
3 
3 
3 
3 
2 
2 
1 
Weather. 
Rainy. 
Clear.. 
Clear.. 
Clear.. 
Clear. 
Clear. 
Rainy. 
Clear.. 
Rainy. 
Clear.. 
Clear.. 
Rainy. 
Clear. . 
Rainy. 
Clear.. 
Wind. 
Direction. 
S.S.W 
S 
8 
S V... 
8 
N.W 
N. to N.W. 
W 
s.w 
N.W 
N.N.E 
N.E 
8 
S.W 
Variable. . 
Force. 
Strong. . . 
Moderate 
Light 
Light 
Light 
Moderate 
Strong. . . 
Fresh . . . 
Light.. . 
Light.... 
Strong. . . 
Fresh ... 
Light 
Strong. . . , 
Variable. 
Sea. 
Smooth 
Smooth 
Smooth 
Smooth 
Smooth 
Smooth 
Lumpy 
Smooth 
Smooth 
Smooth 
Smooth..... 
Smooth 
Long roll ... 
Lumpy 
Smooth 
Start 
3 00 
3 00 
3 00 
3 00 
3 00 
3 00 
3 00 
1 10 
1 10 
1 10 
1 10 
1 10 
1 10 
2 04 
09 
Corrected. 
13 24 ! 
09 51 f 
47 45 i 
45 52 f 
(7 14 16 I 
1 7 01 43 f 
j 7 51 02 I 
1 7 43 08 f 
j 8 31 30 I 
1 8 07 00 [ 
j 5 32 12 I 
) 5 29 22 f 
I 5 41 55 | 
1 5 39 14 f 
j 4 49 44 j. 
1 6'i2 - 37 I 
1 6 09 20 ( 
j 7 50 00 ) 
I 7 51 29 f 
] 5 37 00 j 
1 5 35 05 | 
i 5 21 59 j 
1 5 24 31 ( 
| 5 54 40 j 
1 5 48 17 f 
I 4 06 45 1 
| 4 11 14 f 
J 7 04 54 I 
1 7 10 58 f 
Vigilant. 
Wins 
By 
Loses 
By 
3 
33 
1 
53 
12 
33 
7 
51 
24 
30 
2 
50 
2 
41 
Britannia 
not timed. 
3 17 
1 29 
2 22 
4 29 
6 04 
1 55 
6 23 
I— m 
U 
5.SP 
00* 
8.05 
8.62 
3.51 
6.43 
6.1.3 
9.04 
8.83 
10.33 
8.09 
6.34 
8.93 
9.33 
8.57 
11.70 
7.00 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7- 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
1:28:28, Britannia 1:33:08. It was a dead beat in again to the flagboat 
anchored off the harbor mouth, but the tide had eased. Vigilant 
stayed to the port tack, while Britannia did not break from the star- 
board, on which she winded round the mark. They again worked op- 
osite ways, and Vigilant each time got a luffing streak on the star- 
oard. while Britannia seemed to be headed off. As they came out of 
Ringabella Bay the breeze got a little lighter, and Vigilant set a small 
jibtopsail, but Britannia did not want any flying canvas. Tbe leader 
tacked close round the Roches Point flagboat, but Britannia stood 
further to get round. There was weight on some of the off-shore 
puffs, and the yachts were fairly roaring along in the heaviest of 
them. Vigilant sailed the faster and held a lead of 7m. 8s. when she 
gybed round the mark, the timing being: 
Vigilant 2 35 38 Britannia 2 42 44 
Sheets were well off, and as the breeze continued to follow spinakers 
were set. The wind kept falling and, after running about two miles. 
