New-York tribune., 1899-12-24
CHALLENGE TIME ABOUT UP
LITTLE LIKELIHOOD OF AMERICAS CUP
RACES NEXT YEAR.
BELIEF THAT THE COLUMBIA SHOULD MAKE RAG
ING TESTS IN ENGLISH wATERs-Possl-
BIIITY OF THE EIGHTY -FOOTER.

BrIITY OF THE EIGHTY -FooTER.
The chance Of receiving a Cup challenge for next
year has not been improved by Watsons issue oi
the Distant Shore the yacht for Charles Day
Rose. Unless altered by special agreement He
time for putting in a challenge for the America
Cup for any given year. so as TO give ten months
notice expires In December OF the previous year
OF course. II the time for the races be pinched
challenge could come in later but as the contests
OF this year took from October to 20, inclusive
at least half month may reasonably be e%-
pected to be calculated for the match series
The time for challenging may be regarded as ex-
piring practically about next Friday, and the much
talked Of challenge OF Mr.. Harmsworth has not
| yet arrived
l. Moreover II is now found that notwithstanding
the many reports announcing Mr.. Roses Intention
| his boat the Distant Shore, not built for a
! Cup challenger. The dimensions do something 10
suggest this as the waterlne length OF the new
! boat when she is afoat will be only about eighty
| feet. which. II she challenged. would leave ten
foot excess in line length for the defending
| craft She has also been built In way that shows
she intended for races under the English girtn
rule as her draught Of is only sixteen feet,
in which case a similar amount Of lead cannot pro-
| vide much sail carrying power as when II Is
| placed lower down. as in the Columbia and the
Shamrock Again. her beam Is reduced also 10
conform the girth rule and save all that is pos
sble and her extreme width is only 20 feet inches
AS a whole the boat Is much like the former
! craft designed by Watson, called the Bona. which
| has been most successful in beating the larger
| racers the large time allowance she called for
In spite Of the fact that It is generally admitted
| among racing yachtsmen that It is better to give
time with a long boat than to receive it with
shorter one there some people who think that
| Watson is experimenting In regard TO the huge
! time allowance which 90-foot water line defender
would have to give boat like the Distant Shore.
and TO assist their argument they point to the sue
cess OF the Bona in carrying off the bulk OF the
prizes as against larger craft This Idea may have
something in It for light days. in which the power
Of no boat is fully called out, and there Is always
a possibility OF this being tried. since the little 30
footer Hera has been able 10 defeat fleet OF large
| racers, and the 46-footer the Wasp was aDe
to take the Goelet Cup from larger cutters; but
the construction OF the Distant Shore contains
other proofs that she was not intended as Cup
| challenger Her planking is all one and one
! quarter inches thick being Of American elm 10
the water line and teak above and she is built
so strongly with steel frames set close together,
and with so many ties and strngers and strength
enng steel bands that she had almost the appear
ance Of being plated when before her plank
! ing vert on The decks OF white pine, and
there has not been that economy OF upper weights
that tells Of the modern thoroughbred racer, and
moreover she carries s-inch buwark and
| rail- which are not found on high speed boats
DIMENSIONS OF THE DISTANT SHORE.
According to the news by cable regarding the
Distant Shore her over all length is lOS feet. OF
which the water line is 50 feet and the after over
hang IS feet which leaves for the forward over
hang only 10 feet This gives her rather bunty
| appearance forward where, on profile view, sne
| shows her resemblance to the Shamrock In
the rounded contour of the bow-a shape that re-
moves her from the lancelke grace Of the CO.
lumbia.
All the same and with all faults. this Distant
Shore is the boat that may cause the Columbia TO
remain at home all this winter The Columbia has
not been put into winter quarters with the idea OF
making her a fixture at Hawknss yards until next
season. She has been placed there to allow time TO
see how the land lies and what the chances are II
! she should 60 10 the Mediterranean and English
racing next spring. Mr.. Iselin will soon be in Eu-
to know before Hawkins gets any order to float the
boat again The working Of the glrth rule Is PraG
Yacht Club nnd it is fair bet that Mr. Isen VIII
the Columbia has of winning in English company
The English rule does not Try TO develop the boats
fastest according a local rule. 1t places pre-
MUM the boat that Is fastest according 70
is heavily taxed in the time allowance. and there
is four feet three INCHES difference between the
From one point Of vswthat S which wants tii TG
may be good thing, but for the future protection
OF the Americas Cup there are other things 10 be
| thought OF. Suppose Watson were to prepare an
SO-foot waterne challenger would the New-York
Yacht Club be certain Of the length that ought TO
| defendP Could US members De certain lldl lHc
weather as the so-footer? Could they be certain
the re T 66hS S9ad Eys the the hey WSG
know that the challenger had an Sofoot waterline,
the full limit Of 90 feet but there would be some
e thinking as to SeSISdr wnat bsn sh gS WSf airs se were
fo fo'Ss' be CONSIDERED. 90 ide ato Oe's''O''
On the other hand the sending Of the Columbia
TO race with the Distant Shore would. while. cost,
| Ing nothing OF real moment. find out good deal
that might be of value In future cup detences.
The entwining OF national flags has done nothing
to entwtne the racing rules and the Newn1orS
that IN any way tend to limit designers in pro
ducing yachts Of the highest possible speed Ihs
they have already sacrificed good deal OF com com
a @ H to used On th' e G drivers m are not looking for
Pullman car comforts and similar M M Iac1 Lack OF gTG
| But in spite OF all this there are many American
yachtsmen who would be glad TO avoid excessive
Who are making speciality Of studying out the
shallower design.
COMBINING COMFORT AND SPEED.
These men and they are many. would like to
have the benefit OF further research into the ques-
ton OF combining comfort with speed. and this is
| tust what the Distant Shore Is doing. She is be-
! ing produced as a comparatively shallow craft. a
| type that is much more necessary in this country
! than in England. She has handsome main
saloon. twelve feet long and extending the whole
! width Of the ship: cabin for women, three more
| for guests another for the owner and the captain
! will also have his. She has bathrooms. pantries
! and a fine airy forecaste for the men, Her in
! terror has all the appearance OF belonging TO
comfortable cruiser, and az the same time It is
expected that this craft Will prove fast enough 10
! keep the Columbia on this side OF the water.
! But whether not the Columbia would improve
! the future defence Of the Americas Cup by going
over is a question that is well worth asking at the
| present moment. The yachting supremacy OF
| America is not risked by any failure to wn which
| she may experience through the time allowances
\ OF a foreign rule and at the time she would
| supply valuable knowledge concerning the speed
| OF all the fastest designs in England while dis
! covering the dangers. If any of pittlng s0-foot
defender against 0-foot challenger. The beat
ing OF the 90-foot schooner Colonia by the i0-foot
schooner Amorita last year. the finish OF the Car
toon ahead of the larger boats In the class above
| which started FIVE minutes before her. the
frequent In which the special thirties have
made the best corrected time the beat
! ing boats four times their sZe-a these instances
| may be remembered when there Is chance OF
challenge arriving for a short water line-nOt the