YACHTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue LXI, 12 July 1930, Page 18

YACHTING.

THE AMERICA CUP.

SOME EARLY CHAIXENGERS

DISPUTES LEAD TO BETTER CONDITIONS.

END OF SCHOONER RACING.

(By SPEEDWELL.)

The failure of Mr. James Ashbury's schooner Cambria, the first challenger for the America Cup, to get nearer than eighth place against the 14 defending boats, detailed in our last article on cup matters, did not deter this aggressive Britisher from challenging again next year. He lost no time in placing an order with Ratsey, of Cowes, who built the schooner Livonia. On her trials she proved to be very little better than Cambria, but Mr. Ashbury was determined to send her across to uphold his second challenge. Livonia was more after the type of the American boats. She had a long, fine bow, a round midship section and a full counter, quite different to the British schooners. Her dimensions were 127 ft overall, 106 ft waterline and 23ft 7in beam. Livonia was very heavily sparred and canvassed. She carried no less than 18,153 square feet of sail, made of American cotton duck. It is on record that this sail area is the greatest ever carried by any challenger for the America Cup (Shamrock V. sets 7500 square feet of sail). No uneasiness was felt amongst American yachtsmen by the building of the new schooner and no special boat was built to meet her.

Before Livonia actually sailed for America a lot of correspondence passed between Mr. Ashbury and the New York Yacht Club. Some of the letters were very bitter and stirred up a lot of illfeeling. By sticking to his guns Mr. Ashbury had the satisfaction of seeing the conditions modified in his favour. His chief objection was having to race one boat against a fleet. This was such a big issue and so strenuously combated by Mr. Ashbury that the New York Yacht Club referred the point to Mr. G. L. Schuyler, the sole surviving winner of the cup. Mr. Schuyler, having in mind the very same point which the owners of America took exception to when they had to race against a fleet of British boats, at Cowes, decided very fairly, that no such conditions should apply in any future cup contest. The New York Yacht Club accepted this interpretation of the Deed of Gift and resolved "that we sail one or more representative vessels against the same number of foreign challengers." After' this decision still further points were the subject of letters between Mr. Ashbury of the New York Yacht Club. The first was a request to waive the six months' notice. This was agreed to and the challenge was accepted in the name of the Royal Harrick Yacht Club. Mr. Ashbury also wished to race as the representative of no less than 12 clubs, for each of which he proposed a race in succession. This gave rise to further heated correspondence, but before anything was settled, Livonia sailed for New York.. . ~ ,/V'. The committee at first agreed to hold 12 races, but later decided that the challenger could only represent one club and that aTseries' of seven faces he held, three inside and four out ß ide Sandy Hook lightship. ' Mr. Ashbury finally accepted this ultimatum. The New York Yacht Club reserved four schooners to compete against Livonia, which.agam raised a protest from Mr. Ashbury, but to avoid having to go-home without a race, this condition was agreed to. Columbia, Dauntless, Sappho and Palmer were named as the defenders. The first race was sailed on October 16, 1871, in a light breeze, Livonia meeting Columbia." Columbia led from the start and won by 25min 18sec. ' In the next race, Columbia was again chosen to sail against Livonia. Columbia won, but Mr. Ashbury entered- a protest on the grounds that Columbia rounded _ the outer mark contrary to instructions. After more spirited protest, the club held that no definite instructions were given for turning this mark. In England Jt was tbe.v rule, when no instruc-; tibns were given to leave all marks to starboard, but a "Turn as you please" Was held to be the" custom in the New York Club and the protest was dismissed. In this race Columbia won by smin Usee. It was proposed to send one of the other boats out for the third race, bue none was ready and Columbia had to sail again. In this.race the .British challenger won, a feat only beaten by Sir Thomas Lipton's Shamrock IV., when she won the final two heats in the last contest, sailed in 1920. Livonia led from the start and won by 15min lOsec. For the fourth race Sappho was chosen to sail against Livonia and Sappho won by 30min 21sec. The fifth and final race was won by Sappho by a margin of 25min 27sec. Jfr. Ashbury,,on his return, had a lot' to say aboitt the unsportsmanlike actions of the New York Yachct Club, but it only caused more ill-feeling. However, as the Americans admitted, he had done some good by showing the injiistice of sailing more than one boat' against a .challenger. This eventually was the cause of, the rule •being deleted.

