Sceptre Loses Third Race For America’s Cup

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28702, 27 September 1958, Page 13

Sceptre Loses Third Race For America’s Cup

(Rec. 9.30 p.m.) NEWPORT (Rhode Island), September 26. Sceptre, the British challenger, makes little more than a token bid today when she resumes _ the America’s Cup yachting series against the American defender, Columbia. Sceptre made another dismal showing yesterday in the third race of the best-of-seven series.

Columbia has won all three races counted so far by big margins, and was also well ahead of the British yacht in Monday’s void race, which was called off because of the time limit.

Columbia moved like a greyhound yesterday in strong winds, and finished the 24-mile wind-ward-leeward course in little more than three hours—by far the fastest time yet recorded in the 107-year-old yachting series. Sceptre was more than a mile behind when Columbia crossed the finishing* line yesterday.

The wind was around 25 miles an hour, and 6ft waves soaked the crews of both craft. On unofficial timings, Sceptre came in Bmin 21sec behind Columbia. The British yacht lost the first race by 7min 42sec, and the second by llmin 42sec. At the start, Lieutenant-Com-mander Graham Mann, at the helm of Sceptre, put his crAft

across the starting line first, but immediately she began to buck in the rough water. Briggs Cunningham, at the helm of Columbia, deftly manoeuvred on the first leg and kept Columbia between Sceptre and the breeze. Columbia stayed in front to the half-way mark, smashing through the heavy seas to leeward and gliding smoothly down wind. As the British challenger started on the third leg of the course she lost her Genoa jib, and she lost more ground as her crew feverishly rigged a substitute.

Only about 100 spectator boats saw Columbia cross the finishing line. The Coastguard had warned that the sea was rough and dangerous, and many spectators stayed away.