Page:Yachting wrinkles; a practical and historical handbook of valuable information for the racing and cruising yachtsman (IA yachtingwrinkles00keneiala).pdf/162

 *perative when racing. To illustrate my meaning I need only refer to the decisive race between Vigilant and Valkyrie for the America's Cup, which all but resulted in the winning of the race by the British yacht. In point of fact, Valkyrie, had not her two spinnakers blown away, would have romped in victoriously. In the beat to the outward mark Vigilant carried a reefed mainsail and a big jib, and, for the first time in her history, required lee helm. This blunder, in addition to her centerboard becoming jammed, made Valkyrie beat her 1m. 55s. on the windward leg. Valkyrie had a half-reef in her mainsail, but shifted her jib and set one whose center of effort was in exact accord with the reduced after-canvas. Vigilant won by forty seconds only, and had it not been for the Valkyrie's hard luck would have been badly defeated.

On July 13, 1889, the Katrina, while racing against the Titania in a reefing breeze, carrying a big jib and a reefed mainsail, suffered a like deserved defeat. Under her ill-balanced sail-spread, for the first time in her history, she, too, carried lee helm, and sagged off to leeward like a haystack adrift. She made a pitiable exhibition of herself, and all hands rejoiced when her main boom snapped off and permitted her to withdraw without disgrace. Meanwhile Titania, splendidly handled by Captain Haff and Mr. C. Oliver Iselin, sailed over the course and won the race.