
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[JULY 27, 1907. 





WACIITIING 




The Motor Boat Racc. 
To: those interested in it, the long-distance 
motor boat race to Marblehead, starting from 
New Rochelle on Saturday, July 20, at 10 A. M., 
the race might have held some attraction, but 
the general public was conspicuous by _ its 
absence. 
The night before the race Measurer Haddock 
had only found eight boats out of the expected 
twelve on the bay to measure. These boats 
and their ratings are as follows: Argo, 31.80; 
Aldred, 30.72; Hopalong, 39.32; Irene, 29.50; 
Picaroon, 31.63; Susie, 28.30; Whew, 38.06; 
Yoho, 30.24. 
Those of the crews who were not up in the 
town trying to purchase electrical supplies, 
stilson wrenches and a hundred and one odd 
necessities, were at the club house discussing 
the various boats, allowances, past perform- 
ances, engines, etc., until late in the night. 
Saturday morning opened up a dismal, damp 
morning with fog so thick you could almost 
cut it with a knife. Mr. Haddock was kept 
busy rowing about the harbor, encased in a 
long oil coat with the mysterious black grip— 
the safe containing all official figures, tape, ete. 
One by one the power boats came in to the oil 
tank to fill up for the last time. Some had 
made arrangements to take more oil fuel aboard 
at Cottage City, some to have a supply boat 
meet them while en route. 
It started in to rain about 7:30 A. M. and kept 
up with disgusting persistency until about 9:30, 
when it let up for a while. The starting line 
had been established off the red buoy at the 
entrance to New Rochelle Harbor, and when it 
came time for the start, those spectators who 
remained ashore saw nothing but a gray veil of 
Then there came the boom of the starting 
gun at 10 o'clock, followed by the put! put! put! 
chug! chug! chug! as the racers let out full 
power to dash across the line like a pack of 
hounds suddenly Jet loose on the trail. Toot! 
toot! to-o-o-ot! toot-t-t! fog horns, big and 
little, grated hoarsely on the ear, as those left 
behind gave the racers a horn serenade as a 
send-off. Two minutes after the starting gun 
all was over—all became quiet again; the race 
had started, but only seven boats were tearing 
out the fog-enshrouded waters of the Sound, 
and the spectators on several hundred launches 
came groping their way back into Echo Bay at 
slow speed and anchored—the safest place for 
any boat to be on such a thick day. 
Execution Light’s heavy fog-horn’s hoarse 
roar was the only real. guide the six speeding 
racers had besides their compasses, and as some 
of these were not adjusted, it will be a miracle 
if they can hold a proper course in that fog. 
A compass set within a few feet of the mass of 
steel and iron that is in such engines, is but a 
poor guide to rush blindly ahead by. To 
matters worse, there were sailing yachts dotted 
all over the Sound on their way to Larchmont 
to take part in the race to be held the<e tha 
day, but which the fog and the lack of wind 
prevented being held. 
fog. 
make 

Larchmont Race Spoiled by Fog and Calm 
As a rule, the elements favor the Larchmont 
Y. C. when they hold what is known as ‘race 
week,” but Saturday, July 20, turned out to be 
a bitter disappointment to the crews of the 124 
yachts entered for the race. Fog—fog—fog— 
heavy, wet, dripping fog and not a breath of 
wind hung over the Sound. The Fall River 
steamers and Execution Light were keeping up 
a rivalry in the serenade business. 
Sailboat men by the dozens started to crawl 
along shore from nearby bays toward Larch- 
mont. Launches with strings of two, three and 
four in a line came trailing into the harbor and 
anchored to wait patiently for the weather to 
clear. Many crews went ashore clad in oilers 
—for it rained hard at times—to congregate on 
the long spacious front verandah of the club 
house and revive old acquaintances with men 
whom sometimes they only see once a year, and 
that is at Larchmont. 

