Document No 2291: THE YACHT RACE. The first challenge on August 8th, 1870.

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AUTEUR : Evening Star

REF : 0

EDITION : 1870

DATE : 09 Aug 1870

COURSE : 0

DESCRIPTION SITE :

THE YACHT RACE.

The Queen's Cup Remains with our Sailors.

THE MAGIC WINS.

Our dispatches yesterday gave particulars forshadowing the result of this race. The yachts reached the home flagboats in the following order: Magic. 3:32 ; Dauntless. 3:33 ; Josephine, 3:34 ...

As the starting gun was fired tbe Cambria, sailed by Captain Comstock and eighteen men, which had been lying close under Staten lsland shore expecting, as the captain said, a six knots breeze from the west, was surprised by the wind coming directly from the south, placing the vessel to leeward of the fleet. The mainsaiI was sent up and the cable slipped, when the breeze send her off on a port tack instead of starboard. thus turning her head in shore. Her foresail and both jibs were sent up, but failed to pay her off to starboard, for nearly two minutes. That placed her nearly a mile behind the leading yacht. The jibboom of the Halcyon fouled the mainsail of the Tarolinta just in the track of the Cambria and made another delay. At least they were all fairly off on the starboard tack, making short boards until outside the Narrowswhen all ran under Coney Island Point and then stretched away for the Southwest spit, Magic leading. Outside of Sandy Hook the breeze slacked abeat half After rounding the light ship, the Cambria sent up her foregaff topsail. Almost immediately a gust of wind from southwest struck her, and as her fore topmast was set very fast ????????????????????????.

Still she kept on. At the home stake boat, the official time, on allowance for measurement, was as follows:

Hours Minutes Seconds
Magic (winning the Cup) 3 58 21
Idler 4 9 35
Sylvie 4 23 26
America 4 23 51
Dauntless 4 29 28
Madgie 4 29 57
Phamtom 4 30 44
Halcyon 4 35 1
Widgeon 4 38 2
Cambria 4 40 8
Calypso 4 40 27
Fleetwing 4 41 21
Madeline 4 42 36
Tarolinta 4 47 29
Rambler 4 48 33

THE WINNING BOAT.

The Magic is owned by Franklin Osgood, of New York, is 92,2 tons, and has an area of 1380 square feet of canvas, against the Cambria measuring 227 6-10 tons, with 2,105 area of canvas.

Although it is asserted that the N.Y.Y.C. gave Mr. Ashbury the choice of position, he occupied the extreme leewarg position. The yachts to windward filled their sails and got off splendidely, but those to leeward got so mixed up among the steamers and sail boats, which ought not to have been allowed by the committee of arrangements to cruise in the vicinity of the racing yachts, that many were compelled to tack, thereby losing ground.

When passing between Fort Lafayette and fort Richmond, the Phantom led, closely followed by the America, and the Dauntless fifth. The Cambria was then eleventh in the race, but in the next tack worked splendidly to windward, and passed four yachts on that tack, which elicited comments of praise from all the spectators.

The Cambria afterwards met with an accident, and on the whole seems to hare had rather an unlucky day of it.

The America, considering her clumsy planking and awkwardly fitted sails, seems to have made a pretty good fight for the championship, and with a heavier breeze would apparently have won.

NOTES AMERICA-SCOOP :

LICENCE :
Public domain
BATEAUX : MAGIC CAMBRIA AMERICA DAUNTLESS IDLER MADELEINE
LIENS VERS CE DOCUMENT
SITE LARG HAUT ADRESSE
Library of Congress 2133 2837 http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1870-08-09/ed-1/seq-1/