The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-05-04
NEW CUP DEFENDER.
John R. SpearsDescribesS Strong
Points of the Reliance.
HER LONG FIN GIVES STIFFNESS.

Yachting Expert says New Boat
sails Close to the Wind, Yet Main
tains speed-Larger SAN spread
and Befter Fit of cnnvas-A Com
parison with Columbia and Com
stitution.
Although the new cup defender Re
lance has not yet been seen beside
either the old faithful Columbia or the
Constitution it IS possible to make
several comparisons Of no small inter-
est in view of the fact that Sham
rock III. is manifestly a better ship
than any challenger that has come
across the sea, says John Il. Spears,
the yachting expert, In the New York
World.
Even the casual observer will see,
for instance, that the spread of sail on
the Reliance is much larger than that
on either Of the old boats, and greater
sails should mean greater speed, If no
mistake has been made in the model of
the hull and If it is possible to make
the larger sails fit the wind as well as
the smaller.
AS to the ft Of the sails, Of which
some doubt has been expressed, it is
certain that the malnsail Of Reliance
looks better than anything ever seen
above a defender on a first trial More
over, the work done by the sail was in
way extraordinary. For when the
breeze came with sufficient weight the
other day TO heel the boat TO her sail
ing lines Captain Barr repeatedly
showed her up into the wind until her
headsails were all a-hutter, and yet in
that condition the yacht drove on, eat
ing up to windward with but slightly
diminished speed.
In connection with the fit Of the sail
Is the fact that the gam, as already.
noted, hangs almost directly above the
boom. In this respect the new yacht
seems far superior to the Columbia, for
when a gaff says far away over the
lee rail the wind is necessarily spilled
out Of the peak.
That she viii make a course as high
as she points would be inferred from
the fact that she has a long fin, for it il
better for windward work to depend
on a fin to give the needed lateral plane
than it is TO depend on a deep hull.
The long, nat fin opposes a blank wall,
like a centerboard, to the tendency to
make leeway.
In connection with the fin of Reli-
ance it Is worth noting that the fin Of
Shamrock III. is relatively very small.
With this in mind, it is most interest
ing to note that when Reliance heels
under puffs of wind she goes over to
her sailing lines, and there she hangs
4 She is remarkably stiff thereafter. On
the other hand, we now know that
Shamrock III. rolls far alec when she
is struck bysa puff
\ The long, fiat fin of Reliance, with
its lead well down, is not easily liftal
by the power applied to the sails. That
power, in fact, is unable to lift her I'm.
I But when Shamrock III heels to the
wind her little fin offers but little re-
sistance to the power on the sails, and
over she goes. Sir Thomas Upton says
that when the mast gave way the other
day the water was six feet deep on her
lee deck In her disposition to roll and
/ spill the wind out Of her sails Sham
rock III. is apparently inferior to
Shamrock III.
4 A feature OF Reliance is the ease
with which she passes through the wa
! ter There is no wave under her bow
no hollow in the water abaft the rig
ging and no wave under the counter
none to speak Of, that is. considering
that she was travelling at a rate not
far from u knots an hour.
In this respect Reliance is superior to
Columbia and still more superior to
4 Constitution, for Constitution always
disturbed the water more than Column
bia did. 1t does not follow necessarily
that the Reliance is the more speedy
because she disturbs the water less,
but it is a very hopeful Indication.
A curious feature of the new defend
er IS the way she has Of poking her
nose out Of the water when going at
high speed. She rises forward because
of the wide, fiat surface there. She
i slides up on the waves.
This tendency, it may be hoped, will
obviate much of the pounding which
some pessimists have predicted for the
\ new defender She seems to rise and
sink as the waves come with but little
pitching. One must see her in a chop
sea before speaking definitely in the
matter, but her work in this respect is
certainly hopeful. Naturally her great
length will tend to prevent pitching,
\ but one may be more hopeful from this
tendency to sit down than from the
extreme length Of her oyerhangs.
Another very encouraging feature is
the apparent fact that the Reliance
steers easily. She has a double wheel,
and four men can put their strength on
the rudder ait one time, IL necessary;
but 50 far as could be seen from the
press boat Captain Barr was able to
handle her with case in the heaviest
puns Of wind. Certainly there viii be
no race lost as Independence lost one,
through inability to hold the ship to her
course. Nor will her speed be retarded
by holding the rudder across her stern.
1t was manifest that the new ship y
balanced perfectly. There was no yaw-
ing. When she came up to the wind in
A. ,.,,ef a. r,,aS hanaucp Eautaiu Rarr