Vigilant got into a calm. Britannia brought up the expiring puff of 
the easterly breeze, and with main boom to starboard and spinaker 
full she ran past her adversary into first place a great lift and a fine 
piece of good fortune. Vigilant, which had just before gybed for a 
southerly puff, got her boom back again and hauled across Britannia's 
wake, getting the same wind and running up level. Britannia then got 
a taste of the southerly wind to leeward before Vigilant started off in 
a magical manner, and got on clear ahead before Vigilant was thor- 
oughly awake. The wind came with weight at last, and Vigilant 
luffed round Daunt's Lightship full of life. The timing there was: 
Britannia 3 25 15 Vigilant 3 26 00 
The wind gatherod strength so quickly that sheets were not trimmed 
in when a tearing squall was on them. Britannia had never before 
shown so much weather bilge, and it was perhaps well for Vigilant 
that her jib-headed topsail had not been shifted with the light wind 
for the jackyarder. The vessels were a little eased by Rheets being 
off, but they were practically struck down on their beam ends, Vigi- 
lant having broken water washing on deck up to the skylights. It 
was a long drawn-out squall, and for the first time in a really hard 
wind Britannia sailed faster than her adversary. Both were fearlessly 
sailed and what they could not carry they had to drag. It was as- 
tounding that Britannia with jackyarder aloft came scathless out of 
the squall. After the blow the breeze steadied easterly and gave a 
clean reach in to Roches Point and up the harbor home, and Britan- 
nia was now quite equal to keeping Vigilant in her wake. They had 
lulls and puffs all the way, but the breezes, if unsteady in strength, 
kept true in direction, and the home line was sailed without starting 
tack or sheet, jibtopsails having been got on after the squall had 
passed by. After passing under the foot of Fort Carlisle, Britannia 
got away and sailed the line a fortunate winner with a lead of about 
ten lengths and a difference in her favor of 45s. in time. The finish 
was: 
Britannia (winner) 4 36 15 Vigilant 4 37 00 
The accompanying table shows in convenient form the exact work 
of each yacht up to th« fifteenth race, of Aug. 6, the score standing 
10 wins for Britannia and 5 for Vigilant. The particulars are com- 
piled from a number of different reports, and are essentially correct; 
the nature of the weather, wind and sea are indicated as closely as 
possible. 
The best summing up of the earlier races which we have thus far 
seen is the following by W. E. Robinson in the Boston Globe, a par- 
tisan of Vigilant, but withal fair and judicial in his estimate. We may 
note as a matter of interest in this connection, that the Glasgow cor- 
respondent of the Globe, "Spinaker," who is now so energetically 
"rooting" for Vigilant and America, even going so far as to insinuate 
that Britannia's mishap in the race of July 17 was but an excuse for 
withdrawing from the race after she was beaten, is the same gentle 
man who achieved fame in this country on the occasion of Thistle's 
defeat, by decrying a windward and leeward course and calling for a 
"fair" trial over four-sided courses. Evidently hs has seen the 
grievous error of his way since then. The Globe's summary is as 
follows. We have omitted the Globe's table, our own being later and 
more complete: 
Whether or not the Britannia is winning her races over the Vigilant 
on "flukes," or whether or not she is really a superior boat, are the 
questions which American yachtsmen are most frequently asking in 
these days. "Britannia won by a fluke," is so common a characteri- 
zation of a loss for Vigilant that it seems well to look into the matter, 
with a view to ascertaining the real facts in the case. A review of the 
Vigilant's races until she sailed from Ireland for Penzance may help 
in this respect. 
And in making this review the accompanying table may be of as- 
sistance, premising that the courses are of about. 50 miles in length, 
and that in order to cover that distance they must be sailed two, three 
or four times around. Though some of these, courses are partly in 
fairly open waters, the triangular course at Queenstown, for instance, 
it should be remembered that they are far from being the big trian- 
gularjor windward or leeward and return courses in the open ocean 
which could be obtained off Sandy Hook, Newport or Marblehead, 
and are correspondingly to the disadvantage of a boat built for open 
courses and long rather than short legs, as well as plenty of room to 
maneuver. 
