AMERICA CUP RACE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 235, 17 September 1934, Page 9

AMERICA CUP RACE

Both Yachts Becalmed TIME LIMIT EXCEEDED By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright, NEWPORT, September 16. The first race for the America Cup was unfinished in the time limit. The Rainbow was estimated to have a lead near the finish line of half a mile. The wind did not exceed nine knots. This race is the first of a series of seven races to be sailed alternately over two courses of 30 nautical miles. The maximum time allowed for completion of each race is 5$ hours.

After five and a-lialf hours’ splendid sailing by Mr Harold Vanderbilt’s Rainbow the yacht was half a mile from the finish line and a mile ahead of the Endeavour. Calm prevented the finishing of the race in the prescribed rime and the race was declared no contest. The defender and challenger will meet again on Monday.

At the start of the contest there 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, Mr Vanderbilt beat the Endeavour by a minute at the start, but Mr T. O. M. Sopwith was in hot pursuit. It was either’s race for a time; then came the tacking duel. With its Genoa jibs on a large, single head, the sails being carried to windward, tho Endeavour’s crew could not sheet as fast as the Rainbow, with its great coffee-grinder winch to raise the Genoa sheet in a hurry. The Rainbow gained an additional one minute 46 seconds lead in the last four miles in a calm. The craft drifted a little.

Mrs Sopwith sailed as timekeeper. She is the first woman ever listed as a member of a crew in an America Cup race. Later she acted as observer of the Rainbow and did her job well. A. great flotilla, including the Nourmahal, carrying President Roosevelt, watched the contest.

Thirty miles to windward and leeward of the course was patrolled by coast guard cutters and naval destroyers.

Although Britain has been proverbially unlucky ner prospects in her 13 th attempt to win tho America Cup are brighter than they have been for many years. The challenger is the new yacht Endeavour, which is being sailed by her owner, Mr T. O .M. Sopwith. The defender is the Rainbow sailed by Mr H. Vanderbilt, and owned by a syndi cate of prominent American sportsmen. There are to be a series of seven races and the cup will be awarded to the first boat to secure four victories. The races will be held on succeeding week days with one intervening day of rest if required. The course will be in Block Sound, off Newport, with the starting and finishing linos nine miles south-east of Brenton Reef Lightship. The races will again be alternating ones, the first being 15 miles to windward and leeward and the second round an equilateral triangle of approximately 10 miles each side.

To prevent any possibility of a race developing into a drifting match the winning yacht must complete the course within five and a-half hours. In the event of a tie, such as occurred between Resolute and Shamrock IV. in 1920, the race will be resailed. Endeavour is a slightly bigger boat than Rainbow, being four feet longer overall and one foot longer on the waterline. Tho principal dimensions and' particulars of the two boats, those of Rainbow being mentioned first, arc:—Tonnage, 138, 143; overall length, 126.6 ft., 130 ft.; waterline length, 82, 83; beam, 21.9 ft., 22ft.; draught, 14.9 ft., 15ft.; sail area, 7555 square feet, 7550 square feet.

Both yachts represent the latest ideas in hull design and method of rigging. The rigging in particular shows a remarkable advance on those of former contestants for the cup. On both boats it has been evolved with the aid of aeronautical data and Rainbow has a streamlined mast and' chrome meta) shrouds.

Endeavour has given every indica tion of being an exceptionally fast boat and handled by Mr Sopwith, a yachtsman of proved capabilities, she is confidently expected 'to make a bold bid for the trophy which has been in American hands for 83 years.