, Two Canadian Challenges. The coolness engendered by Mr. Ashbury's experience lasted, for some years arid the next challenge for the cup came from Canada. In 1876, Major Charles Gifford, of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, of Toronto, sent a challenge with the schooner Countess of Dufferin. This Vessel was 221, tons register, 107 feet overall, 24 feet beam and only 6ft 6in draught. Her sail spread was 12,000 feet. Three races were agreed to, but to settle the point of how many boats •he would be.required to meet, Major Gifford asked "if the club would sail one yacht only against his challenger, or one out of four, as in Mr. Ashbury's case, or would, the race be open to all the yachts of the -'New- York Yacht Club.". The club replied that "a yaoht would be "at the starting point each- day to sail the match." . left the question still open, but "at' a'; later ..meeting the club agreed to name their, defending yacht in advance and to stick to that one throughout the contest. This was a most important decision and one that has been held to ever since. When the challenger arrived at New York in charge of Captain Cuthbert, she was adversely criticised. The boat had been rushed .through without time for "tuning up," and one unkind critic said that her sails "eet like a purser's shirt on a handspike,"' while'her hull was said to be /: "as ..rough;- as' a nutmeg grater." Before the race the boat was hauled up, her bottom planed off, and then given a coat of pot-lead, while her sails were altered and improved in their set.

The schooner Madeline was named to compete with the Canadian boat, she. being, about the same dimensions as the challenger, i.e., 107 ft overall, 95ft waterline, 24ft beam, and 7ft draft. The defending boat, Madeline, was in fine nick, the copper on her bottom being burnished until it shone like gold. The two schooners met in a moderate breeze outside Sandy Hook. There was a big following of steamers and other craft to view the race. Madeline went ahead soon after the start, and won by 9m 58s. The second and deciding race was sailed next day, the American boat again winning, this time by 26m. American comment was to the effect that, although not successful, the conduct of the challengers was marked 'by "straightforwardness and courtesv." Rather a back-hauler for Mr. Ashbury. The First of the Cutters. Five years later,- in 1881, Captain Cuthbert again challenged for the cup on behalf of Canada. This time he took to New York the cutter-rigged yacht Atalanta, of his own design and build. She sailed under the flag of the Yacht Club of Ontario. This contest was notable for several new conditions, all of which continued throughout subsequent contests.' One was that cutter or "sloop" rigged craft- were used for the first time. Another was the custom of building boats specially to defend the cup, and the third. was the New York Yacht Club's decision to so interprete the "deed of gift" that the club was required to name the defending boat before, the start of the contest, and to adhere to this boat throughout. , A new boat was ordered by a syndicate of. the New York Yacht Club. She was 72ft overall, 65ft waterline, and 21ft 6in beam, with a draft of 7ft. On her trials she proved to be slower than several existing craft, and the cutter Mischief was named as defender, in spite of the fact that her owner was an Englishman. Mischief, an iron boat, was the first to be built of metal for these contests. This boat was also the first defender to be scientifically designed, all the others having been built from models cut in wood. Mischief was rather less beam than the usual type, with her 19ft 10in. She drew 16ft with her centreboard down. Before the race her bottom was sandpapered, holystoned, varnished and pot-leaded. Atalanta, the Canadian boat, was launched at Ontario, and arrived at New York via the Erie Canal, being towed through by mule-power. This led to a clause being inserted in the "deed of gift" making it compulsory for all future challengers to come under sail to New York.