The wind at the start of the first race off Hunter's Quay in the Clyde 
was fresh from the south-southwest. The first leg was a beat to wind- 
ward, and although the Vigilant was to leeward and astern of the 
Britannia In crossing the line, she steadily pulled out from under the 
Britisher's lee, footing faster and pointing higher. Britannia could 
not hold her weather position, and at the first mark the Vigilant had 
a lead of a good minute and a half. It was this splendid work which 
upheld the hopes of her friends under subsequent defeat, and gave 
i hem reason for predicting great things of her in a good and steady 
breeze. 
Vigilant's gain was not so marked in the other legs, but at the end of 
the first round she was almost her allowance of three minutes ahead. 
The wind was growing lighter, though, and clubtopsails were set in 
place of the working topsails previously carried. Vigilant again 
gained in the windward work and was considered a safe winner until 
on the last leg she ran into a calm, while Britannia, taking a course 
nearer the middle of the Clyde, caught the best of a shilt of wind, 
pulled up on and passed the American and crossed the finish line a 
bare 30 seconds ahead. 
"Spinnaker" says the Vigilant was badly piloted, but whether it was 
Britannia's luck or better local knowledge of wiuds which gave her 
the advantage, the fact remains that she was beaten while the wind 
held true, and that all well posted yachtsmen at once admitted the 
Vigilant's superiority in windward work in a fresh breeze. Against 
this race the charge of "fluke" can justly be laid. 
In the second race over the same course the wind was light at the 
start. Britannia secured the weather berth in crossing the line, and 
the Vigilant could not pull out from under her lee in the light air. 
Later, in the work off the wind, shu could not be held back, and in a 
freshening breeze cut in ahead of the Britannia at the last mark. The 
windward leg to the finish was only a short one, but the Vigilant, with 
her wind clear, pulled out a lead of a minute to the finish line. 
No charge of "fluke" can be laid here. The race was fairly sailed, 
and the Britannia for the first time showed those light weather quali- 
ties which were so unexpected to Americans, and which were destined 
to win her more victories. She had the advantage at th"i start and 
held it until in the freshening breeze the Vigilant proved the speedier. 
And in this connection, and in view of the fact that much fault has 
been found because of the good starts generally obtained by Britannia, 
it may be well to note that quickness of the Britannia in stays or in 
whirling in any desired direction is a great advantage to her in the 
maneuvering for a start. Vigilant was balked more than once in the 
Cup races on this s'de by a quick turn of Valkyrie on her heel, and 
doubtless the same thing has occurred with Britannia. 
The third race was what in America would be known as a "drifting 
match," and was decided in a way different from any known in Amer- 
ica, but very common abroad. The course was the same as in the 
other races, twice around, and the yachts were stopped at the end of 
the first round. The race would have been declared off on this side of 
the water, where a time limit is the rule in order to insure something 
more, than a mere drift, and in no race under similar weather condi- 
tions, save that for the Goelet cup, where no time limit is placed, would 
tbe Britannia have been declared a winner. 
Something of the speed of the boats may be judged from the fact 
that it took the Britannia within five minutes of seven hours to cover 
the 25 miles. "Fluke" cannot be charged, but it can be truly said that 
drifting matches are no tests of a boat's ability, and that the British 
practice of calling a race finished when half the course has been cov- 
ered, does not commend itself to American racing yaohtsmen. The 
Britannia pmved the best "drifter." and besides being helped by 
knowledge of winds and tide. The Vigilant was nearly 10 minutes be- 
hind, but times tell little of the story in such a contest. 
The fourth race appears to have been fairly won by Britannia on 
her merits as a light weather boat. That the race was a slow one is 
shown by the time taken to cover the 50-mile course, nearly eight 
hours. The wind was light and "streaky," but Vigilant had her fair 
share of what was going. 
The fifth race was much a repetition of the fourth, though over a 
different course. It took the Britannia 8h. 10m. to cover 50 miles. 
