The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-09-21
VIeTLANT-rALkYn1p CALCULATIONS.
which win w,n In the ere., Contest,


To THE EDITOR OF THE suN-Sir, Your cor
respondent, d. W. B.. writes very interestingly
In THE Sun this morning concerning yiRilant
and Valkyrle's respective chances. More than
that. he writes encouragingly There is only
one point at which he fears for our success he
thinks that should they meet under "circum-
stances favorable for very high speed as L. to
Is Knots. such as reaching IN a strong breeze"
italics mine) We may lose. But 1t is beyond
peradventurc fortunately for u.s. that OF all
points OF sailing. reaching In n strong breeze
is tho one where form OF hull counts for least
AS ls SAID. a log or n canal boat will roach Ike
the =. Indeed. We have before our eyes
glazing example OF this very fact Navahoe
brings back with her u cup which she literally
reached for. She reached 100 miles In n
hard breeze against better boat and beat her;
then she had 10 turn to windward with her
about two miles ton account OF the mark boat
having been shifted and was beaten. Fortu-
nately the committee. with strict fair minded
ness, set the line back where 1t should have
been and gave tho race to Navahoe ] DO not
think we need fear Nalkyre in hard reach.
Meanwhile. d. W. b. appeals to the ex-
perience OF Minerva against 1.iris and Toma-
hawk "a showing. and 1t Is doubtless the fact.
that 1t is not always possible TO put power
enough on boat q hard form to drive her as
FORM" and he says very truly that Minerva
had much less sail than Iris and yet beat the
latter in practically every try" Take. for
example. tho fist Corinthian Sweepstakes
(sailed Off Newport on u triangular course OF
thirty nautical III les Aug. 10. $780, In which
eight fortyfooters started. including Mi
nerva. Liris. Tonahawk. Gorilla, tc. Minerva
had 200 square feet of canvas against Liris,s
5,VOO square feet, Il difference Of 10 per cent
understood: Lirs was the exponent Of power:
Minerva beat Liris. boat for boat. y minutes II
seconds lby corrected time she boat her ~
minutes ~ seconds. In the windward work
Eight ana third nautical miles! she beat
tho run OF eight and a third nautical miles
she similarly beat her about. two minutes;
and on the third leg. eight and, q third
NAUTICAL miles. it benza hard reach. Ilrls
oeat Minerva on ELAPSED time rye seconds IN
the front IN reaching. ,,
with all Difference l think that the real
problem which stands for Nigiiants solving IS
somewhat different. md to make II guess at it
Is about as follows:
Nalkyrie will receive something OF time al
area over hers 4. 100 square feet. that is, as
sum1ing their water-l!ne lengths to be suDstan.
factor against us Also yalkyrie will probably
run visiant little; This has been the s9mmon
nearer approach to a. wed ge form, steers
steadier before the wind land sufficiently SO to
than the centreGoarder The tendency to yaw
being less in thu eel boat apparently results in
the eentreboarder travelling over more water
and mainsail more frequently. with. as a net
result some advantage in running to the keel
ably constant factor in favor of Valkyrio.
Now some portion Of these two gains on
III viii ps ess met I'M the s ss
gain on the reach home. and we must offset
them In all the races by such gain as Eigilant
n nnE In Ina ytNIr al hat 10
Sieilant must point high while travelling fast.
she will probably fetch Approximately where
tspeed for speed whom on the wind But how
much will this windward ga in be? There is
a. interesting n problem now being worked ort
look and fetch quarter OF a point nearer the
wind 4, means {. more gain as between two boats
between two boats IN the -four points OF the
wind" class. and the gain in distance tray
time at the wlndward mark-boco'nes less
and less. AS boats are designed and sails are
cut to 20 nearer ana nearer the wind.
Nigilant and Nalkyrie are probably both able |
to look within four points of the wind. We
hope and expect. that. speed for speed, Vigil
ter to half point better than Valkyrie.
The question is whether this gain-which |
Substantial amount Of time, at The windward
mark but which to-day. both boats being i'm |
over former competitors IN this |
and fewer seconds than it would have been |
formerly. will De sufficient. and moro than SUI |
ncient, to overcome the two trinng but APP |
roximately certain time factors which ex-
lst in Nakyre, favor. Prophecy is always |
foolish; but taking into consideration national
preludices. one may be pardoned for saving |
that it probably will be sufficient this time. |
even II it be not sufficient a year or two from |
now. when both the competitors will tie found. |
i improvement continues. looking and fetch |
ng within ga points Of the wind.
There are other elements OF course which |
ire perhaps more important than those dis
'nssed by d: W. i. or dealt with here They
lave to do with the relations OF displacement |
o sail area. ID. W. h. disrosss OF them by
bringing skin friction to the fore, hus in do
ne so it is doubtful whether he is wholly iusti-
led as naval architects generally c9ncede that
skin friction " becomes OF minor Importance
liter certain rate OF speed is passed The
Jroblem to-day Is estimated by many naval
to be rather question of ratio be-
ween displacemc MT and sail carrying capacity
han any other. whence ali this latter day talk
bout modified canoe FORM.
Probably We may regard the figures which
W. Is. gives. that Is. 80 square feet of can
as por ton of displacement for Niplant as
Igainst 6S for Val kyrie. as embodying our
nam opportunity Tor success. G. 5. d.
New YORK. Sept. 10. 1893.
thivalry sim Extant.