ATLANTIC RACE

Hokitika Guardian, 24 July 1931, Page 3

ATLANTIC RACE

'internAticnal yachts. •'*?;{.? j. :"• ./• - .. : ! - \ > ! WINDER TAKES EIGHTEEN DAYS. : London, July 21. Dorade, a Betmura-rigged yawl, ■with a length of 52 feet over all, has arrived at .Plymouth, winning the •| interiiatibnal“ trans-Atlantic ydcht-“race from Newport, Rhoce Island, promoted by the Cruising Club; of America and Racing! Clui>. There were nine; pther ; y competitors when the race started on July 4th. The eveni was open to yachts of all nations ranging in "size from 45ft. to 72ft.' in length over all. It was at first expected that' there might have been as a dozen entries from Amer r ica'but only one was heard of from England. ’ I The British entry, Hex, of twenty tons, owned by the Royal Engineers’ Yacht Club, only just came within, ■the, length'limits prescribed, and was expected, to, be by far the smallest vessel of eight are all ■niembers of the active list of the Corps of Royal Engineers, . who all had to obtain 'special: leave to take part ip -the contest. Although no novelty can be claimed for a race across' the Atlantic, such events are extremely rare, and have in the past ’been confined to comparatively large vessels. The first occasion on .which' yachts, sailed,“this course was in 1866, when three crossed the Atlantic from/west; to ( ' east in . the depth of wdaiter-' It. 'Was a private match for ‘ the' enormous stake of 90,000 dollars betpbejff' Mr; Annies vGordon. Ben. and Fyapklin Osgood’s Fleetwing and Mr Pierre-LorillarqTs Vesta, which were of approximately the same size, measur- ' . ing rather more,'than.;.2oo tons, Thames' measurement.. yachts started on'; from the Sandy Hook lightship, was blowing' a gale of wind, from thb%estward, and heavy , weathei’ bhtained.;throughoufc the race. Notwithstanding‘ the unpromising conditions, every ! stitch of canvas, they possessed Avas? Crowded {on to the vessels, which lied across the ocean like hunted hares; During vthe night of December l%a huge4ea, broke aboard Fleetwing, and when the avalanche of water had cleared 'off the decks it was discovered that six of ;her crew had been washed overboard and drowned. The race was won by Henrietta in the fast time of 13 days 21hr. s*smin, Fleeting arriving at Cowes rather more than eight hours later, heating Vesta home by' only forty minutes. Thus ended what is generally regarded as the hardest race even sailed, by yachts.