Vigilant showed speed when an occasional freshening of the breeze 
gave her a chance, but she again proved no "drifter" and was fairly 
beaten under such weather conditions as were afforded. 
The sixth race was in light weather until well toward the finish, 
when, in a freshening breeze, Vigilant showed the speed of her first 
race, and reduced a lead of nearly 7m. to one of lm. 40s. British 
yachtsmen were again confirmed in their opinion of her abilities when 
a good wind was stirring, while Americans who still had faith in the 
boat in spite of discouraging defeats, found much t6 encourage them 
In the showing she had made. 
This race closed the Clyde circuit and the Vigilant crossed to Ireland 
after having spars and sail reduced so that her allowance to Britannia 
was only lm. 10s instead of 3m. The Clyde racing was unsatisfactory 
so far as winning was concerned, but it was valuable experience for 
the men in charge, and the racing which followed shows that boat was 
in much better trim as a result of it. 
The writer has not been one of those who offered constant excuses 
for defeat, but he knew that the Vigilant was not in her best trim in 
the Clyde races and so predicted a better showing for her later on ; a 
prediction which seems to have been justified by the course of events. 
In much better trim than when on (he Clyde, the Vigilant met the 
Britannia on Belfast Lough, July 16, in their seventh race. Capt Haff, 
by reducing his headsail, had got rid of the lee he'm. which must have 
bothered him some, and the improvement in windward work which 
resulted from it was noted by all the correspondents. The race was 
three times over a kite-shaped course to make the 50 miles. 
In a piping southwesterly breeze the Vigilant led on the first round 
by a minute and a half, having done her best work on the windward 
legs. She lost something on the second round by tacking short of a 
mark, but put an additional three-quarters of a minute to her lead in 
spite of it. Barring accidents she looked a winner even if she had to 
give her old allowance. 
But now came the "fluke" with which the race may justly be 
charged The wind shifted to northwest and flattened to almost a 
calm. Britannia caught a streak of air and passed Vigilant. Only 
once again did the latter have a chance, and that was in a three-mile 
beat to the finish in a lee rail breeze that came piping in after the 
calm. In this she reduced a lead of 2m. 10s. to one of lm. 33s., and 
again did she show her superiority at windward work in that sort of 
weather. 
For the eighth race on the following day, over the same course, 
there was a spanking westerly breeze and a choppy sea. Vigilant, as 
was expected, took kindly to the weather on all points of sailing, and 
romped away from Britannia to a lead of 2m. 46s. on the first round 
and 5m. 30s. on the second. In the first leg of the second round the 
lead was increased to nearly 7m., but here the Britannia broke the 
jaws of her gaff and withdrew. Vigilant housed her topmast and 
took things easy on the way home, out as the wind held true and 
steady the value of her victory over Britannia was conceded, and 
none out cavilers called it a "hollow" one. It was the American's 
first win, and no one begrudged it to her. It put confidence into the 
hearts of her supporters, and doubtless into those of her owners, 
skipper and crew. Her run of 111 luck seemed to be broken, and 
America was justly happy. 
But the happiness was but brief. Calms, a thunder shower, a squall, 
rain, drizzle, fog, streaks of sunshine and at last a breeze, was the 
weather for the race at Kingstown, the ninth meeting of the boats. 
Britannia's light weather qualities came into play, but in the freshen- 
ing breeze at the finish Vigilant reduced a lead of 4m. 15s. to one of 
lm. 15s. 
The tenth race, sailed July 21, over the Kingstown course, also a 
kite-shaped one, three times around, was in much such weather as 
encountered in the Clyde racing, but Vigilant had the luck and came 
out ahead in just such a slow and inconclusive race as she had before 
been more than once beaten in. The only redeeming feature of the 
race was the usual spurt of the Vigilant in a slightly better breeze at 
the finish. The time was slow, the Vigilant taking nearly eight hours 
over the cotirse. 