Porpoise Harpooned at New Rochelle. 
Two stray porpoises by some unaccountable 
means made their way clear up the creek at New 
Rochelle to the old mill dam and for a couple 
of days caused the wildest kind of a scene. 
Keefer Bros.’ fish market is located right here 
and it was not long before a fusillade of buck- 
shot was cutting the surface of the still water 
into fountains and geysers at every appearance 
of the sharp fin as the porpoise came to the 
surface to blow artd get a bite of fresh air. 
“There she blows!” Then bang! bang! bang! 
boom! Muskets, shotguns, pistols, rocks and all 
were let fly, but the porpoise was down below 
the surface before any harm was done. 
At low tide only a small deep pool was left. 
and round and round this hole the two captive 
fish cireled. 
Then the web-footed inhabitants tried another 
scheme. They lashed a shark hook on to a 
pole and tried to hook Mr. Porpoise. Nothing 
doing. His hide was like leather. Pitch forks 
came next, then rakes, clubs and for two days 
this battle lasted until Captain Thoams R. Web- 
ber smelt the smoke of battle and in a whale 
boat, manned by Captain Charles Webber and 
Dan Gorman, went to the scene with a harpoon 
and in true whale fishing style harpooned and 
captured one of the porpoises. 
The fish, a seven-footer, fought desperately 
for a while, but was at last stranded on the 
beach; a rope was made fast about its tail and 
stern first it was towed to Captain Webber’s 
dock. Here with rope enough to allow it free- 
dom to swim about, the fish was viewed by half 
the population of New Rochelle who had heard 
of its capture. Tiring of the notoriety it caused 
him, Captain Webber. let the fish go Sunday 
night and it made a bee line down the creek for 
Glen Island and deep water badly lis‘ed to star- 
board with a dozen or more buckshot in that 
side. 

The number of new yachts continually being 
enrolled in the handicap class is the best testi- 
monial to the increasing popularity of that 
class. The Ariel, Jolly Tar and Firefly have 
just joined. 
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THE 

PORPOISE HUNT AT NEW ROCHELLE, 
Larchmont Y. C. 
It looked as if the great fleet of racers as- 
sembled off Larchmont on Monday, July 22, were 
going to have a fine breeze for their race. A 
light southeast breeze was fanning the fleet into 
motion, while in the west the sky assumed the 
appearance of a squall making up, but instead 
of doing so it simply confused the wind into 
streaks of most tantalizing airs. 
The tug with the regatta committee aboard 
took up its position at the inshore end of the | 
starting line and hoisted the signalé which an- 
nounce the courses for the different classes for 
the day, and the genial regatta committee, con- 
sisting of Mr. Chas. Tower, E. B. Carroll and | 
W. B. Manny, were kept busy answering the 
thousand and one questions always asked before 
a race. 
Promptly on time the first class of schooners, 
Class B, started at.11:40 A. M. The line not 
being square to the wind made it easier to start 
on the port tack than on the starboard, as this 
leg only-enabled them to lay along the line. They 
came at it, however, in this direction. Queen 
getting there too soon had to run past the line, 
jibe around, and cross after the others on the 
port tack. Ingomar and Elmina were timed to 
a second and had just reached the judges’ boat 
when the gun allowed them to luff and go about 
on the port tack so close one could almost step 
from boat to boat. The air was so soft and light 
they were hardly moving. Filling away to port 
there was the liveliest kind of a time, sheeting 
home foretopsails, breaking out jibtopsails, and 
sending aloft maintopmast staysails. Ingomar 
had hers in stops and in a second broke it out, 
and like a carved ivory model she slipped ahead 
into the lead. 
Queen split tacks and stood across astern of 
the leaders toward Milton Point. They beat up 
against this light air toward Mott’s Point, but 
the wind left them to come out of the south- 
ward more, favoring Elmina which rounded the 
first buoy in the lead. 
At intervals of every five minutes the rest of 
the large fleet were starting. Neola led Effort, 
and then the three new 57-footers, Winsome, 
Istalena and Aurora crossed. 
Six of the New York thirties made a hand- 
some sight, as they are evenly matched, and 
any advantage is in the crew and the way they 
handle their sails. With the five raceabouts that 
followed, it was different. There each boat is | 
different, and Pretty Quick stepped out into the 
lead. 
The Q class was well represented as many of 
the lower bay boats were here for this race. | 
Sherman. Hoyt’s Capsicunt, though heavier built | 
and more of a cruiser than any of her rivals, | 

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