Intrepid Cup Trials Pick

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31412, 4 July 1967, Page 17

Intrepid Cup Trials Pick

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

NEWPORT (Rhode Island).

Preliminary trials for the America’s Cup yacht races will begin on Thursday, with Intrepid, the infant of the group, favoured to win the defender’s berth from three other entries.

The races will start on September 12, with Australia hoping that the Dame Pattie will be the first to beat an American entry in the ocean race classic.

The last races were held In 1964, when Constellation beat the British yacht. Sovereign, in four straight races. American Eagle, which arrived on Sunday night under cover of the Newport Jazz Festival, is the only 12-metre yacht not scheduled for some drydock work this week. Intrepid, its trial horse Constellation, and Columbia are being taken from the water for three days.

NEW MASTS The hulls will be scraped and polished. New masts will be added to Eagle and Constellation. Intrepid which received a

new 87-foot aluminium mast on Friday, will continue to test it. Then it is back to water on Thursday for the start of the prelimi-'aries.

The defending champion, Constellation, American Eagle, which lost to Constellation in the 1964 trials, and the 1958 winner, Columbia, are given little hope of beating Intrepid.

TOP SKIPPER B. Mosbacher, who skippered Constellation three years ago and piloted Weatherly to victory over Australia’s Gretel in 1962, is at the helm of Intrepid. Dame Pattie will have a former United States contender for her trial horse. Nefertiti, a challenger in the 1962 and 1964 trials was chartered from her Massachusetts owners after the Gretel, soundly beaten in trials this year off Sydney, did not come to Newport. Dame Pattie, now being outfitted at Mamaroneck, New York, will be towed to Newport some time later this week and is expected to be ready for workouts by the week-end. She will have J. Sturrock at the helm.