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LA DEUXIEME COURSE : 10 NOV. 1881

Catégorie : 1881 : DEFI N°4

00486VSECOND AND FINAL VICTORY

THE MISCHIEF BEATS THE YACHT ATALANTA BY AT LEAST FIVE MILES.

(PAS DE TRADUCTION) A bright day and a brisk wind cheered the hearts of yachtsmen yesterday morning and gave promise of a fine day’s sport.

The course being 20 miles outside of Sandy Hook, the start was made from buoy No. 5 on the point of the Hook. The tug E. Luckenbach, in command of Mr. J. H. Bird, of the Regatta Committee of the New-York Yacht Club, and having on board a number of club members, 04954S2left Pier No. 3 East River at 8 o‘clock and steamed for the ferry dock at Tompkinsville, Staten Island, where Mr. Robert Center, of the America’s Cup Committee, was taken on board. It was part of the original program for the Luckenbach to tow the yachts Mischief and Atalanta down to the Hook, but after the Mischief had been taken in tow and the tug had run alongside of the Atalanta, it was ascertained that Capt. Cuthbert, of that yacht, and several members of his crew, were on shore getting breakfast. The Mischief then cast off the bow line and went down under sail. After an hour‘s delay the Atalanta was finally got in tow and the tug proceeded down the Bay. The Gracie was seen going through the Narrows when the tug was on her way to the Tompkinsville dock.

As the wind was about west of north, the race going out was to the leeward. The tide was on the early ebb. The starting signal was given at 11:56. The Mischief, with working topsail set and carrying her boom on the port side, crossed the line at 11:58:17. Immediately after she set her balloon jib topsail and whiskered it out on the starboard side. She also set her club topsail a few minutes later. The Atalanta crossed the line at 11:53:47. 04305S2She had a reef in her mainsail and her sprit topsail set. Like the Mischief, she carried her boom on the port side, and on crossing the line, set her balloon jib topsail and whiskered it out on the starboard side. The Gracie, as she did on the previous day, held back for 10 minutes and then crossed the line like a race-horse at 12:08:30. Contrary to the example of the other boats she carried her boom on the starboard side and whiskered out her balloon jib topsail on the port side. Yachting affords no prettier sight than was here presented.

The Mischief and the Atalanta close together and the Gracie far astern, all of them real flying clouds of canvas. The cutter Oriva, the schooner yachts Peerless and Norseman, the steam yacht Promise, the iron steam-boat Sirius, and several tug-boats were scattered along the course. The tug Luckenbach was steaming ahead east by south to anchor a buoy 16 nautical miles by the log from the starting-point.

The Mischief and the Atalanta, from carrying their booms on the port side, were forced to bear to the south in order to make their balloon jib topsails draw, 01091S2and were forced by the end of the first hour to change their course and jibe their booms. The Atalanta then took the boom out of her balloon jib and carried it without. The Gracie meanwhile had held straight on the course, and in her usual magnificent style constantly closed up the gap between herself and the other boats. The Luckenbach came to a stand and anchored the buoy at 1:35. The wind by this time had freshened considerably, and all of the boats rapidly shortened sail. The Mischief having taken in all of her light sails, and clewed down her working topsail, dropped her peak, and began to reef her mainsail just before reaching the buoy. The Atalanta took in her topsail, and the Gracie clewed down her working topsail, but continued to carry her full mainsail.

The Mischief rounded the buoy at 1:41:10, the Atalanta at 1:43:30, and the Gracie at 1:45:40. The Mischief, Therefore, had gained 1 minute and 50 seconds on the Atalanta, and the Gracie on the Mischief 5 minutes and 43 seconds. The buoy was left on the starboard side, and all of the boats soon after rounding it went about on the port tack. The Mischief stood only seven minutes on this tack, and then went about on the starboard tack. The Atalanta, however, headed straight in for the Long Beach Hotel, with the evident intention of going well to the windward and then making for the Hook with a comparatively free sheet. The Mischief did not like this, and after being eight minutes on the starboard tack went about again and also stood in for shore. The Gracie, in order to give the other boats free way, concluded to part company with them, and at 2:11 went about on the starboard tack and headed direct for the Hook. The other boats held on the port tack for half an hour longer.

03806S2The Atalanta in this time housed her topmast and put another reef in her mainsail, and the Mischief also housed her topmast. The Mischief outpointed the Atalanta and outfooted her as well, and soon left her hopelessly in the rear. As on the day before, the interest centered now in the race between the Gracie and the Mischief, but the latter had the best of it this time through a fortunate circumstance. If the wind had held as it was when the Gracie pointed for the Hook, she would have finished at least 10 minutes ahead of the Mischief, but it veered more to the west and forced her down below the Scotland Light-ship, and made several tacks necessary to reach inside of the Hook. The Mischief, on the other hand, being well to the windward, was able to make the stake-boat with one short tack. However, although she beat the Gracie on corrected time by a little more than four minutes, the Gracie went over the course in less time. The Atalanta was fully five miles astern when the Mischief finished, and was beaten by 39:04.

Following is the official record of the race:

This being the second victory for the Mischief settles the contest for the America‘s cup: the third race of the series will not be sailed, and the cup will remain in the possession of the New-York Yacht Club. Now that the contest has been settled, it may be mentioned that a good deal of unpleasant feeling has been excited among members of the New-York Yacht Club over the selection of the Mischief by the America’s Cup Committee to sail these races. By far the greater number hold that the Gracie should have been selected, on account of her being a typical American yacht, and on account, also, of her undoubtedly superior sailing qualities. One old yachtsman remarked yesterday that, as the real owner of the Mischief is an Englishman, he could see no reason for the selection of the Mischief except, perhaps, that her nominal owner, Mr. William Krebs, is Chairman of the America‘s Cup Committee.

USEFUL LINKS