THE AMERICA CUP

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17236, 16 April 1930, Page 12

THE AMERICA CUP

NEW SHAMROCK TO EE LAUNCHED THIS WEEK If everything goes along without a hitch, Sir Thomas Tipton's Shamrock \ should be launched one day this week from the yards of Messrs. Camper and -Nicholson, at Gosport-, where she is being built to the design of Mr. 0. R -Nicholson. For about a fortnight after launching she will lie off the yards while the fitting-out is being completed and her mist hoisted and rigged. About the ' end of this month she should lie ready for tuning up in the Solent. After this the challenger will leave to lake part in legaltas, the first of which is that of the Royal Harwich Yacht Club at Harwich on May 17 and 19. At the end of this fixture the big yachts, including Shamrock V, will race to Southend for a furl her series of regattas to be held on May 21 and 22. The clubs which have their- headquarters about the Solent have arranged ii special series of regattas from May 29 to dune 9, during which period if is hoped that Sir Thomas’ new ship will race against the King's Brittania, White Heather, Lulwortli, Candida, .Cambria, and possibly Westward and Astra. The races will be under the burgees of the Royal Yacht Squadron, Royal Thames, Royal London, Royal Victoria, Royal Southern, and Lymington Yacht clubs. Towards the end of June the fleet will visit Ireland, and afterwards proceed to the Clyde Fortnight, which this year will he from Julie 27 to July 8. At the conclusion of this fortnight Shamrock V will he jury rigged and will sail for the United States. fl One of the reasons suggested fin- the failures of pievious Shamrocks was lack of sailing practice before crossing the Atlantic to meet the American defenders. Whether this is true or not, there will lie no possibility of saving Hie same of Shamrock V, for by the time she reaches the United States both she and her crew will have had enough practice to be at the top of their form. THE NEW SHIP For obvious reasons it is necessary that the leading features oil 'Shamrock V should be kept a secret. No one -but the designer knows her dimensions, and no one else, will know until she lias beeii officially measured in New York before tlie contest. . ■ , So far no details of the vessel have been made known. All that can be s»id is that she is a Bermuda-rigged cutter of auout 76ft. in length, hayng a centreboard, but no bowsprit, and a 150 ft. mast. Strictly, all that is accurately known is that Mr. O. R Nicholson has designed a Bermuda-rigged cutter under the Universal Rule of the New York Yacht Club, to that club’s new J class, rating 76ft. It is difficult to explain the details of the formula, as it is very complex, but 1 a J class cutter-is allowed to lie >f any length between 75ft. and 87ft. The rating also includes a measurement of' sail area, and there are restrictions on the length, draught, form of bow aid stern, displacement, and other points. Any “excess" in any dimension is penalised to bring the, vessel to a rating of ! 76f,t. by reducing the amount of permis- ' sibie sail. A designer may choose any length within the. limits laid down and any shape of vessel, hut he must produce a yacht of 76ft. rating according to the rule. 'Rlie conditions of a contest for the American’s Cup that the challenger shall name, his vessel 10 months before flic contest, and that he must sail the races with that vessel. The holders are.not obliged to name the defender until “the time agreed upon for a start.” Four potential defenders, financed by wealthy American syndicates, are under construction in the United States. It has. been arranged to sail tligyp vessels in a series of test races during the period July 7 to 19. After this t.hov will all be omraged in the annual regatta held by the New York Yacht Club. Then, between August 20 and August 30, a second series of final races will be sailed off Newport, Rhode Island, the locality in which the contest for the Cup will he decided. The four boats have not yet been named, probably so that a fitting name may lie given to the selected defender, but they have been allotted numbers. The vessel which has been designed by Mr, Clinton Crane is No. 1, the Paine ship is No. 2, the Herreshoff design No. 3, and Hie Burgess craft No. 4. The first race will lie sailed on September 13, and the contest will be continued on successive week-du|vs until one vessel has won the majority of seven races. The challenger and defender will sail oil level terms, there being no handicap or time allowance of any sort. ’1 ho system of starting in use in Australia will he adopted, the time limit on each r;ice being 5> hours. The courses are alternately 15 miles to windward and return, leeward and return, and triangular course of 10 miles each side. THE SKIPPER Captain Ernest Heard has been appointed sailing master of Shamrock V. Captain Heard, who is 50 years of age, served in the 23-mctro Shamrock, as a hand, and bis first command of | any consequence was the 12-metro Noresea, which did well under his handling. In

1928 lie. was given charge of the Astra-, but. the deatft of ,herowner caused the vessel’? withdrawal from.the racing fleet. Oaptaju Heard,. however, had shown,hipiself to be at least equal to the other skippers he sailed against. Sir Thomas, Lipton will .not fit out the 23-metre Shamrock (she bears no number, as she. was not ..built ..for the America’s Cup) for. the .coming season. Shamrocks I, 11, ,111, , and Iy H wjuch were.all specially built for the America S Cup contests,, have been broken Up,_ buttfie Shamrock pas raced, ui. Bj;it\sli waters since 1908, has won, m al| 127 first prizes. She is. not eligible af a challenger for the America's Cup; as she was built to the International Rule, and, riot to any of the rules whifcli havjj from time to time obtained for the America’s Cup. y . The tropliy -which is kribwh as the America’s Cup was in the first place a prize offered by tjie Royal Yacht Squadron in 1851 for a race open to any yacht round the Ifde.of Wight. It was won.by the schooner America, and the cup was presented .by the schooner's owners to the New York. .Yacht-. Club to hold-as a challenge trophy. .Thirteen contents, have been, sailed, hut the Clip has never left the United States. , . lVil Sir Thqmgs Liptpn’s attempts, to, wip the tropliy extend over a period .of.more than ,30 years,, The first shamrpck was beaten by . Colupilnji. in l°s?>,.Yhd tnq same vessel also hqat .Shaqirock II in ltjOl- Reliance heat Shamrock 111 ip 1903, and Resolute. beat Shamrock IV in 1920. Tlie challenge for the last, races was issued in 1913 with the intention that the contest'should take place in 1914, hut owing -to, the war the races were postponed until 1920. {i