New-York tribune., 1901-08-24
SHE SITS LEVEL IN TOW.
THE SHAMROCK NEITHER LIFTS AT THE
ROW NOR SINKS AT THE STERN AS
SHE Is PULLED THROUGH
THE SEA

e,r Thomas Lipton's challenger, the Sham
ii, ,s lust at that stage when the high valu
..,o,s nlaced upon her by expert reports create
- curiosity as 10 her every movement. Be
- showing that she was easy in a seaway
-. ,,,,cipal instruction OF the day came from
..,,s,, Of the boat when she was being towed
:. nearly a twelve-knot clip. and this was i'm
o-,ant seeing that the design Of the boat is
based on towing experiments
Al 1:50 p. m. the crew Of the Shamrock be
an boisting the mainsail and when il was
sbout one-third up IL was ordered down again
80, the Erin About 2.05 O'Clock she got
.be toN,line passed round the mast and forward
% the bits the anchor hoisted. and she
Ooved out proudly 10 the scene of her great
.o-o,ng contest. She carried flag Her big
.nsrs were clean. stripped for action, and her
.,,gA topnast needed no colored ornaments TO
Command admiration for il. This spar is
.rrhtlx tapered elongation Of the lower mast.
there being no separation between the two. and
.hs unper stick looks more like good work
than .ny other that has been seen in the busi-
,sss It's rigging looks light. and II would seem
n pronnise better IL il were doubled Yet, II is
MT generally the breaking much as the
.,Tstching Of these fine wire ropes which lets
,onmasts 60 overheard. AS far as outward ap-
,sarance goes, the chain plate that takes the
sbroud Is the smallest and weakest looking
affair on the whole boat
The steam Yacht Erin was carrying the
owners private signal at her fore anc the
American flag. with the burgee OF the Royal
Ulster Yacht Club az the main truck. The blue
ensign which the Royal Ulster Yacht Club is
perrnitted 10 carry. was on the flagstaff at the
tafran
There was a fifteen knot breeze blowing
from the south-southeast as the two Upton
yachts, together with the chartered tug Law
renee went down TO the Lower Bay. Crowds
of people. who had been reading in the news
papers about the trip of the green boat. were
lining both shores of the Narrows. They were
well rewarded. If they liked the look Of the
saucy craft The Shamrock certainly had the
appearance of a rakish vessel. With her small
freeboard and extraordinary length, she was
the most low lying and snaky looking thing
that ever came into 90-foot class.
But the most important fact for any yachts
man to notice was the way she sat in the water
when she being towed at twelve knots an
hour So far as the writer was able 10 tell from
q beam-on view, the Shamrock neither lifted at
the bows nor sank down at the stern. but sat
quiet on Watson's lines, as he intended she
should
There may may not be important point
here Watson thinks it is important. So much
so, IN fact, that his whole venture is banked on
II. Upton would not have had any Shamrock
design; there would have been no challsnge for
this year. If Watson had not first satisfied him
self that he had a chance, practical idea. that
could be worked out for success. The present
Shamrock is the result Of all his experiments in
testing the towing abilities of different kinds OF
models. For Upton she is tower Of speed,
and may be- perhaps, a tower Of strength
OF course. it does follow that a boat which
toWs easily is a good saier. The point involves