SHARPIE YACHT “BURLINGTON”—JOSEPH AULD AND OTHERS, BURLINGTON, VT.
It was required in every instance that there should be three starters or no race. The club course of about 85⁄16 miles commenced on a line inside the breakwater and at right angles to the club-house, round the south end of the breakwater, south of Rock Dunder, south of Juniper Ledge buoy, west end of Juniper Island, north end of breakwater to starting line. This was the course for the first class sailing yachts (33 feet and upward), the time not to exceed 23⁄4 hours. The first prize was $60, and the second $20.
W. S. WEBB, FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT.
W. A. CROMBIE, VICE-COMMODORE. JOSEPH AULD, SECRETARY.
There had been a brush, a few days before, for the championship pennant. The Flyaway, a sloop built by Lawler, of Boston, for Dr. W. S. Webb. had covered the course in 1h. 30m. 42s. Next came the Ripple, a sloop built and owned by Adsit and Bigelow, in 1h. 32m. 50s.; and last came the sharpie, White Wings, built under Murray’s eye, and owned by C. B. Gray, her time being 1h. 48m. 30s. The same boats started in the first class race, except that the sharpie, Burlington, owned by Joseph Auld and others, having less freeboard and an improved stern, took the place of the White Wings. Time allowance was waived by the Ripple and the Burlington. The Ripple came over the line first and held the lead till, on rounding Juniper Island, she was passed by the Flyaway. Then came a very close contest, the Ripple afterward claiming she would have won if she had had the time allowance. The elapsed time was: Flyaway, 1h. 45m. 3s.; Ripple, 1h. 46m. 33s. The Burlington was becalmed and withdrew.
By this time a drizzling rain had set in; but the yachtsmen and their friends had had enough taste of the sport to want more. The second class race was for sailing yachts measuring between 20 and 33 feet. The prizes were $45 and $15. The course was the club course, omitting the turning of Juniper Ledge buoy—distance, 71⁄3 miles, to be covered in 23⁄4 hours. There were five starters, and the prospects were for the best race of the day. But the rain beat down the wind; the race became a drifting match, and was postponed till the next day. The starters were: the White Wings, sharpie; the Agnes T., a sloop owned by T. A. Taft; the Princess, a sloop owned by R. W. Rogers; the Puritan, a sloop owned by W. C. Witherbee, and the Eagle, a schooner-rigged keel-boat owned by W. S. Hopkins. The same yachts were allowed to sail in the postponed race on the following day, but only the Agnes T. appeared. She sailed over the course in 1h. 14m. 25s. Two entries of the day before were barred out because they did not start at that time.
There was still more rain and still less wind when the third class yachts (under 20 feet) were called. The course was 513⁄16 miles, starting around the north end of the breakwater, thence about Rock Dunder, and homeward around the south end of the breakwater. Two hours was the time limit; and the prizes were $30 and $10. The only starter was the sloop Goat, owned by W. C. Witherbee—and so the race was declared off.
THE BURLINGTON Y. C. HOUSE.
But no amount of rain or lack of wind could keep back the steam and naphtha launches of under 50 feet from racing for the $100 cup offered by Commodore Wetmore. The course was around the north end of the breakwater, north of Appletree buoy, south of Proctor’s shoal buoy and around the south end of the breakwater, a distance of 7 1-5 miles. The time limit was 11⁄2 hours. Four of the starters finished the race; the fifth, the Idlewild, owned by Averill & Kellogg, having passed the first buoy only. The starters, together with their owners and elapsed time, were these: the Nymph, Dr. W. S. Webb, 41m. 55s.; the Cecil, Myers & Clough, 49m. 33s.; the Adonis, J. B. Tressidder, 52m. 141⁄2s.; the Comus, R. W. Rogers, 58m. 17s. It was evident from the start that the Nymph would win—but there was a very exciting contest for second place, the Cecil finally leading the Adonis. In figuring the result the Isherwood rule was used, because the lengths of all the boats were less than 50 feet. If they had been more than 50 feet, the Emory rules of the American yacht club would have held. The Isherwood rules provide that the speed in knots per hour is divided by the cube root of the length on the waterline of the yachts respectively, and the quotients represent, relatively, the merits of the different yachts. Based on this rule, the ratios were: Nymph, 1.13; Cecil, 0.97; Adonis, 0.91.