The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-04-19

ment of regatta schedules and
q racing dates has been practi- |
eally completed, and now
comes the more arauous task of routing
the sleeping craft from their winter
resting places and fitting them for ac-
tive service. The shipyards drydocks
| and boat sheds throughout the coast,
river and lake sections of the country
are resoGnding with the pounding of
hammers, the rasping of saws and the
screechlns of nerve racking planes.
Some of the we'll known eastern
yachts which will soon be in the water
are Corn illus Nanderbilt's Rainbow.
the .Amorita, the Colonia, the old cup
defender Vigiant, Royal Phelps Car
rolls Navahoe, the Ailsa, owned by III.
S. Redmond August Belmont's Mine
ola, and Harry Payne Whitney's Yam
liee. The 81 and II footers Of the New
! York. Larchmont and Seawanhaka- Co
rntl.i&n Yacht clubs will also be
placed III commission without delay.
Naturally. the preparations for the
| Americas cup races have assumed
stellar position in the eyes CT the yacht
ing world. The fact that there will be
| two American yachts from which To
choose the opponent of the English
challenger lends more than ordinary in
terest to the races. The rumors adoat
| that the New York Yacht club would
| andeaVor to prevent the Independence,
in course of construction by Thomas
w. Lawson of Boston the $4,000 pink
man" from figuring as a competitor
| with the Belmont syndicate boat for
the honor of defending the trophy have
deserNedly been given little credence
/ by those supposed to be au fait in
| yachting matters.
In the first place. it is unlikely that
The n. Y. Y c. would place itself on
record as counts nancing such unsports-
| manlike tactics, and, secondly, the or
| ganiZation could not possibly find tan
| gible grounds for ignoring Mr. Lawson.
| The deed of gift" establishing the con-
ditCns under which the cup shall be
contested for states in no uncertain
phcaseology that any yacht built on
American soil is eligible to enter the
lists. This is eminently proper Other
wise the great international cup con-
tests would degenerate into local and
personal affairs.
The three boats will probably be in
racing trim within a month of each
] other. Nat Herreshoff will doubtless
adopt his usual plan of applying the
finishing touches to the Belmont boat
at Bristol. r. L.. somewhat in advance
/ of the dates upon which the Independ-
ence and the Shamrock II spread their
sails. but no especial advantage will
| result therefrom.
The Bristol boat is looked upon by
those who are familiar with the record
of the Herreshoffs as the logical winner
! of the three cornered championship.
| 1achtsmen point not only to the cup de-
tenders Which these noted designers
have turned out. each decisively defeat
ing its predecessor, but they also claim
that the opportunity given the firm to
4 experiment in the Rainbow class has
j provided a line of Improvement which
should be more than ever noticeable in
the speed of the coming champion.
In contrast With the policy of secre-
! cy adopted in the building of the Sham
rock III and of the Bristol defender
| there is but little in connection With
the Independence that has not been ex-
4 posed to the gaze of the curious. EX-
pertS who have seen the yacht say that
she is about as extreme type as is
possible to modern yachts. She is very
Hat wider than it was expected that a
model of this kind would ever become
and will carry more sail than was ever
before crammed upon the lofty spars of
Il cup defender. The enormous main
sail will be hoisted on a wooden mast
towering more than 100 feet in the air
In exact figures the mast measures IT,
feet inches owe" all. and of this length
only feet f0la inches Will go below
decks. How tall the topmast is to be
no one but tbs designer and the builder
knows The mast Will measure foot
9 inches in diameter at the butt and an
even y inches at the head
Men Who have seen the Bristol and
the Boston boats aver that. although
the workmanship on the former is far
and away the better. the Independence
as an unllnoWn quantity. constructed
largely on principles prevailing in small
boat building, should give a good ac-
count Of herself. particularly in a
strong wind.
The outcome of an experiment on the
lndependence is awaited With much in
terest by yachting authorities Design
er CroWnnshield has had what is
known as a balanced ruddef" cast for
me 80 footer, and the innovation has
occaSionFd widespread comment.
The purpose of a balanced rudder is
to relieve the pressure OF the tiller and
consequently friction on the blade BY
Its use it is also possible in Yacht of
the size OF the Independence to place n
farther art than the ordinary rudder.
which is necessarily fastened to the
keel. In the case of the Independence
IL IS proposed To swing the balanced
rudd@r at a point under the stern an
proNimatelN al the water line
Assuming, therefore, that the turn
Ing point of The Independence is ex-
actiy amdships. it will be seen that the
advantage of leverage gained by bal
ancad rudder situated a the water line
under the stern far exceeds the leverage
OF the ordinary rudder hung from the
keel nj a point approximately half the
distance between the heel of the keel
and the stern post. In other words. a
rudder becomes more powerful in pro
portion to The distance from the turn
ing point" of a yacht at which it is
hung.
1t is because of these advantages that
MANY PERSONS contend that a balanced
rudder should not be allowed. others
there are who hold that the installation