The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-07
LIpTON'S FLOTILLA ON ITS WAY
IMPOSING ARRAY OF CRAFT TO
HELP LIFT AMERICAS CUP.

Str Thomas Due Hero on juno ~. Wher
Trials VIII He Resumed-Review Of
spins Between the shamrOcks Show
That the New Yacht Is Very speedy
The Upton hotilla, which includes the
Shamrock l. and ILL.,, the Erin and an ocean
going tug named Cruiser, will probably
arrive here at the end OF this week or the
beginning of next. The squadron OF Sir
Thomas Upton left Glasgow on Thursday
May 20, and touched at Faysl In the Azores
last Wednesday. II had taken little
more than five days to make that part OF
the journey. From Glasgow to the Azores
Is 1900 miles and from Fayal to this port
Is zoos miles. The two racing yachts are
being towed when the wind Is so light that
they make little Roadway or when 1t Ii
ahead II the yachts travel at the rate OF
eight and half miles an hour 1t will take
ten days to get here after leaving Fayal.
As soon as they get to this port the cruis-
ing rig will be taken of each boat and the
work Of putting them in racing shape will
begin and be rushed. 80 that in a short time
they will be having trial trips OF the Hook
to get the challenger in proper trim for the
Cup races. 1t has been said that the Sham
l. - Vs.
New York Yacht Club. but whether this
is Sir Thomas Lipton's plan will not be
known until he arrives here and personally
takes charge OF his yachts. Sir Thomas
will leave the other side on June II on the
steamship Oceanic. He will be duo here on
June "a, and by that time it Is expected
that the yachts will be In shape to resume
their trials.
The Upton fleet this year will be large
one, much larger than in 1901. There will
be the challenger the Shamrock H., the
trial boat, Shamrock L., the Erin, the big
tug Cruiser, tender on which the crews
of the racing yachts will live. two harbor
tugs, one for each racing yacht, and two
or three fast launches. The anchorage
for this fleet will. as usual, be in the Horse
shoe at Sandy Hook. where moorings are
to be put down for the yachts.
The Shamrock I'LL. has made a very
good showing In her trials on the other side
of the Atlantic and some yachtsmen who
have been watching her say that her real
form has not yet been shown.
The Shamrock Ill and Shamr ock I.
have sailed several trials which show that
the challenger is much faster than the old
boat, and in all the trials the old boat has
taken the better position at the start. The
first trial was sailed of Weymouth on April
8. and the yachts ran to the Shambles light
ship and beat back three times, distance
of thirty-sx miles. They had fair sail
ing breeze On the eighteen mile wind
ward work the Shamrock H. gained
minutes seconds. and she gained minute
s. seconds before the wind.
The next day experiments were tried
with the trim of the boat when running.
and in fifteen miles the Shamrock III.
beat Shamrock I. by o minutes 81 seconds,
and beating back she added minutes
10 seconds to the lead. This was . light
weather day and Cup race could not have
been finished in time.
The third trial was sailed oyer a tri-
angular course in a wind that was from
fresh to strong. The second round of the
course the wind gave big Lift to the Sham
rock l., so that the figures will only be taken
up to the end OF the first round. On seven
mile run the Shamrock ILL., gained minutes
81 seconds, on the seven-mile beat she
gained 8 minutes II seconds, and on the
three-mile reach the Shamrock l. gained
Q seconds.
Losing her mast caused delay OF a few
weeks and when she was in shape again
the trials we're resumed on the Clyde.
The first of these was sailed on Saturday,
May Q. In the morning the two yachts
sailed together over twenty mile course.
1t was only sai-stretching spin. but the
challenger showed up very well. In the
afternoon the yachts sailed over the same
course. They started with spinnakers for
a ten-mile run, and the Shamrock Ill. beat
the Shamrock l. by II minutes s seconds.
Beating home the challenger beat the older
boat by 3 minutes II seconds
On Monday an informal trial was sailed
The wind was very light and f1uky and the
older boat received a long lead. The chal-
lenger picked up on the old boat and at the
end Of the day finished minute IS seconds
ahead
The last trial was sailed on May II. They
had a steady breeze, and in q ten-mile beat
to windward the challenger beat the older
boat by minutes rs seconds.
In these trials where times we're taken
the two yachts raced together fifty miles,
and the total beating the challenger gave
TO the older boat was IS minutes seconds
or an average Of AZ seconds a mile Turn
Ing to windward they sailed over measured
courses sixty miles, and the total gain for
Shamrock III. was 80 minutes, or an avera ge
of 30 seconds a mile. In reaching, the
average gain for the challenger was 20
seconds . mile.
just how good the challenger 10 depends
OF course. on the speed Of the trial boat, the
Shamrock /. When that yacht raced for
the Americas Cup she was beaten easily by
the Columbia, but il was said that the
yacht wass not in shape. and after being
taken home that she was very much i'm
proved. Her spars did not stand at all we'll
while here, and these were strengthened 10
that her sails now fit much better than when
she sailed in the Cup races. She was used
as trial boat for the Shamrock H., and
according to Capt. Wringe, who sailed her
and who this year has the challenger, she
was a better boat than Shamrock II. Capt
Sycamore, too, who sailed the Shamrock
H., admitted before the races were sailed
two years ago that the Shamrock II. was
not bit faster than the Shamrock l., ex.
cept in smooth seas and a breeze Of about
nine miles strength. The trials sailed be.
tween the two Shamrocks in 1901 indicate
that the challenger of that year was not
much faster under all conditions than the
older boat.