1904 Manhasset Bay Yacht Club Decoration Day Regatta


Fast Time by Auto Boats
Japansky Leads in Manhasset Yacht Club Races
Over Twenty Miles an Hour
Vanderbilt's Hard Boiled Egg Withdraws Through Injury to Rudder
Tangeman Protests the Winner

Fast Time by Auto Boats
The First American Auto-Boat Contest
Auto Boat Measurement
Annual Race of the American Power-Boat Association
Japansky Wins "Auto" Boat Race in Fast Time

Manhasset Bay was alive with automobile boats yesterday, and the way they skimmed over the water in front of the clubhouse of the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club was a caution to the "squareheads" who know no boats but sailing boats. There were six automobile boats entered in various classes in the first championship regatta of the American Power Boat Association. The boats gave evidence of great ease of handling. Besides making great speed, they turned with a very short radius, stopped quickly, and went astern with much more than half the full-speed-ahead of an ordinary launch.

Of the six, W.K. Vanderbilt Jr.'s Hard Boiled Egg twisted her rudder in the preliminary skirmishing and was withdrawn, and the Standard did not start. The boats that raced were Japansky, owned by F.H. Waldorf, of the New Rochelle Yacht Club, 38 feet 11 inches water line, with a motor of 40.99 horse power and a racing rating of 70.65; Fiat No.2, owned by C.H. Tangeman, with a 35.17 horse power motor and a racing rating of 65.05; Panhard, owned by A. Massanet of the Columbia Yacht Club, with 18.71 horse power, and racing rating of 54.52, and Shooting Star, owned by H.A. Lozier of the Columbia Yacht Club, with 24.30 horse power, and a racing rating of 62.06. H.W. Patterson was the helmsman of Japansky and C.L. Mayor motorman. Mr. Tangeman steered his own boat. Paul Johnson of the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club piloted Panhard and Fred Madison was helmsman of the Shooting Star.

The four boats raced over a 19½-knot course, running from a point in front of the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club to Gangway Buoy. Japansky was alone in her class which was the largest of the automobile boat classes in which there was an entry. Fiat No.2 and Shooting Star, being alone, was moved up a class to race with them. The Fiat was first over the line, and Shooting Star, Panhard, and Japansky followed as named.

All covered the course in fast time, although not as fast as the motor boatmen had anticipated. Japansky's elapsed time of 1:06:29 for the 19½ knots is at the rate of 17.6 knots, or 20.3 miles per hour. Fiat No.2 covered the distance at the rate of 15.9 knots, or about 18.3 miles per hour, while Panhard's record was 14.13 knots, or about 16¼ miles per hour. Presumably any one of these boats would cover a measured mile under favorable circumstances at a considerably faster gait. Shooting Star dropped out of the race on the way across the Sound, having some trouble with her machinery.

While the racing of the automobile boats was the spectacular feature of the regatta, that of boats of the ordinary power boat classes was fully as interesting to yachtsmen. It was interesting to note, by the way, that Allure, the largest boat of the twelve which made up the full list of starters in all classes, a cabin cruising boat, with a motor of about 59 horse power and a rating of 50.97, covered the 19½-knot course at the rate of 11.46 knots, or 13.2 miles per hour. Allure, which is a Class A boat, was alone in her class. So was Miss Swift of Class H. These two, with Flash, Ardis, and Javelin of Class I, were sent over the 19½-knot course. Queen Bess of Class C, sailing alone, was started over the same course, and 999 and Nada of Class K started over the 9½-knot course.

There was a very light breeze from the south in the afternoon. The boats had it nearly astern at the start, on the starboard quarter going across to Scotch Caps, then on the starboard bow recrossing the Sound, then on the port beam, and finally nearly dead ahead. It was wet work for some of the yachtsmen.

Below is the summary, Classes R and S are automobile boats. Classes A and C cabin boats, or boats with standing roof, while Classes H, I, and K are open boats and launches:

CLASS R Start, 2:40 P.M. Course, 19½ knots 
BOAT AND OWNER               Rating Finish  Elapsed Time 
Japansky, F.H. Waldorf       70.65  3:46:29 1:06:29 
CLASS S Start, 2:40 P.M. Course, 19½ knots 
Fiat No.2, C.H. Tangeman     65.05  3:33:23 1:13:23 
Shooting Star, H.A. Lozier   62.06  Did not finish 
Panhard, A. Massanet         54.52  4:02:49 1:22:49 
Panhard's corrected time, 1:16:43 
CLASS A Start, 2:50 P.M. Course, 19½ knots 
Allure, Alexander Stein      50.97  4:32:06 1:02:06 
CLASS H Start, 2:50 P.M. Course, 19½ knots 
Miss Swift, Robert Joest     56.07  4:19:57 1:29:57 
CLASS I, Start, 2:50 P.M. Course, 19½ knots 
Ardis, R.M. Haddock          45.54  4:41:16 1:51:16 
Flash, Alexander Stein       44.74  4:55:10 2:05:10 
Javelin, C.W. Lee            41.50  4:36:35 2:06:35 
CLASS C Start, 2:55 P.M. Course, 19½ knots 
Queen Bess, R.H. Stern       34.65  5:11:29 2:16:29 
CLASS K Start, 2:55 P.M. Course, 19½ knots 
Nada, C.A. Godshalk          30.15  3:57:35 1:02:35 
999, J.N. Schoonmaker        31.05  4:16:02 1:21:02 

The winners were---Japansky, Fiat No.2, Allure, and Miss Swift.

After the regatta the owner of Fiat No.2 entered a protest against Japansky's measurement, and the helmsman of 999 protested that Nada cut the corner of Execution Reef too close by going inside the buoys.

(Transcribed from the New York Times, May 31, 1904. p. 8. )

[Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page --LF]


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