The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-09-01
SIR THOMAS on RACING
Upton Tells Of His Efforts to
Win the Americas Cup.
SOUGHT TO HONOR IRELAND,

why He Named His boats sham-
rocIS-Present Yachts, lie Declares,
OF No Use TO Mankind or Commerce.
would Prefer 10 Race win .ReaI,
Honest Boats.-Bets No Money on
the Results Of the Bnces-
Before the sailing OF the yacht races
Sir Thomas Upton wrote for the Cos
mopolitan for September an article on
MY Efforts to Win the Americas
Cup The following extracts from the
article are reprinted by permission.
copyright. 1908, BY Cosmopolitan Maya
zine Company.I
Just when | first desired to win the
Americas cup I cannot positively say.
Very likely the germ Of that ambition
entered my mind as far back as the
time when the Genesta was battling
for the trophy, but my first overt act,
il may use the term, was just sixteen
years ago, and it came about and took
form In this way:
The Thistle had been in America,
lighting valiantly, but unsnccessfully,
for the cup. i remember sitting ut my
home and bordering.
England. has tried and failed; Scot
land has tried and failed. Why not
give ireland a chanceT
The idea pleased me. That same
night | sat down and wrote a long LETT
ter to my friend. Mr. Lane, then menu
Der OF parliament for Cork, and / ask
ed him to submit a proposition to the
Royal Cork Yacht club the oldest
yachting organization in the world, by
the way-to the effect that an Irish
yacht be built from the designs Of an
freshman ana that she be manned by
an Irish crew and commanded by an
Irish skipper
II wish the challenger 10 be all
Irish, wrote in effect, 'and If the
Royal Cork Yacht club Gun give me
such craft will pay aIl the ex-
penses.
In due course Of time Mr. Lane re-
piled. The Royal Cork Yacht club was
very anxious to join me in the enter
prise but, alas, II was impossible! An
all Irish challenger was out Of the
question for the reason that there was
neither Irish yacht designer nor skip
per for that class Of boat at that time.
1t caused the officers and members Of
the Cork club much chagrin to admit
this fact, but nevertheless it was a
fact, and so the matter ended.
But the ambition to win the bit Of
silver that had remained 50 long in
America was not dead within me- nor
was the desire to have much Of the
credit for bringing II across the Allan
tic rebound to the glory Of Ireland,
was resolved that sooner or later |
would have "a try for Il and that ire
land would figure very largely in my
attempts to succeed whore SO many
gallant sportsnen had failed. Ny time
did not come for many years, but dnal-
" my opportunity arrived and, true to
my first ambition | made my chal-
lenger as much Irish as | could
She was chrEtened Shamrock, and
her consort was Erin. Shamrock she
was named because that is the nation
al flower Of my native land and be-
cause | have always considered it an
emblem Of good luck. Hundreds of
letters have come to me in the past few
years fairly begging me to give the
challenger another name, arguing that
as that name had gone down IN defeat
on two occasions there must be some
thing nnlucky about IL but | have In
yarably replied that it was not th'
name that was beaten, but the boat
"some day, If | live I wrote one
gentleman. "a Shamrock will prove tbs
better boat, aud then you VIII be on
Of the first to say that the name was
lucky one"