New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-10-17
THE SHOWING or THE SHAMROCK.

"
1t might not be entirely correct and alto
gehcr kind to the yachting visitors who are
now with us. but to many yachtsmen who saw
yesterdays race ii would seem proper to say
that If Captain Barr Nathaniel Hcrreshoff and
Mr. Iselin were placed on the Shamrock and the
English shippers on the Columbia the Sham
rock would win. And It must he admitted that
Yesterdays racing forchy suggested this idea
II may be true that the Shamrock cannot be
made 10 sail as close to the wind as the Co
lumhia All we know is that she does not
This was discovered by The Tribune on the
Shamrock : compass courses before the races
began and during the earlier speed trials Of
the English boat But II was then said by
people IN the Upton fleet that the Shamrock
could be sailed closer If this were desired, only
the management preferred to sail her pretty
wide and give her a high speed through the
water There seemed to he good basis for
this opinion. but il was made In breeze thai
carpcned the Shamrock almost TO her rail. ana
M a time when the yacht was carrying from
ten TO fifteen tons more ballast than she is car
rying now. Without that ballast the Shamrock
is practically n different boat AZ present she
does not stand up TO her work any better than
the Columbia She now appears TO be light
weather boat that sails on the top of the wafer
and TO have lost much of the stability and
power that allowed her to make great speed In
her preliminary tests No matter. however,
how this may he. the yacht Is not sailed with
anything Ike the same skill that * shown on
the Columbia. 1t may possibly he true that the
broad beamcd Shamrock cannot stand the plnch-
ing and starving that puts the leaner Columbia
gradually out to wlndward Of her rival. and all
that spectators can say for certain is that the
Columbia goes to windward best under yesiel-
days conditions. AT the same time 1t must ne
said that the Coumhias success seemed 10 be
wholly and solely n matter of good handling
Barr always makes n good boat eat out 20 whit
ward on every chance slant that can be taken
advantage OF. and yesterday he pursued exactly
the same methods in the wlndward steering
that are so familiar to every member Of the
Larchmont Yacht Club and TO all who know
his handling Of the crGck schooner Colonia.
If the Shamrock cannot sail any closer to the
wind than she did yesterday she is not ut for
the Columbia's society, and might as well stop
AZ once and go home. But there Is nothing
about her 10 suggest her inability to sail close
except her wide beam. Her sails are admittedly
better than those Of the Columbia. Her grip on
the water. the lateral area Of her fin keel, Is
much greater than in the American boat. ana
her model is practically as fine I'm the water
though moro powerful. Strucmrally. Flfc'S de-
sign has outclasScd the HerrcshOn design on
almost every point. but it is one thing TO de-
sign n fast boat and another thing to sail her
for what she is worth The Tribune has often
Camed that the English handling Is not TO he
compared to the American methods-ihat II
never has been as good and that It is not to be
expected 10 rank as equal now. Yesterdays race
proved the truth OF what has been said that
perhaps Flies task was too great when he ne
gan Ia prepare yacht which the ordinary hand
ling Of the English skipper would not spoil II
was an extremely difficult undertaking. II Is
not possible 10 say at this stage of the contest
whether the helmsman or the Shamrock herself
is to blame for yesterdays performance; hut II
NAV he hoped for Sir Thomas Lptons sake that
the fault lay in not sailing the yacht close. In
this case there will be chance Of improve
mont. and we incline 10 believe that the boat Is
not to blame.
The Tribune has before called attention 10
the extreme lightness Of the Shamrock In her
present condition. and it may be worth while
to consider the value Of taking on the former
ballast for brisk winds and paying the penalty
In the remeasurcment rather than TO sail the
boat outside her best sailing lines.