The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-26
SURPRISES ARE PROMISED
Americas New Cup Defender
All Ready for the
Water.
TO BE LAUNCHED SATURDAY.
The Magnificent Yacht Has a Tre-
mendouS Spread of Sail and Is
Surely Winner.

BRISTOL, R. l., June 25.-Saturday of
this week is the day scheduled for the
launch of the new America cup-racer-
Defender. The self-imposed task of keep
ing secret the lines and method of con-
struction of the Defender has been most
successfully ompiishedsby the HERE
shoffs, and many surprises are promised
for yachtsmen when the hope of the Ma
ton is cut free for the inspection of the
people. The little fan-like structure with
the santing roof in the south end of the
Herreshoffs' yards, where the Defender has
been fashioned and finished and where she
now awaits only the hammer stroke to take
her first plunge into her natural element.
has been almost sacred ground, and none
but the seventy or eighty ship-carpenters,
joiners, metal-workers, sailmakers and
others employed upon the vessel have been
allowed admission.
Money and brains are represented in the
new yacht to greater extent than any
other vessel of her size, class and make
afoat. 1t is expected that she will prove
a marvel. She is without doubt the most
perfect and costliest sloop yacht ever built.
She is original in every part. Her lead
keel is unlike any other yet run. 1t is easy
of curvature, has just enough round to it
for good sidewise gfip and is sure to hold
her well up to the wind. The length of
the Defender is 124 feet over all. She has
24-foot beam and draws Is feet of water.
Her lines show very easy curves and a
beautiful round section at the bilge. She
is narrower than Lord Dunraven's Val
kyrie II, and although she draws more
water than does the Vigilant, she has the
same wetting surface. She has Y steel
frames placed 20H inches apart and is
provided with aluminium bronze plates.
The saving of weight by the use of these
metal plates is something like seven tons.
He spars and blocks are made of Oregon
pine, and are the strongest, lightest and
most costly ever bent on any yacht. Her
mainmast is 1O2 feet long, with a circum-
ference of 35 inches at the heel. The boom
is 102 feet, with 1917 inches diameter at the
jaws; gaff GA feet, bowsprit Al feet, spin
maker pole AZ feet, topmast 81 feet, and her
club topmast pole 81 feet. Her spread of
canvas is $4,000 feet, or 1000 more than
that of the Valkyrie. Her mainsail meas
ures $500 feet, her topsail 1925 feet, the two
jibs 2300 feet, club topsail 1s4S feet and her
spinnaker 1928 feet, making her the heav-
iest-sparred single-sticker that ever touched
the water. The displacement of the De-
fender is small, hardly up to 140 tons.
Her sails do not differ materially, however,
from the ordinary duck ones except that
the cloth runs from leach to huff instead OF
up and down.
The greatest claim to consideration,
however, that the Defender shows is in her
saving of weight. This. to the initiated.
is sufficient in itself, so it is claimed, to
pull out winner by many minutes over a
boat of equally good, or even better design.
All the halyards, it is understood, are led
below through tubes in the deck, and
worked by powerful winches, assuring a
much easier and more expeditions trim
ming of sheets than by the old hand and
deck method. The channel on which the
mud-diggers have been at work for some
weeks is now deep enough to warrant the
launch being made, and would float boat
drawing even more water than the Defend
er. The spars have been stepped, the fine
American cotton sails fitted and the last
rivet headed. All that now remains is to
send her away, fit her out in a manner
BETTING her berth, and then show the
Britishers clear and beautifully designed
and handsomely wrought stern in each and
every race for which she is entered.