OCEAN RACE CLASSIC.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20000, 16 July 1920, Page 6

OCEAN RACE CLASSIC.

history of challenges. AMERICA’S SUCCESS. Tiio history of the America’s Cup is a story of the unbroken success '•of American yachtsmen. Tile initiation of the event* dates back to 1851, when the schooner yacht America, owned 1 y several American yachtsmen, was seat to London, England, as an exhibit of fore-and-aft vessels built in America. Her owners ohallenged all comers and finally entered the Yankee craft in a regatta for a cup which had been offered for yachts from all nations. Sixteen yachts started in this amtest on August 22, 1851. The start was from Cowes, Isle of Wight, and the course sailed was around that island. The starting gun was fired at 10 a.m., and at 8.35 p.m. the America came to anchor off Comes, winning the race and prize, which ever since has been known as the America’s Cup. The Aurora, the smallest yacht in the race, finished second, hcaten by eighteen minutes actual time. Six years later, on July 8, 1857, tin owners of the America, J. C. Stevcis Edwin A. Slovens, Hamilton W.tires J. Beckman Finley and George J. Schuyler, presented the Cup to tin New York Yacht Chibpxto be held a a perpetual international yachtin £ trophy. In October, 1868, James Ashbury, o: the Royal Thames Yacht Club. London England, challenged for the Cup, but owing to some disagreement as to tlu terms, he did not race for it until 1870 when he came across the Atlantic it his schooner yacht Cambria m at ocean race against James Gordon Ben nett’s Dauntless from the Old lieac of Kinsale to Sandy Hook Lightship Cambria beat Dauntless in the occai race by over an hour. The con ditions for the first contest for th< America’s Cup in these waters wore tin same which governed, the race again si a fleet of yachts which America w-ci around the Isle of Wight. Cambris had one race against the whole Now York Yacht Club fleet. It was sailor over the old New York Yacht Club course, from off Stapleton, 5.1., fo anJ around the Sandy Hook Lightship, and return. Fifteen schooners competed, the start being at 11.20 a.m., Vugust 8, 1870. Magic won, heating Idler, tin second yacht, by eleven minutes, America finished fourth in this event, and Cambria, the challenger, finished in tenth place, over thirty-nine minutes behind the winner. THE LIVONIA TRIES. In 1871 Air Ashbury returned wife a new schooner, Livonia, while the New York Yacht Club selected four schooners, Columbia, Sappho, Palmer and Dauntless, as defenders in a series of four out of seven races. Columbia, a light weather boat, won the 'first race, on October 16, by 27min 4soe, corrected time. Two days later Columbia again was the.victor. On the following day Columbia lost her flying Jib stay and broke her steering year ca tho run home, Livonia winning "by lOsec. Sappho was selected as the defender in the fourth race, on October 21, and beat Livonia by SOmin Msec. On October 23 Sappho again defeated the challenger by 25min 27sec, ending the scries. CANADIAN CHALLENGES. Tne Royal Canadian Yacht Chib was the next challenger with the schooner V° u . nt < ss Huftorin. The schooner -Uacleline was chosen to meet her and cu August 11, 1876, beat the Canadian yacht by nearly 11 minutes. The Penes, two out of three, was finished nio following day, Madeline winning by 27 minutes 14 seconds. Canada also furnished the next challenger m 1881. This was the sixty-the-toot sloop Atalanta, the first single sticker to _ try for the cup. After severa. trial races Mischief, an iron sloop, was chosen to defend the trophy. This she successfully accomplished in two races, November 9 and, 10, 1881, winning the first by 2SJ minutes and the second by over 34 minutes. The British cutter Gcnesta a ninetyfooter owned by Sir Richard Sutton, of tho Royal Yacht Squadron, was the next challenger, and the Puritan, a Boston boat, beat her in two s'uccessive races, September 14 and 16, 1885. Lieutenant William Hcnn, of the Royal Navy, brought over the 90-foot cutter Galatea in 1886, but she was beaten ,by_ the Mayflower, a Boston sloop. This was a contest between centreboard and keel. Mayflower won tho first race,' September 7, 1886. by I. minutes, and four days later beat Galatea more decisively by over 16 minutes. Tho Thistle, a Scotch cutter, owned by Vico Commodore Bell, of Royal Clydi Yacht Club, came over the following year, 1887. An improved Mayflower, the Volunteer, was specially designed and built to defend the cup this year, as Thistle lad done wonders in British waters. Volunteer, a steel sloop, won two straight, however, the first on September 27, 1887, by 19 minutes 231 seconds, and three days later the second by 11 minutes 37‘J seconds. DUNRAVEN’S DEFEATS. Thoro was a lapse of six years before another challenge came. Tliis time Lord Dunravcn’s Valkyrie 11. was tho visiting cralt. Four yachts were built for tho honour of defending the cup, but Vigilant was chosen. Three out of five races were to be won, and Vigilant took three successively—the first on October 7, 1893, by 5 minutes 48 seconds corrected time, and the second by 30 minutes 35 seconds, while she had only iv margin of .40 seconds, corrected time, in the third race on October 13. Lord Dunravcn tried again in 1895 with Valkyrie 111., but with no better icsult. The American byat Defender won tho first race by 8 minutes 49 seconds corrected time. Valkyrie 111. won the second apparently by 47 seconds, but was disqualified for fouling Defender at tho start. In tho third race Valkyrie 111. crossed tho starting line, but immediately abandoned the race. Lord Dunravcn stated that the reason he quit was tho failure of the New York Yacht Club to comply with his request for a guaranteed dear course, so that a foul such as occurred in the second race could be avoided. Defender sailed over the course alone, and so won all three contests. Lord Dunravcn accused the New York Yacht Club and the manager of the Defender of trickery. This charge was investigated and disproved, and Valkyrie's owner ceased to bo a guest of American yachtsmen. LI ETON’S INITIAL EFFORT. Sir Thomas Tipton made his initial effort to lift the America’s Cup in tho fall of 1899 with Shamrock. A new American boat. Columbia IT, was selected to keep the trophy on the American side of tho Atlantic, and she defeated the visiting sloop three straight. The first race took place October 16, 1899, and Shamrock was beaten by 10 minutes 8 seconds corrected time. The next day Columbia 11. won again, finishing alone, as Shamrock withdrew after carrying away her topsail. The third and decisive race took place October 20, and the Yankee yacht outsailed her rival bv 6 minutes '34 seconds corrected time. Sir Thomas built another challenger Shamrock 11. for the 1901 series in which the Americans again pinned their faith to Columbia. Three races were sailed, and once more Sir Thomas Tipton was a triple loser. On September 28 the Irish yacht lost by 1 minute and 20 seconds. Tho other' two races were sailed ««< October 3 and 4. Golum-h'-i by margins of 3 min-