When 'sceptre' Got Her Big Wind

FIRST LEG
1-Third race was decisive: for first time Columbia raced Sceptre in 20-mph winds for which Sceptre was designed—twice around windward-leeward course (rhumb line) running SW by W � W. Two minutes before the 12:10 p.m. start, wind (black arrow) was 23 knots SW by W � W and both boats (1) had rounded up to starboard reach. Columbia (red line), three boat lengths to leeward and a boat length ahead, went for the line (2) and Sceptre came charging over to cover her. Boats ran across line abeam with Sceptre to windward but Columbia soon powered ahead and at the end of three minutes was giving Sceptre backwind. Sceptre at 12:13 went on port tack and Columbia (3) immediately covered. At 12:16 Sceptre (4) went to starboard tack, crossing two lengths astern of Columbia.

SECOND LEG

2-Tacking duel ensued just after Sceptre (4) crossed Columbia's stern. In trying to force Columbia into sail-handling error, Sceptre tacked at 12:17 and 12:18, forcing Columbia to cover, but when Sceptre tacked at 12:19, Columbia held course across rhumb line, where she finally covered at 12:21 by going to port tack. Sceptre split and Columbia crossed her bow three boat lengths ahead (5), pointing higher, going faster.

3-Splitting tacks, Sceptre now hoped to pick up wind shift favorable to her and thus unfavorable to Columbia on other tack. After crossing Sceptre bow (5), Columbia covered at 12:23, tacking for the sixth time, and Sceptre tacked away for the seventh time, Columbia waited until 12:26 to cover, Sceptre split and Columbia crossed Sceptre's bow (6) five boat lengths ahead, pulling away.

4-Halfway to mark Columbia got benefit of freshening wind first, lengthened lead so that she crossed Sceptre 10 boat lengths ahead (7), and then when she tacked for the 11th time she crossed Sceptre 15 boat lengths ahead (8). Right after Sceptre (9) had made her 14th tack, Columbia (10) made her 14th tack and rounded the mark (11) at 1:09:28. Sceptre rounded 2 minutes 23 seconds behind.

THIRD LEG

5-Around mark first, Columbia (12) got wind shift 5� south, so was able to leave her boom to port, hoist red-top Hood spinnaker (Big Harry) and run down to second mark on starboard jibe. After rounding, Sceptre jibed, hoisted her red, white and blue Herbul�t and worked out to the west slightly (13). Sceptre jibed back (14), headed for mark at 1:26, holding even with Columbia, one-third mile ahead.

6-Nearing second mark, Columbia, to avoid any complications in rounding, took down her spinnaker at 1:42 (16), set her "genny," jibed main and was ready to swing up. Sceptre (17) doused spinnaker even earlier, was taking it down at 1:44. Columbia passed mark at 1:45:27 and Sceptre swung around two minutes and 29 seconds later, having lost six seconds on leg.

FOURTH LEG

7-Heading up on third leg, both boats ran on port tack (1). Sceptre split at 1:51 (2) and Columbia immediately covered. Columbia covered again when Sceptre split to port. When Sceptre went to starboard tack at 2:00 she crossed (3) half a mile astern of Columbia, who was standing up better to the wind (now blowing at well over 26 knots) than Sceptre and pulling away. When Columbia crossed Sceptre again (4), she was getting an unfavorable shift to south and so tacked and got a lift which further increased her lead. Sceptre, getting ready to come about at 2:32 (5), was almost a mile behind Columbia (6).