To Queenstown and a fairly open course now went the cutters, and 
in the eleventh race over a triangular course, three times around, the 
Vigilant lost by a ♦'fluke." At the flnisb of the second round, in a 
good clubtopsail freeze, she was six minutes to the good. A shift of 
wind and a caln* fieprived her of it, and although she picked up on the 
last leg of the triangle, she was forty-five seconds to the bad. 
Consolation came, however, in the race on the following day, when 
in light to moderate airs the centerboarder fairly beat the keel at the 
latter's own light-weather game. Getting away in the lead, she h»»ld 
her advantage throughout and finished 4m. 35s. ahead. No special 
favor of the wind was hers, and her victory was most handsomely 
won in spite of the handicap of broken jaws of the gaff in the latter 
part of the race. A hasty lashing enabled a finish, but it was a close 
call. 
Repairs to the gaff could not be made in time for the next day's 
racing, so Britannia took a cup by default, sailing half the course, and 
then both boats left for Penzance in tow of the Atalanta. Honors had 
been easy between them in the races in Irish waters, for each had a 
record of three races and three defeats. 
Looking at the races in the view of this careful summary, the con- 
clusions are almost inevitable that "flukes" were in favor of Britan- 
nia every time; that she is the best light-weather boat; that the Vigi- 
lant has been improved in trim for both hard and soft winds; that in 
anything from a good clubtopsail to a working clubtopsail breeze tbe 
American is the better, and that in windward work in almost anything 
above a zephyr, so far as she has been tried, the successful Cup de- 
fender is Britannia's superior. British opinion confirms this, and in 
the face of its disparagement of Vigilant, or doubts as to her ability 
to win the majority of her races, seem decidedly uncalled for. Later 
developments may change the complexion of things, but there is little 
indication of it so far as Britannia is concerned. 
A Famous Racing Skipper. 
The statement has lately been going the rounds of American 
papers, that Messrs. Gould have secured the services of the celebrated 
pilot Draper, for Vigilant in her British races. The Draper mentioned 
is not a pilot, nor is his name Draper ; he is, in fact, Thomas Diaper, 
a well known yacht skipper of Itchen Ferry; who was in this country 
for a time in 1885, coming over to take charge of the cutter Ileen for 
Mr. Arthur Padelford. Diaper is best known by the nicknames of 
"Dutch" Diaper or "Tommy Dutch." He was engaged by Mr. 
Carroll last year to pilot Navahoe in her races, being thoroughly at 
home in the waters about Cowes, as in fact on all British courses, 
and after Capt. Barr left the vessel, he sailed her for a time. He also 
sailed the first Valkyrie for Lord Dunraven in 1889. The following 
history of his racing career, from an exchange, is interesting reading: 
Diaper was orignally christened Tom. but ifew in England know 
him other than as "Dutch" Diaper. His yacht "education" was ac- 
quired as general knockabout on some of the early crack yachts that 
were commanded by Itchen Ferry men. He was not the first sailor of 
the family by any means. He used to say himself that I here were 
more sailors arose from his family nursery than there did gentlemen. 
Diaper sailed for five years as mate aboard the principal yachts that 
were under the control of Itchen Ferry men. and it was not until 1872 
that he secured his first pennant ' m a,s he puts! t. This was his command 
of the 40-ton cutter Norman, a vessel he afterward made famous. 
She was built in 1872 for Major Ewing by Dan Hatcher. Ewing was 
then recognized as the most enthusiastic yachtsman of Great Britain, 
just the same as the Prince of Wales or Lord Dunraven is to-day. 
Ewing had the racing schooner Gwendolin, but the Norman polished 
off that reputation for devotion to aquatic sport that the Gwendolin 
began. 
The popular class at that time was the 40-ton class. The yachtsmen 
abroad had had about seven years of that class then, and it had devel- 
oped and improved with time, beginning with Niobe, the first queen of 
the class, so that when the Norman came out there were the Alcyone, 
Muriel, Kilmeny, Foxhound and Glance to beat. 
