WIN TO ENGLAND

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 18 September 1934, Page 5

WIN TO ENGLAND

Endeavour Beats Rainbow in First Event for America Cup SUPERIORITY IN RUN HOME MARGIN OF 131 SECONDS (United Press Association—By Electrio Telegraph Copyright.; Received noon to-day. VANCOUVER, Sept, 17. The second of the seven yach races for the America Cup at Newport, U.S.A., was,won by Mr. T. O. M.. Sopwith’s Endeavour, the English challenger, by a margin of 131 seconds, showing a marked superiority on the run home from the defender, Mr. H. Vanderbilt’s Rainbow.

After a poor start, which caused her to trail by 21 seconds to the windward mark, the Endeavour, in a demonstration of the fine sailing qualities and expert seamanship of her skipper and crew, made the run home in spectacular fashion against an obviously fast opponent. The Endeavour’s victory was only the fourth British:triumph in forty-one races in fifteen series, covering a period of 84 years. Mr Vanderbilt had out-manoeuvred the Sopwith on the 15-mile windward log of the 30-mile course, but with the wind astern the Britisher began to close the gap, and almost 20 minutes after passing the first mark went into a short lead, which it consistently increased.

The race was delayed 10 minutes as the Endeavour fouled her mainsail and was given a short postponement. The Rio inbow was away two seconds ahead of the Endeavour, which had to luff to clear a committee boat, and lost way. While the breeze seldom reached eight knots on Saturday, to-day the yachts raced into a sixteen-knot wind that fell somewhat, but freshened again to thirteen knots. To-morrow the vessels will race over a triangular course.

The late Sir Thomas Lipton made the race nautical history through his many ineffectual attempts to regain the trophy lost to England over 60 years ago. On© of the conditions of the race is that the challenger must sail the competing yacht across the Atlantic, eiteher to America or England, whichever country holds the trophy, and this condition has created in the minds of yachtsmen the thought that the odds would always b© in favour of the defender, owing to the fact that a type of vessel built to cross the Atlantic would need to be of a different class. The sea-going yacht must, of necessity,' be heavier in order to make the crossing. The Endeavour has a displacement of 143 tons, while- the Rainbow is 138 tons, a difference of five tons. ~ In the 12 races sailed as. trials before the Endeavour left England, the records show that when, the wind , was very light, Velsheda, Shamrock V. and His Majesty’s Britannia all headed the Endeavour, but when the breeze freshened she worked out ahead and all of her eight wins were gained in a moderate to fresh breeze. The first race of the 1893 contest was unfinished for the want of wind. Lord Dunraven’s Valkyrie 11. being ahead of the defender, Columbia, when it was called off. The contest in 1899 between Sir Thomas Lipton’s Shamrock I and Columbia was very trying. For 12 days there were fogs and light winds and it was the thirteenth day before they finished a race, Columbia winning by 10 minutes. In the first race of the last contest, between Shamrock V. and Enterprise, in 1930, fog and a light breeze delayed the start for over an hour, when a breeze set in, Enterprise winning by 2min. 40sec. The second race ivas sailed in a 10-mile breeze. Enterprise winning by 9min. 49sec. The third race was postponed owing to lack of wind, the yachts staying on their moorings. Next day the best breeze ,of the contest blew. An hour after the start, with Enterprise and Shamrock at close quarters on the wind, Shamrock’s main halliard parted and the big mainsail came down on deck. Shamrock retiring. The fourth and final race was won by Enterprise in a 10-mile breeze by 4min. -SOsec.