GREAT SAILING RACE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19999, 15 July 1920, Page 6

GREAT SAILING RACE.

THE AMERICA’S CUP. POINTS OF INTEREST. The first oi the series of three races for the America’s Cup. the world’s premier yacht racing trophy, will bo sailed to-day. The following article, contributed by Mr W. J. Henderson, contains some interesting information regarding the intricacies of timing, technique of tho flying start, and many other points in sailing which puzzlo the younger generation. Seventeen years have elapsed since a race for the America’s Cup took place. In that lime a. new generation of sport lovers has grown up, most of whom never saw a yacht race and have no idea, of what such a contest is. Of there has been considerable lacing of sailing yachts during those seventeen years, but, it has attracted no general public interest, and probably no ono but yachtsmen has read the stories of the cruises of the New York Yacht Club or those of the lively contests for the Goelet Cup off Newport. Ixmg distance yacht racing, which used to stir the general public, has fallen into disfavour, and l it is emy the old time yachtsman whose blood begins, to course more rapidly through his veins when he hears of tho possibility of n. contest for the Capo May or Brenton Beef trophy, while tho mere rumour of a future Sight across the western ocean gives him a sleepless night. But a. battle for the America’s Cup, of which even the name is frequently given incorrectly, is an international affair and creates a widespread public interest. Thousands of people who never saw a. yacht race will read about these, but many of them will find themselves in deeper water than the yachts. TIME ALLOWANCE MUZZLES. A race of two yachts differs fiom that of two horses in one important; particular. The first ono over the finish line does not necessarily wm. In a broad sense it might he said lliui the one which makes the best time over tiie course does win, but tho computation of the “ best time ” includes the inevitable time allowance, and that in tho thing which puzzles so many sport lovers. Time allowance in yacht racing is a system of handicapping, and :I o use of tho handicap is made essential because the contestants are not of the same size in every particular- Eire plays a very important part in the speed of sailing yachts. A schooner 100 ft long, for example, even t.iough clumsily built and none <OO cleverly handled, would ho sure to beat cno 25ft long. If, therefore, two yachts of different dimensions are to be pitted against one another the question arises how to penalise the bigger one so as to make her practically the equal of the smaller and thus throw the result of tho contest on the handling. When it conies to determining the handicap to be applied to yachts of almost tho same size, every factor which enters into tho production or speed must he taken into consideration. The principal ones are length (measured on the water line), breadth and sail area. The rule used hy the New York Yacht Club for computing tho measurement of a yacht cu which her time allowance (either given or received) is to be calculated is derived from a long and careful study of the relations of these factors. A mathematical formula, has been deduced from which tho time allowance is determined, and this formula seeks to express in scientific terms the values of length, beam and sail urea. It is not necessary for the general sport lover to learn the rule. All that he needs to know is its application. But it is interesting to know how the designers strive to boat the rule. Their continual effort is to build vessels which shall have immense sail area on a small water lino, or great newer with moderate sail area. In the former case they are always obliged to consider just how fur they can go lest they tax tneir own product, so henvi|v for sail spread that the otmmy with a bigger and more powerful hull will actually receive instead of give allowance. FLYING START IS IDEAL. Tho spectator at a yacht race, if not acquainted with the intricacies of timing, will find that he is often puzzled to decide which is the winner, even when he has learned the application of time allowance. Two yaclit.s cannot ho started off as two track athletes can from a mark. Neither can they bo sent away at the drop of a flag like horses. Ihc reason is that they have to be started while they are sailing. In certain long distance races yachts can be started from their anchorages and opportunity is thus given for "an exhibition of smart seamanship in getting up “mud hooks,” breaking out head sails and getting under way. But this kind of start is rarely used. It makes room for tho operation of too many dements not related to ihc comparative speed of (ho yachts. The flying start is the customary type, and it makes tho conditions as nearly ideal as possible. The casual spectator will see something ]iko this: The committee boat will anchor somewhere in iheneighhourhood of a fixed mark, which in the races off handy Hook is usually tho Ambrono Channel light vessel. The lino between this fixed mark and the committee boat is the starting line, and the first course over which yachts must sail is at right angles to it. The determination of the direction of this .course rests with nature. In other words, tho course is decided h v the wind. If the race is to be fifteen miles to windward or leeward and return, the committee, having ascertained the’trim direction of the wind, lays the course either “into tho wind’s eye,” as the sailors say, or so that the breeze will blow straight away from the starting lino towards the turning point. ]f the course is to he triangular, the starting lino must be at right angles to tho first leg of the triangle. In this case it becomes necessary to make a new finish lino which shall run at right angles to the final course of the three. The shift ing of the committee boat to a new bearing from the fixed mark accomplishes this. These preliminaries having .been settled, the committee hoi&t.C* some code signal flags to inform the ‘contestants what tho course is. Li the case of a triangle ::fie sends up throe

