Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-02
How the Cup Defenders Are Being
Tuned Up"
PREPARING FOR THE FINAL RACES
Announcement by the America.
Cup Committee.
DATE FOR THE BIG CONTEST.

x,
| says the New York Times, and Gen. Paine
Is not alone in this respect The yachts are
being prepared for the trial races. which
VIII be sailed next week, and the owners
are thinking Of every possible way to make
the yachts sail faster than they already
have.
The Vigilant. the most successful, one of
the FOUR is hauled out at City Island. She
Is peing cleaned and all her spars AMI rig
sihg are being thoroughly overhauled and
al weak spots strengthened. She has a
new hollow boom made which measures
thlrty-two inches in diameter, but it is very
oouotrui whether 1t will be used, as these
HOLLOW booms buckle considerably.
The Vigilant.
Inc 'lgiiant Is the only purely centerboard
boat In the quartet. and for this reason
many patriotic yachtsmen and many who
are not yachtsmen wish to see her selected
70 defend the cup against the Valkyrie
Inc Vigilant Is regarded as the only true
type OF an American yacht. In the past the
contests between the American center
S Soaros ana the English deep-keel cutters
nave always proved interesting, and the
eenterboard has always had the hest Of n
Ihis ID the argument in favor of renewing
me contest on the same basis this year
snT ~ seems good one. The Vigilant has
an additional cost Of about SIS, 900. TobIn
bronze presents a smoother surface tlan
steel and does not corrode or get fouI so
.eaaiiy as steel This certainly gives her a
great advantage over the other yachts.
II mas been reported that the VigiIaot
measures eighty-eight feet on the water
nne, and as the agreement made with Lord
, Uun,aven STIMULATES that the defending
yacht snail not be more than s. 72 feet or,
the water line Vigilant will have 10 ha
hghtened considerably. Measurer Eyslon
OF the New York Yacht Club. bowsver
SAYS that ne has not measured the BOAT. so
mat any statement that she is eighty-eirht
Feet In length Is unofficial There seems 70
De some truth In the report however for
Capt. Ran Is the authority for the state.
ment that several tons of lead are to be
taken out. OF the Vigilant.
The Colonfa.
The Colonia, like the Vigiant WAS hu,,t
by the Herreshoffs. and is owned nv a ,vr-
dictate. Of which Mr.. Archibald Rogers is
the head. She is a deep-keel boat drawing
sixteen feet. and consequently is the clam
p!on OK all the cutter men in the country.
OF whom Commodore Robert Center of the
Of the leaders 80 "Ae
In the races during the cruise Colonia did
not do so well as the Vigtlant in vtind,ya "a
work. but could always run faster IN
Wndward work she sagged badly to lee
ward. The Colonia is now at Bristol. ana
APP. nan Is trying to turn her up SO that
she Will be able to give the Visilsnt n gooI
race next week, and perhaps beat her
Inc Colonia has had a new hollow boom
made and other hollow spars are heinz nra-
pared. 1t is said that in order to kesp her
from sagging when damned on rho viii
she is to he deepened An oak strin 60 70
De fastened on her keel and mora la.d
aaded she now draws sixteen feet. ana
with this addition she will probably draw
more than seventeen feet
The Jubilee.
The Jubilee is in Boston. She Is ma q,
the freaks. having a fin and two csn.or-
boards. The fin is boited onto the hun and
has a bulb of lead at the bottom. One ..n-
terboard drops through the fin AMI the
other is forward of the fin and is used 10
keep the boat from sagging Without ber
board down the Jubilee draws fourtecp
Feet Bostonians claim that she is as fist
as the Vigilant; but then Bostonians will
claim almost anything where their boats
are concerned. These yachtsmen from the
east say that II was only the Tobin bronze
that beat the Jubilee, and that when Cen
raihe mas put his thought into practice and
the jubilee Is cleaned and painted she will
defeat the New York centerboard boat Az
a result SO far Of the generals thinking
spreaders have been put on the mas, 10
Keep the rigging away from 1t when a man
goes a.oft and the jaws Of the gafr have
been strengthened. The sails are to be va
cut, and Will mt much better when she
comes here next week than when sre on
peared In the New York Yacht Club cruise
Zen. Paine has had some hard luck His
crew deserted him because, at their request
ne would not discharge Mate Miller A new
crew has been secured from some OF the
eastern yachts that have gone out of com
mission 1t appears that the men who
caused the trouble on the Jubilee were the
same who deserted from the Navahoe last
spring.
The Pilgrim.
~Ia
other freak. She is of the fin-keel type. and
draws twenty-five feet six inches. Her hull
proper draws only five feet; then there is
seventeen feet six inches Of fin. So far she
has been failure and a great disappoirt-
ment to her owners and designers They
are not discouraged, however and are 20
Ing to have another try to defeat the other
big ones. The members of the syndicate
owning the Pilgrim have agreed to put up
changes. and work will begin at once. 1t
Is proposed to add more lead to the bulb at
the bottom of the fin and so enable her to
carry more sail all around. She is to have
a new and longer boom, new bowspri.
and new topmaSt. With more sail the
friends Of the Pilgrim feel confident that
the boat will make a much better showing
A member OF the syndicate, 1t Is said,
after thinking deeply Of the advantages of
the Vigilants Tobin bronze bottom propos-
ed to electroplate that of the Pilgrim TO Sc
cure equal smoothness. He applied TO an
expert for information. and was told that
in order to do the job the navy yard dry
dock must be filled with the solution al
How the Americas Cup Committee
Propose to Select n Cup Defender.
The Americas cup committee Of the New
York Yacht Club, who have been busy for
some weeks past preparing the details for
the trial races to select a competitor to