New-York tribune., 1901-02-09
TIE ONE ON START.

Sir Thomas Upton is asking the New-York
Yacht Club to relinquish its conservatism In re-
gard to the timed start. This Is a method Of
sending yachts into a race while giving them
the option Of crossing the starting line at anv
moment within a certain time limit Within
this limit. which has at different times been
fixed M from two 10 five minutes the time of
each boat Is taken as she crosses the line and
the differences are calculated after the finish
he way the method works was amply illus
trated in the race for the Astor cutter cup last
August off Newport, when the time limit WAS
five minutes. and the Yankee crossed into the
race over four minutes behind the leading boat
Here no one knew whether the leading boat
was i'm reality in the first place for the prize
In the long seventeen mile beat to the first mark
not even the committee knew how the boats
stood. At one time the Yankee seemed 10 be
gaining on the leaders and thus coming within
her difference Of time on the start. but that after
all. was merely long range guessing. When the
NineOla finishing the last sixteen mile run
no one. except perhaps among the committee
could tell whether the Yankee had caught up
sufficiently to win on the timed start. aud the
thousand or more specta tors were wholly i'm the
dark from start 10 finish as TO how matters
really stood. except in the few cases where
they carefully timed the yachts at the turns of
the lightships and then made their laboriouS
calculations. Even these We're only approxi-
mate. for one who is far off the crossing
line range can secure the official timing of the
start Of each craft.
There will probably be at least sixty thou
sand people off Sandy Hook to see the first
race. and on behalf of this vast concourse il
may be proper to express a hope that things
will he made as easy of comprehension rs possi-
BILE For the inexpert spectator. who naturally
thinks the leading boat is winning when, as a
fact. she may be last. this system requires more
explanation than most people have the patience
10 give. even if ii were understood when given
The universal doubt and befogging which IL
created at the Astor Cup races caused it to he
dubbed an unmitigated nuisance by yachts
men who have become accustomed to the one
gun start which is now universal throughout
America. So far as know. there is only one
institution which still retains the timed start
In ali the racing about New-YOrk and in Long
Island Sound, in the Eastern waters and the
Great Lakes. as Well as In England the one gun
send off is the only one known, and in making
his present request the challenger merely asks
that the custom OF the yacht racing world shall
be followed.
The New-York Yacht Club has, however. a
perfect right To say that the Cup races shall be
sailed under it's rules. and that 1t is not in any
way affected by outside custom. But as mem
bers say that the reason for keeping to the
timed start is that the English are more prac-
tised in the other method, glance at the posi-
ble dangers may DE interesting. If any Eng
lsh skipper can beat Captain Urias Rhodes on
the one gun start should like TO have the
individual mentioned. Al present we don't
know his name. And. without consulting Can
tain Rhodes. we feel quite safe in saying that
he would prefer this and every other method in
which the best seamanship has the best chance.
| II il 30 happens that the Columbia is again
| called upon 10 defend. then Captain Barr will
be al the front once more, and it is certain that