The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-04-08
CHANGES OF LIPTON'S YACHT.
Experts Say They Arc Much Better

Experts Say They Arc Much Better
Thnn Two Years Ago.
NEW YORK, April %--Yachtsmen are
agreed that Sir Thomas Lipton's chances
Of lifting the Cup this time are very
much greater than they were two year
ago. and that if the coveted trophy is ever
TO go back TO the British Isles it should
be taken home by the new Shamrock Sir
Thomas Upton was handicapped III the
last races in having. in WIN Fife, jr-,
designer, who had had practically no ex-
perience in designing big racing yachts.
and whose limited efforts with boats OF
the larger classes had resulted in failure
George L Watson. the present designer.
outlined the Thistle and the ValByries,
and has turned out besides these Cup
challengers the biggest and speediest
yachts in British waters, including his
splendid production of last season, the
Sybarita. which is in the challenging
class. with Ioad-wEter line of So feet.
foot greater than that Of the first Sham
rock
Another Improvement viii be in the
mana cement On the Shamrock there
was really no manager and her designer
was unfortunately i'll during the races
and bic to be on board to give aAy
needed advice. The new Shamrock on
the other hand, will have as her manager
William jameson, the crack amateur
yachstman of Europe. who has won vie
tories that seemed wholly impossible, and
who with the Britannia whipped the sue
cessfuI Cup defender Yigflant in the very
days Of her triumph.
The Shamrock. too. WAS, consigned TO
the care OF two shippers unacqualnted
with these waters. while the second
Shamrock viii have IN Capt Edward
Sycamore sailing master who is not
only acquainted with American winds and
tides, but has sailed a cRp challenger
here, having been in charge Of the third
NalAyrie, better known perhaps as Val
kyrie II. when she fOUied the Defender
More must be expected from Willie Jane
son and Captain Sycamore than from the
shippers. Hogarth and WTinge, although
both are sailing masters of unquestiOned
ability, which they proved during the
contest with the Columbia.
Fife in turning out the Shamrock seems
to have gone, as the saying is. clear over
his head, and. unused to working on big
craft, produced, compared with the Co
lumbia, short, squat. coarse. and big
bellied boat She was badly rugged and
her spars wers too light to carry sails TO
drive her. This weakness put her out of
the second race, when twenty-five min
utes after the start. in tWeIve-niIe
breeze, her tODmast WAS carried away.
Watson is not likely 10 turn out such
beamy boat having only 23-fOOt
beam in the Syharita, as against Sham
rocks twenty-four feet seven inches, al
though the former has an overall length
of 155 feet while the latter had only 129
feet inches.
Another disadvantage under which Sir
Thomas Upton labOred was his going into
the races with his boat practically an IN
known quantity Through the SnOBbish-
ness of Lord Dunraven he was left With
out the natural trial horse. the NalSyrle,
and untried, save for q run with the Brl-
tannia, from which nothing of real value
could be learned, the Shamrock crossed
the ocean Here she had merely Il few
tuning-uD SPINS which could not reveal
the qualities about which there vas most
need OF knowledge The new boat viii
have plenty of racing IN British waters,
and her owner Is absolutely independent
in the matter OF a trial hOrse-the trial
horse he viii, in all prOba bility- race
against the new boat on this side oyer
the regular course, so that the Capdbiii-
ties of Shamrock II in all sort OF work
and weather may become the subject Of
very fine calculation
The new HeTreShOff defender. the Con-
Stitution. viii IN all likelihood be launch
ed Saturday, April %, early in the after
noon The work on the boat is now 50
that time, and there viii not be a rivet 10
drive after she takes the water Il viii
be high water about 1 o'clock at Bristol
on the Goth, with d height Of over ten
feet There viii be no such high tide
again until Saturday, May L
w Butler Duncan. jT., who is TO man
age the Constitution. visited Bristol Fri
day and expressed himself as perfectly
satisfied with the progress made with the
new craft Whether the launching viii
be public OF otherwise has not vet been
agreed upon, but il IS probable that Their.
viii be no secrecy about the ceremony.
British yachting experts. by the way
are commenting on the rema rka bic re-
semblance of Mr.. LaWsou'S Yacht with
the Shamrock Il Details seem to show
that every important novelty in the Wat
son boat has been duplicated in Mr. Law
sons The lead of the keel is run inside
IN both yachts in order 10 secure strength
and IlghtnesS with les surface friction:
both masts consist OF a single spar with
the view of escaping weight and the
weakness of a topmast; imperishable
aluminium is also used for the decks of
both boats AS il is impossible for eth
er designer TO have copied the ideas of
the other, the fact that they have ar
rived at Identical conclusions IN these i'm
3orJaHt matters has suggested to British
yachtsmen that the designers are more
nearly on the same plane than supposed