The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-15
THE Upton CHALLENGER.
Several Novelties in the British
Yacht Shamrock IL.

NEW YORK, April 1.-THE Americas
Cup races and yachts building for the
Challengers and defenders receive great
attention in the latest yachting papers
from London. The Yachting World"
tells of some OF the novelties aloft and
of the rig of the Shamrock II, and says:
From what is already known of Sir
Thomas Lipton's second challenger there
is sood reason for expecting that the hull
will show some striking notifications of
the form generally adopted for the big
yachts. The exact extent Of these modifi-
cations and the effect which they will
have on the speed Of the boat are matters
which viii not be clearly known until
after the boat has been launched and
tried Every little change is Of Importance,
however, as indicating a phase of devel-
opment or experiment which may improve
our chances Of success in this important
contest. and there will, therefore. be con-
siderable interest in the announcement.
which We make with confidence, that
there win be many novelties in the rig
glng and sail plan of Shamrock H.
Most striking among these is the fact
that in planning the spars, Mr.. George
j. Watson has departed altogether from
the usual method of fitting a topmast
over mainmast, and has taken a bold
step IN fitting the challenger with pole
mast. Needless to say, the spar VIII be
the longest ever stepped in a vessel OF
any kind, and from the step to the truck
il will tape no less than l48 feet. Such a
spar would have been impossible in the
time of wooden masts. out this will be
made throughout OF thin plates of nickel
steel rolled to semi-circular shape, riVeted
on both edges, and strengthened inside
by a large number Of steel spurs extend
ing from side to side of the SPAR
Three or four advantages are expected
from this style OF spar. The first and
chief is that there will be no topmast TO
be a possible source of weakness and a
permanent worry to the skipper every
time the wind blows more than fresh.
Shamrock's only chance in the last con-
test was in the reaching race, ana she
lost this through an unsupported weak
ness in her topmast gear. with the pole
mast a stouter and better braced spar
win be secured, and the risk Of accident
minimized.
No vachtsnan requires to be told that
the advantage Of weight saved is multi
nIied when the weight is saved aloft, and
in this another advantage is expected.
The weight of the doubling which is nee
essarv when mainmast and topmast are
used viii be saved, and with it the weight
and windage OF all the housing and part
Of the standing gear. Again, the steel
spar built as part of the pole mast can
be made much lighter than the wooden
topmast and every pound saved AT this
altitude is Of Importance.
There are disadvantages in the plan,
but these are trivial as compared with
the benefits. one OF them is that the
length of the topmast is expressly set out
as q factor in the measurement, and there
may be some trouble in applying this
where no topmast, strictly speaking, eX-
lists. The disadvantage OF this VIII De
with the measurer, and the only real
be from the fact that il Will be impossible
10 snug her down by housing topmasl
should such q course be necessary. II
may, however, be pointed out that there
was only one occasion on which housed
topmast was considered necessary in
cup race, and even then the opposing boat
kept hers on end.
I'm the distribution Of the sail also the
new challenger viii present a marked
difference to the boat which carried the
last challenge. The great spread of the
fore-triaugle Of Shamrock l was the sub
| iect of much unfavorabie comment. II
measured 70 feet in the base as against
Columbias % feet. Mr.. George l.. Watson
! has cut mis- fOre-triangle down further
! even than was done on Columbia, and
! on the new boat IT Will measure only Il
/ feet This is done. not by shortening the
Their forward, and the result Will be &c
give Shamrock II the largest mainsai
ever carried on a racing yacht. On tbs
boom il viii stretch l12 feet in length
and the total length from boWsprit end tC
mainsail outhaul viii be 1874 feet 6 inches