SHAMROCK'S RIVAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15221, 20 May 1920, Page 4

SHAMROCK'S RIVAL.

: ♦ MASTERPIECE QF YACHT DESIGNING. Writing from New, York, a Scotsman correspondent gives some particulars of the Resolute, < the . Herreshoff-designed yacht,- which, he says, is Shamrock IV-'s 'probable opponent for the, America Cup. Variltie, designed by Mr. Williarii ■ .'Gardner of &ew York, is not yet eliminated as a possible defender, but Ariiorican yachtsmen favor ; Resolute. - , Resolute and Vanltie sailed about '400 miles during their season's racing 'tn ; 1914, and came out with an even .record of t speod, averaging 9.12 minutes per mile. Resolute, however, displayed a superiority in Windward work, which, of course,' is a .'determining factor 1n a racing boat'.H success. The two were about equal in reaching, "arid- Vahitie was soiriewhat better ;ln running. ' . . ; The Herreshoff boat has. proved hersew an exceedingly slippery boat to Windward in all kinds of weather, and a good performer In. , all conditions- of wind and sea. She sails well, under hard driving, especially to windward in a confused sea. '"■'.' ijr vanttie Is "fast "-lii light- aire, a good performer, in moderate winds and sea, but thus far has proved a hard bqat to drive at high, speed. Under such conditions she .pulls '.up ;a pronounced wave, and drags perceptibly as the breeze increases. This fault is attributed to the boat being too full aft below tlie water-line,--and too flue above. Both Resolute And Vahitie are built of brohse. The Ilerreshoff boats shows finer workmanship, artd a greater saving of weight in details of construction. The dimensions of Vanitle are given at 118, feet over all, about 22 feet G inches beam. 13 feet 9 Inches draught, and 74 feet 9 inches waterline. Resolute riiay be described as a big little boac She is but 108 feet over all. Moderate in all her dimensions, alio Is by far. the niost skilfully-designed yacht yet turned out under the present American .rule, in ds much as she is not only a flue average permonrier, but, as " the smallest boat of th. four built in 1914 for Cup honors on both sides, is in a position to. take all the time allowance possible. This is. a vital factor in tlie situation. • While Shamrock iv. may be able' to "outsail Resolute boat for boat, and should do ; so easily in : strong- 'breezes, this factor of time allowance is one that Herreshoff ap- , pears to have anticipated and to have handled with a skill that may account for the present work reported to-be in ; progress on Shamrock IV. i A ll , design. Resolute is quite unlike either Vanitie or {Shamrock IV., except in one feature in which she resembles the latter. This _is in the stern, which is broad, arid has a cut-off stem-board differing- from Shamrock's "in the fact that it hn s some rake while the challenger's Isplumb. „ , v '.••".-•' • in the shape of her keel, Resolute differs widely from Shamrock. Her lead fin is nut 15 feet long on the bottom, with a corresponding induction in lateral plane ( and veiy much less wetted surface' (it may be remembered, that the lead keel of Shamrock IV. was originally, 30 feet long:); „ •• .'• ' • In breadth and draught the two American boats do not differ greatly, and with the walerline length restricted, by the terms of the match, to 75 feet, all three boats- may be .counted on to float at about 74ft. J) in., . , ,