The first race was sailed in a hard breeze, and the American boat won by Bm. The deciding race next day was also sailed in a hard breeze, and Mischief won by 38m. The American Press again waxed sarcastic over the challenger's form, saying that the "wellfitted, fully-manned and magnificentlyhandled Mischief easily outdistanced Atalanta, a new, hastily-built ' yacht, miserably equipped with sails, and bungled around the course by an alleged crew, which would have . been overmatched in trying to handle a canal boat anchored in a fog." This ended the first epoch in the cup's history. Mistakes were many, but definite progress was made.towards better conditions for future contests. To ensure a new ruling on several points, the; cup was returned to Mr. Schuyler, the only survivor of. the original owners, who reconveyed it to the club with a few alterations in the "deed of gift." One addition provided that competing vessels must proceed under sail on their own bottoms to; the port where the contest is to take place. Another made it clear that a challenger would be required to sail against only one defender, and that any arrangement could be made by mutual consent as to date, course, time allowance, number of races, rules and sailing regulations, and all other conditions for the match. The challenger had to name his vessel and send her dimensions, rig and a customhouse certificate of tonnage. The new conditions made it clear that the cup was now the property of the nation and the New York Yacht Club was onlynamed as its keeper. The attempts of Mr. Ashbury and the Canadians to ■ "lift" the cup aroused a strong national spirit, and the American people came to regard the trophy as their own. Upon acceptance by the club, the new •conditions were sent to every yacht club; of standing in the world, inviting friendly contests. British yachtsmen had by this time decided that any future challenge should be made with a cutter, and on December 20, 1884, the New York Yacht Club received a letter from Mr. J. Beavor Webb, acting on behalf of Sir Richard Sutton., asking that a match be arranged with Genesta. Arrangements proceeded smoothly, the only point of difference being as to the method of measurement. Finally the New York Yacht Club rating rule was adopted, which provided that the rating should be obtained by taking the square root of the sail area, plus the waterline length, divided by two. It was this rule under which nearly all the subsequent contests were sailed. American yachtsmen decided that they had no boat equal to the task of competing against a good British cutter. ,They were guided in this decision by 'the success of a boat named Madge, owned' by James Coates, of Paisley, which was taken across on the deck of a steamer and in charge of a good skipper competed in club events, winning seven races out of eight starts. Madge was 46ft overall, 39ft waterline, 7ft 9in beam, and Bft 3in draft. With her narrow beam she was as wetas'a half-tide rock, but she was speedy and handy, and made such an impression that the N.Y.Y.C. sent out a circular to all American,.yacht clubs asking them to build possible defenders. Old ideas were jettisoned, and • a new type evolved, the forerunner of the present-day deep, ,fast cutters. In response to the call, Puritan was built, at Boston, which after trials was selected to defend the cup against Sir Richard Sutton's Genesta, the fifth challenger. • GET YOUR PRIZE. One of the. tricks which beset the hardworking officials, whose duty it is to solicit and collect the many prizes and trophies which. grace the prize night functions now being held, is the non-attendance of prize-winners, or their deputies, to receive their reward. Only one who has experienced it knows how much labour is entailed in collecting cups, all.to be duly engraved, and other more bulky articles, tabulating and arranging same for quick.distribution. The secretary usually does this work, and it should be finished when the patron or other honorary officer selected for this duty calls but the boat's name and offers the prize for acceptance By not attending, prizes have to be packed up and taken back, only to be a source of trouble for weeks after. If owners fully realised this fact they would 3 make a point of attending all prize nights. One of the pleasing features of the Tamaki Club's prize distribution on Thursday night was the good attendance of prize-winners. Only two prizes out of some 40 or more

were unclaimed, and both were won by an outboard boat owner who lives on the Kaipara River.

CLUB NOTES. The Victoria Cruising Club's prize distribution and dance will take place next Wednesday evening in the Oddfellows' Hall, .Victoria and Hobson Streets. Mr. W. J. Matthews, for a number of years secretary of this club, has resigned his position, -having left . the city for Waiheke. The Manukau Cruising Club will hold their prize night on Thursday next in the Foresters' Theatre, Queen Street, Onehnnga. The prizes, which are both numerous and valuable, are now on show in the window of the Auckland Gas Company's office, Onehunga. In spite of the times, several boats have changed, hands, and at least six new boats are being built, several of them sailing craft. Messrs. R. J. Thompson (son of Mr. T. L. Thompson, commodore of the Richmond Cruising Club), N. Hammond and G. Taylor have purchased the well-known keel yacht Waione, and will put her in commission next season. Waione is 42ft overall and was built at Devonport by the late Alick and Bill Sutherland from a design by Mr. Chas. Bailey. Messrs. Sutherland raced her consistently, and with fair success in the Squadron and Devonport Clubs. Later she was bought by Mr. Mc Williams, who won the first ocean race to Tauranga with her. After a period on the hard she was bought by Mr. Newcomb, and later still by Mr. R. J. Worsom. She was not in commission last year, and she will be welcomed in the keel yacht class, which seldom gets a recruit in the shape of a new boat. A new 18ft round bilge boat for the V class is being built by Mr. Reg. Thompson, late owner of the 14-footer Fay. The 26-footer Nomad and the 20footers Wayward and Lorna have both found new owners this week.