THE AMERICA CUP.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 217, 13 September 1930, Page 17

THE AMERICA CUP.

STORY OF THE CONTESTS. FROM FIRST WINNER TO SHAMROCK V. CHALLENGER AND DEFENDER COMPARED. (By W. A. WILKINSON.) The. history of the America Cup, from the time when the schooner America won it at Cowes in 1851 right through the ti J ir Q tee !L contest T s sin " held, is told here, together with the details ot Sir 1 nomas Upton's Shamrock V. and Enterprise, which start the first race of the fourteenth contest to-day.

FIRST RACE TO-DAY.

FAIREST CONTEST OF ALL

SIR THOMAS KEEN TO WIN.

The fourteenth international yachtin* contest for what is known the world over as the America Cup commenced this morning at 10.30 off Newport, Rhode Island. The actual starting point is nine miles south-east of the Brenton Beef lightship, lying about 10 miles off shore and north-east of the end of Long Island, which forms the entrance to New York Harbour. The actual course is 150 miles up the coast from Xew York Citv.

The competing yachts are Sir Thomas Liptons Shamrock V., the challenger representing the Koyal Ulster Yacht Club of Ireland, and Mr. Harold S. Vanderbilt's Enterprise, -which is defending the right of the. New York-Yacht Club, to retain the coveted trophy, representing the blue riband of the yachting world." The second race will be held on Monday, the contest continuing daily until pne boat has -won four races.

The course for each race is 30 miles fc*g,the first, third, fifth and seventh (if necessary) being a windward and leeward one, the second, fourth and sixth a triangular one, ten nautical miles to each leg. If the direction of the wind allows, the start will be on the wind, the rounding mark being laid 15 miles dead to ■windward, giving a beat out and a run Lome. A glance at the plan will show the course in any direction of wind. If it-is south-west the first race will commence with a run down wind and a beat back. This ensures a good test in windward work, which is the best point in sailing. The alternate triangular courses are also shown on the diagram.

The time limit for each race is five and a half hours. This limit is to ensure a fair race and not a drifting match, and the boats must average better than five, knots to do it within the time. For the first time in the history of the contests there is no time allowance for difference of rating. Each boat is expected to mea*r sure full up to 7Cft by the universal rule j. if she falls short, it is her loss.

Shamrock V. was designed by Mr. C. E. Xieholson, of Gosport, Isle of Wight, and built by Camper and Nicholson. She is painted green above the waterline and carries a crew of 22, mostly fishermen, •with Capt. Ned Heard as the professional sailing master and Colonel Duncan Neill as adviser. Shamrock's rig is the latest style of lofty, narrow mainsail, running to a point, with no gaff. It is known as the Bermuda rig, sometimes called Marconi, from the similarity of the mast and rigging to a wireless mast. The Contestants Compared.

The defender, Enterprise, w.as one of four boate built for the defence, the others being Yankee, Whirlwind and Weetamoe. Enterprise was chosen to defend the cup after a series of trials. She 13 similar in her dimensions to Shamrock, as the following comparison will show:— Name. Tons Length o.a. 1.w.1. Shamrock .. 134 81.1 ft Enterprise ... 129 120 ft 80ft Beam. Draught. Sail Area. Shamrock .. 10.62 14.60 7,540 Enterprise . 21.80 14-50 7,550 It will be seen that Shamrock has five tons more displacement than Eenterprise, •while they are practically the same lenolh overall, 120 ft. Shamrock.is Win longer on the waterline and Enterprise has 2ft 3in more beam. They both draw about the same water, 14Jft, Shamrock bein* one inch deeper. Enterprise carries 40 square feet more sail than her rival. To "ive some idea of the amount of eail carried by these boate Shamrocks mainsail and headsails, not including the area of her huge spinnaker and balloon jib, would make maineails for no. less than 63 14-foot one-design boats, usuauy called the Jellieoe-class. Shamrock's mast is 164 ft from heel to truck. It is a hollow spar, built up of 50 pieces of spruce pine and weigas three tons. Even this is much lighter and considered to be stronger than a solid spar or a steel-spar. EntfP" 8 ? carries a duralumin mast, a metal used largely in airplanes. Shamrock's ■ Mast Higher Than Dock Sheerlegs. To compare Shamrock's mast.with a familiar object to Auckland J^W», it is 14ft longer than the to at Calliope Dock. pear-shaped t o leesen windage, with the blunt end for'ard. The main halyarde »11 jead down inside the masfc to further lessen wind resistance and come out _ bek» deck, where they lead to winches wiucn eet the sails up taut. Shamrock is composite *gMjJ*g oak timbers planUng steel frames. The planking is *P the decking, of yellow pine, 2 l-Burtluc Enterpriser's built of bron e and is painted white fL* masts with polished bronze below. The on both boats are said to,be ttte jl» single sticks ever. carried J W W afloat. The previous Shamroc their opponents, while w TC= ts h ad . more sail than the V*"&*™Zv' e . I» : shorter masts, with a topmast, abov the Bermudian rig the stick « »£ derful piece. This necessitates a system of stays and strut*,, an » Jt great ecope for the designgj ** is thought that Shamrock has ,a tage in this respect, her mast }n . having stood up well an tae . which she competed round tne coast and at the Irish ana fouf gattas. Her record is 15 gf defen ding ] Beconds for 22 etarts. W h matboat may be as well set up m

