THE AMERICA CUP

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 118, 18 April 1934, Page 6

THE AMERICA CUP

The launching of a British yacht to challenge the United States for the America Cup is an event of interest not alone to yachtsmen. There is a keen fascination in the effort of a sportsman to win the highest prize attainable, and in seeking the America Cup the fortunes of Mr T. 0. M. Sopwith, the owner of the new yacht Endeavour, will be followed with interest and the good wishes of all British people. Since the famous schooner America crossed the Atlantic in July, 1851—the first yacht to do so in either direction—and won the cup for a race round the Isle of Wight against fourteen other yachts, fourteen attempts have been made to bring the trophy back to England. The best known to-day are those of the late Sir Thomas Lipton, whose Shamrock Y failed in 1930 to win the success so dearly cherished by a great sportsman. That British yachtsmen have failed against the American defenders of the cup has been largely explained by the severity of the handicap imposed by the race conditions. Not the least of these is the obligation to give the challenger’s length and rig months befoi'e the contest. The boat too must cross the Atlantic to American waters under its own sail, a condition which requires strength to withstand severe weather and adaptation for yacht racing. To combine these qualifications is a most difficult feat, and it was generally held that the Shamrock Y was so strained by the voyage to America that it lost something of the speed displayed before it left England. New rules have been announced for this year’s' races. The challenger is given the right to substitute another yacht for the one originally named, if 60 days’ notice is given. This to a certain extent will overcome the previous disability of a yacht not fulfilling expectations but yet being compelled to compete against the defender should the challenge be fulfilled. The American boat is selected from several'which participate in trials, and in this respect it has a considerable advantage over one that must cross the Atlantic to sail against it. Four years ago the rules were modified to provide that the two boats should be of the same rating, removing the advantage hitherto held by_ the American defender of flimsiness of construction —it could be very lightly built because it need not go far from its home base. Again, sailing conditions are said to be quite different on each side of the Atlantic and these must be studied by the British designers. The modification mentioned did not materially assist Sir Thomas Lipton, so it will be of interest to see if the latest alterations will in any way lessen the disability British yachtsmen face in trying to win the cup.