The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-30
VIEWS OF EXPERTS
Yachtsmen Comment on Showing Of
Reliance and Shamrock III.
in Early Trials.
Challenger the Fastest Yet Sent Over
Reliance Shows Many Points
of Excellence.

Two interesting studies OF Shamrock
III. and Reliance, the new cha llenger for
the Americas cup and the most prominent
candidate for the honor Of defending the
trophy. are given in the June Outing.
John Il. Spears says of Reliance:
Attic definite statements cannot yet
be made as to the speed OF Reliance,
there are certain facts about her work
that are very hopeful. When seen under
| good speed-say ten or twelve knots
from steamer crossing her bows, the
amount of froth and spray under the bows
OF Reliance seems enormous She is
| simply lathered to the eye. And yet there
| is no curl of solid water whatever there.
More important STILL the depression
usually seen in the water just abaft the
main rigging Of the flying yacht is not
found alongside Reliance, while the wave
under the counter is notably small.
1t Is curious to note. too. that as the
speed of Reliance increases her nose rises
The view in crossing her bow at full speed
suggested nothing SO much as a similar
view of a torpedo destroyer She has a
bow something like torpedo boat: in
fact-it is wide and Of shoal draft at least
One felt the speed she was making. even
tho IT may not have been so great as 1t
seemed. s 81 Es4
countered no seas of any consequence, she
has found long and sharp rollers off Rren-
ton Reef lightship, and in passing these
1t was distinctly seen that she rose and
sank rather than pitched over them She
pitched no more working to swindward
than some yachts Of her length would in
| running. Her motion in windward work
against the rollers was, in fact, noticeably
like that Of an ordinary yacht with the
wind We'll aft. She may pound in chop
sea. but her early work has given: no
indication of her doing So
AS one might predict from a look at
the hull. Reliance has shown great speed
in running. number Of experienced
men who watched her In this work esti-
| mated the speed Of the wind and then
timed her as she passed certain chartered
points between Newport and Bristol. To
| their surprise her actual speed was as
high as their estimate of the speed OF
| the wind The tide was with the yacht
and 1t was running a knot an hour. It is
also likely that they underestimated the
wind; but when all allowances are made
| 1t Is certain that she flies away down
wind like puff of smoke.
pleasing feature of her work under
canvas Is IN the fact that Reliance heels
to her sailing lines under the pressure OF
a seven-kno breeze, and yet a twelve
knot breeze is not powerful enough to
wet the lee rail save only when she swings
broad off with sheets aft
In a close reach and then a broad reach
across a twelve-knot breeze off Newport
with small club topsail aloft, she kept
her lee rail out of water save only when
La long roller turned her over q, trif1e
-tThe: fact that she heels to her sailing
lines in a light breeze will be found i'm
portant in the races, for she will never be
found too stiff when the wind will carry
her over the course within the time limit.
And when the wind is high she will be able
to stand up and take. IN
THE fact is, one finds it easy to become
enthusiastic when considering the points
needs a trial with mate to. show what
she Is able to do. For in every point on
which one would base a Judgment In ad-
vance Of an actual race, Reliance seems to
show a distinct superiority"
Winfield NJ. Thompson, comm ting upon
the showing of Shamrock III, in the early
trials, says: 49,
After following Shamrock III. a month,
from the day Of her launching until she
was dismasted, / formed the opinion that
she was faster than any cup yacht
launched up to her time. In her seven
trials against Shamrock l., between. March
81 and April II, the challenger. proved her
self decidedly faster than the older boat
on all points of sailing. This was more
than Shamrock II. did in her trials. for
Notwithstanding the impressions to. the
contrary that obtained with the public,
it was known to all who followed the trials
in 1901 that the old boat, then in her third
year. was the faster of the two. For OBJ
v1ous reasons it was not well for Sir
Thomas to admit this fact in advance Of