The Norman's maiden race was in June of that year, off Dover. 
There was a fierce wind and an ugly sea for that season, and the Nor- 
man, under Diaper's handling, showed up wonderfully well. She was 
beaten, of course, but she defeated some of the cracks in the matter 
of both elapsed and corrected time. One of these was the Fiona, the 
crack yacht of the day; the Kriemhilda, a new 100-tonuer just turned 
out by Ratsey, and the giant Oimara, 165-tons. The weather was so 
bad that all the boats save the Oimara and the Norman gare it up, and 
the 60 footer pressed the big boat quite hard at the finish. Two 
months later Diaper's splendid handling of the little beauty brought 
her within fourteen minutes of the then famous Arrow and close on 
top of the Vanguard and the Garrison in the R. Y. S. regatta. She 
saved her time in this race and received first prize, the day bMng one 
of those provoking ones when strong breezes are interrupted by inex- 
plicable lulls and calms and a man needs patience and wisdom t j sail 
his boat to advantage. 
Diaper and his Norman made their biggest impression in 157), how- 
ever. The class was then perfect, Norman. Britannia, Bloodhound 
and Myostis were in thorough shape, and all four so evenly matched 
that good handling alone or a big piece of luck decided the prize. 
Superior speed, coupled with admirable handling, soon settled the 
matter in favor of the Norman, and she led her class with ease that 
year. She had to fight hard to do it, though. At the R. C. P. Y. C. 
regatta off Dover, in a double reef breeze she squandered her fleet. 
The sea was so heavy that the whole of her starboard bulwarks 
were washed away. In July, at Kingstown, the Norman, Britannia 
and Myostis raced into the harbor on the first round so close together 
that the one mainsail would have covered them, but Diaper's skill took 
his craft ahead and he beat the Bloodhound five minutes. 
The following year, Charles and Dan Diaper, his brothers, assumed 
command of the Myostis and Britannia respectively, but that fact did 
not frighten "Dutch" any, and the first day of the season at the Royal 
Clyde, he screwed the Norman up to windward at the finish and won 
by six seconds. 
At the Royal Victoria he repeated and improved upon this. Diaper's 
"indomitable perseverance" came out strong in the R. Albert in 1876, 
when six forties came to the line. They were Bloodhound, Britannia. 
Myostis, Coralie, Daphne and Christina, the latter a long, lean racer 
that was more properly known by the name of "the Main Spinnake 
Boom," and which reached tremendously fast. Myostis was then in 
the hands of O'Neill, whose name has since been identified with 
Cuckoo, Samona and Irex. All the rivals were doing well, the Myostis 
and Norman leading close together at the Lepe buoy, when the Olga, a 
265-ton schooner, and the Gertrude, a 68-ton yawl, got mixed up with 
them, each sailing a different race. 
The Myostis bore up under the yawl's stern and just took the work 
from the Norman, which was ahead of both, but which the Gertrude 
was at that moment engaged in running, and so successfully that she 
ran her bowsprit clean through the Norman's mainsail, tearing it 
badly 
Diaper's grit told. He cleared his boat, losing a lot of time of 
course, hung on to the race, and worked wind, tide and yacht so well 
that he won the race, finishing three minutes twenty seconds ahead of 
the Myostis. Later on he beat the Neva, Coralie, Thane and Glance. 
In 1884 he took command of Foster Conner's new sixty, the 
Marguerite, which was built to lower the colors of Watson's Marjorie. 
The Marguerite did not repay him for the trouble he took on her, how- 
ever, any more than did the Ileen on this side, both lacking speed. 
Diaper came to this country with the Ileen in 1885. 
Of nine years' racing in the Norman, from 1872 to 1881, she not being 
fitted out in 1879, Diaper started her 174 times and won 94 prizes. His 
recent experience with the Valkyrie and Navahoe is fresh ua the minds 
ofyachtsmen.ii 
