AMERICA CUP CHALLENGE

Taranaki Daily News, 18 September 1934, Page 7

AMERICA CUP CHALLENGE

INCIDENT IN FIRST RACE

VESSELS LINING COURSE

THE ENDEAVOUR IMPEDED

PRESIDENT MAKES APPEAL

By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. Vancouver, Sept. 16.

As the Rainbow and Endeavour started on the homeward stretch in the first race for the America Cup on Saturday several vessels, notably the United States destroyer Manley, with movie cameramen aboard, interfered' with the challenger’s wind. The Endeavour was almost becalmed until President Roosevelt, from a nearby ship, wirelessed to the Manley to get out of the way. The impeding craft immediately headed away and the Endeavour showed a quick improvement. The first race of the series was indecisive, neither craft completing the course within the time limit. The second race will be on Monday. DETAILS OF THE CONTEST RULES FOR COMPETITORS. AMERICA’S MANY VICTORIES. The contests for the America Cup are being sailed nine miles south-east of the Brenton Reef lighthouse, off Newport, Rhode Island, 140 miles from New York. The contestants are Mr. Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith’s yacht Endeavour, representing the Royal Yacht Squadron, England,' and Mr. Harold Vanderbilt’s Rainbow, representing the New York Yacht Club. Both boats represent the latest ideas of the best brains in the yachting world of both countries, and are as complete as science and skill can make them in regard to sails, rig and design. Endeavour carries a crew of 22 men, all but four being amateurs, and art “afterguard” of seven or eight in addition. Endeavour is being sailed throughout the races by her owner, Mr. Sopwith, who has the assistance of his wife as timekeeper, also Mr. C. E. Nicholson, who designed the yacht, and Captain Williams, his professional skipper, who took her across to Newport. Mr. Vanderbilt has Sherman Hoyt and John Parkinson, two of the “afterguard” of Enterprise, winner of the last contest, also Mrs. Vanderbilt, and the yacht’s designer, Mr. W. Starling Burgess, and a professional crew. Contests will be continued daily all this week until one boat wins four races. There is no time allowance, both boats being off scratch, but the time limit of sailing is five hours. Endeavour - and Rainbow are almost identical in size, 128 ft -verall, 22ft beam and 15ft draught. The sail area is 7550 square feet. Both have 168 ft masts all in one piece, carrying the Bermuda rig of. mainsail, jib and staystail on the wind, with a huge spinnakennnd leading jib when going before it. * There have been 14 contests for the famous Cup, for whiph British yachtsmen have spent many millions in vain attempts to regain it. The following table gives the particulars of each race. In every contest the American-owned boat, which is given first, has,been the winner. Aurora was not a challenger in the first race, but she finished second. The owners were the challengers, the defending yacht being usually owned by a syndicate of members of the New York Yacht Club:— Year. Winner. Challenger. Owner. 1851 America Aurora L. Marchant 1870 Magic Cambria J. Astbury 1871 Columbia Livonia J. Astbury 1876 Madeleine Countess Canada Dufferin 1881 Mischief Atalanta Canada 1885 Puritan Genesta Sir R. Sutton 1886 Mayflower Galatea Lt. W. Henn, R.N. 1887 Volunteer Thistle J. Bell 1893 Vigilant Valkyrie 2 Ld. Dunrav’n 1895 Defender Valkyrie 3 Ld. Dunrav’n 1899 Columbia Shamrock 1 Sir T. Lipton 1901 Columbia Shamrock 2 Sir T. Lipton 1903 Reliance Shamrock 3 Sir T. Lipton 1920 Resolute Shamrock 4 Sir T. Lipton 1930 Enterprise Shamrock 5 Sir T. Lipton