The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-08
WHY BRITISH YACHTS LOSE.
Poor management of the Chal-
Iengers Said to he the Cause.

:
Poor management of the Chal-
Iengers Said to he the Cause.
Many English yachtsmen and English
people interested in yachting, held to the
belief that challenging craft have never
been we'll managed in their efforts to
Wrest the America cup. One of these is
A. Oliver Depree, who, in an interesting
letter in the last issue of Yachting World
says:
The recent result of the last interna-
tional cup races, although doubtless dis
appointing. is only what was anticipated
in many quarters, but the reason as to
why, up to now, all efforts from this side
has failed, has been Sought by thousands
here and in America, who are interested
in and fond of yacht racing and other
to have been properly determined, al
though it seems easy of explanation.
Every attention seems to be turned, al
most exclusively, to the relative qualities
every, only form one factor controlling
the result. In order to compete success
fully four main elements are necessary
namely: money, science, a good crew,
and lastly, but al-important, manage
ment.
Now, let us consider what uses have
been made of these and deal seriatim
with them. With regard to money, this
has not been spared, as far as it has been
deemed necessary to spend it, but of this
anon, which is all-important. AS to the
design and construction of the last chal-
1enger, Shamrock, in this respect, is at
any rate quite as good, if not better,
than anything previously sent across to
the other side, and there can be no
question whatever that in seeking the
cooperation in construction and assist
ance of a firm which has made a long
and successful study of combining the
greatest possible strength with lightness
of material, great stride was made in
the right direction, and this should Ger
70 iT11U he IN mil nv
future operations.
Now, respecting the crew, outside the
actual racing machine the crew, of
course forms the all-important element,
and success must to a great extent de-
pend upon the efficiency in this depart
ment, and the captains and crew man
ming Shamrock are probably as smart
lot of men as coud be put together for
the job in the world, but it is here more
particularly that the last element
namely, that of management, which is
quite as important as any of the others,
has not yet been made any good use of
by any competitor from this side, for,
given that each man is frst-class, still
without constant training together it Is
impossible to get the best as whole
out of each unit, and this, together with
the fact that the vessel itself is never
properly raced into trim after arrival on
the other side, and prior to the matches,
is the main cause of constant failure.
Ii ventilating this idea, 1t is not claimed
quite the reverse, and it is only advo-
eating a fair chance being given to all
details, call it management. training, or
what you will, which is recognized as
duct of all other classes of sport, and
without which the America cup will
never be lifted
Our American friends do not or would
not throw away any chance of this de-
Seription. It is well known that in all
other sports in order to extend or stretch
an individual, crew, horse or whatever
it may be, you must make the pace, and
this is applied in all cases excepting
only with the cup challenger, for please
note the defender with its crew, in the
case of the cup preliminaries, is raced
into condition on the spot by competi-
ton with something worthy Of its met
tie. Now it seems clear that to race the
challenger into trim here. then to en-
t;rely alter its trim in order to cross the
Atlantic. and not again to put the vessel
and it's crew into proper condition by
competition on the other side before the
cup races is suicidal and similar to run
ming the winner of the Derby at Don
caster and expecting him to win the st.
Leger, having in the meantime turned
him out to grass, and, of course, all kinds
of similar illustrations could be given ac
trainer, it might be for rowing. running,
walking, bicycle racing or anything else,
if he brought out his man or crew or
hun, them, or it, by competition and pace
making with something. and it is this,
and this only, which ~ the really weak
spot in our position as challengers for
the America cup.
We have, it is true, to find the other
elements, but these have always been
forthcoming, and 1t has. therefore, on
account of the want of management.
never been properly demonstrated that
our vessels are not as fast as the de-
Tending yacht; indeed, it has on this
side been shown otherwise, and It