six schooners and won the race, finishing eight minutes ahead of Aurora, the second boat, with the others out of sight astern. The Deed of Gift. When the America got back to New York the owners decided to present the cup to the New York Yacht Club as a perpetual challenge trophy and they drew up v.hat is known as "The Deed of Gift." This famous document provides that yachts of foreign countries shall always be eligible to challenge,, they must be built in the country to which they belong and must sail to the place of contest on their own bottom. Ten months' notice of intention to chal-

ter of mast and spars, but the writer would not be surprised to learn of an accident if the breeze rises over 25 miles per hour.

eighth place. This condition was hotly contested by Sir Jamee Ashbury, the first challenger, and it was altered to one defending boat, but the Americans could still choose a different boat for each race if they so desired, according to the weather. This clause was taken exception to and finally deleted. Now the defending boat is named one week prior to the contest and continues throughout the contest. The First Contest. It was 1870, just 19 years after the America had "won the cup at Cowes, ■ before a challenge was sent. Sir James i Ashbury went across with his schooner ■ Cambria, -but she -was beaten by Magic. Next year Sir James again challenged with a new schooner, Livonic. She won the first heat, but was beaten by Madeline in the following races. The next two challenges came from Canada. The Countess of Dufferin, a schooner, competed in' 1876, and the first of the cutters Atalanta in 1881, but both were decisively beaten, the first by Madeline and the second by Mischief. Atalanta was hurriedly fitted out, her sails were said to have fitted like a sailor's shirt on a handspike.

In 1885 Sir Richard Sutton sent a challenge on behalf of the Royal Yacht Squadron with his cutter Genesta, and after some close racing she was beaten by Puritan. An incident in this contest is worth recording. Just before the start, Puritan, when on the port tack, fouled th'e British boat, which was on the starboard and as all yachtsmen know the boat on port was in the wrong. The Americans disqualified their boat, and fully expected Sir Richard Sutton to claim the race. When the racing committee informed him that Puritan was disqualified, and if he would sail over the course he would be awarded the race, Sir Richard replied, "We are much obliged, but Ave came over here for a race, not a sail over."

Shamrock sailed across to New York in 27 days, making the passage under ketch rig. She was convoyed" by Sir Thomas Lipton'e big steam yacht Erin. More than two million pounds have been spent by British yachtsmen in their efforts, to regain the America Cup. Sir Thomas Lipton has built five Shamrocks, which, with attendant expenses, must have cost nearly a million and there were nine contests before he took a hand. Added to this is the cost of all the defending boats. The present four have cost £000,000 to date. A, suit of sails runs to £2000 and some of the boats have five or six sets. Original Cup Cost 100 Guineas. The cup for which all this money has been expended, originally cost* 100 guineas. It is of silver and weighs 1340z, stands 27in high, is 3Gin in circumference at the centre and 24in at its base. It is elaborately decorated with panels, which record the various contests, 13 in all. It was given by the Royal Yacht Squadron for a race round the Isle of Wight, open to yachts of all nations. Some rivalry existed at the time between the owners of British and American schooners and&o test their merits, the schooner America sailed across to England in 1851 and entered for the race. She .was a slim, blackpainted schooner of 240 tons and carried white cotton sails which set flat. The British schooners and cutters all carried loose-footed, baggy mainsails and the advent of America caused great interest. She competed against seven cutters and

In 1880 Lieutenant W. Henn, R.ls T . challenged with Galatea, but was easily beaten by Mayflower. Scotsmen Take a HanG. The next challenge came from Scotlaud, Mr. J. Bell sending over Thistle in ISB7, but she was beaten by Volunteer after some good racing. After a spell-of six years, Lord Dunraven challenged on behalf of the Koyal Yacht Squadron with Valkyrie 11. *Thia was in 1593, but she was beaten by Vigilant after three races. Two years later Lord Dunraven sent Valkyrie 111. across to try again, and she was' met by Defender. In the first race the course was not kept clear, big excursion steamers going ahead of and on each side of Valkyrie, which won the first heat, but was disqualified for fouling the Defender at the start, due to an excursion boat being in the way. Lord Dunraven hotly contested his disqualification, but i without avail. He also informed the committee that lie would not compete next day unless the course was kept clear, as it was a danger to his crew and his vessel besides being unfair to both challenger and defender. This the