strings, which are read from forward toward the stern, each string- representing a side of tho triangle. Presently she fires a gun or blows a whistle, according the published rules of the dav, and shows the preparatory signal. This means that after the interval set forth in the rules, say five _ minutes, the starting signal will bo given. The I timers on the racing yachts iceep ac- | curate note of the passage of iho interval. MANOEUVRING FOR POSITION. The contestants have been cruising around anywhere in the neighbourhood with their principal sails set. They now begin to manumvre for position in j crossing the line. If the first course j is to windward, each skipper hopes to j cross the lino to windward r-f tho - other. If one of these big sloops can get between her opponent and tho wind she may block off from the enemy’s mainsail so much of the breeze that she herself can make a valuable gam. The spectator will note that sometimes the contestants cross tho starting fine dose together, and often far apart, in the latter case he may bo sure that tho skipper of the second yacht has found that 1 ceeping well away from the icadw was the only way of avoiding an unfavourable position. The niceties of ! getting a good start are so many that only long experience in watching yacht races will reveal all of thorn to the observe!. ‘ But one thing tho veriest tyro can see and that is the apparent loitering ,of the yachts until tho last minute and then the sudden outburst of additional Bail and the swift rush to the lino. It requires judgment to manage this thing just right, for if a yacht gets over the lino before the starting signal she must turn around and go hack and cross it again, and that may subject her to a bad handicap, for the yachts are allowed a certain interval to doss tho lino and if either crosses after that, she Is timed as having crossed at the end of the interval. For example, the preparatory signal is given at 10.50, the starting at 10.55 and the handicap at 10.57. If a yacht goes over before 10.55 and has to turn back, she may not succeed in getting over again before 10.58. But she is credited with' having started at 10.57 and her lime over the course is reckoned from that minute. The sailing master therefore has to calculate how long it will take him to reach the lino from any place ho may he. His timer calls off the quarter minutes till the last minute begins and then he calls off the seconds. The thing has not infrequently been so well done that the bowsprit ■ of the yacht pokes itself over the line just as the as the starring signal is given. But as long as a contestant Sets over within the handicap limit her actual time over the course is taken. lime is taken at turning points, but lias no relation to the result. The newspaper stories of tho races make note ot such times for the purpose of showing how much one yacht beat the other on some particular point of sailing. Suppose the race io be fifteen miles to windward and letum. We should have this kind of a record for Uio first Jog. Start, American, 11:00:58 (meaning that she went over the line at ob seconds after eleven o’clock); tnghsh. 11:01:09 Outer mark, Amoiican, 1:00: 06 ; English, 1:01:50. This uould show that tho American champion had occupied 1 hour 60 minutes 08 seconds, and the English 2 hours no minutes_ 41 seconds in making the beat to windward, and that, ihereoro, m tins thrillingly dose contest cond“ mCriCUn bad gained just 41 scThe timing at tho finish tells the result ot tlie race and it is yust this which seems to confuse tho inexpert, observer of nautical _ contests. But there is really nothing complicated about tho matter. Tho reader of this article should be able easily to understand that two points aro to bo considered: First, how long did it take each yacht to sail over tlie course, and, second, how much time did one of them have to allow'the other? 'Jho time occupied in sailing over the course is called elapsed time and is computed naturally b Y the interval between the time at tho start ami the time at the finish. When that is ascoriainod tlie time allowance of the yacht receiving it is deducted from her elapsed time and the result is her corrected time. If the elapsed time cl the allowing yacht is tho smaller, sue wins. If the corrected time of the yacht receiving allowance is tho smaller, she wins, and that is tho whole matter. Those details are set forth in a table, thus:— Cor* Start. .Finish. -Elapsed, reeled. Amo-’ hj. ni. s, hj. m. s. li. m. s. hj. ra. s. HHoT” ‘ i 105 27 3 20 15 4 14 48 4 44 48 British . 11 04 is 3 49 og 3 j 5 04 444 49 io iilustrate the meaning of such a tnble the British yacht has been a ” corded an alldwance of 42 seconds. She ;T, oSßcd 1 ■« lino 1 minute and Ji seconds in the lead and finished 3(i .ceomls ahead. But her elapsed time was 00 seconds greater than that of ctni' , ’T Ca r U , yilcl,fc ’ which therefore actually beat her over the course by but margin. However, the AnmricS bad to concede 42 seconds, by which amount the racing time of the Unten bad to bo dmumsied, so that she won by b seconds.