New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-10-23
WHY THE SHAMROCK LOST.
ANSWERS TO A QUESTION WHICH HAS
PUZZLED YACHTSMEN.
THE IRISH BOATS EXTREME BEAM TOO
FAR AFT-DRAGGED HER BOW OFF
WHEN SHE CAREENED-A
BET EXPLAINED.


general drift Of talk among yachtsmen concerning
the great victory Of the Columbia. Two amateur.
VINO own yachts and who keep A close watch on
matters pertaining to their chief sport met
TO pay bet on Saturday night At least one was
paying the bet. which only drink and the
other was paying II back
! wish could convince you that the Columbia
Is the better boat" said the man who was being
paid
80 you could easily II you would only show me
just why the boa; YOU bet is the better. That's
what am waiting for somebody TO say and ex-
plain And think il strange tina, with so many
clever yacht designers in this country not OF
them ventures an opinion TO why the Columbia
won and why the Shamrock lost"
The fact of her winning shows which Is the
better boat
Yes the win takes the Cup all right. but K x
plains nothing TO designers. who would like 10 profit
by knowing the technical reasons for the result
want 10 build boat for next year. and made
mp my mind before the races that a smaller edition
OF the Shamrock would suit down the ground.
As 1t is now. want TO know what the matter
with the Shamrock. II there anything the mat
ter with her and there does not seem 10 he man
IN the country who can tell me. II there
nothing noticeably wrong with her. then what are
the special superiorities OF the Columbian
Well. YOU must not lose sight OF the difference
in the handling OF the two boats"
far as can sec. on watching the racing carefully
and in noting tina, the Shamrock did not point with
the Columbia. il seems 10 be wholly matter OF
handling But may be wrong. For all know. the
Shamrock did not point because she could not be
made TO do SO That IL why want Information.
Was II the fault OF the hensman ~ the boat
tina, she failed head up in the last race? She
vas able TO come TO vindward. or, rather ahead
in three uncompleted races. and she was the leading
boa, in good breeze when she broke her topmast
last Tuesday"
Il don't think il was all matter OF handling. It
was chiefly because the Columbia was the better
boat"
That's where YOU annoy me when You keep on
saving that. Why she better boat?
SWEETNESS" THE FACTOR
Well for one thing she Is the sweeer boat OF
the two And We have learned before that the
sweet boat wins. The narrow Valkyrie II and
the narrow and sweet Britannia both taught that
to the Vigilant in windward work. The narrow
Defender taught It 10 Valkyrie III. I believe
in the boat that is not too beamy and is sweet all
around And that's what the Columbia is
But YOU had other bets than with me. and you
surely did not put up good money the white
boat simply because she was sweet
80, Nv chief reason for backing the Columbia
Was my implicit belief in i"rreshon. ! have seen
him come TOP before.
But you knew all the points in favor Of the
Shamrock"
Yes saw her In the drydock and read All
that was said abou, her. ! that she probably
had her ballast on the average three feet lover
than the Columbus. ! that while she sat "a
lightly In the water. she had more beam power and
n Aatter floor ana could certainly carry can
vas. ] that she possessed more canvas and
that she paid for il all ceverly in short water
line measurement There also reason 20 know
that she was built lightly than the Columbia,
and probably saved five thousand pounds in the
use Of an aluminium deck alone There mover was
boat that seemed 10 have so many 4 Ivan ages
over the other So far her structural makeup
was concerned she seemed TO me TO be a certainty
for Upton"
And You bet against your own judgment"
CONFIDENCE IN HERREsHOFF.
Yes ! believed that Herreshoff knew more about
boat than did believed he knew more ABOUT
BOAT than Fife Besides. knew that Nat
HerrcshoT going 10 be on tho boat when she
raced Nat great sailor. He never lets UP.
His brain box is working all the time
Very good. Then YOU did not know on Friday.
and don't know yet, why you won? You were
Simply betting on the Herieshof maggie
Not quite that. but near II. For one thing |
read in newspaper that the boat in her pre-
liminary tests never lay nearer than eight and
three-quarter points on the TWO tacks. The COM
pass courses given carefully. and the informa-
ton seemed be correct. The Erin people adj
mtted il to be correct 4 good deal OF my inten-
ton was made up then. There have been many
boats that thought they could get To windward by
sailing fast though not pointing well. and never
knew one that succeeded against craft that
looked up 20 the top notch. thought then that If
the Shamrock could not point better than that she
And that brn-s Is back to the old question,
Why didn't she point"
% The Shamrock were those which could only he
discovered in practical sailing. and were not dis,
..ffft lIA "a
cav She Vas ins best boat on paper that ever
sila1 Tor The Gun In argument she undoubtedly
had advantages all along the line. and personally
thought thar Herreshon was outclassed on num-
when similar considerations came mp with Val
kvrie III and IN. Defender. Al that time bet
nancy 10" 70 ma out what Hcrreshof could do to
boat 81 that kind He dldh 90 'hilN III "r''
"Tben YOU think its the extra beam Of the
Shamrock that did her harm
LIKE THE OLD COUNTESS
"Not wholly. Bu, the biggest sail carrying power
Of the model is TOO far aft. AMI 10 small extent
she reminds Of The Countess OF buheiln tha'
sailed for the cup somewhere In the seventies Inc
Countess was 4 schooner that had her biggest
beam away aft. back OF The main rigging. and
whenever She lay over IN. lay over Oh her bow
because she was practically AL bow 10 her stern
In this WAY she always seemed TO be- ~ the mead
ON an even ke, she was not. She was trimmed
all right but her model threw her mat WAY when
she lay over. 'hlhh u ! w .' g. s.ar,s 20
Shamrock though IN lesser degree enc sens %
be trimmed ali right on an even Keel. Dlt You ht''
uerhaps noticed that almost every paper mas re-
marked that she seemed ~ be Oy the heau VIE"
Sh- car-ened. ,,-,.,.. IL
You have noticed that when she "as Ishlly DAT
lasted and when she Wa sailing on almost an e,sn
keel in hight airs. she an equa sallet Win thr
1'oin ha and several times finished on even TERM
tY, AS soou a. ~he got into the heavy vino OF
Friday she lay down 4 support that was 700 ,dI
a., ana which dragged her bow on. Another thing
a. ~, eha may have too much head sail Except
tor reachins she would sail better with boWspiu
10
n no generally carving ixht weather helIn, but
he woulj b. 4 better Windward goer II she carried
moro weather helm. Still. the differences between
,he hosts are not great. and the slight misplace,
ment OF the best sail carrying power IN me moue
nnuld rig and sail that boat 10 beat me Couimoia
"a Ugh, weather sometimes. but never II a dow
~ .e,.ar aould have known what the Shamrock
wss worth II Fridays hard wind had not SHOWN the
one fault OF the designer