BECALMED

Evening Post, Issue 67, 17 September 1934, Page 9

BECALMED

AMERICA CUP YACHTS

FIRST RACE UNFINISHED

TIME LIMIT EXPIRES

United Press Association—H.v Electric Tclc>

graph—Cojij-rlelit.

iVEWPOET, September 15.

After five and a half hours' splendid sailing by Mr. Harold Vauderbilt's Rainbow, with the yacht half a mile froiu the finishing line and a mile ahead of the Endeavour, calm prevented the finishing of the first race in the America Cup series in tho prescribed time, and the race was declared no contest. The defender and challenger will meet again on Monday.

At tho start of the contest thero was a seven-mile south-east breeze, but the sea was remarkably smooth. Handling the American yacht as if it were a toy in his hand, Vanderbilt beat the Endeavour by a minute at the start, but Sopwith was in hot pursuit. It was cither's race for a time. Then came a tacking duel with Genoa jibs on large single headsails carried to Tho Endeavour'a crew could not sheet the Genoa as fast as the Eainbow 's with its great coffee-grinder winch to raise the Genoa sheet in a hurry. Tho Rainbow gained an additional 1 minute 46 seconds of lead in ihe last four miles. In the calm the craft drifted a little.

Sirs. Sopwith sailed as timekeeper. She is the first woman ever listed as a member of a crew in an America Cup race. She later acted as observer of the Rainbow, and did her job well. •A great flotilla, including the Nournahal carrying President Eoosevelt, watched the'contest. Lines 30 miles to windward and leeward of tho co.urso were patrolled by coastguard cutters and naval destroyers. For the.fifteenth time in 64 years n\ representative of Great Britain is dial- j longing to regain the famous trophy, I states a British official wireless message. Saturday's race was the first of a series of seven to be sailed over alternative courses of 30 nautical miles. The yacht which wins four of these seven wins the cup. The _ maximum time allowed for completion, of. tho course in each race is 54 hours, and racing will continue eaeli clay until a decision is reached.