A Spanking Breeze on the Sound
Six yachts compete in a high-stakes sweepstakes race on Puget Sound that ends in a collision and a thrilling come-from-behind victory.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A stiff breeze from the north made a success of the sweepstakes yacht race of the largest boats belonging in this city yesterday. For several hours, the waters of the Sound outside the harbor were dotted with the sails of numerous craft. Six yachts participated, and, barring one accident, the race was one of the best ever sailed on the Sound. While making for the first buoy, the Gracie Felix undertook to cross the bow of the Kelpie and received the latter's jibboom in her mainsail, which was soon a mass of ribbons. The Kelpie had the right-of-way, which effectively ended the Gracie Felix's chances. The Kelpie maintained a steady lead until nearly home, when the wind proved treacherous, allowing the Xora to creep up from half a mile in the rear and cross the line forty seconds ahead, completing the course in 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 58 seconds.
“The Kelpie had the right-of-way. This placed the Gracie Felix out of the race, and she ran home under staysails.”
While yachting remains a pillar of Seattle's maritime culture, the casual 'sweepstakes' atmosphere of 1893 reflects a smaller city's relationship with its waterfront. Today, our reliance on the water is dominated by massive container ships and state ferries, yet the unpredictable winds of the Sound remain the great equalizer for any sailor.
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