Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-04-03
THE THIRD TRIAL
Of Shamrock Gives the New
Boat a Good Test.
Easily Bests Shamrock !, in All
Kinds Of Sailing.
General Construction Of the Reliance
- Completed, Thursday.

Gourock, Scotland, April 2.-The third
series of trials of the Shamrock Ill
was held. Thursday, under conditions
similar to those Of Wednesday. Inc
wind had rather less strength but II
was fresh and squally at times. rms
was welcomed, as Wednesdays display
of the challenger for the Americas
cup left a suspicion among some
yachtsmen that there might be con-
ditions under which the Shamrock L
could almost. if not quite, hold the new
boat. The latter's gear, which was
stretched under Wednesdays strain,
was set I'D afresh, Wednesday evening.
The boats started on the first trial,
Thursday. from off Toward Point.
Their sheets were trimmed and they
reached in close company till abeam
of Skelmorlie Buoy, where they luffed
and beat to windward to Rothesay,
three miles. In cross lacking IN
fresh breeze, the challenger again
showed great ability and went further
ahead and further to windward on ev-
erv tack and in half hours sailing
beat the Shamrock by four minutes.
The next trial was a spinnaker run
down the wind. The breeze was steady
and of moderate strength. The Sham-
rock 1 was given a lead of exactly one
minute, but in a 20-minutes run the
challenger closed the gap, overlapped
her and 10 minutes later had drawn
clear ahead. the distance covered being
between four and five miles.
Although the challenger proved fast
er in this run before the wind, she
hardly demonstrated the superiority eX-
pected.
After starting on another turn to
windward from Largs to Rothesay
about six miles, the Shamrock Ill
again outfooted her opponent on every
tack. The wind freshened but the
fresher it became the better it seemed
to suit the new boat, which finished
this beat to windward half mile
ahead.
On turning the yachts set their spin
makers for another trial down the
wind. The Shamrock l was about three
minutes astern at the start, but with a
better wind from the bay she short
ened the gap and was barely two min
utes at the finish.
These positions were maintained to
the end run.
Starting on another beat back across
the firth the Shamrock III excelled all
her previous performances on this point
of sailing and gained considerably over
a mile on beat of about five miles,
and when they squared away for the
run home she led by a mile and half.
On the broad easy reach up channel
the Shamrock I had the advantage OF
a big reaching jib topsail against a
small similar sail of the Shamrock Ill.
Nevertheless the former was not able
to hold the challenger which dropped
her rapidly astern.
Today's trials were planned on the
principle of the majority of the Amer
ica's cup races, the yachts going to
windward and leeward, and were chief
Nv remarkable for the first appearance
of the challenger under spinnaker,
which contains more cloth than any
ever made 1t hoists 140 feet. is IS feet
across the foot, and is exceptionally
full bellied.
This finished the trials on the Clyde.
They will be resumed off Weymouth,
early next week. with set races over
measured courses.
The Shamrock / leaves here, tonight,
in tow for Weymouth. The challenger
and the Erin leave Gourock, Saturday.
1t is expected that the two yachts will
race on Tuesday.