The times., 1901-04-08
AMERICAS CUP IN DANGER.
Lipton's Chances of Lifting the
Trophy Better Than Ever.

NEW YORK. April 7.-Yachtsmen are
agreed that Sir Thomas LiptOn's chances
Of lifting the cup this time are very
much greater than they We're two years
ago, and that if the coveted trophy is
ever to go back TO the British Isles it
should he taken home by the new Sham
rock Sir Thomas Upton was handi-
capped in the last races in having in VIII
Fife jr., a designer who had had practi-
caliy no experience in designing big rae
ing yachts. and whose limited efforts
with boats of the larger classes had re-
suited in failure. George l.. Watson, the
present designer. outlined the Thistle and
the ValkYries. and has turned out besides
these cup challengers the biggest and
spcediest yachts in British waters, in
Guiding his splendid production of last
season. the Sybarita. which is in the
challenging class, with a load-water line
of 50 feet, foot greater than that of the
first Shamrock.
Another Improvement viii be in the
management. On the Shamrock there was
really no manager. and her designer was
unfortunately i'll during the races and
unable TO be on board to give any needed
advice The new Shamrock, on the other
hand, Will have as her manager William
jameson the crack amateur yachtsman of
Europe, who has won victories that seem
ed wholly impossible, and who, with the
Britannia, whipped the successful cup de
fender Vigilant in the very days Of her
triumph
The Shamrock, too, was consigned to
the care Of two shippers unacquainted
with these waters, while the second Sham
rock viii have in Capt Edward Sycamore
sailing master who is not only ac-
quainted with American winds and tides,
but has sailed cup challenger here, hav-
ing been in charge Of the third Valkyrie.
better known perhaps as Valkyrie II.
when she fouled the Defender. More
must be expected from Willie jameson
and Captain Sycamore than from the
shippers, Hogarth and Wringe, although
both are sailing masters of unquestioned
ability, which they proved during the
contest with the Columbia.
Fife, in turning out the Shamrock,
seems 10 have gone, as the saying is,
clear over his head" and, unused to
working on big craft, produced, ompared
with the Columbia a short, squat, coarse,
and big-bellied boat She was badly
( rigged ana her spars were too light to
| carry sails TO drive her. This weakness
/ put her out Of the second race, when,
/ twenty-five minutes after the start in q
} tWeiFe-Hlle breeze, her tOpmaSt was car
ried away. Watson IS not likely to turn
out such heavy boat having only y
i feet in the Sybarita, as against Sham
' rock p feet inches. although the former
has an overall length OF l3j feet while
the latter had only lZ9 feet inches.
/ Another disadvantage under which
Thomas Upton labOred was his going into
the races with his boat practically an un-
/ known quantity. Through the snobbish-
ness Of lord Dunraven ne was left with
! out the natural trial horse, the Nalkyrie
and untTied. save for run with the Bri-
could be learned. the Shamrock crossed
/ the ocean. Here she had merely few
} tuuing-up spins, which could not reveal
1 the qualities about which there was most
need of knowledge The new boat Will
I have plenty of racing in British waters
! and her owner is absolutely Independent
J I'm the matter OF a trial horse-the trial
horse he Will, IN all probability race
/ against the new boat on this side over
/ the regular course, so that the capabili-
ties Of Shamrock II. IN all sort of work
4 and weather may become the subject OF
! very fine calculation.
! With this positive knowledge 10 go upon
. with such boat as Watson can turn
I out, and with such manager as Willie
Jameson and a sailing master as Captain
Sycamore, Sir Thomas Upton must stand
I 4 better chance of lifting the cup than
any man i'm all the fifty years since II
/ was captured bv the America. But then.
/ of course he must reckon with w. Butler
+ Duncan and Ihe Constitution, 4 name
/ with peculiar significance for the Brit
isher