LUFFING MATCH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 226, 24 September 1934, Page 7

LUFFING MATCH.

TRIANGULAR COURSE. Most Eventful Race of Present Series. YACHTING EXPERT'S VIEWS. Our yachting correspondent writes:— The fourth race of the present contest will be remembered as the most eventful of the series, by reason of a double protest mad© by the British skipper. The first protest concerns the right of way of Endeavour at the start. The race was sailed over the triangular course of three ten-mile legs. The start was made,, as usual, on the wind. The cable message is not clear, about what happened before the start, but it infers that Endeavour had the right of way and was interfered with by Rainbow, which beat lier across the starting line by 3os. This is a big margin, for Mr. Sopwith has always been close up at the start and was ahead in the second and third races. On the Second Leg. The other protest concerned what took place shortly after completing the first, or windward, leg of the course. Although' Rainbow got a start of 355, Mr. Sopwith, by good judgment, probably aided by a luff near the turning mark, rounded it 23s ahead of Rainbow, which went wide of this mark.

With the wind south-east, it would be a lead oil port to the next mark. Rainbow pointed for Endeavour's weather, but naturally Mr. Sopwith luffed his boat, as the racing rules give him every right to do. Rainbow kept on a course to go to windward, and again Mr. Sopwith luffed Endeavour, this time going so close to Rainbow that there was danger of a collision.

Having shown Rainbow's skipper his intention to prevent him passing Endeavour to windward, Mr. Sopwith, bccause of Rainbow's failure to respond to Endeavour's luff, was forced, in the interests of the safety of his boat and crew, to bear oft under Rainbow's lee, losing way as Rainbow passed close to windward, taking the wind out of his sails, until she drew clear aliead.

This is just what the luffing rule is framed to prevent, for it throws all the onus of keeping clear on to an overtaking yacht, especially when the overtaking vessel elects to go to windward of the boat being overtaken. It is a well-known rule of yacht racing that one goes to windward of an opponent at one's own risk. The usual thing in trying to pass is to go well off to leeward, and the rules safeguard this course by not allowing the boat being so overtaken to bear away off the direct course to the next mark to prevent the overtaking boat getting clear. "Luff As She Pleases." This is when she goes to leeward, but the leading boat may "luff as 6lie pleases'' to prevent the other passing on her weather. This right to luff ceases under the rules when the overtaking boat has got so far past the overtaken boat that the latter would strike the overtaking boat somewhere aft of her shrouds or main rigging. This is the vital point in all such disputes and was evidently Mr. Vanderbilt's ground of defence. This can only be judged on the spot, and no doubt photographs will show which is right. By the rules, when a protest is made, the boat adjudged to be wrong is disqualified and the other wins. » Two Alleged Fouls. Apart from the two alleged fouls, Endeavour is reported to have been badly handled. This seems uncalled for, as in spite of a poor start Endeavour led round the weather mark through her skipper judging his distance to a nicety. Rainbow went wide at this mark, or what yachtsmen term "overlaid" it. It was after rounding the mark that the luffing incident took place. On the last leg of 10 miles to the finish, which was a broad lead on starboard, Endeavour again sailed faster than Rainbow and picked her up a lot, almost overtaking her.

Just here Mr. Vanderbilt had the very same position and the advantages and rights the luffing rule gives to him, which he denied to Endeavour on the second leg. He was in the load now, and it was Endeavour's job to try and pass him.

Naturally, like Mr. Sopwith on the other lesr, lie lield his luff so that the overtaking boat, in this case the Britisher, could not pass him. No complaint came from Mr. Sopwith, who knew the rules protected the weather boat. Rainbow, after holding her IuIT for a time, ran back on her course and crossed the line 75s ahead. The finish was Rainbow 3h 55m 3Ss, Endeavour 3h 50m 535. This makes the contest even, with two wins to each. A Previous Protest. The last protest in the America Cup contest was entered 30 years ago when Lord Dunraven made his second attempt with Valkyrie 111. It was at the stai t of the second race against the American yacht Defender, which had won the first race by Sm 495, that a foul occurred. Valkyrie was in the weather position when she was interfered with by an excursion steamer, so Lord Dunraven claimed, and after getting clear the two boats were at close quarters.

Defender, in the leeward position, luffed Valkyrie—another instance of the rights of the leeward boat—and when responding to the luff the end of Valkyrie's boom touched the masthead shroud on Defender, dragging it out of the crosstrees. Defender protested against Valkyrie, and the latter was disqualified.

It was in this race that Lord Dunraven stated that the Defender was immersed beyond her loadline marks. He was also greatly hampered by excursion steamers running on all aides of Valkyrie, and he notified the committee that he would not race next day unless the course was kept clear. No effort was made to do so, and after crossing the starting line to make a race of it, he withdrew.

In all, the late Sir Thomas Lipton's matches with his five Shamrocks no protests were made on either side. Mr. Sopwith was evidently very loth to protest, but the writer considers that under the yacht racing rules he was within liis right to protest.