One Ton Cup a misnomer

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32539, 24 February 1971, Page 12

One Ton Cup a misnomer

'THERE are a number of misnomers about the One Ton Cup yachting series, which begins at Auckland tomorrow. The cup certainly does not weigh 22401 b, nor do the yachts which will be taking part in the contest. In fact, One Ton Cup is only an Anglicised name which resulted from the trophy originally being at stake in competition between boats matching up to the one ton class rule. Its official title, when donated by a group of Paris Sailing Club members, was La Coupe Internationale du Cercle de la Voile de Paris. The cup was carved by a French goldsmith from a 221 b block of solid silver. It was first competed for in 1899, when the French craft, Belouga, skippered by Eugene Laverne, held off the British challenger, Vectis, at Meular. Until 1906 the contests were virtually match races between the top one-

tonners of Britain and France, each nation gaining three wins. In 1907 the international racing rules were formulated and the One Ton Cup was assigned to the sixmetre class. Other European countries immediately began to take an interest and Germany won the initial new-style series against the representatives of France, Britain, Belgium and Spain. Three years later Sweden achieved the first Scandinavian victory, a portent of events to come. But before Sweden and Norway took control, Britain established a record of six consecutive triumphs in the years just before and after World War I. The ornate trophy reThe ornate trophy rested in France, uncontested, in- 1963 and 1964 before the commodore of the Cercle de la Voile de Paris, Jean Paytel, and the leading British yachtsman and del

signer, John Illingworth, were instrumental in having it revived under a Royal Ocean Racing Club limit of 22ft.

The German yacht, Optimist, gained two consecutive wins, the second by a narrow margin over Rainbow 11, the first New Zealand entry in this prestige contest. Rainbow 11, with C. B. Bouzaid again at the helm, returned to Heligoland in 1969 to relieve the Germans of their most prized yachting possession. Bouzaid and his great rival, Hans Beilken, are to match wits once more at Auckland, but Rainbow II and Optimist will be missing. Beilken has brought .the new 40ft Optimist B to ’this couiitry for the series while Bouzaid will be directing operations on its aluminium sister-ship, WaiAniwa. Auckland has the distinction of being only the second cup venue away from European waters, the other having been Long Island Sound (United States), where the Swiss boat, Ylliam VIII, won in 1953.