The Washington times., 1901-09-29
RACES FOR AMERICAS CUP
Concise History of All the Contests
for the Trophy.

/ How the Defenders Have Succeeded
in Defeating the Long List of
Defeated the Liy0nia in 1871.
In 1851 the schooner yacht America,
built by George Steers, and owned by
several Americans, was sent to the
Worlds Fair, in London, as an exhibit
| of our type of fore-and-aft vessels. Ar
irving in England, her owners chaI-
lenged all comers, but no attention was
paid to them. Challenging a second
time, they were told that they might
enter their yacht in a regatta to take
place on August % They then learned
for the first time that a cup had been
offered for yachts of all nations. They
entered their schooner, and she brought
home that cup. 1t is still here, and it
is called the Americas Cup. Its name
is not the America Cup, nor the Queens
Cup. 1t is simply the Americas Cup
the cup brought home by the America.
Sixteen yachts started in the regatta
on August %, 1861, ranging from the
masted schooner Brilliant, 392 tons The
start was from the Isle of Wight.
The fleet got away from one-gun
start at 10 a. M, with a light westerly
wind At 11:30, when the yachts had
rounded No Mans Land buoy and were
on the windward part of the course, the
wind freshened to six knots, and Amer
lea walked out two miles to windward
of the rest. The wind fell light, and
with a strong head tide the yachts beat
up under Shanklin Chine. America
still gaining. At D. m. the wind fresh
ened again. America carried away her
jib boom, but nevertheless she rounded
the Needles at $40 eight miles ahead
of the second yacht. the little cutter
Aurora. Again the wind fell light and
the tide was ahead. At S:25 America
anchored off Cowes. Aurora anchored
20 minutes later, having come up as
the wind fell. And that is how The
Americas Cup" was won.
On July s, 1857, the owners Of Amer
lea. ]. c. Stevens, Edwin A. Stevens,
Hamilton Wilkes, j. Beekman Finley,
and George L. Schuyler, presented the
cup to the New York Yacht Club to be
held as a perpetual international yacht
ing trophy. In October, 1868, James
Ashbury. a member of the Royal
Thames Yacht Club of London, chal-
lenged for the cup, but owing to diff
culties in making terms, he did not race
for II until 1870, when he came across
the Atlantic in his schooner Cambria
in an ocean race against James Gordon
BENEFITS Dauntless from Old Head of
Kinsale to Sandy Hook Lightship.
Cambria won by hour and
minutes. Mr.. Ashbury's race against
the New York Yacht Club was under
the same conditions as Americas
against the English yachts. He had one
race against the whole fleet. 1t took
place on August s, 1870 Those who la
Dor under the delusion that extensive
interest in the Cup contest is something
recent should read these words of Capt.
Roland F. Coffin, who saw the race and
published, in 1885, history of the Cup
contests up to 1851:
Nearly every steamer in the harbor
was brought into requisition for spec
tators, and all were crowded to their
capacity. Besides these, almost every
thing that could float, from the large
coasting schooner to the tiny skiff, was
brought into use, and 1t seemed as il
the whole population of the city was
on the water. Wall and Broad Streets
were deserted for the day, and the
courts and public Offices had but few
attendants"
The race was over the old New York
Yacht Club course from off Stapleton,
S. l., to and around the Sandy Hook
Lightship and return. The yachts were
started from their anchors at HIPS on
the last of the ebb tide, with a good
southeasterly wind. Fifteen schooners
competed. and Magic won, beating
Idler, the second yacht, by II minutes,
s.9 seconds. Cambria finished tenth.
being 80 minutes lat seconds astern of
the winner. America finished fourth
In 1871 Mr.. Ashbury returned with a
new schooner. Livonia. This time the
club selected four schooners to race
against the challenger, reserving the
right to name the starter on the morn
ing of the day of each race. Columbia,
Sapho. Palmer. and Dauntless were
the defenders. The record was as fol-
lows:
First race. October 16, 1871, club
course. start from anchors, tide last of
the flood, wind northwest and light.
Starters Livonia and Columbia, the lat
ter a typical skimming dish, put in on
account of the light weather Columbia
won by 25 minutes 2S seconds elapsed,
and q minutes 4 seconds corrected
time.
Second race, August IS, twenty miles
to windward and return, from Sandy
Hook Lightsbip. The course was not
accurate, as the wind was west-north-
west, md the course was east-north-
east. A light wind in the morning
caused Columbia to be chosen as the
days defender, though 1T breezed on
before the start. Columbia won by
minutes 35 seconds elapsed time; cor
rected time about S minutes. Mr. Ash
bury protested that Columbia had
rounded the outer mark the wrong way
but the protest was not allowed.
Third race, October 10, club course,
wind fresh from southwest, tide begin
ming of the ebb. defender Columbia.
AT the Southwest Spit Columbia lost
her flying jib stay, and on the run
home, off Buoy 10. broke her steering
scar. Livonia Won by 15 minutes 10
seconds, being the only challenger that
ever won single race in any series.
Fourth race, October 81. twenty miles
to windward and return. from Sandy