Most successful challenger

Press, 23 September 1983, Page 32

Most successful challenger

NZPA Newport, Rhode Island No success like that of Australia H’s has been seen in the modern 12 metre era of America’s Cup racing. Three other yachts, all Australian, have won single races, but none has ever won two.

Further back in cup history though, there were two times when the New York Yacht Club’s defenders found themselves two races down.

Each time, threatened with imminent loss of the cup, they recovered after weather — and clever sailing — swung a vital race in their favour.

Sir Thomas Lipton, who tried five times to win the cup, came close only once. That was in 1920 when his Shamrock IV sailed against Resolute.

Then 13 years later another Englishman, T. O. M. Sopwith, found himself 2-0 up with Endeavour against the American defender

Rainbow. The fate of the cup has only ever depended on a single race once — in the third between Shamrock and Resolute.

Lipton won the first race of the best of five series when the defender’s mast broke, and was clearly superior in light breezes when it won the second race.

Then in the third race, Resolute revived in stronger breezes and led for all but the final leg.

Shamrock crossed the line ahead by 19 seconds but the margin was not great enough for the necessary handicap victory and Resolute easily won the next two races.

After one more try with Shamrock, Lipton quit cup racing. His successor as challenger was Sopwith, the British aeroplane maker who brought some aeronautical ideas to the huge J boat Endeavour.

It was a slippery yacht, and was sailed to two un-

complicated initial wins in the best of seven series. In the third race, Endeavour walked out in front of the defender Ranger, and by the first mark was leading by 6.39 minutes.

Then fate twisted the series away from Sopwith. The wind died away around Endeavour, and Ranger stole up from behind. Tacks by the challenger only killed more of its speed. Ranger slipped ahead to win that race and the next three.