The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-06
BRITISH ARE CONFIDENT
They Think Shamrock III. Is Sure
".:< to Lift the Americas
Cup,

The performance Of Americas cup chal-
lenser Shamrock. ILL., off Gourock on
Wednesday last during a, short race with
its predecessor has raised the hopes OIL
the English sportsmen to a high pitch ana
predictions are freely made that the cup
will surely be lifted this year unless the
Americans have succeeded in fash1on1ng
a Yacht much faster than Columbia proved
to be in 1901. 80. =. -. = l
Shamrock III carries considerably. more
canvas than did Columbia In the last in
ternational races: The mast, which Is one
piece is about 166 feet from end to end
About ten feet Of this is buried in the
mast step, the boom at the gooseneck Is
about 3 feet inches above the deck and
the topsail halliard block is about eigh-
teen inches from the; truck In measur-
ing the sail spread the distance from the
upper side of the boom to the topsail hal
lard block is taken, which on Shamrock
III will be about 151 feet. This is con-
siderably more than any other cup .chal-
| lenger or defender has measured until
this year 1t was thought that Mr.. Fife
had figured on a very tall rig which would
be small on the base line, the distance
from the end Of the boom to the. forward
point of measurement on the, bowsprit.
The main boom, according to reports
from reliable source, is four feet shorter
than the boom Of the Shamrock H. The
mast Is, however, stepped much further
| aft on the new yacht and the bowsprit
| is a long one. It is figured that from the
| forward side of the mast to the forward
! point of measurement on Shamrock will
! be seventy eight feet. SO that, allowing
| two feet for the thickness of the mast
1 the length Of the base line is 172 feet,
! which is a little less than Shamrock II.
A.: The length Of the gaff is not accurately
known but in measuring a yacht ac4
| cording to the New York Yacht club rules,
tho, oP-
| length Of the topnast the excess is added
/ to the base line. 1t is safe to say that
/ the excess is at least twelve feet, 50 that
sthis added to the base line will make 1t
! 1876 feet. This will make the sail area of
the new challenger about 14,7oo square
l feet.
l Shamrock III. is the result Of the com. !.
bined efforts Of both the designers and
4 builders Of her two predecessors. Messrs:
! Watson and Fife, and they declare that
| nothing now. afoat can beat her. The
4 length of the new yacht over all is 13s
!. feet and on the: water line something
! less. than 80 feet Fife has been figuring
:: Eon being able to sail the yacht on SO feet
81 water line length. so that he has allowed
L himself two feet for trim, and the short:
a ness, Of the water line will keep down the
s yachts racing length The beam of the
yacht is % feet 6 inches and her draugh
,s|s19 feet 6 inches. The deepest part is al
!; Inc 4lee1 pl tilS Tile lOl WdIut GIN
Of the lead keel being about two fee
? higher than the after end The rake o
!, the rudder post is rather more than OF
any of the cup defenders or forme
challengers. The lead is bulbed and th
fin and belve are not more than nine fee
deep, the hull Of the boat, which is full
bodied, being much deeper than any mod
: ern boats that have been built for cup
racing. gH rs
Shamrock III. has more freeboard thai
her predecessors and her ends are longe
and finer. The water line is full. yer
much. like the water line of Colunnbia
but not nearly so full as the entrance Q
the Independence. q. /
So far as thes hull is concerned th
yacht Reliance IS practically completed
7. and the Americas cup defender will un
doubtedly be launched Saturday.
The tender OF the Reliance, the steame
Sunbeam, arrived at Bristol Saturday.
c.. Oliver Iselin. the managing owne
OF the new boat. together with "a mum
& ber Of his yachting friends, who have bee
on cup defenders for the past ten years